Home » Special Features » The World’s Best » Best Local Food Specialties San Francisco
New York? Pizza. San Francisco? Dungeness crab. Mexico City? Tacos. Los Angeles? Food trucks. What better way to explore the world’s coolest cities than through the foods they are best known for? Here are Night+Day’s hotlists for the destination dishes (and one beverage) that define our favorite places.
Best Local Food Specialties in....
Best Local Food Specialties:
Dungeness Crab
San Francisco
PPQ Dungeness Island 2332 Clement St., Richmond, 415-386-8266 ppqdungeness.com
The Draw: This no-frills Vietnamese restaurant is a top contender for the city’s best pho as well, but the reason folks drive across town is the crab, prepared in five different ways: peppercorn-crusted, roasted, marinated, curried, and spicy. All are tasty, but spicy wins the day. The Scene: Wood tables and floors give the space a homey feel; many diners are regulars who don’t need a menu. The servers are happy to order for you if you’re not sure what you want; they steer towards the live seafood, and you can trust their recommendations. Hot Tip: Your best bet for two is the set menu, which includes roasted crab, imperial rolls, cabbage salad with chicken, garlic noodles, and deep-fried banana with ice cream.
The Draw: One of SF’s best classic Cantonese restaurants also has the market cornered on crab. Choose your own live one from the tank, then order it “salt-and-pepper” style. The Scene: Big round tables aren’t designed to be communal, but end up as such when multiple small parties are combined. Most of the clientele are Chinese locals. Hot Tip: If it doesn’t violate your ethics, this is a good place to try shark’s fin soup.
Thanh Long
4101 Judah St., Sunset, 415-665-1146 anfamily.com
The Draw: The flagship restaurant of the An family crab dynasty is still the best of the lot. The biggest, sweetest crabs available are prepared in only three simple ways: roasted, “drunken” (marinated in wine, sake, and brandy), and tamarind. The Scene: The most downscale of the small group of restaurants owned by the Ans (which includes both San Francisco and Los Angeles versions of Crustacean), Thanh Long is no-nonsense. Diners range from traditional Vietnamese families to out-of-towners on a quest for the best crab in the city. Servers offer classic unobtrusiveness, as well as efficient cleanup of the ever-growing piles of messy plates. Several dishes come out of the “Secret Kitchen,” to which only certain staff have access. Hot Tip: No matter what else you order from the extensive Vietnamese menu, do not miss the garlic noodles, made from a legendary—and, of course, secret—sauce.
