One could argue that brunch requires just two things: great food and a cocktail or other boozy beverage option to wash it down. (If you’re not specifically looking for the latter, perhaps this list of excellent breakfast options may fit the bill.) Most of San Francisco’s premier brunch options offer their menus on the weekends only, naturally, but even weekday brunch fans have some choices on this map. So whatever you’re craving — a freshly baked bagel and lox, honey-soaked Moroccan pancakes, or just good old-fashioned eggs and bacon — let this list be your motivation to rise and shine and dine on Saturday and Sunday mornings.
Read MoreThe Hottest Places to Eat Brunch in San Francisco Right Now
Raise a bottomless mimosa to San Francisco’s most exciting brunch destinations
Palette Tea House
In a city rich with dim sum, Palette Tea House stands out as one of the more modern options with a large, high-ceilinged dining room decorated with warm wood and brick. The location at the top of Ghirardelli Square doesn’t hurt either. The food stands up to the test as well, which makes sense considering the restaurant comes from the team behind Daly City destination Koi Palace and the Richmond District’s Dragon Beaux. For your first visit, get the rainbow-hued XLB, but the real standouts are the classic dishes made with premium ingredients including wagyu beef chow fun, abalone siu mai, and the like. Don’t miss the perfectly fried salt and pepper calamari.
Dalida
Though the restaurant has already been wowing diners since last summer, Dalida only added brunch service to their offerings earlier this year. The new menu mirrors what fans have come to know and love the restaurant for, marrying culinary traditions from the Mediterranean with a bounty of local influences. Try a creamy breakfast spread made with kaymak and strawberry rhubarb preserve, or a sujuk flatbread with mornay sauce and a poached egg, though the carnivores can rest easy knowing there’s a burger and half chicken on the brunch menu, too.
Cassava
North Beach restaurant Cassava underwent a bit of a transformation this year, pivoting to focus on French bistro fare during both dinner and brunch, which occurs Friday through Sunday. The new brunch menu now offers classic bistro dishes such as a croque madame, quiche, and pain perdu, as well as heartier, savory plates like a burger, steak and eggs, and mussels with frites.
The Vault Garden
The Vault Garden has served a solid Saturday brunch for quite some time but recently added a three-course prix fixe menu option for $45. The price includes starters like puffed potatoes with cauliflower mousse and bacon crumble or potato pave tots crowned with caviar, followed by entrees including a salmon Benedict, burger, or breakfast sandwich. Wrap up with something sweet: sugar-dusted donuts, waffles, or pancakes.
Mattina
Mattina, the all-day restaurant from SQPR chef Matt Accarrino, leans heavily on the baked goods and coffee game starting at 8:30 a.m. But when 11 a.m. rolls around the all-day menu kicks in, expanding your dining options to include fresh pastas, salads, and charcoal-grilled proteins. The almond bostock will make you fall back in love with fancy toast or opt for a flaky, wood-grilled biscuit piled with prosciutto, cheese, and eggs. Other excellent brunch-y options include chocolate, cherry, and hazelnut bruschetta and a bowl of box-cut spaghetti in vibrant kale pesto.
Copra
Copra, the handsome Indian restaurant by chef Srijith “Sri” Gopinathan, added brunch to the mix on both Saturdays and Sundays from 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. On the menu, look for cardamom “Copra toast,” a masala dosa, or cauliflower curry, as well as an array of smaller plates including black pepper wings, rasam poori, and heirloom beet salad. Pair your meal with cocktails such as a turmeric spritz or clarified lassi punch.
Movida
SoMa’s swanky new restaurant and lounge Movida deftly blends Mexican and Persian cuisines. At brunch that means dishes such as a Persian tomato omelet made with chorizo and queso Oaxaca or a breakfast tahdig tostada made with refried garbanzo beans, crispy chorizo, and labneh. There’s a full cocktail menu as well, with brunch-specific options including a zesty tomatillo mary, pomegranate mimosas, and the Frescal, a blend of tequila, mezcal, strawberry bitters, and Giffard rhubarb.
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Aziza
The brunch menu at chef Mourad Lahlou’s more casual restaurant Aziza is more than bright enough to cut through the Richmond District’s notorious fog. From 10:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. on weekends, the menu includes sweet and savory dishes like smoked salmon dressed with leek, cilantro, and preserved lemon or a quivering square of custardy French toast buried under a layer of huckleberries and vanilla cream. Whatever you order, don’t skip the beghrir pancakes, a Morrocan specialty made with semolina flour and sweetened with honey. Choose from a full list of daytime cocktails including riffs on a classic bloody mary and several kinds of spritzes.
Early to Rise
As of February 29, chef Andrew McCormack’s former pop-up Early to Rise has a permanent home in the NoPa neighborhood. In the former Automat space, the sunny restaurant serves a tight menu of breakfast and brunchtime fare with many of the ingredients including butter, jam, challah, hot sauce, sausage, and even bacon made on-site. Start with an order of the sugar-dusted doughnuts or a New York-style bagel before moving on to heartier options including eggs Benedict or a one-of-a-kind potato pancake.
Rad Radish
This plant-based restaurant from the Back of the House (Wildseed, Beretta, Super Duper Burger) serves brunch on weekends from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., offering a tight selection of meat-free morning options including a breakfast sandwich and a vegetable scramble, both of which feature Just Eggs. Beverage options at the stylish and casual restaurant run the gamut from probiotic sodas, coffee, and tea to wine, beer, and cocktails.
Otra
Otra, the handsome modern Mexican restaurant from husband-and-wife team Nick Cobarruvias and Anna Sager Cobarruvias, expanded into brunch and the menu is just as enticing with veggie-forward dishes as you might expect. Peruse options like roasted mushroom tacos, chilaquiles, and a fried egg torta topped with refried black beans and avocado.
Rosemary & Pine
This Design District restaurant comes from the folks behind Niku Steakhouse including chef Dustin Falcon, who pulls inspiration from his East Coast upbringing to shape the menu. On the brunch menu, offered weekends from 10:30 a.m. to 2 p.m., start with oysters bathed in sweet south Florida golden passionfruit and move on to fuller dishes including eggs Benedict, Liberty Farm's duck sausage gravy and biscuits, or one of two housemade pastas. Large-format cocktails mean the whole group can turn up mimosas or Pimm’s cups.
Piglet & Co.
Chef Chris Yang and partner Marcelle Gonzales Yang keep things non-traditional at their debut restaurant Piglet & Co. in the Mission. By night, they serve a nostalgia-driven menu of Asian comfort food — but on Sunday from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. there’s a tight menu of don’t miss dishes including a pork cutlet sandwich and loco moco with rich pork gravy. Reservations are available via Resy.
Outerlands
This Outer Sunset staple serves brunch Friday through Sunday from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. when the menu includes levain toast with housemade butter and jam, breakfast sandwiches, and a very popular Dutch pancake with seasonal fruit. There’s a full beverage menu as well, but it’s a first come first served seating situation so plan accordingly.
Piccino
Dogpatch restaurant Piccino is ready to serve lunch, dinner, and, of course, brunch. On the weekend that means starting your meal with fresh pastries, fruit, and Tuscan focaccia, then carrying on for omelets, scrambles, and savory bread pudding — just save room for one of the pizzas if you can. Sparkling wine is the move here and be sure to stop by the Euro-centric Dig Wines next door for a bottle to take home and save for later.
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Birch & Rye
As of this spring, Sunday brunch is on at the modern Russian restaurant Birch & Rye. Chef Anya El-Wattar offers elegant dishes including a buckwheat bowl with egg, mushrooms, and delicata squash; vodka-cured salmon; and a wagyu skirt steak with Yukon potatoes, mushrooms, and eggs. Wash it down with a mimosa, bloody mary, or one of the cocktails made with the house-infused vodkas.
Elena’s Mexican Restaurant
The West Portal neighborhood has easily embraced Elena’s, a gorgeous new Mexican restaurant from the family behind Original Joe’s. Though evening means hefty platters of enchiladas and sizzling plates of fajitas, brunch sees the addition of options such as chilaquiles with either red or green sauce and huevos rancheros divorciados. A breakfast burrito stuffed with tater tots and green chiles begs to be paired with a carajillo, bellini, or one of the restaurant’s various bloody mary riffs.
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