cheap eats in SF

[Robert Lauriston]

The comprehensive topic I usually link to has gotten out of date.

[hyperbowler]

Cinderella Bakery (Russian; Inner Richmond)
Giordano Brothers (meat or egg, slaw, and french fry filled sandwiches; North Beach & Mission locations)
HRD Coffee Shop (Korean inspired diner; M-Sat breakfast/lunch, SOMA)
La Torta Gorda (Puebla style Mexican, Mission)
Queens Louisiana Po Boy Cafe (Portola)

[Robert Lauriston]

Galette 88's a major new addition.

Little Star's lunch slices are cheap.

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Galette 88
88 Hardie Pl, San Francisco, CA 94104

[Robert Lauriston]

Do any of the Little Star branches still do slices at lunch? Albany stopped.

Galette 88's now open 11:00-2:30 M-F and 5-9pm the first Thursday of every month.

[Cynsa]

Little Star on Valencia has lunch M-F noon to 5 pm for Personal size thin crust and deep dish
http://www.littlestarpizza.com/menu2....
400 Valencia St
(between 15th St & Sparrow St)

It's been a year ago since I had 'slices' at the Valencia Street location at lunchtime. Have they dropped it?

[Robert Lauriston]

The Albany location no longer has slices, only "personal size," which is 2-3 times the size of a slice.

[hill food]

given the depth (breadth?) of the list and how often the question comes up, this really ought to be 'stickied' to the top of the board

[Eat.Choui]

I have to recommend WOOLY PIG for killer sandwiches in the Inner Sunset. I've had the Kalua pork sandwich, briny egg sandwich and the banh mi, and they all have made my eyes rolled back in estacy. And reasonably priced too, so hopefylly I can add it to your cheap eats list. You also have to get the Thai tea panna cotta. Oh man. So good.

[Windy]

Sounds great. Will definitely check it out.

Is it where the Hugo Street Cafe was?

[bigwheel042]

I think so - it's on Hugo near 3rd or so. The location is tough enough that they put a sign out on the sidewalk on Irving to draw people walking around the area. It's not that cheap though - I seem to remember the prices being roughly in the neighborhood of The Sentinel. Definitely cheaper than a sit-down lunch, but hardly cheap as sandwiches go.

[Windy]

Thanks!

[drewskiSF]

It's odd pricing.

The "special" sandwiches like the Wooly Pig (braised pork belly) & Banh Mi (fillings rotate) are $6. The build your own deli sandwiches are more expensive at $7.95 (+$0.50 for cheese).

They say they use Zoe's Meats for the BYO. Not sure about for the specials.

This was in June.

[bigwheel042]

I think that at least some of the other meats are from 4505. A guy wearing a 4505 t-shirt was in there today on some sort of business errand.

They were out of the braised pork by the time I showed up so I went for the banh mi instead. An interesting sandwich whose complexity probably justified paying a higher price than a typical banh mi joint. This one was bigger than a typical banh mi, with a bunch of layers of cold cuts: some kind of ham, an aspic-surrounded thit doi type thing, and pate. Can't remember if there was cha lua on there too. Lots of finely shredded carrots whose sweetness played nicely off the sriracha aioli. Also some mint, cilantro, and, I'm pretty sure, a few leaves of rau ram.

Washed it all down with a Jamaica's Finest ginger beer ($3). More burn than the wimpier Reed's Extra Ginger that I've been drinking lately.

[Windy]

Great sandwiches and nice people. Thanks for the rec. Didn't love the Thai tea panna cotta, but the spicy secret sauce on the bahn mi more than made up for it.

[hyperbowler]

Wooly Pig's sandwiches are awesome, and my favorite is their $6 combo banh mi. They lather a Semifreddi french roll with a sriracha aioli, and carefully layer good quality vietnamese cold cuts. There's also shredded carrots, cilantro, slices of daikon, and a pate on the bottom bun. There's no cucumber or jalapeno.

The sandwich comes together beautifully. Their bread choice is excellent--- higher end Banh Mi places often go overly gourmet on the bread, and offer a crust that distracts from the sandwich (e.g., Momofuku). The slices of pickled daikon probably wouldn't work on most banh mi rolls, which are sliced like a hot dog bun, but work great on this vertically layered sandwich that's sliced all the way through. The sriracha gives a nice amount of spice. It's nice to have a banh mi without having to worry about getting the oil of a jalapeno onto your hands, and later into your eyes.

It might very well be the best higher end Banh Mi I've had. I also like it better than the combo at Little Vietnam in the Inner Richmond, which is still very good, and far better than the one at Irving Cafe in the Sunset. One of these days, I'm going to have to do a head to head test between Wooly Pig, Saigon Sandwiches, and the East Bay's Banh Mi Ba Le.

Other things I've liked there are the Kahlua pork sandwich and the pinkish blackberry lemonade. Lunch starts at 11AM.

[Windy]

Worth noting that the sandwiches are great because Lieng makes them. I've been a few times, and the one time he wasn't there, it was a shadow of its former self, including burnt roll. He's the master--and a wonderful guy.

I love the meatball bahn mi at Irving Cafe on 22nd.

[Windy]

Cheap = dinner under $20 with tax and tip; some much less than that.

plus

Okina Sushi (Sushi)
Tajine (Moroccan)
Cafe Zitouna (Tunisian)
Pastores (Mexican)
Pagolac (Vietnamese)
Henry's Hunan (spicy Chinese)
Palmyra (Syrian- + roast chicken)
New Spot (pupusas)
Mr Pollo (pan Latin American--the tasting menu has gone up to $20 though)
S&T Seafood (dim sum, Chinese seafood)

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Pagolac
655 Larkin St, San Francisco, CA 94109

Cafe Zitouna
1201 Sutter St, San Francisco, CA 94109

S&T Hong Kong Seafood Restaurant
2578 Noriega St, San Francisco, CA 94122

Tajine Moroccan Restaurant
1653 Polk St, San Francisco, CA

Pastores Restaurant
3486 Mission St, San Francisco, CA 94110

The New Spot
632 20th St, San Francisco, CA 94107

Henry's Hunan
1708 Church St, San Francisco, CA 94131

[Robert Lauriston]

Oh yeah, Henry's.

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Henry's Hunan Restaurant
924 Sansome St, San Francisco, CA 94111

Henry's Hunan Restaurant
110 Natoma St, San Francisco, CA 94105

Henry's Hunan Restaurant
1016 Bryant St, San Francisco, CA 94103

[Robert Lauriston]

A La Turka
Angkor-Borei (Cambodian)
Balompie (pupusas)
Bodega Bistro (Vietnamese)
Burmese Kitchen aka Larkin Express
El Delfin (Mexican)
Esperpento (tapas)
Gyro King (Turkish)
Helmand Palace (Afghan)
Inkas (Peruvian)
La Santaneca (pupusas)
Lers Ros (Thai)
Little Delhi (Indian/Pakistani)
L'Osteria del Forno (Italian)
Mandalay (Burmese)
Maykadeh (Persian)
Memphis Minnie's (barbecue)
My Tofu House (Korean)
Naan-N-Curry (Pakistani)
Old Jerusalem (Palestinian / Middle Eastern)
Old Mandarin Islamic (Peking-style hot pot)
Pakwan (Pakistani)
Paladar (Cuban-Colombian)
Panchita's #3 (pupusas)
Poc-Chuc (Yucatecan)
Saigon Sandwich (banh mi)
Shalimar (Pakistani)
Singapore-Malaysian
Spices / Spices II (Taiwanese Sichuan)
Sunrise Deli (falafels)
Taqueria San Jose (24th & Mission branch; tacos al pastor or chorizo)
Thai House Express (Larkin & Geary branch)
Troya (Turkish)
Truly Mediterranean (falafel, schawerma)
Tuba (Turkish)
Turtle Tower (Vietnamese)
Udupi Palace (South Indian)
Yamo (Burmese)

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Naan-N-Curry
336 Ofarrell St, San Francisco, CA 94102

Saigon Sandwich Shop
560 Larkin St, San Francisco, CA 94102

Angkor-Borei Restaurant
3471 Mission St, San Francisco, CA 94110

Inkas Restaurant
3299 Mission St, San Francisco, CA 94110

Old Mandarin Islamic Restaurant
3132 Vicente St, San Francisco, CA 94116

Bodega Bistro
607 Larkin St, San Francisco, CA 94109

Gyro King
25 Grove St, San Francisco, CA 94102

L'Osteria del Forno
519 Columbus Ave, San Francisco, CA 94133

Spices II
291 6th Ave, San Francisco, CA 94118

Thai House Express
901 Larkin St, San Francisco, CA 94109

Truly Mediterranean
3109 16th St, San Francisco, CA 94103

Turtle Tower Restaurant
631 Larkin St, San Francisco, CA 94109

Little Delhi
83 Eddy St, San Francisco, CA 94102

El Delfin
3066 24th St, San Francisco, CA 94110

My Tofu House
4627 Geary Blvd, San Francisco, CA 94118

Yamo
3406 18th St, San Francisco, CA 94110

Helmand Palace
2424 Van Ness Ave, San Francisco, CA 94109

Troya
349 Clement Street, San Francisco, CA 94118

Old Jerusalem
2976 Mission St, San Francisco, CA 94110

Balompie Cafe
3349 18th St, San Francisco, CA 94110

Esperpento Restaurant
3295 22nd St, San Francisco, CA 94110

La Santaneca
3781 Mission St, San Francisco, CA 94110

Sunrise Deli Cafe
54 2nd St # D, San Francisco, CA 94105

[Robert Lauriston]

More links.

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A La Turca
869 Geary St, San Francisco, CA 94109

Larkin Express Burmese Kitchen
452 Larkin St, San Francisco, CA 94102

Maykadeh Persian Cuisine
470 Green St, San Francisco, CA 94133

Singapore Malaysian Restaurant
836 Clement St, San Francisco, CA 94118

Spices II
291 6th Ave, San Francisco, CA 94118

Spices
294 8th Ave, San Francisco, CA 94118

Taqueria San Jose
2830 Mission St, San Francisco, CA 94110

Memphis Minnie's BBQ
576 Haight St, San Francisco, CA 94117

Paladar Cafe Cubano
329 Kearny St, San Francisco, CA 94108

Mandalay Restaurant
4344 California St, San Francisco, CA 94118

Poc Chuc
2886 16th St, San Francisco, CA 94103

Udupi Palace
1007 Valencia St, San Francisco, CA 94110

Shalimar
532 Jones St, San Francisco, CA 94102

Shalimar
1409 Polk St, San Francisco, CA 94109

Pakwan
501 Ofarrell St, San Francisco, CA 94102

Pakwan
3182 16th St, San Francisco, CA 94103

Tuba Restaurant
1007 Guerrero St, San Francisco, CA 94110

Shalimar
532 Jones St, SF, CA 94102

[Thomas Nash]

Here's a few more that we like:

(La Oaxquena, assuming it opens again in December??)

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Lime Tree - Southeast Asian Kitchen
450 Irving St, San Francisco, CA 94122

Dol Ho
808 Pacific Ave, San Francisco, CA 94133

Little Star Pizza
846 Divisadero St, San Francisco, CA 94117

Pauline's Pizza
260 Valencia St, San Francisco, CA 94103

Chow
215 Church St, San Francisco, CA 94114

Rosamunde Sausage Grill
545 Haight St, San Francisco, CA 94117

Shanghai Dumpling King
3319 Balboa St, San Francisco, CA 94121

Good Frikin Chicken (Goood Frikin’ Chicken)
10 29th St, San Francisco, CA 94110

La Oaxaquena
2128 Mission St, San Francisco, CA

Rosamunde Sausage Grill
2832 Mission St, San Francisco, CA 94110

[Robert Lauriston]

Little Star and Pauline's are great, and worth the money, but I wouldn't call either cheap as they're both relatively expensive as pizza goes.

[vulber]

would disagree on little star; 3 people with normal appetites can split a deep dish pizza for just over $18, or three entrees at Yamo

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Yamo
3406 18th St, San Francisco, CA 94110

[Robert Lauriston]

While in theory two or three people could split a small pizza and get out for $25 with tax and tip, after succumbing to the temptations of beer, wine, appetizers, and/or dessert, our usual bill at Little Star is $35-40 a head (including two or three slices to take home).

Like most pizza places, Little Star is cheap compared with restaurants in general, but when I can get a great slice for under $3 at other places, it feels out of place on a list of cheap eats.

[vulber]

fair enough; where's the thread for "only a cheap eat if you resist temptation"? :)

[Thomas Nash]

It's tough to define what is "cheap" in SF. I could break the $20 per person number including tax and tip at any place on the list so far. Well, maybe not Saigon Sandwich --- I can't eat that much!

My bill at Little Star or Pauline's for 2 comes right in the same ballpark as Esperpento or Spices or Lers Ros or Angkor Borei or Memphis Minnie or... It just depends what you order.

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Saigon Sandwich Shop
560 Larkin St, San Francisco, CA 94102

Esperpento Restaurant
3295 22nd St, San Francisco, CA 94110

[little big al]

Twenty is the new ten.On the other hand, "Okay", as in the answer to "How's it goin'?" is the new "Fantastic!"

[vulber]

kingdom of dumpling>shanghai dumpling king

[vulber]

lahore karahi

[Robert Lauriston]

Still more links.

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Panchita No. 3
3115 22nd Street, San Francisco, CA 94110

Naan-N-Curry
533 Jackson St, San Francisco, CA 94133

Naan-N-Curry
642 Irving St, San Francisco, CA 94122

[Kim Cooper]

Are all three Naan-N-Currys the same in quality?

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Naan-N-Curry
336 Ofarrell St, San Francisco, CA 94102

[bigwheel042]

These are all cheap. But are any of them good? Panchitas #3's pupusas were pretty weak when I tried them a few months ago.

Let's add:

Irving Cafe and Deli (both locations)
Moscow and Tbilisi Bakery (for pieroshkis)
The Little Chihuahua
Pastores
Pho Huynh Hiep
Ha Nam Ninh
Ngoc Mai

edit: and Yemeni's for salteh! Man, that bread rocks.

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Ngoc Mai Restaurant
547 Hyde St, San Francisco, CA 94109

Pastores Restaurant
3486 Mission St, San Francisco, CA 94110

Ha Nam Ninh
337 Jones St, San Francisco, CA 94102

Little Chihuahua
4123 24th Street, San Francisco, CA 94114