Where to Eat

In San Francisco's Richmond District

Burma Superstar

309 Clement Street

The restaurant that put Burmese food on San Francisco's map back in 1992. No reservations, and the line often wraps the block—but the table-side tossed tea leaf salad and coconut rice are worth every foggy minute of the wait. Order the samusa soup if it's your first visit.

DINE AT BURMA SUPERSTAR

Chapeau!

126 Clement Street

A slice of Paris hiding behind an unassuming storefront. Chef-owner Philippe Gardelle still comes out table to table with escargot, coq au vin, and a French wine list generous enough to earn a Wine Spectator award. Reserve ahead; it seats fewer than 50.

DINE AT CHAPEAU!

Cinderella Bakery & Café

436 Balboa Street

Open since 1953, this is the Bay Area's oldest Russian bakery. Order dark rye, piroshki, and honey layer cake. Find a seat on their sunny patio, perfect for lingering over a bowl of borscht.

DINE AT CINDERELLA

Good Luck Dim Sum

736 Clement Street

A cash-only, no-frills institution where you circle your picks on a pink order slip and walk out with a box of shrimp dumplings and pork buns for less than the price of a coffee downtown. Best enjoyed on a bench in Golden Gate Park.

DINE AT GOOD LUCK DIM SUM

Kitchen Istanbul

349 Clement Street

A candlelit Turkish wine bar known equally for its serious natural-wine list and its Adana kebabs. Start with the muhammara and flaky börek, then finish with künefe: warm, cheese-filled, and impossible to share.

DINE AT KITCHEN ISTANBUL

Mandalay

4348 California Street

The city's original Burmese restaurant, open since 1984 and crowned a James Beard “America's Classic” in 2024. Come for the same tea leaf salad that convinced San Franciscans decades ago that Burmese food deserved a seat at the table, as well as the pumpkin pork stew, which might convince you all over again.

DINE AT MANDALAY

The Plough and Stars

116 Clement Street

An old-school Irish pub with live traditional music most nights of the week. No food menu, but you can BYO takeout from up the block.

DINE AT THE PLOUGH AND STARS

Wako

211 Clement Street

Proof that the Richmond has fine dining, too, this intimate, Michelin-starred sushi counter serves some of the city's freshest omakase.

DINE AT WAKO

Fiorella

2339 Clement Street

Wood-fired, neighborhood-style Italian with a devoted local following. Order the burrata pizza, pull up a seat on the heated patio, and settle in.

DINE AT FIORELLA

Hong Kong Lounge

5322 Geary Boulevard

A neighborhood dim sum favorite. Lazy Susans spin with siu mai, XO noodle rolls, and baked pork buns. Reserve ahead for weekend brunch.

DINE AT HONG KONG LOUNGE

Moscow & Tbilisi Bakery

5540 Geary Boulevard

A Russian-Georgian bakery beloved for its khachapuri (cheese-stuffed bread) and beef-and-cheese piroshki, all baked fresh every morning and gone by afternoon.

DINE AT MOSCOW & TBLISI BAKERY

Pizzetta 211

211 23rd Avenue

A tiny, cult-favorite pizzeria tucked on a residential corner, turning out thin, blistered pies that rotate with the seasons—think braised short rib or egg-and-asparagus. Save room for the flourless chocolate cake.

DINE AT PIZZETTA 211

Russian Renaissance Restaurant

5241 Geary Boulevard

A supper club in the heart of “Little Russia” since 1959, complete with live music on weekends and the occasional disco night. Come for hearty Eastern European classics; stay for the old-world atmosphere that feels imported straight from across the Atlantic. (There's no website or IG account to follow, so you know it's old school!)

Tommy's Mexican Restaurant

5929 Geary Boulevard

Family-run since 1965 and the birthplace of the “Tommy's Margarita,” made with tequila, lime, and agave. The tequila collection here—one of the largest in the world—has landed Tommy's on the World's 50 Best Bars list more than once.

DINE AT TOMMY'S

Beach Chalet Brewery & Restaurant

1000 Great Highway

In an historic 1925 building, where Golden Gate Park meets the ocean, this local favorite offers house-brewed beer, sweeping Pacific views, and WPA-era murals downstairs. Time it for sunset if you can.

DINE AT BEACH CHALET

Iggy's Place

3519 Balboa Street

Eastern European comfort food with a California twist—think matzo ball soup, beef tongue sandwiches, and latkes, from a chef reconnecting with his Ukrainian roots.

DINE AT IGGY'S PLACE

The Laundromat

3725 Balboa Street

By day, it's bagels—golden, hand-rolled, and gone by noon. By night, it flips to natural wine and Detroit-style pizza (we recommend the hot honey pepperoni). This restaurant was one of the most talked-about openings in the city in years. And it's all inside a converted laundromat!

DINE AT THE LAUNDROMAT

Rampant Bottle & Bar

3516 Balboa Street

A cozy natural-wine bar and bottle shop run by two neighborhood regulars, with rotating pours, tinned fish, and a happy hour worth planning your afternoon around.

DINE AT RAMPANT

Simple Pleasures Cafe

3434 Balboa Street

The Richmond's oldest coffeehouse, family-run and roasting its own beans since 1978. Equal parts coffee shop and living room, with occasional live acoustic sets.

DINE AT SIMPLE PLEASURES CAFE

Trad'r Sam

6150 Geary Boulevard

San Francisco's oldest tiki bar, pouring rum-heavy scorpion bowls from horseshoe-shaped island booths since 1937. Come with a group; the bowls are built for sharing, and so is the nostalgia.