San Francisco may not be a late-night dining town, but the silver lining to that hard truth is that this city shines when it comes to morning-time dining options. There are, of course, many excellent bakeries where you can start your day with a gorgeous, flaky croissant, and a handful of top-notch diners serving massive plates of eggs, bacon, and hash browns every day of the week. But if you’re looking for a breakfast option that involves a full, sit-down experience and maybe doesn’t fall under the category of a greasy spoon, let this list be your guide. Here are 16 solid weekday breakfast options across San Francisco.
Read More16 San Francisco Restaurants Serving Solid Breakfasts Every Day the Week
Start your day with hot coffee and a heaping plate of eggs, if that’s your thing
Rose's Cafe
Rose’s, the home of an always-reliable weekday brunch, has dishes like breakfast pizza with ham, fontina, and eggs or French toast bread pudding with caramelized apples and whipped cream. The cafe has added Oakland-based Mr. Espresso coffee to its offerings, too.
Devil's Teeth Baking Company
The doomsayers may say downtown San Francisco is dead but this Devil’s Teeth’s outpost inside the Embarcadero Center seems to prove otherwise. Nowadays you don’t have to trek out to the westside to get the bakery’s well-loved biscuit breakfast sandwiches or an array of baked goods including cinnamon rolls, coffee cake, scones, and cookies.
Bandit
This neighborhood favorite is tucked beneath an unlikely nail salon sign and down the way from Liholiho Yacht Club. But people fell so in love with the breakfast sandwiches — including the eponymous Bandit featuring Muenster cheese and thick-cut bacon — that the shop opened a second location on 18th and Dolores Street in 2023.
Cinderella Bakery & Cafe
Cinderella is a well-known Richmond District destination for Russian cuisine including blinchiki and honey cake, but don’t sleep on the breakfast offerings. On top of an array of Eastern European pastries and syrniki, customers can order a classic farmhouse breakfast, oatmeal, French toast, or a breakfast sandwich served on an incredibly buttery croissant.
Rad Radish
A new player in the plant-based restaurant scene — from the same team behind Wildseed — this restaurant is open 9 a.m. to noon on weekdays (and 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on weekends). The chilaquiles are to die for, Vietnamese iced coffee goes for $5, and the interior design is ultra pleasant.
The Mill
The offerings at Josey Baker’s Divisadero Street coffee and bread destination continue to get better and better. Yes, Four Barrel Coffee has a sordid past of allegations. But, more than five years later, the array of hearty avocado or smoked salmon-topped toasts and baked goods including chocolate tahini cookies from sister shop Loquat make a case for one of San Francisco’s busiest breakfast options. Bonus: It’s open bright and early at 7 a.m.
Manitas Cafe
Manitas’ owners promise recipes “stolen from Grandma” — that is if your grandma made blisteringly spicy chilaquiles and breakfast tacos with chorizo, eggs, and bacon. Best of all, breakfast is served all day long.
Kate's Kitchen
This Lower Haight breakfast restaurant is a neighborhood fixture, open every day of the week (spare Tuesdays) at 9 a.m. The big hanging chalkboard, featuring rotating specials like seafood Benedicts and cornmeal buttermilk pancakes, is a welcome sign to anyone looking for a down-to-earth ambiance for breakfast.
Art's Cafe
Things once looked grim for the Inner Sunset’s favorite Korean American diner. The restaurant closed in July 2020 after about 30 years in the hash brown game, but managed to reopen under new ownership in early February 2021. Now new owners Chol and Young Lee are cracking eggs and fermenting kimchi for returned longtime fans and newcomers alike.
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Judahlicious
Sure, vegan food isn’t the first thing that comes to mind when breakfast enthusiasts think of their favorite meal of the day. But at this Outer Sunset restaurant, acai-topped gluten-free waffles are a breakfast staple. Or at least, they should be. This longstanding neighborhood favorite and sister restaurant Beach’n SF bring in legions of customers almost every day of the week.
Breakfast Little
This popular Mission District breakfast spot serves arguably one of the best breakfast burritos in the city. Fans crowd the small, counter service space to choose from five breakfast burrito options including the O.G., which comes filled with either bacon or sausage, cheese, garlic aioli, eggs, and tater tots. Toasts, breakfast sandwiches, breakfast tacos, and more round out the menu.
Boogaloos
Is there anything finer than this 22nd and Valencia Street breakfast destination for tofu fajitas? No, there isn’t. The restaurant offers ample outdoor seating, for those looking to get a little sun and diner coffee by the barrel-full.
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Diamond Cafe
This Noe Valley institution comes from the same team behind Crepevine and it shows (mostly in the same enormous chalkboard-esque menu). Importantly, this corner-spot haunt offers two mimosas for $10. Eggs, bagels, and omelets are all standard fare.
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Hungry Cafe
Mohamed Ali Abdelmeguid’s cafe inside the Southeast Community Center — where the city’s newest farmers market pops up outside — is home to super affordable open-faced breakfast sandwiches and pastries every day of the work week starting at 8 a.m.
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Lucho’s
Ann's Doughnut Coffee Shop
There are few diners in San Francisco with more than 40 years of mom and pop experience. Ann’s in the Excelsior is just that, continuing to dole out greasy hash browns and juicy sausage links on Mission Street at ultra-affordable rates.