Thanks for the Amawale’s suggestions— that takes top priority and would pair nicely with the walk-through the WPA murals in the old post office
Amawale’s was closed on Christmas Eve, but I did some damage elsewhere then and the day before.
The Sentinel’s oatmeal was very good. They don’t use stone ground oats, but they made up for it with tons of nuts, dried fruit, and fresh fruit.
The Rye Project was a success. I split a sandwich made with salami, pastrami, corned beef on an onion roll. Good combination of flavors, but next time I’ll stick to a simpler sandwich on rye.
The smoked trout salad was great. The trout had a light smoke and was bouncy rather than dry.
Matzoh ball soup was basic, and hit the same beats as my family’s— salty broth, one big matzoh ball.
Shorty Goldstein’s bagels are house made and they finish baking at 7:30am. By 11:30, the bagels lost some of their charm but still good qualities like a thick crust, and dark brown blisters, the kind you get on a sourdough loaf. See http://www.jweekly.com/article/full/76432/hardly-strictly-bagels-shorty-goldsteins-stands-tall-with-new-housemade-bag/
I also had some banh mi:
I have no idea if there is anything good in there these days (usually not), but I believe the International Food Court on Kearny is weekday lunch only. Souperman has posted about a couple places here Korean Dumplings and other recent arrivals at the International Food Court and on his blog.
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Has anybody mentioned the japa-curry food truck? Weekdays different locations in SF. Karaage curry very generous portion, large pieces, $9; cold ramen w/ chasiu $8, bento, etc.
Saw Bette’s mentioned – very fond of it but been loving the Royal Cafe in Albany lately, even more. http://www.royalcafealbany.com/#eat-together
How is the fried chicken?
I’m ashamed to say, fried chicken fiend that I am, that I’ve not had it yet. Every time I go, I get seduced by hollandaise, or bacon, or chorizo, or SOMETHING and then I see it going by and…sad face. Last time, this guy at another table held up his plate and said to me, “Choose wisely.”
Pro-tip: their homemade muffins are sublime. Tender, buttery, not too sweet, like my mom’s. Whatever kind they’ve got, get a muffin.
Also: the huevos rancheros are a waste of time. Only thing I haven’t liked much.
Anula’s in Oakland
I started eating here a few years ago and Anula does a hot plate lunch every weekday (meat or vegetarian). I posted about it on Chowhound and it has also been reviewed in East Bay Express.
Update: over the years Anula has added a few special items here and there. My favorite right now is her veggie chapati, stuffed with lentil and leafy green (kale?) for $2 each. Really great flavor, she makes it some days but doesnt make it other days. Another favorite is her jambalaya, offered the first Monday of the month. She serves the rice separate from the chicken/sausage/shrimp. It is spicy though, so bring extra rice. Each entree is served with two side dishes, such as lentils, eggplant, kale, beets. Both the lentils and eggplant are outstanding.
Three more in SF:
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Sababa , fast casual Israeli style pita bar
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Tacos Cala , upscale tacos on handmade tortillas, 50 Hickory St., at backside of Cala Restaurant
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Bini’s Kitchen http://biniskitchen.com/ , Nepali
Berkeleyside writes about Rio California Cafe, a Brazilian place in downtown Oakland that fits your criteria.
ETA: But the menu says that the Brazilian plates " are only made for 15 people or more each", while the Berkeleyside article doesn’t mention that.
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I’ll add Laney Bistro on the list. I’ve never been. But its run by the students at Laney College.
Pretty ambitious menu I must say. M-W is American bistro cooking. Th/ Fr is International that rotates every week:
Fall 2017 Schedule for Culinary 41 “International Cuisine” (Served Thursday & Friday of each week in the Bistro dining room)
9/7 – 8~ Bistro Menu
9/14 – 15~ Cuisine of China
9/21 – 22~ Cuisines of Japan and Korea
9/28 – 29~ Cuisines of Thailand, Indonesia & Vietnam
10/5 – 6~ Cuisine of India
10/12 – 13~ Cuisine of France
10/19 – 20~Cuisine of Italy
10/27~ Cuisine of Spain
11/2 – 3~ Cuisines of Greece & Turkey
11/9~ Cuisines of Lebanon & Persia
11/10~ Holiday – Veterans’ Day
11/16 – 17~ Cuisines of Africa
~Thanksgiving Holiday
11/30 – 12/1~ Cuisines of the Caribbean Islands
12/7 – 8~ Cuisine of Mexico
~Winter Recess
Any recommendations for the Mission or Bernal Heights that are only available for breakfast/lunch Monday through Friday?
Gallo Giro truck and Newkirks (known for their Northeaet style breakfast sandwiches on Kaiser rolls) come to mind. Anything else, weekday specials, 3pm food happy hours etc.?
La Palma perhaps? They do open until 6pm. Maybe St. Francis Fountain if you’re into ice cream for lunch (haven’t tried their food). Trick Dog is good to visit on weekdays to avoid the crowds when they open at 3pm but I don’t know if their kitchen is open then. Similarly True Laurel opens at 4pm but they don’t start serving food until 5 AFAIK. Mission Street Oyster Bar has $2 oysters from noon to 8pm.
Piri Pica also has happy hour between 2pm and 6pm. Dollar piri piri wings among other items.
La Palma is a good suggestion— I pick up tortillas biweekly from them weekends at ~8am (yes fresh masa tortillas, but their lard flour tortillas are also the best) but rarely get meals there for weekend lunch because of the wait.
Oooh, looking forward to Piri Pica and Trick Dog!
If you goto la palma on a weekend, make sure you get some of their weekend specials which typically include birria (sold by the lb with tortillas and more) and also menudo
they typically are done selling pupusas on weekdays by 5:00 pm or so at the latest.
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We really like this new place called Troje (S. Van Ness @ 26th). Food is really quite good. They have $1 oysters and a happy hour menu that, no joke, is 3:00-8:00 PM! They want to roll out dinner service, but are still working on it. Very friendly people.
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Just to add another perspective, we actively disliked Piri Pica. They have a very limited menu and I don’t think they’re very good at even that.
The mention of La Palma reminds me that there’s a place in Berkeley, La Palmita, on San Pablo just south of Gilman. They used to be open on weekends, but aren’t anymore. They close at around 8PM
Hey Hyper, you said you really disliked Piri Pica too. 
Woot, I’ve been wondering about them but haven’t taken the plunge. Thanks for the intel!
@sck, LOL I’d forgotten that!
I went to Newkirks’ today for breakfast sandwiches on a Kaiser roll. The recipe is based on some place in NY (sorry, deleted my notes from two prior visits) and is moister/less airy, with a more golden crust, than has been my experience with countless bodegas in NY. But nostalgia aside, the bacon egg & cheese and pastrami egg & cheese are fine meldings of salty meat, egg, and cheese without the need to douse in ketchup. Gonna check out their specialty sandwiches, served all day, pretty soon.
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