Eating ramen at Mensho Tokyo is back to standing in a long line, or hoping to get a reservation, as the famous Japanese restaurant is once again offering indoor dining. This is the first U.S. outpost from ramen obsessive Tomoharu Shono, which specializes in tori paitan, a rich, creamy, chicken-based broth. Expect pliant, springy noodles and rotating specials.

This Indian restaurant has a cult following for a reason — Shalimar is putting out some of the most reliably tasty food in the city, like succulent chicken tandoori; spicy, saucy okra; and destination-worthy goat karahi. The freshly-made naan is also a must, and the biryanis are well worth an order, too.

Ubiquitous “Mediterranean” restaurants are a dime a dozen in San Francisco, but there are precious few real deal Turkish eateries. A La Turca is one, and its flavorful iterations of Turkish must-tries like ezme (spicy red pepper and walnut dip) and kofte (heavily spiced lamb and beef meatballs) are well worth the trip. The real standouts here, though, feature its homemade dough — start with the lahmacun, a crepe-thin flatbread topped with ground meat, peppers, and tomatoes and proceed to the pide (pronounced pea-deh), calzone-like beauties made with fresh dough and loaded with toppings like spinach, feta, or doner kebab. Occasionally, they’ll serve manti — meat-filled small dumplings topped with yogurt — on special.

Turtle Tower’s Northern Vietnamese flavors have made this humble Tenderloin spot a major success in San Francisco. But it doesn’t get more classic than their digs in the Little Vietnam stretch of Larkin in the Tenderloin (though the restaurant moved down a few doors from its original space). Turtle Tower’s staple is pho ga, made with free range chicken broth and house-made rice noodles: Get it with giblets for more punch.

While most Thai restaurants have plenty of meatless options, this Polk Street restaurant removed the guesswork, as all its offerings are meat-free (yes, that even means fish and seafood are off the menu). Dishes include classics like papaya salad and pad Thai, and the spot also offers fresh takes on standards like fried rice and faux meat.

The question is never, “Do you love Saigon Sandwich?” Rather, it’s “What’s your order at Saigon Sandwich?” The tiny Larkin Street shop, lit by fluorescent lights and crammed with bins of Vietnamese snacks and drinks, doesn’t need to bother with frills — the loaded $4 banh mi, featuring crackly-crusted, textbook-perfect baguettes and zingy pickled vegetables, are plenty to draw the crowds. Whether you opt for roast pork, meatball, fancy pork, or chicken, definitely opt for extra pate and maybe consider ordering two. You’ll likely be craving a second by the time you’re halfway through your first.

Brenda’s is the city’s bastion for Cajun goodness and one of the toughest no-reservations brunch tickets in town, thanks to chef Brenda Buenviaje and her vibrant menu. Among the staples at Brenda’s are the beignets (available in a variety of flavors) as well as the chicken and andouille gumbo or grits.

Martin Cate’s grand homage to gin is as detail-oriented and over-the-top as his tiki bar Smuggler’s Cove, in a great way. The Steampunk-esque space reads like an abandoned London Tube station turned gin distillery-slash-pub, with period detailing. It’s a cozy, date-worthy spaces with a list of 400 gins to get lost in.

Bon Appetit gave Armando Lacayo’s temple to pastry Ariscault Best New Bakery in 2016 and in 2019 he decided to expand into the United Nations Plaza. The shop reopened in July of 2021 and features indoor and outdoor seating, with daytime security personnel. Oakland’s Mr. Espresso is the shop’s dark roast balance to the sweet decadence of raisin kouigns and not-too-buttery croissants.

Enough cannot be written about the entrepreneurial hustle and grit demonstrated by the members of La Cocina’s Municipal Marketplace. On Hyde and Golden Gate Avenues the food hall has already expanded to include a bar (Paloma), a coffee shop that hosted a free to attend queer coffee convention (Fluid), and an abundance of world-class restaurants (Teranga and Estrellita’s Snacks to name just two). Unlike the “gentrification hellscape” it has been accused of promoting, the shop offers affordable and nutritious meals for everyone from State Assemblymember Matt Haney to the students and families at nonprofit 826 Valencia just up the street.

Huge portions and rich, deeply seasoned meats are hallmarks of this Jones Street restaurant. Affordability is a big selling point here, too: for an order of roasted lamb, $22 isn’t a bad price tag, and a falafel sandwich runs just $10. The masoob, a dessert of banana, dates, and honey, is a thick and sweet treat to wrap any Yemeni Kitchen feast.

Next door to the Tenderloin’s community garden is Rene Denis’ blend of his Cuban and Colombian identities and histories. This ultra-colorful restaurant offers a variety of options like ropa vieja, arepas de puerco, and well-fried empanadas. Cocktails are on the menu, too, and no less explosive in flavor and heritage; the xocolatl maize is a combination of bourbon, nixta licor de elote, aztec chocolate bitters, and roasted cinnamon stick.

This shop has been in the neighborhood for 16 years, once leaning more toward Mediterranean food and now firmly situated as a coffee and quick bites shop. The gorgeous blue brick exterior hides what is really a down to earth place to watch the world go by with a breakfast sandwich in hand that is both delicious and affordable.

Rarely do guests to the Tenderloin mention the raspberry sorbet swimming in a chalice of champagne as the most memorable part of their trip. Yet, husbands Danel and David de Betelu aim to make it so. This Parisian-inspired patisserie and tea salon — which says it is on rue Polk rather than Polk Street — is already changing the conversation on what it can look like to open a business in the neighborhood.

After surviving two years of COVID in the Tenderloin, the team at this Nepalese pizza place are happy to still be dishing out their unique items and big flavors. The momos are all reliable and succulent options, the vegetable biryani is a saffron-infused blessing, and, for the carnivores, the “SF Giants” pizza stars Halal beef salami, sliced beef pepperoni, beef sausage, ground beef and Canadian bacon.