Food: I had an outstanding, buttery clam chowder and a refreshing watermelon and beet salad…read more Service: everyone from the host to the servers and busser were friendly and attentive Ambiance: the retro look and feel of the diner was welcoming and nostalgic

I stopped by Mel's Diner and ordered the corned beef hash with a freshly squeezed orange juice. The…read morecorned beef hash was okay, but honestly, it's not one of my favorites. The orange juice, however, was amazing definitely fresh and one of the highlights of the meal. The service was good. The staff was friendly and consistently checking in, which I appreciated. Unfortunately, what really turned me off was what I witnessed regarding food handling. I saw staff members come back from bussing tables and go straight to handling bread and putting it into the toaster without washing their hands or putting on gloves. Watching someone go from handling dirty dishes to preparing food without washing their hands was extremely unsanitary and honestly disgusting. That completely changed my impression of the restaurant. The price was also outrageous for what I received. My corned beef hash, orange juice, and a $6.50 tip came out to around $43 for one person. I just don't feel the food and overall experience were worth that price. The good: great freshly squeezed orange juice and attentive service. The bad: questionable food handling practices and very high prices. Unfortunately, I won't be returning.

Delightful ambiance, delicious breakfast fare especially if you're a fan of Country Fried Steak…read more The service is generally delightful unless it's particularly busy, but I find it very kind regardless of circumstance. Upon entering, you might have to wait a little bit by the door before being seated, out of the way of the service station. Once you're seated, they'll ask you for any drink preferences and then leave you to make your entree decisions. A different server will then take your order. I honestly recommend any breakfast fare (I'm particularly fond of the Mighty Moose for eating and having delicious leftovers but I've also gotten their fullstack with bananas AND chocolate chips which was perfect too). I haven't tried any of their dinner items yet but look forward to trying it. They're very good at refilling coffee as well. If you're lucky, there's a very sweet server that I enjoy meeting. I hope you get to meet them too!

Good was pretty good and was better than I expected…read more Depending on the time you come, there might or might not have a long line. We arrived and waited about 10 mins to be seated. Service is pretty fast, so people come in and out quickly. Big portions switch good flavors. Restroom is down in the basement, so be careful.

Stopped in after a long day in the city and this place delivered. The Christmas lights give it a…read morecool old-school vibe, but the real win was how fast everything came out--we barely had time to settle in before the food hit the table. The meal was hot, fresh, and exactly what you want from a solid 24-hour diner. Service stayed on point, the atmosphere was laid-back, and the whole place had plenty of character. Good food, quick service, no nonsense. Definitely worth the stop

Best late-night food spot after the clubs in the Castro! If you're hungry after a night out, Orphan…read moreAndy's is always a solid choice. They're open 24 hours Thursday through Sunday. I've been here a few times after going out, and the food always hits the spot. It's classic diner comfort food with generous portions, and the wait usually isn't too bad, even during late-night rushes. If you're looking for a reliable place to end your night with good food, this is it.

America turns 250 years old this 4th of July which is this week. The party people will be…read morecelebrating Americas birthday but also 250 years of San Francisco. Wandering around San Francisco you will see what the new America has built which is prosperity as a country of immigrants from all around the world. One thing I enjoy is diversity but also unity among fellow Americans. There is a love and dislike relationship among Americans towards the United States. It is like bad mouthing and a dislike towards a family member or a lover at times when in the end they will still reunite and still have love for one another. Nothing shows the United States uniting with others like the World Cup soccer. The world shows its appreciation towards American food. Nothing is more American in the world as Burger and fries. There is a place which been serving the American classics like cheese burger and fries in SF for almost 80 years along with milkshakes and it's called Mel's Drive-In. Walking on Geary Boulevard in San Francisco I saw a rare site these days . I saw a big United States flag waving in the sky and the sun shining on it in front of a restaurant. Then I saw over ten American flags in front of the restaurant. It seemed like I went back in time. Inside it's an old school diner with jukeboxes and pictures of George Lucas directing the movie American Graffiti. Mel's Drive-In started 80 years on South Van Ness Avenue in San Francisco. I was in the mood for an American meal and I got Mel's Burger with fries . The burger was tasty and a bit cheesy and the fries were not too salty like some in SF. I got the butterscotch milkshake and it was tasty with a cherry on top. A great place to get a taste of Americana. San Francisco is the city In was born and still "dwell" a place for protest you can hear the screams and see those who "yell " but it's the freedom of speech from the Golden Bridge to the "Freedom Bell" like you have the freedom you get a cheeseburger and a milkshake with the cherry on top at a drive -in named "Mel" Nothing is more American than a milkshake , cheeseburger, and "fries"while watching the flag wave on Geary Boulevard in the sun in clear blue "skies" some in this country who are proud are looked upon as "Americanize"but I look at each other with the lens of unity and freedom with my own "American eyes "

I want to drop Mel's at least a star, but I gave it two stars when I first reviewed it, and it…read morewould be dishonest of me to pretend that it has remained at two stars all these years, because I've come here occasionally in the intervening years and have mostly enjoyed myself. So it might have rated three stars before this past April. What happened in April? Well, I don't know whether it actually occurred in April, but in April, I noticed that Mel's very prominently advertises on its menu that it fries its fried foods in beef tallow. That means I can't eat French fries or onion rings from here, because they're needlessly not vegetarian. And while I'm not the most healthy person out there, I do notice when things probably aren't vegetarian. In short, I'm pretty sure this is a change, because I would have noticed this a long time ago and ordered accordingly. So why did Mel's make this change? Probably because its owners are MAHA people, and RFJ, Jr., and a bunch of other clueless people believe that seed oils are deadly. But even if you believe seed oils are deadly, there are other non-seed oils that aren't sourced from dead animals. I only noticed because it's printed on the menu, so it's not like Mel's is trying to hide this change--on the contrary, I think they really believe using beef tallow is a selling point. Except that there are expressly vegetarian items on the menu, including a veggie burger. Non-beef fries aren't even an option? Really? I must issue a GRATUITOUS MEAT ALERT. Other things annoy me about Mel's too. It's not open late enough. They do that stupid thing where they charge you a hidden fee to pay either their workers' salaries or for their health insurance. A Bunch of SF restaurants do this same thing; it's false advertising, and it should be illegal. Build the cost of doing business into your actual prices. It's not as if the restaurant is paying these fees; we customers are. Finally, the service has been atrocious the last two times I came here. If you don't have enough servers to offer good service, do not seat people. That's the time-tested solution. Seating people without enough help just makes everyone angry. This isn't a one-star review, because Mel's is useful in a late-night bind and has a parking lot. If more places in San Francisco were open late or at least until ten p.m., Mel's would probably only warrant one star. Still, I can't see coming here anytime soon, especially after such recent bad service. It's also really expensive, even pre-hidden fee.

Very nice experience, I went yesterday and I tried the pastry pop up and the brunch, everything was…read moreamazing, it was our first time and we definitely have to come back for dine !

Finally got around to trying their newer bakery street pop-up, available on weekends in front of…read morethe restaurant. Full display available and the staff will help explain any items you may not know, while also recommending their favorites too. - lemon madeleine - one of their signatures and it was fantastic. Great lemon flavor and such a moist pastry - chocolate chip brioche - rich, dense, lightly sweet but balanced out by the chocolate - vanilla flan - large flan reminiscent of an egg tart. Creamy and the vanilla flavor really came through

We came here yesterday for brunch. It took us awhile to find a parking. San Bruno Ave was very…read morebusy, like a small Chinatown area. So be prepared to make a few rounds around the residential area to find parking. Glad we were here early as I heard that the line is usually long. A lady greeted us at the restaurant, very friendly and seated us right away. Cute small restaurant. Love the old photos of SF in the olden days . We ordered the San Bruno florentine Benedict and Western omelette. Before you order, know that the portions are huge! All the Benedict's comes with 3 poached eggs on an English muffin with hash brown or tater tots with your choice of stuffings. It was very rich, heavy breakfast and delicious! The mushroom and spinach with the sausage was savory. I love how the egg yolks just falls apart everywhere when you cut it in the middle. The hollandaise sauce was just the right amount. It was very filling. The omelette was like a calzone. They stuffed that omelette with so much filling that my hubby was loving it!!! He said it was full of flavors and all the stuffings were soo delicious he could not stop eating. Halfway to his omelette you can tell he was full but he was a trooper and almost finished everything. lol. Anyway, we left the restaurant overly stuffed but happy!!! We should have stopped eating when our tummy told us to stop, but it was delicious and fresh so we kept digging in. That was a mistake, lol. This place by far is one of the best breakfast place I've been to. Come hungry. Will be back!

very calm place and good food! I go here kinda often and you get seated pretty quickly…read more The food is good but idk maybe I go here TOOO often it's like underwhelming but if ur HANGRY and u NEED to eat like anything here is good coz the portions r lowkey big lol I always have to get a Togo box The big scramble was good imo there's too much cheese but yk some ppl like that The buttermilk fried chicken I DID NOTEXPECT THE CHICKEN TO LOOK LIKE THAT!!! Like I was thinking some fat greasy fried chicken sandwich like smth from Popeyes but no it's like a healthier fried chicken and overall it was dry ngl like it's good with more sauce like ketchup. The fries were too crispy and don't jump me yet I love crispy fries but like this is TOO crunchy. The sandwich is rlly messy to eat too I usually get the waffle special and it's so good lol the waffles are soft and warm and the fruit is fresh.

A staple American diner on Lombard Street in the Marina District of SF! An iconic tourist spot for…read moretourists visiting Golden Gate Bridge and Palace of Fine Arts. I noticed people walking in from the nearby bars. Open late night!!! Check it out when in SF!

Ahh bummer they have closed! No wonder those Almond Slivers…read moreon my sundae were stale. Going out of business stale. Well the ambience is empty- just a parking lot. No more service. Farewell to all the good times!

Manager never showed up. Waited 1.25 mins for them to show up and open the door. Once they opened…read morethe food was great but they definitely need to be more punctual.

Killing some time before dinner, stopped in for Happy hour at this supposedly legendary place…read more From ths outside, it didnt look like much, in fact it had Dive written all over it. I was pleasantly suprised walking in, as I was greeted with a Warm, cozy rusticly decorated place full of charm . Immediately through the door to the right was a hof-brau manned by a gentleman ready to serve up whatever culinary delight you wanted to try. The place was peppered with tables, occupied by what appeared to be a heavy presence of regulars. Took a spot at the bar, and ordered a beer and a shot while my sister got a manhatten. Prices for happy hour were well within reason and the pour for the bourbon was quite generous. The barkeep was gregarious and engaging . I want to go back for sure and try the hof-brau. It gave me a similar vibe like the old sams in sacramento.

The Mission District is home to some legacy businesses. You will see devoted patrons going to their…read morefavorite stores , bars, and restaurants over the years and they still are standing. In San Francisco alone there are a few places which been around for over 100 of years. There is a place which has been a Mission District neighborhood staple for over 100 years . It's a great place to cool out on a sunny day. They serve one of the best pancakes in San Francisco and is located on 24th streets. Its namesake is San Francisco is English and it's called St. Francis Fountain. On the last few days left of a Spring 2026 stroll I landed in St. Francis Fountain. Inside you will feel the nostalgia as you will see tables and booths and also an ice cream bar which serves ice cream sundaes with a cherry on top and classic milkshakes. I got the vanilla milkshake and it was tasty and a bit sweet. I then had to try the buttermilk pancakes. It was savory and buttery and the syrup made all delicious. This store also has some nostalgia selling trading cards like the garbage pail kids in SF. Overall a good vintage classic soda fountain in SF. Come here once you are "awake"where they "make" a delicious buttermilk "pancake"and you can wash it down with a strawberry or vanilla "milkshake" Come get the pancake after it's made with a delicious "batter"and get a breakfast or lunch "platter "and enjoy a good yap another words a good "chatter "at a place in SF where for over 100 years the Mission neighborhood still "gather"

St Francis Fountain is a legacy business, the oldest on 24th street, and there's a reason why…read morethey've been around serving up some of the best diner food in SF since 1918!!! I stopped by for breakfast early on Saturday. There's the main restaurant with tables and bar seating, and they have the restaurant space next door with even more tables. Apparently at peak brunch time, the whole space is packed even the outdoor seating. The whole time our service was fantastic, it wasn't super busy so they were also able to give us a little history about Saint Francis fountain and the building. The space has that classic diner decor, fresh pothos cuttings at every table, I felt the good energy. The coffee was good, no frills diner coffee. We ordered the chef's mess side of banana bread (the warm it up straight on the grill), biscuits and gravy with poached eggs, and the sourdough French toast with banana walnut topping. Was this too much food for two people? Of course. When you look at this incredible menu, good luck choosing only 1 thing! The food came out hot and very big portions. The biscuits and gravy were perfect. The gravy was creamy with nice size chunks of sausages, cooked so well, sausage wasn't overcooked. The biscuits were so soft, buttery. The home style spuds were seasoned really well, paired really well with my eggs and biscuits and gravy. I was so happy. The sourdough French toast was so good. The fresh banana topping with walnut and a little butter in one bite, wow!! It was also done so well, sourdough wasn't mushy at all. My partner enjoyed their chef's mess. It was seasoned well, cooked well, and the mushrooms in it were great! Overall, this is a very memorable breakfast for me. I can't wait to go back to try more on the menu. They had so many good options in the quality of food was fantastic. I think this is generally one of my favorite spots in the city for a classic diner breakfast.

Got a double cheese burger with bacon. Like other people said, it wasn't fancy but that's not a bad…read morething. I've had bad "plain" burgers before, so I'm glad this wasn't that. The burger was big and overall it tasted good. Patties were medium rare, which I didn't ask for, but I'm not complaining :). Though I wouldn't get bacon again because I was expecting a thicker cut for $3.50. Chef was nice and the food came out pretty quick too. Would go again.

As good as a traditional burger counter can be…read more If you are craving a fast affordable China-town stop, this is it. Sit at the counter and share condiments with the other folks eating there and chat with the friendly fry-cook! Smells like an amazing burger the whole time you're in there. Which could be extremely short since the food comes out so quickly! Fries come out hot and you watch them get made every time along with the onion rings. The atmosphere is great, lots of regulars and people trying it out. Greasy and delicious. Definitely going back next time I'm in the area.