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Old Mandarin’s peppercorn-laden food is for the spice heads out there.
Patricia Chang

Turn Up the Heat With These Hot and Spicy San Francisco Dishes

A baker’s dozen of devilishly spicy dishes in the city by the Bay

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Old Mandarin’s peppercorn-laden food is for the spice heads out there.
| Patricia Chang

“Spicy” means lots of things to lots of people these days. Sure, it’s a term for hot takes and cancellable moves online, but it’s also a way of eating that adds a bit more pep to your meals. One can trot around the globe, dipping their toes into everything from capsicum to peppercorn to jalapeño to ajilo, but in San Francisco, there are a ton of ways to try out all these various iterations of spice, as this list caters more toward that which is traditionally described as “hot.” So, yes, explore the booming hot chicken sandwich businesses in the Bay. But then hit these spots to try dishes that put San Francisco on the radar for any Scoville savants out there.

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Viva Goa Indian Cuisine

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Lombard Street is more than the world’s most crookedest street. It’s also home to this Indian restaurant highlighting Goa, a coastal state in India once colonized by the Portuguese. The ambot tik, which translates to “sour hot,” is a tangy, spicy curry that should please any Scoville-seekers.

Z & Y Restaurant

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This staple Northern Chinese restaurant in Chinatown can do damage to any uninitiated person’s tastebuds. That’s due to the heavy inclusion of Sichuan peppers in almost every dish, especially in the fish filet with flaming chile oil. The aptly named “flaming chile oil” is indeed powerful, so make sure you feel prepared before ordering this entree. 

A photo of food. Paolo Bicchieri

Hot Sauce and Panko

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This simply named hot sauce shop doubles as a spicy chicken dealer — hence the “panko” part of its name. Five wings cost just under $8 and, for those in search of spice, come double-smothered in hot buffalo sauce. That condiment relies on a bedrock of brown sugar and vinegar to give it the rich taste it's so well known for.

A veritable Post Street institution, Nari offers a spicy curry with rotating dry-rubbed meats and seasonal flavors. Currently, the restaurant is offering a Southern Thai-style Dungeness crab rendition with betel leaf and garlic noodles. The betel leaf itself is a flowering member of the pepper family Piperaceae, native to Southeast Asia.

Yemen Kitchen

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The Tenderloin is home to numerous Vietnamese and Yemeni restaurants. But this Jones Street go-to might be the finest example of what the neighborhood can provide in the way of spice. For just $10 a diner can try salteh, considered to be Yemen’s national dish. Sahawiq, a salsa-like blend of spices that goes by many names depending on the region, provides a hot backbone to this meal.

The Bird

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The fried chicken sandwich at this Hayes Valley and downtown restaurant is what put the Bird on the map. The spicy version of the sandwich comes with celery, slaw, and plenty of mouth-watering heat. There are also other ways to have your spicy bird, including a version served on a buttermilk biscuit, served with a side of tater tots.

Aubrie Pick

Liliana

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Liliana’s sister restaurant, Osito, is on the heels of winning its first Michelin star on the other side of the kitchen. But the Mission District bar brings heat to this Dungeness crab dish with a bold preparation, originally from the “Game Birds 2: Forest & Festivities” menu at Osito. Chile oil, one of the major inspirations for this dish, is a standard accompaniment in dim sum parlors and Chinese restaurants the world over, and gives this item its heat.

A photo of food. Paolo Bicchieri

Prubechu

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On a table laden with dishes offering vinegary and salty notes, Prubechu’s fried egg and gisu tamale delivers an eyebrow-raising layer of heat. The dish offers a pleasant combination of textures, relying on the familiar softness of any proper tamal, but don’t sleep on that red smear of achiote on top. The annatto seed is a classic in Yucatán Mexican cooking, providing a deep, peppery flavor.

A photo of food. Paolo Bicchieri

Farmhouse Kitchen Thai Cuisine

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Though the Little Lao takeout boxes may be gone, this Florida Street Thai restaurant still dishes up Instagram-worthy volcano noodles. Drenched in peppercorn and krachai, and coming in just shy of $40, this meal is not for the faint of heart. Owner Kasem “Pop” Saengsawang says his goal is to make sure people get enough spice.

Shuggie’s Trash Pie + Natural Wine

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The stems, leaves & buds dish is hot thanks to the inclusion of aji amarillo paste, and Shuggie’s rendition is a bit nuttier thanks to a walnut base. It’s not mouth-scalding or going to have you reaching for a glass of milk, but, alongside a trash pie or an order of swordfish belly, it’s an ideal complement for any spice lovers. Aji amarillo, the Peruvian yellow pepper, can range anywhere from four to 20 times hotter than the jalapeño.

A photo of food. Paolo Bicchieri

This late-night Korean restaurant on Noriega Street is a destination for plenty of reasons. But, relevantly, the wings, kimchi soup, and cold buckwheat noodles all notch on the Scoville scale in a major way. Gochugaru is the Korean name for red pepper flakes, and it’s one of the most common heat-inducing spices that braces so much of the country’s cuisine (as well as the dishes at Toyose).

Old Mandarin Islamic Restaurant

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For decades, the Outer Sunset has relied on Old Mandarin as a go-to for Sichuan pepper-laden noodles and beef pancakes. Plus, the whole menu is halal-friendly, making it a perfect spot to break Ramadan fast. Famous for its mouth-numbing properties, this peppercorn is actually one of five in the also-famous Chinese five-spice blends.

A photo of food. Patricia Chang

La Corneta Taqueria

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Most Mexican restaurants in San Francisco would make the cut if it were just a question of adding a ramekin or two of salsa. But La Corneta keeps the heat coming all day long with its spicy chicken, prawns, and enchilada combination plate ($18) and spicy prawns plate ($15).

Viva Goa Indian Cuisine

Lombard Street is more than the world’s most crookedest street. It’s also home to this Indian restaurant highlighting Goa, a coastal state in India once colonized by the Portuguese. The ambot tik, which translates to “sour hot,” is a tangy, spicy curry that should please any Scoville-seekers.

Z & Y Restaurant

This staple Northern Chinese restaurant in Chinatown can do damage to any uninitiated person’s tastebuds. That’s due to the heavy inclusion of Sichuan peppers in almost every dish, especially in the fish filet with flaming chile oil. The aptly named “flaming chile oil” is indeed powerful, so make sure you feel prepared before ordering this entree. 

A photo of food. Paolo Bicchieri

Hot Sauce and Panko

This simply named hot sauce shop doubles as a spicy chicken dealer — hence the “panko” part of its name. Five wings cost just under $8 and, for those in search of spice, come double-smothered in hot buffalo sauce. That condiment relies on a bedrock of brown sugar and vinegar to give it the rich taste it's so well known for.

Nari

A veritable Post Street institution, Nari offers a spicy curry with rotating dry-rubbed meats and seasonal flavors. Currently, the restaurant is offering a Southern Thai-style Dungeness crab rendition with betel leaf and garlic noodles. The betel leaf itself is a flowering member of the pepper family Piperaceae, native to Southeast Asia.

Yemen Kitchen

The Tenderloin is home to numerous Vietnamese and Yemeni restaurants. But this Jones Street go-to might be the finest example of what the neighborhood can provide in the way of spice. For just $10 a diner can try salteh, considered to be Yemen’s national dish. Sahawiq, a salsa-like blend of spices that goes by many names depending on the region, provides a hot backbone to this meal.

The Bird

The fried chicken sandwich at this Hayes Valley and downtown restaurant is what put the Bird on the map. The spicy version of the sandwich comes with celery, slaw, and plenty of mouth-watering heat. There are also other ways to have your spicy bird, including a version served on a buttermilk biscuit, served with a side of tater tots.

Aubrie Pick

Liliana

Liliana’s sister restaurant, Osito, is on the heels of winning its first Michelin star on the other side of the kitchen. But the Mission District bar brings heat to this Dungeness crab dish with a bold preparation, originally from the “Game Birds 2: Forest & Festivities” menu at Osito. Chile oil, one of the major inspirations for this dish, is a standard accompaniment in dim sum parlors and Chinese restaurants the world over, and gives this item its heat.

A photo of food. Paolo Bicchieri

Prubechu

On a table laden with dishes offering vinegary and salty notes, Prubechu’s fried egg and gisu tamale delivers an eyebrow-raising layer of heat. The dish offers a pleasant combination of textures, relying on the familiar softness of any proper tamal, but don’t sleep on that red smear of achiote on top. The annatto seed is a classic in Yucatán Mexican cooking, providing a deep, peppery flavor.

A photo of food. Paolo Bicchieri

Farmhouse Kitchen Thai Cuisine

Though the Little Lao takeout boxes may be gone, this Florida Street Thai restaurant still dishes up Instagram-worthy volcano noodles. Drenched in peppercorn and krachai, and coming in just shy of $40, this meal is not for the faint of heart. Owner Kasem “Pop” Saengsawang says his goal is to make sure people get enough spice.

Shuggie’s Trash Pie + Natural Wine

The stems, leaves & buds dish is hot thanks to the inclusion of aji amarillo paste, and Shuggie’s rendition is a bit nuttier thanks to a walnut base. It’s not mouth-scalding or going to have you reaching for a glass of milk, but, alongside a trash pie or an order of swordfish belly, it’s an ideal complement for any spice lovers. Aji amarillo, the Peruvian yellow pepper, can range anywhere from four to 20 times hotter than the jalapeño.

A photo of food. Paolo Bicchieri

Toyose

This late-night Korean restaurant on Noriega Street is a destination for plenty of reasons. But, relevantly, the wings, kimchi soup, and cold buckwheat noodles all notch on the Scoville scale in a major way. Gochugaru is the Korean name for red pepper flakes, and it’s one of the most common heat-inducing spices that braces so much of the country’s cuisine (as well as the dishes at Toyose).

Old Mandarin Islamic Restaurant

For decades, the Outer Sunset has relied on Old Mandarin as a go-to for Sichuan pepper-laden noodles and beef pancakes. Plus, the whole menu is halal-friendly, making it a perfect spot to break Ramadan fast. Famous for its mouth-numbing properties, this peppercorn is actually one of five in the also-famous Chinese five-spice blends.

A photo of food. Patricia Chang

La Corneta Taqueria

Most Mexican restaurants in San Francisco would make the cut if it were just a question of adding a ramekin or two of salsa. But La Corneta keeps the heat coming all day long with its spicy chicken, prawns, and enchilada combination plate ($18) and spicy prawns plate ($15).

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