Like all of you, I got a little stir crazy over the last year. I made it outside plenty, but I still felt cooped up now and then, and I dearly missed going new places and seeing new things.

On another note, I really, really like breakfast. Like, a lot.

So naturally, I put these together and went on a breakfast tour. Last fall and winter, once or twice a week, I threw a dart at a map of San Francisco, looked up cheap breakfast joints with outdoor seating, grabbed a book, and headed out.

It was a blast. I explored a ton of neighborhoods in the city that I hadn’t spent much time in before. Sea Cliff was foggy and mysterious, Portola was dense and vibrant, Dogpatch and Mission Bay were friendly and spacious and new, Treasure Island was full of construction, the (new) Presidio was a manicured golf course, Fisherman’s Wharf was oddly deserted. Hunter’s Point was so many things I didn’t expect – lush and green, quiet and suburban, funky and bustling, newly developed – all within a couple square miles.

I ate at a bunch of places and found some new favorites. Devil’s Teeth was the standout, their breakfast sandwiches are killer. Rose’s, The New Spot, and Bernal Star were great too. I already loved Zazie, Dottie’s, Toast, and Plow, and they didn’t disappoint.

And pour out a little for our all time favorite, Town’s End. They were a South Beach institution for 30 years, and I’d been going for over 20. They evidently weren’t a COVID casualty, the owners were just ready to retire, but still, sad. Good food, good memories.

In any case, check out the map and list and see if anything jumps out at you. Get out and explore!

• Cafe Alma (Hunter’s Point)
• Johnny Doughnuts (Hayes Valley)
• Bernal Star (Bernal Heights)
• Smokin’ Warehouse Barbecue (Laurel Heights)
• Rose’s Cafe (Cow Hollow)
• Sessions at the Presidio (Presidio)
• Eddie’s Cafe (Alamo Square)
• Cafe La Taza (Union Square)
• Bravado (South Beach)
• Java Beach (Sunset/Parkside)
• Just For You Cafe (Dogpatch)
• Art’s Cafe (Inner Sunset)
• Brioche Bakery & Café (North Beach)
• The Snug (Fillmore/Pacific Heights)
• Dottie’s True Blue Café (SOMA)
• Jim’s (Mission)
• Zazie (Cole Valley)
• Aracely Cafe (Treasure Island)
• The Art Bistro (Sea Cliff)
• Toast Eatery (West Portal)
• Devil’s Teeth Baking (Outer Sunset)
• Diamond Cafe (Noe Valley)
• Blackwood (Marina)
• Eats (Richmond)
• Hollywood Cafe (Fisherman’s Wharf)
• Réveille (Castro)
• The New Spot On Polk (Russian Hill)
• Fat Beli Deli (Portola)
• Town’s End (South Beach; closed)
• Plow (Potrero Valley)
• Tyger’s (Glen Park; closed)