12 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.“

“Friendly, elegantly set up, and good service - what's not to like? Early lunch on a weekday with a professional connection. It was almost empty (some folks came for takeout). We appreciated the flexibility on beverages, and the great flavors on both our sandwiches.“

“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..“

“Good food. Good service good size portions.“

“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 things going for Darby Dan's are no line, fast service, full kitchen and beers on tap. We had a couple of sandwiches. Darby Dan sandwich $15 and a roast beef w/Swiss $13.50. They had a full kitchen on the right. It wasn't on the menu but they made some chili cheese fries for me. They even had Mango Cart beer on tap. I had a pint. I'm not sure how much it cost because they don't give me a receipt. Regardless, everything tasted OK.“

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

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

“The service was excellent. The waitress, Lulu was very attentive to our needs. On top of that the food was great. I had an Esmeralda which is a spicy dish with three scrambled eggs, cream cheese, jalapeños, and avocado inside a flour tortilla topped with green sauce.“

“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!“