Summer 9s

Best brunches, dumplings, power lunches, lobster rolls, late night eats, Oracle Park dining, NA cocktails

RESTAURANTS • The Nines

Brunch

• Lucho’s (Lakeside), chilaquiles, pineapple pancakes, bright flatiron space, walk-ins only

• Dalida (Presidio), Turkish eggs, spreads, pita w/ Golden Gate Bridge view, reserve

• Early to Rise (Nopa), from-scratch bagels, bacon, benedicts from former fine dining crew, intel, reserve

• Piglet & Co (Mission), rice porridge, pork belly, milk tea French toast, reserve

• Plow (Potrero Hill), seasonal scrambles, perfect potatoes, damn fine biscuit, walk-ins only

• City View (Chinatown), old-school dim sum in modern new space on Portsmouth Square, walk-ins only

• Hilda and Jesse (North Beach, above), clubby prix-fixe brunch, thick buttermilk pancakes, reserve

• Bon Délire (Embarcadero), hot new modern bistro, truffled croques, pain perdu, intel, reserve

• Abacá (Fisherman’s Wharf), steak silog, Dungeness crepes, ensaymada buns, reserve

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RESTAURANTS • The Nines

Dumplings

• Dumpling Kitchen (Outer Sunset & Castro), casual sit-down spot for wontons in chili oil, Shanghai-style sticky rice shumai + sautéed pea shoots, walk-ins only

• HK Lounge Bistro (SoMa), roast duck/peanut dumplings, Berkshire pork/shrimp gyoza, reserve

• United Dumplings (Bernal Heights & Marina), traditional/modern mashup with Mission chicken potstickers + bulgogi beef dumplings, walk-ins only

• Yank Sing (SoMa), standout vegetarian dumplings, 100+ dim sum options, reserve

• Dumpling Time (Design District/Thrive City, above), novelty soup dumpling so big it requires a straw, reserve

• Good Luck Dim Sum (Inner Richmond), cash-only counter, excellent har gow, walk-ins only

• Dumpling Home (Hayes Valley & Lower Pac Heights), “numb & spicy” xiao long bao for heat-seekers, walk-ins only

• Dragon Beaux (Richmond), colorful XLB sampler, shrimp dumplings topped with Chilean sea bass, reserve

• Shanghai Dumpling King (Duboce Triangle & Sunnyside), no-frills classics, XLB soup dumplings, walk-ins only

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RESTAURANTS • The Nines

Power lunches

• Kokkari Estiatorio (FiDi), politicians gather for grilled fish and artichoke souvlaki, reserve

• Bon Délire (Embarcadero), vibey bistro for croques and salads, intel, reserve

• Bar Sprezzatura (FiDi, above) pizza, pasta, and cicchetti in the prettiest dining room, intel, reserve

• Wayfare Tavern (FiDi), Tyler Florence’s handsome tavern in new digs, intel, reserve

• Harborview (Embarcadero), upscale dim sum w/ sweeping bay views, reserve

• The Rotunda (Union Square) lobster clubs and popovers for ladies who lunch, reserve

• Akikos (SoMa), the original omakase legend in a modern new home, reserve

• La Mar (Embarcadero), cebiches and empanadas right on the waterfront, reserve

• Balboa Café (Marina), good times gastropub from Gov Newsom’s hospitality group, walk-ins only

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RESTAURANTS • The Nines

Lobster rolls

• Woodhouse Fish Co. (Lower Pac Heights), chilled or hot on full-size roll large enough to share, walk-ins only

• Luke’s Lobster (SoMa), 4-, 6- and 8-oz options in New England-style bun w/ mayo, lemon butter, and secret seasoning, walk-ins only

• Leo’s Oyster Bar (FiDi), swanky Ken Fulk-designed dining room w/ rolls dressed in mayo, celery, chives, lemon + side of fries, reserve

• Broad Street Oyster Co. (Fisherman’s Wharf), beachy-retro SoCal transplant w/ warm or chilled rolls, caviar and uni upgrade options, walk-ins only

• New England Lobster Market (Burlingame), 4 ways — dressed, naked, 5-oz knuckle sandwich, or topped w/ avo and bacon — plus DIY kits, walk-ins only

• The Salty Pearl (Oakland), hip Jack London seafood spot, meaty rolls served cold w/ chips, reserve

• Sam’s Chowder House (Half Moon Bay), Connecticut-style ‘naked’ (warm w/ butter) and Maine-style ‘dressed’ (chilled w/ mayo) rolls + spectacular view, reserve

• Willi’s Seafood & Raw Bar (Healdsburg), 1/4 lb of Maine lobster poached w/ fennel and garlic butter, reserve

• Cousins Maine Lobster (various locations), no-frills food truck w/ bite-sized CT- and ME-style rolls, 1- and 2-lb take-home kits, calendar

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RESTAURANTS • The Nines

Dining, late night

• Wasabi Bistro (Castro), sushi, gyoza, deep-fried mushrooms until at least 11p, walk-ins only

• Horsefeather (NoPa), industry hang-out w/ solid braised short rib, risotto alla Milanese until 1030p weeknights, 12a weekends, reserve

• Nopa (NoPa), used to serve even later, but 10p Mon-Thu and 11p on weekends isn’t bad, reserve

• Brazen Head (Cow Hollow), meatball sandwiches, prawn scampi, burgers until 11p Sun-Tue, and 12a Wed-Sat, walk-ins only

• Cocobang (Union Square), Korean fare served in an always-packed dining room ’til 2a Sun-Thu, 4a Fri-Sat, walk-ins only

• ABV (Mission), great burgers and cocktails until 12a nightly, walk-ins only

• Loló (Mission), modern Mexican served until 10p weeknights, 11p weekends, reserve

• Emmy’s Spaghetti Shack (Bernal Heights), full pasta and meatballs menu served until 10p weeknights, late-night menu until 12a weekends

• Four Kings (Chinatown), acclaimed Chinese-influenced mashup hot spot until 11p nightly, reserve (no walk-ins after 9p)

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RESTAURANTS • The Nines

Dining, Oracle Park

• Tony's Pizza (Field Club), slices or pies of cheese, veggie, or pepperoni from pizza champ Tony Gemignani

• The Cove (Field Club), Crazy Crab sandwich, bread bowl chowder, Old Bay fries

• Mission Street Taqueria (Field Club), helmet nachos, B+ burritos, canned and frozen cocktails

• Bayside Brews (Promenade 103-105), micheladas, craft and imported beer on draft

• Outta Here Cheesesteaks (Promenade 106), Philly, chicken, or Impossible cheesesteaks

• Gilroy Garlic Fries (Field level, 144), the best fries (helmet vessel optional), coup corn dog

• Doggie Diner (Alaska Airlines Club, 205), dogs, pretzels, chocolate malts

• Fuku (Alaska Airlines Club, 209), OG Chicken Sando, waffle fries, magnolia cookies

• Say Hey Sausage (View level, 326), hot links, pineapple sausage, foot-longs

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BARS & RESTAURANTS • The Nines

For NA cocktails

• Nari (Japantown), tropical flavors alongside inventive Thai dishes, reserve

• Anomaly SF (Lower Pac Heights), zero-ABV tasting-menu pairing option + extensive list of NA wines/beer/cocktails/hop waters, reserve

• Kiln (Hayes Valley), spirit-free drink pairings, Scandi-inspired dishes, intel, reserve

• Bar Iris (Russian Hill), next-level non-alcoholic cocktails w/ Japanese ingredients, intel, walk-ins only

• Laszlo (Mission), go-to for NA “beer and a shot” combo w/ Lyre’s spirits, walk-ins only

• Bar Shiru (Oakland), vinyl listening bar serving best zero-proof old fashioned, walk-ins only

• Parche (Oakland), Colombian-inspired NA cocktails, like flavor-bomb lulo-fruit shandy, reserve

• Sipeos (Walnut Creek), modern bar/resto/bottle shop serving NA cocktails, wine, beer, reserve

• Eylan (Menlo Park), upscale Indian with knockout NA milk punch, reserve