TheEightBestPlacestoEat LunchontheHill

ByBirgitteGilliland

“What’s for lunch?” is question that’s asked daily. Below are my lunch suggestions in three price categories. A cheap lunch is less than $10 per person, excluding gratuities. A moderately-priced lunch averages between $10 and $20, includes table service, and assumes at least a halfhour to dine. A nice lunch costs more than $20 per person, includes wait service, and allows for a leisurely hour to enjoy your meal.

BestCheapLunchSpots

Kitchenette. There’s no contest in this category. Twitter has made street food vendors like the Magic Curry Man and the Crème Brulee Cart famous, but there’s a stationary street food spot in Dogpatch that’s too good to keep secret. Log on to view the day’s lunch options, and get there before they run out. Look for the open loading dock door and wooden benches outside. Yes, it’s a bit cold and atmospherechallenged, but Kitchenette offers the best affordable, organic lunch you’ll ever have. Complete the meal with a cookie of the moment, and an inventive beverage of the day, all for roughly $10.

Kitchenette, 958 Illinois Street, kitchenettesf.com.

Hazel’s Kitchen. This Potrero Hill gem consists of a little walkup store front, just a counter and display case featuring tasty and reliable salads and made-to-order sandwiches. Nothing fancy, but I like Hazel’s freshness and their variety. My favorite sandwich is the BLT with avocado on sourdough ($7.25): the bacon is lean and crispy and the tomatoes are always ripe. Their tuna salad avoids the common pitfall of too much mayonnaise and lots of celery bits stretched to act as cheap llers. I also like that customers can see Hazel’s team prepping and cooking everything right in the open. It’s a clean and tidy diamond of an operation. You even get a sweet little treat thrown in your brown paper lunch bag, just like your mama used to do.

Hazel’s Kitchen, 1319 18th Street, 647.7941, www.hazelskitchen.com.

Best Moderately Priced Lunch Spots

Piccino. Dogpatchers rejoiced when this establishment opened on the corner of Tennessee and 22nd streets three years ago. Like coffee, pizza is a subjective experience, and sticuffs have ensued over the comparative merits of Goat Hill Pizza versus some of the out-of-theneighborhood brands. For me, the perfect lunch is a Piccino pizza. The crust is thin and crispy; the toppings are uncomplicated yet creative. The red pizza ($15) is a balanced symphony of sweet tomato sauce, broccoli raab and salty capers/anchovies. Piccino’s soup of the day ($7) is always a hearty hug for the tummy, and the salad offerings banish iceberg and romaine in favor of nutritionally sound and aesthetically pleasing greens. Get your daily quota of root vegetables followed by a Blue Bottle latte and a homemade baked treat next door at Piccino’s coffee bar.

Piccino, 801 22nd Street, 824.4224, www.piccinocafe.com.

Just for You. Five words: homemade bread and fresh beignets. Deep sigh. This slow food pioneer has such a varied menu, you can even have breakfast for lunch. I like their Po-Boy sandwiches and the Tofun-Veggie Stir-Fry ($8.95) because it a riot of fresh vegetables and home cooking goodness. The tables are a little close together, and if it’s busy it can sound like you’re eating in a bus station, but everyone is family at Just for You, so say “hi” to your neighbor

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