Cheap Eats in San Francisco
La Taqueria
San Francisco is well known for its famous Michelin starred restaurants - but we’re also spoiled for choice when it comes to amazing places that are easy on your wallet!
Here are some of our favorites for cheap eats in San Francisco!
Not only is La Taqueria one of our favorite burrito joints (winner of America’s Best Burrito), they’re also a great deal! Their burritos don’t have any rice, so their burritos are extra loaded with meat, guacamole, beans, salsa, and all the other fixins!
Make sure you get the burrito crispy (Dorado style) and they’ll pan fry it to make it extra delicious!
Must orders include: Super Carne Asada Burrito (Dorado Crispy style) $13 - Can feed two people! Super Tacos with filling of your choosing $7.45 each
Not only is La Taqueria one of our favorite burrito joints (winner of America’s Best Burrito), they’re also a great deal! Their burritos don’t have any rice, so their burritos are extra loaded with meat, guacamole, beans, salsa, and all the other fixings!
Make sure you get the burrito crispy (Dorado style) and they’ll pan fry it to make it extra delicious!
Recommendations:
Super Carne Asada Burrito (Dorado Crispy style) $13 - Can feed two people!
Super Tacos with filling of your choosing $7.45 each
An homage to classic New York and New Haven style pizza - whenever we crave a great slice of pie - we head over to Tony’s Slice House!
The slices run somewhere between thin and medium thickness that go evenly all the way to end of the crust. The crust itself is a bit charred, somewhat chewy, and has the perfect crunch.
Must orders include:
Four Cheese $5.50
NY Cheese $5
Margherita $5
If you have 2-3 people in your group, you can head over next door to the sit-down Tony’s for a larger varied menu where you can order more types of pizza, pasta, and Italian fare.
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In a delicious marriage of Sicilian style pizza and focaccia bread - Golden Boy Pizza constantly has lines out of the door for its square pizza. It’s famous for having a crispy underside while remaining soft and fluffy.
Must orders:
Clam & Garlic $4.50
Pesto Veggie $4.50
Combo $4.50
One of our favorite restaurants in North Beach, this super authentic Italian eatery is all about Italian food! All the pasta and sauces are made fresh in-house and cooked to order!
We recommend this place to all our friends who are visiting San Francisco!
Must orders include:
Tagiatelle with Pasticiatta Sauce $12.25
Gnocchi with Butter Sage Sauce $13.50
Pappardelle with Pesto $14
Tiramisu $6
You’ve most likely tried beef based Pho, but have you tried chicken based Pho? Turtle Tower specializes in northern Vietnamese chicken pho (Pho Ga).
The broth has a very clean, chicken flavor with silky smooth pieces of chicken. They serve the pho in traditional Hanoi form without bean sprouts, basil, or hoisin sauce.
Must order:
Pho Ga $10.75
Bun Cha Ha Noi $13.00
Cafe Sua Da $4.50
You can’t talk about Mexican food in the Mission without mentioning Pancho Villa Taqueria.
Located in the heart of the Mission, this place is constantly bustling with a great mix of locals, out of towners, and wonky characters.
The super tacos are so heavily loaded that you can order 1 super taco and an extra tortilla to make two normal sized tacos.
Must orders:
Carne Asada Super Taco (and an extra tortilla) $4
Grilled Salmon Taco $3.94
Prawn Taco $3.67
Super Quesadilla $9.85
If you’re looking for excellent and authentic Vietnamese food at a reasonable price, look no further than Golden Flower.
Favorites include:
Bun Cha Gio Heo (Flame Broiled Pork, Imperial Rolls, Rice Vermicelli) $10.25
Com Ga Ngo Vi Huong and Cha Gio (5 spice chicken, Imperial Roll, Rice) $10.50
Pho Tai (Beef Noodle Soup with slices of rare steak) $8.25
Ca Phe Sua Da (Vietnamese Iced Coffee with Condensed Milk) $3.95
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One of the few restaurants in the Bay Area focused on Malaysian and Singaporean food - your taste buds will be in for a treat here for sure!
The Roti Pratha is a buttery, flaky flatbread served with a curry dipping sauce and is a total crowd-pleaser.
The Singaporean Curry Noodle is made of thin, ‘glass’ noodles that is mixed with delicious curry noodle sauce and shredded chicken.
Sometimes they make Hainan Chicken Rice, which is one of the national dishes of Singapore.
Must orders:
Roti Pratha $4.99
Singaporean Curry Noodle $7.99
Hainan Chicken Rice $14.49
Black Rice Pudding $4.99
Soup Dumplings (Xiao Long Bao) are the star in this cozy eatery on Taraval Street.
The dumplings have thin skin, are full of juice, and are a great deal at $6 per 6 dumplings.
Other highlights include the Farmer’s Cucumber, Onion Pancakes, Pork Dumplings with Napa Cabbage.
Must orders:
Shanghai Soup Dumplings $6
Farmer’s Cucumber $7.95
Pork Dumplings with Napa Cabbage $7.95
Onion Pancake $5.95
For the best wings in San Francisco - you have to pay Hot Sauce and Panko a visit! They specialize in fusion wings with an Asian flair to them.
Must orders include:
Green Wings $6.89
Chris’s Honey Salty Black Pepper $6.89
Salt & Pepper (Sichuan Pepper) $6.89
Panko Parmesan $7.99
Nori Wasabi
With bar style seating and an open kitchen similar to what you’d see in Asia, the ladies at Yamo cook up some delicious comfort food at an amazing price.
All the main dishes are only $6 and include crowd pleasures like Yamo Home Noodles, Mango Chicken, and Curry Beef.
Must Orders:
Yamo House Noodles $6
Yamo Cold Noodles $6
Mango Chicken $6
Tea Salad $4
One of the better Banh Mi’s in San Francisco, the sandwiches all are about $7.50. I especially appreciate their usage of authentic French Rolls in their Banh Mi.
Must order:
The Special $7.49
Grilled Chicken $7.49 Shaking Beef $7.49
Vietnamese Iced Coffee $3.75
One of the best deals in the city and a local favorite - you can get a pita pocket fully stuffed with falafel, a wide variety of vegetables, and sauce for only about $8.
Must order:
Flying Falafel Pita Pocket $7.95