Welcome to Year in Eater 2017, Eater’s annual ritual of eulogizing the past 12 months. For 2017’s final week, Eater SF will be posting questions daily about San Francisco’s restaurant scene in the past year, with answers from those who know it best: Eater editors. Today’s topic: What were your top restaurant standbys of 2017? These are the places people returned to time and again.
Carolyn Alburger, Eater Cities Director
We moved from SF to the dining wasteland that is Marin and luckily there were a few bright stars to keep us going. Pig in a Pickle is owned by a former sous chef to T-Kell at The French Laundry and the barbecue there is no joke. The kitchen cranks out consistent, clean, humanely sourced, pan-regional barbecue that easily rivals the best in San Francisco. We also jet into The Richmond for Vietnamese rollups and beef pho with extra tendon from Y&Y on Clement.
Hillary Dixler Canavan, Restaurant Editor, Eater National
Souvla's a quintessential standby for how high it scores on the deliciousness vs health vs price vs convenience factor. I eat so much Souvla salad I am ashamed of myself.
I depend on Mister Jius — either with a reservation or as a walk-in at the bar — when I want to put on a cute outfit and stuff my face with bbq crunch buns and silky tofu topped with perfectly fiery ma po. Like Mister Jius, Tartine Manufactory dinner is another dependable choice for special nights out — if you can get in. Newcomer China Live as quickly become a standby for me as well.
But the most essential, reliable restaurant in San Francisco for me this year was Una Pizza Napoletana. I'm not taking its closure particular well.
Greg Morabito, Pop Culture Editor, Eater National
Tartine Manufactory for breakfast and lunch. Iyasare in Berkeley for dinner.
Rachel Levin, Eater SF Critic
Zuni never fails.
Ellen Fort, Eater SF Editor
Mister Jiu’s is probably highest on my list for repeat dining (and I just realized it was last year, too). I’m always in the mood for those squid and pork wontons, thinly sliced Devil’s Gulch pig head, perfectly balanced hot and sour soup, Dungeness crab cheong fun, or basically anything on the menu. Ramen Shop is Oakland is also a major go-to, especially the Meyer lemon broth (add chashu).