Slow Food

Strongest late-night ramen option downtown. Multiple broth styles including a bonito-forward signature.

Iconic 24th & Mission taqueria. Super burritos and al pastor that built the Mission burrito legend. Cash only.

Pupuseria with generous fillings and live mariachi on good nights. Weekend hours push deep into the night.

Old-world wood-paneled steakhouse with no sign on the door — Cow Hollow's worst-kept secret. NY pepper steak, French onion soup,…

House-made pasta and Neapolitan pizzas on Columbus, kitchen open late — North Beach's answer to the question of what a real…

Outer Mission super-burrito factory churning out carne asada and al pastor till 2:30am on weekends. Lower-key sibling to the…

Japanese gastropub on Post Street — sake, yakitori skewers, golden karaage, sushi when the kitchen is in the mood. Open till…

SoMa beer den on a tiny alley off Mission — kitchen open till midnight, taps and cocktails till 2am. The post-game move when you…

Decades-deep SJSU-adjacent taquería. Famous for the orange sauce that fuels half of downtown's late-night decisions.

Named after Seoul's college nightlife district and trying hard to live up to it. Spicy rice cakes, fried chicken, and somaek…

The pho place with the robot servers, open till 2am every night on King Rd. Modern dining room, classic pho, and the late-night…

Decades-old walk-up burger stand on Ocean Ave — juicy patties, root beer floats, no frills, no apps. The only real late-night…

Korean food in a converted garage at the foggy western edge of the Sunset — soju, fried chicken, anchovy stew, the kind of…

Built on the bones of a beached ship at Pacific & Battery, a Barbary Coast survivor pouring drinks until 2am and publishing a…

Hookah-and-mezze lounge on the Upper Haight — kebab plates, mint tea, hookah glowing through smoke. Till 2am, which on Haight…

Tented Seoul street-stall energy compressed into an El Camino strip mall. Soju bottles, kimchi pancakes, marinated crab, and a…

Grill-it-yourself Korean BBQ with the smoke vents going and the soju flowing past midnight. The 1am crowd is usually a mix of…

Mission Street pizza and grill joint that stays open very late on weekends.

Detroit-style square pies with creative toppings. Late-night weekend hours in the Mission.

No-frills Pakistani-Indian counter joint, the original O'Farrell location is gone but the Larkin Street outpost remains one of…

Cash-only burger counter on Broadway, still a weekend North Beach late-food move. Current official hours point to 2am on Friday…

A proper Hong Kong-style late-night cafe doing baked pork chop rice, clay pots, congee, and milk tea till 3am on weekends. The…

One of the latest Chinese kitchens in the city. Taishanese specialties until 3am every night.

Eddy Street bodega-style counter pizza and NYC chopped-cheese sandwiches for a deep Tenderloin food run. Current official order…

SoMa Mel's — bright and chrome and full of post-Yerba-Buena traffic. Late kitchen, ridiculous milkshakes, the kind of menu that…

Small izakaya with yakitori, ramen, and Japanese small plates. Late hours Wed-Sat.

Full kitchen until midnight every night in the Castro, with a cocktail program.

Thai tabletop barbecue on Geary — flames in the middle of the table, plates of marinated meats, and a kitchen that runs till…

French neighborhood bistro at the base of Telegraph Hill — duck confit, late-night oyster specials, wine list deep enough to get…

Korean pocha-style spot at the edge of Lakeside — a 25-seat communal table, soju bottles, kimchi pancakes and budae jjigae army…

Counter-service burger spot on Balboa with creative toppings, garlic fries, and a small but devoted neighborhood crowd. Closed…

Downtown SJ food hall and bar block. Multiple stalls, multiple bars, big covered patio.

Upscale Mexican on Hamilton with a serious tequila program and a covered back patio.

Rooftop bar atop the Proper Hotel with 360 views, fire pits, and a polished cocktail program. More bar than restaurant after 10.

Sichuan kitchen on Taraval with a customizable dry-pot bar and numbing-spice dial that goes higher than you think. Open till 1am…

A tight Korean pub doing rice bowls and fried chicken till midnight, packed on 49ers nights when Levi's empties out. Order the…

Milpitas's most reliable late-night pho — wide menu, broth that tastes like it's been simmering all day, dining room still…

A Divisadero slice counter for a late-ish pizza run, but current official/order pages point closer to midnight than the old 2am…

Himalayan-leaning Indian kitchen in the Fillmore — paneer tikka, butter chicken, biryani, momos. Open till midnight, the late…

Pakistani karahi joint in the heart of the Tenderloin — bone-in goat, chicken karahi bubbling in metal pans, naan straight off…

Downtown MV New-American with a covered patio and a late kitchen on weekends.

Grand Century Mall stalwart on Story Rd, named for the perfect angle of a steaming bowl. Beef pho, bun bo hue, vermicelli plates…

Hayes Valley chicken sandwich and burger spot with a sports bar side. Open late on weekends.

Rooftop Nikkei (Japanese-Peruvian) spot that transitions into club-adjacent vibes at night with a DJ.

Polk Street Chinese kitchen open until 1am, solid for a late group meal.

SoMa burger spot punching above its weight — truffle butter, mushroom ragout, brioche buns, and a kitchen open well past last…

Twenty-year-old slice operation on Lower Haight that still does the job — pepperoni, jalapeños, ranch on the side, fluorescent…

Neighborhood pizza and delivery shop, reliable late-night fallback.

Clement Street Thai standby — papaya salad with the crunch, crispy chicken wings, drunken noodles. Open till midnight every…

Wings ranked from 'Traditional' to a sauce literally called 'Inferno,' served by a place that's been daring people for 30 years.…

Main Street Cupertino's reliable midnight kitchen — sliders, ramen bowls, and a patio that fills with Apple workers when the…

Berryessa's late-night pho hold-out — Thursday through Sunday till midnight, dining room still warm with broth steam at 11:50pm.…

American Graffiti-era drive-in chrome and red vinyl, milkshakes in tall metal cups, breakfast 24/7-ish. The Richmond branch is…

1956 downtown SJ classic. Bow-tie servers and an open kitchen counter; now more late-evening than true late-night.

Manuel Martinez's Latin tapas room on Broadway. Inventive plates and a deep wine list.

Northern-Italian kitchen with a serious wine list. Late-evening pasta and tableside conversation.

Brewery-pizza beer hall in a converted Uptown dealership. Long communal tables, big patio, taps deep.

Uptown ramen shop with a tight broth lineup and bar seats facing an open kitchen.

The Temescal outpost of the SF original. Tea leaf salad and the platha line are still the move.

Daly City Italian-American institution since 1956. Open kitchen counter, prime rib, and the corner booths fill early.

Castro Street Latin tapas with live music on the back patio. A staple of late-evening MV.

Columbus Ave griddle joint cranking out cheesesteaks and half-pound burgers till 2am. Tiny counter, paper-wrapped sandwiches,…

Chinatown classic known for salt and pepper crab, clams in black bean sauce, and boiled chicken with ginger.