15 Best American Restaurants in South San Francisco

“Banana Foster French toast and their freshly squeezed orange juice.“

“I'm a sucker for old-fashioned diners, the ones that seem stuck in time, stubbornly holding on to nostalgia when it was king in its glory days, back before chain restaurants and cookie-cutter decor and brands.

They hold a special allure when you're traveling down the byways where they still thrive, but they're especially precious when you find them in urban areas where they compete with fast-food conglomerates.

So I don't take places like Gunter's for granted, an old establishment (South San Francisco) in the midst of urban blandness of homogeneity. They're still places where old men gather swapping tall tales and spar politics over Farmer Brothers coffee brand to while their time away.

This genre seems to be a fleeting gem of Americana as I see many of them boarded up and closed down even along the blue highways. So in your travels, take a moment to patronize these places before too many of them disappear as victims of people's preference for national brands and indifference.“

“Good food. Good service good size portions.“

“The best vegan food Best ever service-our family go to for family events and every day dining ❤️“

“Beautiful scenery, great little hike to lighthouse..“

“I've been staying and working in South San Francisco this week without a car. Have dined there for lunch 2 days in a row now, and both days I also brought back dinner to my hotel for the evening. Everything has been delicious with fresh ingredients. Really creative and elevated offerings for a quick service restaurant. The salmon was especially amazing! I had 2 really dismal experiences earlier in the week with Doordash and only wish I had tried Foundry & Lux sooner. I'll be back tomorrow before heading back home on Saturday 😀“

“The Anecdote has a magnificently designed space and view of Oyster Point. The interior decor is reminiscent of New England rope tapestries and cushioned white-washed furniture. The dishes are above average quality California fusion cuisine, which includes the Turkey Club Sandwich, Classic Cheeseburger, Lobster & Shrimp Sandwich, Steak Tacos, Spicy Tofu Bowl, Salame Pizza, Albacore Tuna Melt, Soup of the Day (was carrot today), and salads like Quinoa Garden Bowl and Peach & Burrata Salad. When we walked in, nobody greeted us for a couple minutes, so we wandered toward some open tables before someone pointed us to a table. We chose a nicer table by the windows with a view of Oyster Point.

I ordered the pizza, which was leaking oil the moment I picked it up. It had some nice tart tomato sauce, and the crust was nice and airy, but the salame overwhelmed the pizza with its saltiness. My mom ordered the Quinoa Garden Bowl with an addition of grilled salmon. The salmon had a nice crispness. The greens had a lot of long stems and not a lot of leaf. The dressing was hardly there.

Unfortunately, the speaker pendants hanging from the ceiling were positioned directly above our table and they were blaring shrill highs without mids and lows. Made it difficult to have a conversation and relax with the music being so intrusive. They could have lowered the volume a good amount and still been able to provide ambience throughout the dining room. It's a nice place to stop by for a quick lunch if you're passing by South SF. Just wish the speakers were not as loud and we hadn't had to stand awkwardly at the front waiting to be seated.“

“Great staff. The patio restaurant is very spacious & bright.“

“Best place to get one sandwich for two people. Custom made fresh at the deli or at the kitchen enjoy hot sandwich, Hamburgers or a simple salad, sodas, beer, & Draft beer available. Just be sure & bring a good appetite or you will be walking out with leftovers. The kitchen is open M-F till 2pm. The deli is open M-S till 3? There are tables to sit & enjoy the food & watch a game on tv. Darby Dan's is wheelchair accessible. There is free parking lot or street parking.“

“We were pleasantly surprised with this place. There is a nice variety of foods available here. The overall ambiance is nice, with several somewhat private places to conduct business meeting. There is a pool table and other tabletop shuffle board. Service was great. Orders can be placed at any number of touchscreen kiosks. When your order is ready you will get a text. Sit anywhere. We definitely need to explore having our admin meeting here next time. Definitely will be back.“

“Oh my goodness. Such a gem in the rough. Amazing food in the middle of an industrial area. I'm an old fat white guy, and the meal defeated me. For the first time in a long time, I needed a doggy bag. The Shawarma were delicious as were the pickled veggies and cole slaw. The Arabic coffee was to die for. So rich and thick!“

“A perfect site for relax a have a good time with your friends or just drinks!!!“

“We went to this place for breakfast this morning. The first thing we’ve noticed is that the coffee wasn’t really that good. It has a little bit of a bitter sour taste so I would suggest they maybe think of switching the beans to something well roasted. The buckwheat pancakes were actually quite good and were a hit among the guests. Only half of us were happy with their food. My omelette was actually good but the Mingus was not to our liking.

The Service could have been more attentive to our order as we have emphasized that we want eggs well done and they came out really runny. They have a 2% surcharge on the card payment, so bring cash.“

“The pink pancakes, huevos rancheros and chiliques were outstanding. Loved the food. The place is in an odd location: industrial fruit packing district in a weird parking lot. We didn’t think we were at the right place because of all the fork lifts. Server was lovely. It’s not the best atmosphere for breakfast but the food was good.“

“you guys are straight fire 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥 OMG. i can't. you guys were here at Stanford. your Burgers and Fries even your chicken sandwich was simply the best! whenever I have a big event I am definitely renting you guys out if I can.“