Drawing on chef Sylvan Mishima Brackett’s early days as a bona fide bento box artiste, this Mission District izakaya continues to offer one of the best Japanese dining experiences in a city that’s crowded with them. Expect an ever-changing lineup of fresh fish and skewers hot off the restaurant’s charcoal binchoyaki grill. But don’t overlook the incredibly creamy housemade tofu either.

Nepalese food was hard to come by before Suraksha Basnet showed up on Valencia and threw everyone a bone. She’s gone on to open Base Camp, also in the Mission, and her commitment to flavor and craft is obvious at both spots. The saag curry is a homerun. 

This bar is the spot to throw on whatever annoying 80s song you are into this week and shoot darts while three gin and tonics deep. Opened in 1994, the location is sublime; Pakwan and Happy Lantern are next door, and the bus stop is just outside, making your late night trek home all the simpler. 

The white-tiled, cafeteria ambiance of Pancho Villa on 16th is actually a majorly charming aspect of the taqueria’s service. Maybe a little buzzed, or maybe just to get lunch, one slides down the row of refried beans and carnitas, snagging items along the way. Sauces are preloaded in ramekins, alongside peppers; dining takes place on Clifford red trays. 

Pupusas deserve more than this brief aside considering the Mission hosts a lot of great Salvadoran food. But it would also be a great disservice to leave off Panchita’s, the business so popular it has two outlets within a half block of each other.

Feeling terrified of California’s pyrocene era? This quiet Valencia spot is just right, putting your fears aside while you get familiar with the outrageous eggplant tofu. Vietnamese coffee, done plant-based with soy milk, is a treat, as is the Thai ice tea.

In the former Piri Pica corner spot on 17th and Valencia, this dumpling den doles out the deals. The soup dumplings, pork buns, and fried rice are all attention getters. The strawberry sake is worth a taste, too.

Abanico is a tiny little cafe perfect for making friends. Owner Ana Valle is always opening doors, this time literally at her shop in the Mission, and her space is dialed in for a good meetcute – Jason Jägel’s mural serves as a colorful, eclectic conversation starter. Order the cubano. 

Known as the espresso bar, the video store, or simply Faye’s, this shop stands defiant across from the always-swamped Tartine Bakery with it’s $1 “tiny” coffee. Who doesn’t want to pick up a bag of coffee when they rent a DVD of 13 Going on 30?

Tartine has gone through a number of openings, closings, and changes across the board in the last few years. But through it all, the original bakery on 18th and Guerrero is still, thankfully, a treat, and now the staff are members of the International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU) so those morning buns are in support of workers and your Instagram feed.

The Korner Store is nothing short of an absolute gift of an addition to the Valencia corridor. The soju slushies are as good as they sound, and the octopus seaweed salads are excellent. Boiler Room DJ sets blare throughout the tiny, open-air shop, and a raucous crowd will no doubt form every weekend night.

A longtime favorite on the Valencia corridor, the vibes are almost diametric to the Korner Store just up the block. The fries are a salty tonic to the inevitable shots of Jameson, and the costs are an economic counterbalance to the pricer cocktails at Beehive across the way.

This bar earns itself the title of playing host to one of the all-time weirdest floor plans, one of the best outdoor spaces, and some of the best sweet potato tater tots in the Mission. Teeth is an important destination for any self-respecting Mission bar crawl.

This vegetarian Indian restaurant has scores of food for reasonable costs – and may be the only of its kind in the Mission, and the city at large. Any uthappam and dosa combo, with pakora vegetables and samosa to start, is as delectable a feast as one can enjoy.

When the sun is shining and the sangria is flowing, there are no greater roofs the El Techo to be on in the whole city. That’s just a certifiable fact. From the elevator ride to the top to the unstoppable camarones a la diabla, El Techo is a slam dunk.

Looking down on Mission Street from the second floor of Lazlo is an undeniably luxurious experience. Attached to Foreign Cinema, the bar did experience push-back from the neighborhood before its debut. But the cocktails are exquisite, and the vibe does have one feeling as fancy as top shelf liquor should.

Also a subject of much discussion, this in-house bar is a true find. The lighting feels a bit sinister; the eponymous statues menace anyone brave enough to find a seat. Grab a themed cocktail the next time one rolls around. 

Please eat breakfast at Boogaloo’s, as that seems to be the only way to get the point across: whether it’s the Temple o’ Spuds or the tofu fajitas, Boogaloo’s is San Francisco breakfast royalty. And the restaurant’s footprint has grown now that it has added two enormous outdoor parklets.

Here’s a bold claim worth testing out this Friday night: the Latin American Club’s margaritas are the strongest, saltiest in the city. They’re so deadly that the bar even offers a half marg to try and keep people on their feet. 

Since 2008 this kiosk has given fancy donuts a home in the city. Sara Spearin, a San Francisco pastry chef who cut her teeth at Foreign Cinema and other top spots, delights regulars with passionfruit milk chocolate donuts and visitors with rotating specials like orange saffron. Dynamo survived the worst of the pandemic, and are still doing the damn thing.

A DJ set at Pop’s, after a long night of rambling through the plethora of Mission District bars, is the perfect nightcap. Check yourself before coming through, though – like any good neighborhood enclave, if you’re coming for the first time with outrageous energy, prepare to be checked.

Walking onto Calle 24, or Veinticuatro, is a beautiful sensation. The Latino Cultural District hosts more devastatingly delicious restaurants than can be listed here, but of note is Puerto Rican and Cuban joint Fruitlandia. The tiny 55-year-old business deserves all the acclaim – just try the sweet plantains.