I keep on meaning to check out la Cocina.
Soleil Ho
Sep. 26, 2022 - SF Chronicle
Deviled egg salad sandwich at The Sentinel in San Francisco, Calif.
While many of the Bay Area’s white collar workers are still hosting awkward Zoom meetings from home most days, I’ve been noticing a few more people in downtown San Francisco as the city’s offices collectively tiptoe back into meatspace operations. One way I can tell is from how much busier Market Street’s bike lanes have become during my rides to and from The Chronicle’s newsroom lately. Another indication? The questions I keep getting about where to find a decent lunch in the area.
It’s not so easy! In the past few years, a lot of the downtown restaurants that depended on office catering and workday lunch business have shuttered, including a few beloved by The Chronicle’s staff in particular. It’s still really tough out there, and the city is currently strategizing to host more events in the area to bring more life to it. But until then, there are still some high points — places that survived, as well as new restaurants worth checking out if you forgot your jar salad at home. Here’s a list of five currently open lunch spots to start you off.
Arsicault
There are some incredible pastries to be found at this French bakery, including a best-in-class almond croissant ($5.75) that generates lengthy waits at its flagship location in the Richmond District — one of our picks for Top Bakeries. Its Civic Center outlet has a bigger menu suitable for those who cannot live on croissants alone. In classic French style, its baguette sandwiches excel in their simplicity. Try the Paddington-appropriate Londoner ($13), swiped with good butter and orange marmalade and filled with ham.
Arsicault. 8 a.m.-3 p.m. daily. 87 McAllister St. (at Leavenworth Street), San Francisco. 415-926-5155 or https://arsicault-bakery.com
Bini’s Kitchen
Turkey momos with spicy tomato cilantro sauce are seen at Bini's Kitchen in San Francisco, Calif. on Friday, May 24, 2019.Stephen Lam/Special to The Chronicle
A new-school classic, Bini’s Kitchen is the mothership for Binita Pradhan’s catering business, best known for stoking San Francisco’s passion for Nepalese momos. The plump steamed dumplings, a prolific street food snack in Pradhan’s native Nepal, are served with a salsa-like tomato and cilantro sauce and make a commendable lunch on their own. (You’ll get 10 for $13-$15, depending on the filling.) The combo meals ($15-$19), where you can pick from the restaurant’s intensely flavorful vegetarian stews and grilled meats, are also a ridiculous deal.
Bini’s Kitchen. 11 a.m.-3 p.m. Monday-Friday. 1001 Howard St. (at 6th Street), San Francisco. 415-361-6911 or https://biniskitchen.com
Bodega
Northern Vietnamese-French restaurant Bodega, once known as Bodega Bistro before it closed in 2017, has been revived in the Tenderloin by its second-generation owner. Its chic setting is great for date night, but you can access chef Billy Ho’s high-quality takes on Vietnamese dishes at lunch as well. The restaurant is one of the rare places in the city where you can find freshly steamed rice rolls ($13), served here with a traditional filling of peppery ground pork and wood ear mushrooms.
Bodega. 11 a.m.-10 p.m. Monday, Wednesday, Thursday and Sunday; 11 a.m.-11 p.m. Friday and Saturday. 138 Mason St. (between Ellis and Eddy Streets), San Francisco. 415-655-9341 or http://bodegarestaurants.com
La Cocina Municipal Marketplace
Milayah Bryant, 3, right, checks out a kids friendly art sculpture at La Cocina's Municipal Marketplace in San Francisco, Calif.
In addition to the work La Cocina is doing to create more community space in the Tenderloin, the culinary incubator’s ambitious Municipal Marketplace has brought more accessible cuisine from a variety of vendors to the neighborhood. In this gorgeous and welcoming 7,000-square-foot space, you’ll find classic Louisiana-style shrimp po’boys ($12) from Boug Cali; Algerian vegetable stew ($10.50) via Kayma; and Senegalese empanadas filled with spiced tuna ($4) at Teranga. Plus, you’ve got to peep the cookbook library!
La Cocina Municipal Marketplace. Lunch service 11 a.m.-2:30 p.m. Monday-Friday. 101 Hyde St. (at Golden Gate Avenue), San Francisco. 415-570-2595 or https://lacocinamarketplace.com
The Sentinel
I continue to stan the Sentinel, a takeout window sandwich shop on New Montgomery Street that has satisfied my New Yorker breakfast sandwich cravings for years now. A creative selection of hot and cold sandwiches, including daily specials, are served on the shop’s own super-plush rolls at extremely reasonable prices. One highlight is the deviled egg salad ($8.50), made novel with a hit of tangy chile paste and house-made mayonnaise.
The Sentinel. 7 a.m.-2:30 p.m. Monday-Friday. 37 New Montgomery St. (at Natoma Street), San Francisco. 415-769-8109 or www.thesentinelsf.com
Since 2019, Soleil Ho has been The Chronicle's Restaurant Critic, spearheading Bay Area restaurant recommendations through the flagship Top Restaurants series. In 2022, they won a Craig Claiborne Distinguished Restaurant Review Award from the James Beard Foundation.
Ho also writes features and cultural commentary, specializing in the ways that our food reflects the way we live. Their essay on pandemic fine dining domes was featured in the 2021 Best American Food Writing anthology. Ho also hosts The Chronicle's food podcast, Extra Spicy, and has a weekly newsletter called Bite Curious.
Previously, Ho worked as a freelance food and pop culture writer, as a podcast producer on the Racist Sandwich, and as a restaurant chef. Illustration courtesy of Wendy Xu.
https://www.sfchronicle.com/food/article/Five-picks-for-actually-good-lunch-in-downtown-17460993.php
Greg