Aren't There Any Insomniacs in San Francisco?
Feb 04 '01 (Updated Feb 04 '03)
The Bottom Line 24-hour restaurants are a rarity in San Francisco.
There are tons and tons of restaurants is San Francisco… so many that there’s a little saying that goes: if all the people in San Francisco simultaneously decided to eat out at a restaurant, there are so many restaurants that there would still be seats left over. It’s great. San Francisco is also home to a bunch of world-class chefs and restaurantuers. The quantity, quality, and variety of restaurants have made San Francisco one of the best places on earth to be an eater.
But not a late night eater.
A lot of restaurants in San Francisco close early – even some of the most crowded and trendy close at around midnight. Why? Dunno. It’s a left coast thing I suppose. I've learned that people here eat dinner before they go out (say, to a show) unlike in New York, where they go after. Twenty-four hour restaurants are few and far between in the Golden Gate city – but I guess that makes the better ones easier to find.
Skip Denny’s, Donut Shops and the Greasy Spoons
All-Star Donuts and Denny’s are easy to find and are a decent places to go, but really just too predictable and bland. Ditto with the random greasy spoons on Market where everything, even the salads and pancakes are greasy. These restaurants though, are open 24 hours and you will find late-night eaters and insomniacs eating.
Lack of Fast Food Drive-thrus
Having just moved from Southern California I terribly miss 24-hour fast food drive-thrus. Sometimes after a night at the bar or a show, a girl wants nothing else but a giant quesadilla from some 24-hour drive-thru with the –erto’s suffix or an extra large order of fries to munch on during the drive home. I haven’t done this since I moved to San Francisco simply for the fact that I haven’t seen a 24-hour drive thru, except for the lone Jack-in-the-Box in Berkeley. They’re almost as scarce up here as late night restaurants.
So Where Does Everyone Go?
If Denny’s isn’t appealing, try Sparky’s Diner on Church street in the Castro. Between 2 – 4 am expect a lot people coming from bars and clubs stopping for a bite to eat before heading home. I always get their yummy blueberry pancakes and their cheeseburgers are pretty decent for 24-hour dining. Beware though, this is the only place I’ve ever had to wait for a table at 3 in the morning!
I also like the spacey Video Café purely for the aesthetics. They’re always showing a non-ending loop of films on their TV’s, which is great for spacing out. They serve predictable diner-style food.
Other than a diner, you say?
On Washington, is the Silver Restaurant, the only 24-hour Chinese restaurant I know of. This is a good alternative to pancakes and chicken fried steak at 4 a.m. – and it’s cheap too! (Just don’t expect stellar service.)
East Bay?
Other than the drive-thru Jack-in-the-Box and Denny’s on Hegenberger, you can check out the Jack London Inn in Jack London Square. Typical diner food.
(Please, do tell me if you know of another late-night spot!)
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