Ballhalla DJs and Jalapeño Guy bring the beats, while Transit Month rolls on with art, walks, and the Worm Run. Add temple brunch, Doors Open tours, a rediscovered Coppola short, open studios, Black Neighborhood hikes, and a garter snake revival.

The soundtrack of Ballhalla

At Chase Center, the Golden State Valkyries are reshaping home-court energy, thanks in part to resident DJs, Shellheart and LadyRyan, who guide each game from warmups to the final buzzer, pumping the team and the crowd with Bay Area hip-hop and queer party anthems.

Both DJs came out of the local nightlife scene and have become part of the team’s identity — inspiring the crowd to get louder, helping the games feel larger than life, and giving Ballhalla its own signature rhythm. — KQED

The Jalapeño Guy

Jerry Turner, a.k.a. Jahri’s World, turns Sacramento playgrounds and birthday parties into classrooms with a beat — while helping young autistic fans feel supported.

Dressed in a red jalapeño costume and accompanied by saxophonist Dr. Paul D’ Blue, Turner mixes nursery rhymes, hip-hop, and call-and-response games, helping children count, sing, and play along on drums and tambourines. — CapRadio

Temple brunch, powered by volunteers

Every Sunday, the Berkeley Thai Temple draws hundreds for its famous brunch, a community tradition running since 1980. Behind the food — Thai noodle soup, curries, and Kanom Krok — are volunteers who start work long before the doors open, from monks prepping ingredients to chefs, retired cooks, and families keeping the meal running.

For many, volunteering is as much about connection and community as it is about cooking, turning the weekly brunch into a ritual of service, flavor, and shared joy. — Berkeleyside

Run the ‘Worm’

In honor of Transit Month, the Muni Run Club has mapped out the iconic “worm” route, which extends between Geary and Fulton Streets and 29th and 47th Avenues in the Outer Richmond. Complete the full 10-mile route or just the 3-mile “M” segment. Then relax on the bus ride home.

In addition to the worm, the club has been doing weekly runs along each individual bus route. Join them over at Strava. — SFMTA

Transit Month art, walks, and rides

Celebrate the tenth annual Transit Month with rides, walks, and surprises across the Bay Area. Highlights include the Peaks and Alleys: A BART to BART Walk on September 20 and the Pop-Up Transit Art Fair at Salesforce Transit Center on September 24.

Other events span bike parties, trivia, CEO ride-alongs, and the Bay Bridge Trail Anniversary Ride, giving riders plenty of ways to explore, play, and connect with the region. — BART

51 years of art and community

Starting next weekend, hundreds of creators will welcome visitors to see their work as part of ArtSpan’s 51st annual Open Studios, chat about their process, and purchase pieces directly.  

The festival kicks off with ArtLaunch at SOMArts, showcasing 300+ artists, and later features Art Tasting, highlighting standout works and insights from jurors and artists alike. Each weekend offers a chance to explore different neighborhoods and connect with the people shaping SF’s creative culture. — ArtSpan

Exploring California’s hidden corners

Doors Open California unlocks some of the Bay Area’s hidden gems. Wander Julia Morgan’s Berkeley City Club, step into Oakland’s shuttered but stately 16th Street Station, or follow Bauhaus traditions at Guerneville’s Pond Farm.

Tour Niles where Charlie Chaplin made his early films or visit San Francisco’s Treasure Island to trace the stories of a former naval station and World’s Fair site. — KQED

A family legacy, in miniature

Longtime Bay Area filmmaker Christopher Coppola’s 1979 short film, Lightly, is making its debut at the 2025 Studio 8 Film Festival after years lost in storage. Shot on 16mm and recently transferred to digital, the two-minute film features Crispin Glover and painter Craig Klyver, with Coppola composing the score.

Coppola — older brother of Nicolas Cage and nephew of Francis Ford Coppola — made the film while studying at the San Francisco Art Institute (BFA Film, 1987), where he later became head of the film program. The rediscovered short showcases Coppola’s early experiments in storytelling, performance, and visual composition. Screens at the Roxie on September 20.  — SF Artists Alumni

Taking up space in nature

The Black Neighborhood leads monthly Mental Health Hikes through East Bay trails — redwoods, creek crossings, ridgelines — pausing before the first climb as co-founder Cory Elliott urges everyone to “let go of everything from yesterday and look up.”

These monthly hikes carve out space for breathing, reflection, and connection, part of a broader Bay Area effort to reclaim the outdoors for communities too often excluded.

Many Bay Area residents face barriers like gentrification, long bus transfers, and unspoken hostility, which still keeps many out of parks and beaches. These hikes give residents a reason to show up, move, and be somewhere they might not have thought was for them. — Bay City News

Snake Revival in San Francisco

San Francisco’s native garter snake is one of the Bay Area’s most striking residents, as well as one of its rarest. Once common around wetlands and creeks, the colorful reptile has been endangered for more than 50 years.

A new project is giving these snakes a second chance — biologists collected pregnant females, the SF Zoo raised about 120 babies, and the snakes will be released next year once they’re big enough to avoid predators. Local agencies are working together to restore habitats across the region, from the Golden Gate National Recreation Area to smaller urban wetlands. — KRON4

Top Image: Strava

Previously: Field Notes: SF Neo-Futurists Dig a Hole, Youth Capture the Tenderloin, Rainbow Sierrans Hike

This week: Michelle Tea’s Valencia turns 25, and California turns 175; Boozie Brunch boosts local restaurants while Culinary Cinema pairs films with three-course meals; a state park thrives post-wildfire and Point Molate is opening to the public; plus, puppy yoga, cat Pilates, and Bay Area makers.

Boozie effect

Local influencer Novi Mitchell, who’s Oakland born and raised, has built a 169,000-strong Instagram following with her Boozie Brunch account by spotlighting Bay Area restaurants big and small.

Between a full-time job at Microsoft and weekend filming, she turns casual food adventures into a platform that boosts mom-and-pop spots. One rave review can transform business overnight — Samara’s Southern Creations says reservations haven’t slowed since she posted their deep-fried waffles with peach cobbler butter. — KGO

Dinner and a movie, elevated

At Pruneyard Cinemas in Campbell, classic movies come with a side of chef-crafted flair. The Culinary Cinema series pairs films with three-course dinners inspired by the story, characters, or setting.

Think pink-hued appetizers for Legally Blonde, or a cannoli nod for The Godfather. Mixologist Jacqueline Aguirre tops it off with specialty cocktails echoing the films’ moods, providing a full sensory experience. — Bay Area News Group

New shoots, old giants

Five years after the CZU Lightning Complex fires, much of Big Basin Redwoods State Park’s forest floor is exposed to full sunlight where old-growth redwoods once formed a dense canopy. The trees are tapping into decades of stored energy, sprouting green shoots in a “bottlebrush” effect that hints at their resilience.

Down below, tiger lilies, California lilacs, huckleberry, blackberry, Pacific madrone and tanoak seedlings fill the gaps, stretching toward the sun. Birds, pollinators, and other small critters have moved in to stake their claim. As the canopy slowly rebuilds, the forest’s plant and animal communities continually respond and adapt. — Santa Cruz Sentinal

Michelle Tea’s Valencia, 25 years later

In her 2000 novel, Valencia, Michelle Tea captured San Francisco’s 1990s butch-dyke lesbian scene with a raw, immediate voice, gaining her widespread acclaim. The 25th-anniversary edition revisits the book’s impact, highlighting its cast of real-life characters and its portrait of a generation.

Valencia was later adapted into a feature film, which premiered at Frameline Film Festival in 2013, per SFist. Fast, chaotic, and unflinching, Valencia captures the streets, bars, and poetry readings of an iconic era in San Francisco. The book remains a touchstone of lesbian history, art, and rebellion. — Autostraddle

Point Molate preserved

After decades of plans, proposals, and lawsuits, 82 acres of Richmond shoreline at Point Molate have officially become open to the public. The East Bay Regional Park District bought the land from the Guidiville Rancheria for $40 million, securing space for trails, open access, and environmental preservation.

The site includes Ohlone shellmounds, the Winehaven castle, and former Navy warehouses. A 2.5-mile trail is in the works, connecting the area to the Richmond–San Rafael Bridge. Once complete, visitors will be able to explore a new stretch of Bay front open space. — SFGate

Sixteen artists in SOMA

September at Arc Gallery in SOMA blends small-scale art, music, and conversation. The FourSquared exhibition features sixteen Bay Area artists, each showing sixteen works under $800.

Events include Art & Sound with the Berkelium String Quartet on September 10, a SOMA West CBD Happy Hour on the 18th, and an Artists Talk and Reception on the 20th, all in the heart of Arc’s multi-gallery, studio, anyone d arts hub.

The show continues through October 4, alongside Arc’s supportive artist community, Kearny Street Workshop, and Café Suspiro. — Arc Studios, Cafe Suspiro

Berkeley vendor who gives

If you’ve ever bought an African hat or basket on a Berkeley corner, there’s a good chance it came from veteran street vendor Viveca Jones, who's been part of the community for nearly four decades. Jones tells Berkeleyside she was the first to use a cash register at the Berkeley Flea Market back in the ‘70s. These days, she can be found at Shattuck & Vine, Monterey Market, and the downtown farmers’ market.

Jones spends her earnings feeding people twice a day, setting out food boxes and fruit she’s picked from neighbors’ trees: “Helping others keeps me going.” — Berkeleyside

Puppy planks & cat pilates

Move, stretch, and find your balance—sometimes with a paw in the mix. The Bay Area’s animal-assisted fitness scene includes puppy yoga at The Puppy Sphere and Puppies & Yoga, cat-centered Pilates at KitTea Café, goat yoga at Lemos Farm in Half Moon Bay, and even early-morning sessions among zebras at the San Francisco Zoo.

Mats, cuddles, and unexpected companions included — just be ready for a little animal-assisted improvisation. — 7x7

Presses, prints, and local makers

The Box SF’s historic 1920s building opens September 6–7 for its monthly fair, where local artists and makers fill two floors with handmade goods, crafts, and vintage finds. The ground-floor Pressroom and Mercantile, a museum-like antique letterpress shop, adds another layer of curiosity with restored printing presses and millions of pieces of printed history.

Free and open to the public, the fair turns the space into a hands-on, browse-and-shop experience celebrating Bay Area creativity. — The BoxSF, teresa.sw

California turns 175

California celebrates 175 years of statehood on Tuesday, September 9, at the State Capitol in Sacramento, featuring family-friendly activities, food trucks, birthday cake, and California-grown treats. A laser display follows 30 minutes after sunset. The State Library marks its own 175th birthday that same day with tours and cake.

Additionally, the California Museum will host a Statehood Celebration on September 6 with historic artifacts — including the original 1850 California Constitution — live music, dance, crafts, and a film screening.

The anniversary is part of a broader slate of in-person and virtual events throughout the month across the state. — CA.gov

Top Image: Lily Moon/Flickr

Previously: Field Notes: Muttville's New HQ, Tactile Maps, Pavement Plants, ‘Fairyland’ Flick, and a Hidden Mansion

Another pop-up-turned-brick-and-mortar business is taking over the space that formerly housed Automat in the NoPa neighborhood, and it comes from a former chef at Spruce and Quince.

Early to Rise was a pop-up long before the pandemic began, first launching in 2016. Chef Andrew McCormack cultivated a brunch experience centered on fun and 100% homemade ingredients and baked goods.

"Depending on when you might've joined us, you either saw ETR as an elaborate, bacchanalian, gloves-off family-style brunch party (pre-pandemic) or a counter-service destination for handmade bagels, donuts and rotating specials during the pandemic," McCormack writes on the Early to Rise website.

Then, last summer, when the Automat space opened up — fresh from a new buildout and a restaurant that barely lasted there two years — McCormack snapped it up. And now, Early to Rise will be serving breakfast and brunch there starting on February 29, following a brief remodel. Tablehopper was the first to report on the move back in September, but we now have a definitive opening date.

The remodel includes a new dining counter where the former ordering counter and bakery case was.

As Eater reports, there will be housemade bagels, English muffins, challah for French toast, and more — and everything from the hot sauce to the butter will again be made in-house. Expect doughnuts as well, and McCormack's cannoli.

McCormack has also purchased a 900-pound smoker that will be put to work smoking bacon.

For drinks, there will be local beers and wine, as well as a Bloody Mary and a Greyhound (presumably soju-based?).

Following the February 29 launch, breakfast and brunch will be dine-in only for at least two weeks, Eater says, but then the place will start rolling with picnic-style to-go boxes, perfect for toting to the Panhandle, Alamo Square Park, or into Golden Gate Park.

Meanwhile, Automat has gone back to being a pop-up, and was making appearances in the Outer Sunset this month.

Early to Rise - 1801 McAllister Street at Baker - Opening February 29

Rendering via ROY Hospitality

On the heels of last year’s Kaiyo Rooftop opening in SoMa, sister restaurant Kaiyo Cow Hollow just added a weekend brunch menu with eye-popping ube pancakes, uni egg toast, and ramen topped with shrimp, mussels, and octopus.  

Now that the Japanese-Peruvian Nikkei cuisine spot Kaiyo Rooftop has been open for more than a year, the original Kaiyo that opened in 2018 at Union and Octavia Streets prefers to be called “Kaiyo Cow Hollow.” That Kaiyo is more parklets than rooftop dining, though its interior still retains its living wall of moss, anime bathroom murals by artist Lisa Pisa, and now offers a weekend brunch menu every Saturday and Sunday 11:00 a.m. - 2:30 p.m., prepared in the distinctive Japanese-Peruvian Nikkei style that Kaiyo helped popularize in this city.

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“There are some relatable things like pancakes or chicken and waffles, but we tried to keep everything within our concept,” executive chef Alex Reccio (Boulevard, One Market, Novela) tells SFist.

Nikkei cuisine developed in Peru in the late 1800s. Many Japanese people went looking for work in Peru as the Japanese economy teetered toward a depression, and they found they could make more money abroad to send back home.

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“Through that process, a community was built and a diaspora of Japanese was born in Peru,” says Kaiyo owner and managing partner John Park (Novela, Whitechapel, Cavaña). “They wanted to cook and eat home food, but they didn’t quite have the right ingredients.”

“Nikkei cuisine is one of the seven pillars of Peruvian cuisine,” chef Reccio adds. “Peruvian cuisine benefited a lot from them. They knew how to use our seafood inventory better than we did.” That influences the Kaiyo brunch menu’s new white fish, bluefin, and salmon ceviche (seen above), and their parihuelo ramen topped with shrimp, mussel, and octopus.

The breakout hit of the menu is likely to be the ube pancakes, capitalizing on the popularity of the “ingredient of 2023” ube. “Instead of using ube, which is more identified as a Filipino yam, we use Peruvian purple potatoes, which are very similar but a little less sweet.” Park explains.

Anyone who remembers SF’s $4 toast controversies of the early 2010s will be intrigued by this avocado edamame toast. “It was a mistake,” Reccio laughs. “I made the mistake of using edamame. I needed a dip. So I started with edamame.”

That led to the additions of miso and a balsamic reduction served over Japanese milk bread. “The richness and the creaminess of the avocado, plus the texture of the edamame, and the lime juice, all of that came together nicely,” he tells us.

And here’s their take on the now-staggeringly popular chicken and waffles, called karaage chicken and waffles, and served with the Japanese fried chicken karaage. “It’s a staple in Japanese restaurants,” according to Park. “We created more of a scallion waffle, which adds a more savory taste to the waffle. It ties better to the chicken.”

“But the icing on the cake is the chicha morada syrup,” he adds.“When you go to Peru, chicha morada is on every corner. They drink it in jugs. It adds perfect harmony between the savory and sweet that you look for.”

And yes there is an elaborate cocktail menu with this brunch. “We Pride ourselves on Pisco sours, that is a staple of Peruvian drinks,” Park says. The Pisco sour is seen above right, and these are served in varieties with aji verde Peruvian peppers, egg white, or chicha morada.

The brunch menu is only available at Kaiyo Cow Hollow, but it’s eventually coming to SoMa’s Kaiyo Rooftop. “That restaurant is going to have a very similar menu to this restaurant,” Park says, adding that menu is expected to launch at Kaiyo Rooftop in “July or August.”

Kaiyo Cow Hollow is at 1838 Union Street (at Octavia Street), brunch served Saturday and Sunday 11 a.m. - 2:30 p.m., lunch and dinner hours here.

Related: The First of Two New Rooftop Japanese-Peruvian Restaurants Arrives Downtown Next Week [SFist]

Images: Kaiyo Collow Hollow and Joe Kukura, SFist

Good old Valencia Street brunch stalwart Boogaloos, which got hit with a massive rent hike two years ago and then a minor fire that shut the place down, seemingly for good, a year ago last March. But now as Mission Local reports, co-owner Carolyn Blair Brandeis, who co-founded Boogaloos in 1994 with Philip Bellber, has announced that Boogaloos will reopen in January, and this is in part thanks to a new lease from the same property manager who tried to quadruple the restaurant's rent two years back.

That property manager, J.J. Panzer, tells Mission Local, "I got sidetracked thinking about all kinds of different things: ‘Oh, the Mission and Valencia are going in this direction; everything’s blowing up! But then you realize, you know, let’s go back to the core of what you want to have there."

The restaurant's former rent was $4,200 a month, and Panzer has come back with a new lease for $7,500 a month, which Brandeis calls "more than fair."

So, back will come the biscuits and herb gravy, and that Temple o' Spuds — kind of like nachos but with hash brown potatoes. And the corner of Valencia and 22nd will be dark no more, at least during brunch and lunch hours — as before, Boogaloos will not be in the dinner business.

Boogaloos - 3296 22nd Street at Valencia - Reopening, hopefully, in January

Sunday is Easter, and though most of you probably won't be observing the day with a visit to church, it is very commonly a traditional day to brunch. Whether you're headed to Golden Gate Park for the Hunky Jesus Contest, or figuring on a more indoor day because it's supposed to rain, here are a couple of suggestions for spots you may not have thought of where brunch can be enjoyed without an hour-long wait (probably), or worse. Also, you can refer to the list we did last year of the city's most underrated brunch places.

Bar Agricole
You know what's great about Bar Agricole for brunch? Beignets with chocolate rum sauce. You know what else is great about Bar Agricole for brunch? They take reservations. You know what else? They make some superior cocktails. And they have oysters. So this is a no-brainer.
355 11th Street between Folsom and Harrison

Boulette's at night. Photo: Facebook

Boulette's Larder
Following the insanity of Goatchella on Saturday, things should be manageable at the Ferry Building on Sunday, and over in the corner where Boulette's Larder sits, it'll probably be pretty quiet — but if you want to be cautious, they do take reservations. The food is awesome, from their market-inspired Sunday Salad, to their delicious seasonal scrambles, though it's not the cheapest brunch you'll find in town.
1 Ferry Building

Photo: Yelp

Heirloom Cafe
This charming deep-Mission bistro will be open for brunch on Sunday, with no reservations, and they're promising stovetop chilaquiles as well as well as pecan sticky buns.
2500 Folsom Street at 21st

Shrimp and chive dumplings

Mama Ji's
This unsung Chinese spot at the edge of the Castro/Eureka Valley does some mean dim sum, and it's served until 3 p.m. just in case you planned on sleeping in.
4416 18th Street

The veal schnitzel breakfast sandwich at Schmidt's. Photo: Kevin M./Yelp

Schmidt's
Fans of traditional German and Eastern European-style hostel breakfasts, featuring cured fish or meats and assorted breads, should get excited about brunch here, which is never too crowded. And if you're super starved, go for the sausage plate or the veal schnitzel sandwich (pictured).
2400 Folsom Street at 20th

Sea Breeze Cafe's Chipotle Benedict. Photo: Sin Yee C/Yelp

Sea Breeze Cafe
You know where there's probably going to be a three-hour wait on Sunday? Outerlands. But you know what's right nearby and super delicious, just a hop and a skip from the beach? The Sea Breeze Cafe. They make the obviously awesome chipotle Benedict shown above, as well as some fantastic home fries, and the tofu scramble is good too.
3940 Judah Street at 45th Avenue

Related: The 50 Best Brunch Spots For Every Occasion In SF And Oakland

Getting Sunday brunch in San Francisco is never a quick or easy proposition. Getting Sunday brunch in San Francisco when it’s New Year’s Freaking Day — which this Sunday happens to be — will be a line-waiting horrorshow of slow-drip hangover torture. Seating will be in high demand as many restaurants are closed for the holiday, restaurants that are open will be packed with low-functioning hipster zombies, and wait staff will be understandably not operating at full power. So we’ve listed New Year’s Day brunch hotspots with reputations for seating quickly and efficiently, for you traditional walk-in warrior brunchers who do not have the party weekend foresight to make advance reservations and are not keen on any the of the 900 completely redundant food delivery apps currently available to you.

While it is impossible to anticipate the number of walk-ins that will appear at a given restaurant on New Year’s Day, we can identify some reliable indicators of short wait times. Some places employ seating strategies that are particularly friendly to impulse visitors, like same-day only phone reservations or amply tabled food truck gatherings. In other cases, I’ve data mined the Yelp comments of four-star-reviewed brunch spots and picked out those with the highest ratios of positive reviews mentioning short wait times compared to negative reviews mentioning long wait times.

The short wait-time criteria will exclude the most popular San Francisco brunch spots. But these greasy spoons and backwoods gems are open on January 1, and are among your best bets for getting your grub quickly and heading back to bed — or to bed in the first place? — on New Year’s Day.

Image: Simon C via Yelp

NoVY Restaurant
Noe Valley’s NoVY scored best on the Yelp review wait time assessment formula, with a nearly 6/1 ratio of short-wait praise to long-wait complaints. What’s key here is that NoVY lets you call ahead to put your name on the list (they also take normal reservations) and it helps if you’re willing to accept counter seating. And if you’re capable of looking at fluorescent lighting on New Year’s morning, their cheese grater light fixtures are a rather adorable gas.
4000 24th Street between Noe Street and Castro Street (10 a.m. - 4 p.m. New Year’s Day)

Image: Emily C via Yelp

B Star Bar
B Star Bar seems to exist solely to handle the overflow of people who don’t want to wait in line at Burma Superstar, their immensely popular sister restaurant located just a block away. And it works — getting seated at B Star is exponentially quicker. The menu is a little more Asian fusion, but they do serve the celebrated tea leaf salad of Burma Superstar fame. B Star Bar is indeed open for brunch hours, and they’ve got a sweet enclosed and heated back patio to accommodate more seating.
127 Clement Street between Second Avenue and Third Avenue (10 a.m. - 3 p.m. and 5 - 9 p.m. New Year’s Day)

Hookt Donuts, Image via SPARK

SoMa StrEat Food Park and SPARK Food Truck Rallies
You can literally bring your dog for hair of the dog at two different food truck brunch meetups on the New Year’s Day menu, both good options for people who want to watch sports, play games, or dance to DJs. The SoMa StrEat Food Park has 12 food trucks and DJ Reeact scheduled to attend, while it’s new Mission Bay sister venue SPARK currently has eight trucks attending plus giant versions of Jenga and Connect Four. Both events will be jugged up with bottomless mimosas and sangrias, but both are kid and dog-friendly.
SoMa StrEat Food Park: 428 11th Street between Harrison Street and Bryant Street (10 a.m. - 5 p.m. New Year’s Day, free before 11 a.m. and $5 after)
SPARK: 601 Mission Bay Boulevard North between Fourth Street and Merrimac Street (10 a.m. - 5 p.m. New Year’s Day, free all day)

IMage: Jini K. via Yelp

Bernal Star
Bernal Star is another case here where the restaurant slashes wait times thanks to a large back patio. But in this case there are no patio enclosures or heaters, so you’re really hoping it doesn’t rain. This is the former Liberty Cafe, now specializing in gourmet burgers and, at brunch, fish tacos, American egg dishes, and the beignets pictured above.
410 Cortland Avenue between Bennington Street and Wool Street (9 a.m. - 3 p.m. and 5 - 10 p.m. New Year’ Day)

Ling N. via Yelp

New Village Cafe
Nob Hill’s New Village Cafe is not a particularly fancy place to eat. It’s eccentric collection of houseplants, old-school coffee mugs and “theme breakfasts” will remind you more of Grandma’s house than House of Prime Rib. It’s your standard, breakfast-all-day hole in the wall, but you can go berserk on the side dishes because they’re all $4 or less.
1426 Polk Street between Pine Street and California Street (7 a.m. - 3 p.m. New Year’s Day)

Nal Q via Yelp

Pork Store Cafe on 16th Street
Here we must distinguish between two different Pork Store Cafe franchise locations. The newer Mission District Pork Store Cafe location has a larger seating capacity and shorter wait times than the original Pork Store on Haight Street. The 16th and Valencia version also has a nicer interior with that wild lampshade arrangement seen above, but both locations have a ‘Make Your Own Bloody Mary’ bar to delight you prior to seating.
3122 16th Street between Valencia Street and Guerrero Street (8 a.m. - 4 p.m. New Year’s Day)

Image: Sarah H via Yelp

Chow
Th Chow location at Church and Market has never been known for its short wait times, but instead its comfortably boozed-up wait times at the next door Pilsner Inn where the wait staff will just come grab you when your table’s ready. But this Chow location, as well as the Park Chow on Ninth Avenue, now both use a same-day table reservation system that allows you to simply call ahead and show up. The Church Street Chow’s back patio has tarps and heating lamps while the one on Ninth Avenue has a roofed upstairs patio, so new arrivals do get seated a little more quickly regardless of weather.
215 Church Street between 14th Street and 15th Street (8 a.m. - 10 p.m. New Year’s Day)
1240 Ninth Avenue between Lincoln Way and Irving Street (8 a.m. - 9:30 p.m. New Year’s Day)

Related:When Did We Start Calling It 'Brunch,' And When Did It Become A Thing?

We're all going to need to drink a lot to get through this winter. And then some. And what better way to start your weekend, or any morning really, than with a stiff Bloody Mary. People get a little crazy with garnishes sometimes, but Bloody lovers love them because they're almost like a meal, vegetables (and sometimes bacon) and all. Below, our picks for the finest examples in town.

500 Club
Can we all just agree that celery is bullshit? It's flavorless, chewy, way too stringy, and it ruins any good Bloody Mary by taking up space that could be used for something better — think more booze, limes, tomato juice, basically anything really. The 500 Club, a wonderful Mission dive bar, figured this out a long time ago. Their bloodies sub asparagus for the aforementioned stalk, and are also garnished with lemon, lime, pickled green beans, and some wonderful salt. Depending on who's making your drink, it may also get a splash of Guinness to thicken it out a bit and cut down on the acidity. Yum. Consider having one for breakfast today and every day for the next four years. — Jack Morse
500 Guerrero Street at Mission

Bender’s Bar and Grill
If made correctly, a Bloody Mary eases a hangover while simultaneously negating the need for you to order a meal. "Save room down there for more booze," the drink seems to coo to its devotees. "My many garnishes are all you need..." And indeed, for the meat-inclined, the Bloody Mary at Benders Bar and Grill has you covered. In addition to the wonderful pickled green beans and various dressings, the bartenders plop a stick of beef jerky in the drink. And while true, this does mean it's off limits for vegetarians, so are all Bloody Mary's (you know Worcestershire sauce is made with fish, right?). So order up, munch on that meat, and put back your morning drink. You've earned it. — Jack Morse
806 South Van Ness Avenue at 19th Street

Behold the weathered brick exterior of District. Photo: トモ T./Yelp

District
District has two outposts: in San Francisco near AT&T Park, and in old Oakland. I can speak only to the SF location of the wine bar (that unlike most, also boasts hard booze), which serves an all-you-can-eat Sunday brunch buffet for $22. For an additional ten bucks, you can also get a District Bloody Mary, which comes with a spiced rim (hush up, you) and house-pickled veggies. — Eve Batey
216 Townsend Street at Third Street

Photo: Ghali A./Yelp

Elixir
In the Mission, Elixir has long been a destination for hangover help via their Vodka Salad Bar, available every Sunday afternoon until 6 p.m. It's a make-your-own Bloody Mary situation with a selection of hot sauces, pickled garnishes, dry seasonings (Old Bay and celery salt, anyone?), and house-made mix.
3200 16th Street (at Guerrero)

Photo: Facebook

Hi Tops
The Castro's hangout for gay masc bros, sports fans, and others, features a Bloody with bacon-infused vodka, and a bacon garnish, which goes quite nicely with a tray of their Killer Nachos, should you be that hungover any given Sunday. — Jay Barmann
2247 Market between Noe and Sanchez

Photo: Khanh T./Yelp

Maven
A classy, delicious, and unique twist on the form comes in the Maven Bloody, served only at brunch, which includes basil, balsamic vinegar, Tabasco, horseradish, and house-made pickles. The burger, also, is very good (and has Angostura bitters in it). — Jay Barmann
598 Haight (at Steiner)

Photo: Reya H./Yelp

Park Tavern
Up in North Beach, Park Tavern has become well known for their house Bloody Mary, made with their own special mix and Russian Standard vodka. It's simple but delightful, and comes humbly garnished with a pickled green bean and house-made beef jerky (so, like the Hi Tops version, this is decidedly not a vegan-friendly Bloody, but also see the above note about Worcestershire sauce being made with fish). — Jay Barmann
1652 Stockton Street near Union

DG R. via Yelp

The Ramp
The Ramp used to a be a bait shop, but now they lure you in with their spicy Bloody Mary. Yep, sometimes you just want to get plastered on a patio, and that's when the Ramp is there for you. Located in the Dogpatch, The Ramp's view beats the food — crab Benedict, fish and chips — but everything works together to show you a good time. — Caleb Pershan
855 Terry Francois Street between Mariposa and Illinois Streets

Courtney S. via Yelp

Thieves Tavern
Owner Paul Bavaro has a trio of thieves — Whiskey Thieves, Thieves Tavern, and Dirty Thieves, now Blind Cat as the name was changed, according to lore, on a bet — but of them all, Thieves Tavern is my fave. Part of the draw for many is the BLT Bloody Mary. That's what it sounds like: a garnish skewer of bacon, lettuce, and cherry tomato (with a smear of cream cheese on it). Your money always goes a bit farther in a dive like Thieves, and at $8, their Bloody Mary will do you right. Served on Saturday and Sunday from noon to 5 p.m.. They do an "epic" version, too, but the original is epic as-is. — Caleb Pershan
496 14th Street between Valencia and Guerrero Streets

Now that's what I call a spiced rim. Photo of a Tipsy Pig mary: Dori D/Yelp

Tipsy Pig
The Tipsy Pig's garden patio is a great place to enjoy one of their Bloody Marys. Or two, as they offer multiple varieties: The Mary Pig, which they describe as a classic-style Mary, and a Spicy Mary, which includes Crater Lake Pepper Vodka and a "spiced rim" (a phrase that makes me snicker because I am a teenager). Both are offered during their brunch service, but I'll bet if you ask nice you can get one any time you want. — Eve Batey
2231 Chestnut Street between Scott and Pierce Streets

Photo: Lili G./Yelp

Waterbar
This well touristed Embarcadero seafood spot does a brawny (and prawn-y) version of a Bloody Mary with Ketel One, a house-made spice mix, bacon, and a large Gulf prawn as garnish. It's a perfect appetizer before a brunch of smoked fish croquettes, or you could go for their halibut gravlax “croque madame”. — Jay Barmann
399 Embarcadero near Folsom

Photo via Yelp.

Zeitgeist
For the very few of you who don't already know, Zeitgeist is a big beer garden in the Mission. And while it's changed quite a bit in the last six or so years — no longer is a bad look at a bartender enough to get you tossed out — the wonderful Bloody Marys have remained the same. The pickled garnishes alone are enough of a justification to order a second, but just a word of caution before you order that third round: These things are made strong (you're not sipping vegetable juice). And sometimes that's exactly what you want — no BS, just a powerful breakfast booze drink. In those cases, Zeitgeist has you covered. — Jack Morse
199 Valencia Street at Duboce Avenue

Randy F. via Yelp

Zuni Café
Judy Rodgers, the Zuni Café chef-partner who passed away in 2013, knew how to fix a Bloody Mary, and her Market Street restaurant carries on that legacy (which you can too, as the Chronicle published the recipe here). The not-so-secret ingredient (also used at Maven): balsamic vinegar. Of course, if you make this at home, you can't enjoy it with Zuni's inspired brunch. —Caleb Pershan
1658 Market Street at Rose Street between Gough Street and Van Ness Avenue

Brunch is something I especially love to hate, mostly because I can make myself a great egg dish at home without spending extra money or standing in a line, and loving brunch too hard and getting excited about being drunk at noon on a Sunday is something one does when one is 23. That being said, there are always going to be occasions when you need to meet up for a meal with people during weekend brunch hours, and we have a few recommendations for how not to be totally basic about it — because these are all great and well known brunch spots, but how about going somewhere where you won't have to make a reservation or stand around hangry and hungover for 45 minutes before sitting down? Nobody needs that. It's just brunch. — Jay Barmann

20th Century Cafe
Instagrammable down to the floral patterned dishes, this slice of Eastern Europe in Hayes Valley is known for knishes and cake (the bagels are also pretty good!) but it's also a great spot for a weekend brunch. Come on, have some baked eggs Budapest and challah french toast like bubbie used to make. You're skin and bones! —Caleb Pershan
198 Gough between Oak and Lily Streets

Bashful Bull Too
Though the original Bashful Bull closed some years ago, their Taraval outpost has retained the "Too," maybe because the wordplay was just too too too fun to give up? I don't know. Brunch goers seeking a locally sourced heritage cheese omelette will be disappointed with a trip to BBT, but fans of perfectly-cooked hash browns, eggs made to order, a bottomless cup of coffee, and fruit in an adorable arrangement (see above) will be back again and again. Best of all, while BBT is always bustling, it's never so full that you're stuck with a crippling wait — and large parties are welcomed. — Eve Batey
3600 Taraval Street at 46th Avenue

Boulette's Larder
This Ferry Building gem may not be any big secret, but after the Saturday farmers' market crowds disappear, this place can be a haven on a Sunday morning, serving up gorgeous, seasonal brunch fare, albeit for a price. You shouldn't miss their perfect beignets or seasonally changing poached egg dishes, but then you'll have to go back to try the market-inspired Sunday Salad, or one of their delicious scrambles — currently it's white shrimp, chard stem gumbo, and antebellum red grits. Do note that brunch is only served on Sunday, 10 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. — Jay Barmann
Ferry Building

The Cubano. Photo: Manda Bear B./Yelp

The Castro Republic
Gone are the days of multiple health-department shutdowns, and now under totally new ownership with a new menu, this mostly Mexican Castro spot actually serves solid, delicious, often spicy brunch fare with the added bonuses of outdoor seating and no waits. Or virtually no waits, anyway, because it seems like the neighborhood is starting to catch on that it's safe to go back to this place, now under the management of nearby Tacos Club (and no longer SliderBar). Go for the breakfast enchiladas, or the delicious, toasty Cubano sandwich, and you won't be disappointed. Even the french fries, I have to say, are great. — Jay Barmann
2295 Market Street at 16th

Heartbaker
Blessed with both indoor and front-patio seating, Heartbaker is one of the best places in town to grab brunch with the dog (and other humans, if you must). Chef Sybil Johnson handcrafts the glorious and decadent pastries you see at Heartbaker (do not miss her galettes or the bread pudding), and if you want "real" food, there's always a couple of great egg dishes (the Benedicts are on homemade biscuits, how did I never think of this before?), quiches, and a decent selections of salads for the killjoy in your group. Note: I like Heartbaker so much I almost didn't put it on this list because I don't want to wait in line behind y'all. So, if you see me, please consider allowing me to cut, thanks. — Eve Batey
1408 Clement Street at 15th Street

Photo via Yelp.

Jamber
When you roll out of bed well into the afternoon, perhaps after a late night, a little hair of the dog brunch is probably the only possible salvation. For those moments, Jamber has you covered. The SoMa spot opens up at 3:30 p.m. on weekends, and serves food that will sop up whatever sin you poured into your belly the night before. The poutine: very good. The P2B, pictured above, combines pork belly, peanut butter, and cranberry-walnut jam for a sweet and salty punch which is sure to heighten the dulled senses. On top of that, the list of beers and wines is huge, meaning there will definitely be something to your liking. Perhaps best of all, Jamber isn't thought of as a brunch spot by most, meaning you can avoid the lines often associated with what is practically San Francisco's official meal. And as an added bonus, happy hour runs 3:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m., every day. So feel free to order an extra round of fried mozzarella. — Jack Morse
858 Folsom Street, between 4th and 5th

Photo via Yelp.

Just For You Cafe
While residents of Potrero and the Dogpatch all rave about this spot, it has slipped under the radar for many brunchers unwilling to trek outside of their own neighborhood. But trek they should, and not just for the signature beignets. In additional to the relaxed neighborhood vibe and (limited) sidewalk seating, the cooks throw New Orleans specialties in along with the classic eggs, pancakes and French toast. Importantly, there's a different menu for weekends and weekdays, so check the calendar before heading over. The Hangtown Fry, which scrambles bacon, onions, and oysters along with three eggs, practically guarantees a cured hangover (if it fails, try the bloody Mary). All in all, Just For You Cafe is a brunch gem. — Jack Morse
732 22nd Street, between 3rd and Tennessee

Photo via Yelp.

Old Bus Tavern
While Old Bus Tavern has been around for just over a year, it only began serving brunch this past August. So far, the brew pub is doing it just right. Think oatmeal-maple pancakes, pulled pork eggs Benedict, cured salmon, and plenty of Bloody Marias. When you add in outside seating and a full bar, this spot hits the brunch trifecta. Also, in what we're sure has been a life-saver for hungover brunch patrons sitting outside, they'll provide you with a pair of sunglasses if you forget yours at home. Oh, and the Earl Grey and blueberry coffeecake is a must — Jack Morse
3193 Mission Street, at Valencia

Rusty's Southern, Tiffany W. via Yelp

Rusty's Southern
Why wait all morning for a table at Brenda's when you can turn the corner and be seated at Rusty's? Wake up and smell the Lexington-style barbecue, people! Rusty Olsen was the longtime Suppenkuche bar manager before opening his Carolina BBQ spot, and the place shines at Brunch — well lit and new in feel. Brunch faves are pig grits (grits with hickory-smoked chopped pork barbecue) and a (Mary's) chicken biscuit, with thigh meat and a generous helping of sausage gravy. —Caleb Pershan
750 Ellis Street between Polk and Larkin Streets

Birria, guac, and a Michelada, at San Jalisco. Photo: Mariela D./Yelp

San Jalisco
Possibly the best place in town to find birria, the traditional Jaliscan goat stew (here made with a bit of beef as well, available Friday to Sunday only), San Jalisco has your hangover covered in multiple ways on the weekend including some great chilaquiles (they make four different versions), a selection of more Euro-style omelettes (as well as one filled with guacamole), and the traditional spicy tripe soup known as menudo, available only on weekends and obviously not for the offal-faint of heart. Added bonus: Breakfast is served all day. — Jay Barmann
901 South Van Ness at 20th

The veal schnitzel breakfast sandwich at Schmidt's. Photo: Kevin M./Yelp

Schmidt's
Fans of traditional German and Eastern European-style hostel breakfasts, featuring cured fish or meats and assorted breads, will be excited to know you have such things here in the Mission at the Walzwerk spinoff Schmidt's. Given the location over at 20th and Folsom, the place tends often not to have a wait for weekend brunch, and in addition to the fishplatte and großes frühstück platter options (the latter comes with cured meats, cheese, German breads, deviled egg, and cucumber salad), there are heartier options like a sausage plate, and a veal schnitzel sandwich with a fried egg on it. Also, of course, there's plenty of great beer. — Jay Barmann
2400 Folsom Street at 20th

Sea Breeze Cafe's Chipotle Benedict. Photo: Sin Yee C/Yelp

Sea Breeze Cafe
The Sea Breeze is so beneath the radar that they don't even have a website (but you can get a general idea of their offerings via menupages). Since the opposite-of-underrated Outerlands opened across the street in 2009, the Sea Breeze has become the place visitors settle for when confronted with the former's hours-long wait for brunch. In my opinion, it's more than a place to merely settle for, with service that's far warmer and less pretentious than some spots in the area. There's a solid tofu scramble, they have fantastic home fries that you can add cheese to, and most importantly they serve milkshakes all day long. It's brunch, fool, get a milkshake. You only live once. — Eve Batey
3940 Judah Street at 45th Avenue

It's Tops' Spicy Dark Chocolate Chili Pepper Bacon Waffles. Photo: Garret T. via Yelp

It's Tops
Diner brunch feels so right and It's Tops knows how to do it. Occupying a little corner on Market Street, the spot has been Tops since 1935, though it was a short-order joint since 1906 as Minute Man's. Antique waffle irons are the secret to their stuffed waffles, and pancakes are so soft and fluffy you could take a nap on them. In another universe, or maybe in the '50s, Tops would be packed constantly — it isn't, and that's a plus in my world. —Caleb Pershan
1801 Market Street at Octavia Boulevard

Dana S. via Yelp

The Vestry
The Vestry's brunch is hiding in plain sight: Sure, it's right there inside the Chapel on Valencia, but because it's cavernously large and has that whole outdoor seating area and maybe it's thought of more as a music venue, The Vestry is usually less than full and ready to accommodate more from the brunching hordes. To ensure your spot you can make online reservations. The house cured lox flatbread, a group dish, is a crowd pleaser, as are bottomless mimosas and tomatillo bloody Marys. —Caleb Pershan
777 Valencia Street between 18th and 19th Streets

See also The 10 Best Brunch Spots In San Francisco (and One In Oakland)
The 50 Best Brunch Spots For Every Occasion In SF And Oakland

The breakfast sandwich is, in its best form, the platonic ideal of a morning meal — a filling and deeply satisfying indulgence that is the polar opposite of a quinoa bowl. Often there is bacon or another smoky meat involved, but a simple egg and cheese, especially if it's on great bread or a croissant and doused with the right condiment, can be perfect enough on its own. Below we bring you what we think are the most shining examples around town — though no doubt many of you have a corner deli that does you right, here are some ideas of special treats to seek out any given Sunday.

4505 Burgers & Barbecue
The grits and egg vegetarian sandwich at 4505 Burgers & Barbecue has been challenging pernicious stereotypes that vegetarianism is healthy since 2014. The works: Roasted green chili peppers, mild cheese, an egg, and a fried patty of grits served on a buttery burger bun. While this sandwich might certainly serve as dinner, it's available from 10:30 a.m. onward for an adventurous mid-morning meal. As for the meatier version that you might expect from this place, that's reserved for their Ferry Building stand on weekends, where it comes with a delicious sausage patty. —Caleb Pershan
705 Divisadero Street between Grove and Fulton Streets

The Bagel & Egg Sandwich at Arlequin Cafe
Honored by many as a surefire hangover cure of choice, Arlequin's Bagel & Egg Sandwich is a so-buttery-you'll-be-wiping-your-arm bagel topped with a fried or scrambled egg, cheddar cheese, and your choice of bacon or ham. It's the prefect combination of carb, salt, and fat to soak up whatever bad decisions you made last night, and to set you up for even worse ones tonight. — Eve Batey
384 Hayes Street near Gough Street

Biscuits like you wouldn't believe at Devil's Teeth. Photo: Diana B/Yelp

Chris B. via Yelp

Photo via Yelp.

Kitchen Story's Chicken Mango melt. Photo: Stephanie D/Yelp

Photo via Yelp.

Lou's Breakfast Sandwich: Angela W./Yelp

Photo via Foodspotting.

J.D. via Yelp

(Photo: Masayoshi Sekimur)

(Photo: Josh Leskar/SFWeekly)

The unassembled sandwich. Photo: Jay Barmann/SFist

Photo: SFist

Related: The 50 Best Brunch Spots For Every Occasion In SF And Oakland

Brunch. It's the meal that many of you love to get tanked at after a long weekend of getting tanked, before settling in for a long Sunday's nap. And it's the meal that many love to hate because of all the waitlists and hangriness and prix-fixe mediocrity that it can entail. As Gothamist's Lauren Evans put it a couple years ago, "Everyone hates brunch, just like everyone hated 'Call Me Maybe' after its 3,000th rotation around the airwaves." Nevertheless, and under the right circumstances, brunch can be a perfectly lovely thing, especially when not hungover and not waiting an hour for a table. And today we take a dive into the history of this meal we call "brunch," and just when it became the capital-B Brunch that is a vital, and often too-popular feature of most urban weekend dining scenes, and an indispensable weekly touchstone for the chattier classes.

Origin of the word: The portmanteau of "breakfast" and "lunch" is much older than you probably think. The Oxford English Dictionary pegs it to 1895, and an article titled "Brunch: A Plea" by British author Guy Beringer that appeared in Hunter's Weekly. Beringer wrote that, unlike the heavy, traditional, post-church Sunday dinners, "Brunch is cheerful, sociable and inciting. It is talk-compelling. It puts you in a good temper, it makes you satisfied with yourself and your fellow beings, it sweeps away the worries and cobwebs of the week." Pointing to brunch as the traditional hangover helper, Beringer also wrote, "By eliminating the need to get up early on Sunday, brunch would make life brighter for Saturday night carousers." Shortly thereafter, in 1896, the word "brunch" popped up in a Pennsylvania paper called The New Oxford, according to the Washington Post, marking its first mention in the US. There it was referred to as a "fad" that is "a repast at 11 o'clock a.m."

There is also another early source for the term's American usage, as noted by Gothamist a couple years back: New York newspaperman Frank Ward O'Malley, who wrote for The Sun between 1906 and 1919, and was known to use the term referring to "the typical mid-day eating habits of a newspaper reporter."

Origins of the concept: Given that the word first appeared in a hunting magazine, and given that the components of the meal, and in particular the occasional buffet aspect, are similar to English hunt breakfasts (set up outdoors, à la Downtown Abbey), Smithsonian Mag notes that some food historians think that urban hotel and restaurant brunches evolved out of these "lavish multi-course meals that featured a smorgasbord of goodies such as chicken livers, eggs, meats, bacon, fresh fruit, and sweets." Also: wine and Champagne.

Still others suggest that the meal evolved out of post-church Sunday meals for Catholics, who would fast until mass and then combine breakfast and lunch items in one family feast.

How brunch came to the US: While nice hotels in bigger US cities probably took some cues from London in the early part of the 20th Century, the boom in American brunching appears to have happened a bit later. The concept of combining breakfast and lunch items on weekend menus, though, likely began first in hotels because traditionally restaurants in most US cities would have been closed on Sundays.

One of a couple of conflicting accounts of the origin of Eggs Benedict, for instance, derives from a hungover guest at the Waldorf Hotel in New York in 1894 (the year before Beringer wrote his "plea" about brunch), who ordered "buttered toast, poached eggs, crisp bacon, and a hooker of hollandaise" for breakfast, and the maitre d' was supposedly so impressed by the artery-hardening combination he added the dish, substituting in English muffins and ham, to the breakfast and lunch menus.

Brunch entered the broader American public consciousness in the 1930's around the end of Prohibition. As noted in a 1983 New York Times piece, food historian Evan Jones, author of American Food: The Gastronomic Story, points to media coverage of the brunch at the famed Pump Room in Chicago's Ambassador Hotel, ca. 1933. The place became popular with movie stars like Clark Gable and Helen Hayes taking cross-country train trips between New York and Los Angeles, who would stop between trains in Chicago on Sunday mornings to dine at the Pump Room.

When, exactly, brunch became a thing: Jones describes how Sundays came to be known for different social habits following World War II, as America became more of a secular place. "We like to sleep in Sundays, read the newspapers and loll in bed," he said. "After the World War II generation went away from church altogether, Sunday became a day to enjoy doing nothing and brunch just grew like topsy." In the 1940's, according to one food blog quoting a Times piece, the Fifth Avenue Hotel featured a "Sunday Strollers’ Brunch" which "consisted of sauerkraut juice, clam cocktails, and calf’s liver with hash browns." Sounds like solid hangover food, no?

While American food icon James Beard wrote of his distaste for brunch in the early 1960's ("If I'm going to have sausage and eggs I want them in the morning. I think I'd banish brunch and ask people for late breakfast, between 11:30 and 12, or I'd ask them for lunch at one.''), it was around then that brunch started its swing into trendiness in New York especially. Brunch was a notable meal at the chic Tower Suite a.k.a. The Hemisphere Club, the Eames-chair-filled restaurant that opened on the 48th Floor of the Time-Life Building by Joe Baum in late 1960, and was featured on Mad Men.

The Hemisphere Club at the Time-Life Building in the early 1960s. Photos: Library of Congress

Celebrities would have found brunch served at the Polo Lounge at the Beverly Hills Hotel in this era too — and this is to say nothing of Jewish delis on both coasts, like LA's Canter's and New York's Katz's, where pastrami and herring have long sat side by side with bagels and eggs on eclectic all-day menus.

But it wasn't until 1980 that Sunday brunch as a middle-class pastime started spreading like wildfire on both the East and West Coasts, as discussed in the 1983 Times piece. The Chicago Tribune had its own piece about the rise of brunch culture in 1980, which noted how the meal gained traction also because there were more married women in the workforce who "needed a relief on Sunday, too." Growing up in New Hampshire, I can recall a hard-to-get-into, upscale brunch that my parents went to weekly at one trendy, rustic spot called The Country Gourmet beginning around 1982, with plenty of mimosas, Dutch apple pancakes, and a lavish buffet.

This is also around the time that people started saying "Let's do brunch."

[Addendum: I reached out to Jeremiah Tower for his take on brunch in San Francisco in the '80's and 90's, and he said, "I never understood brunch and tried it at Stars and then gave up. The decor just was not right, let alone my not knowing how to make pancakes, and hating waffles. As for fried chicken on top of them, well, beyond the pale then. One needed a view, garden, hotel buffet..."]

How brunch morphed into the monster it is today: You could blame Sex & The City. You could blame the rise of bottomless mimosas. You could blame everyone's alcohol problems in general. Whatever it is, between the late 1990's and early 2000's brunch became the worst. For those in their early 20's who still think getting drunk during the daytime is a new and exciting game, and who never dine in packs smaller than five, brunch has always been awesome. But for everyone else, it can be a necessity and/or a chore, a contact sport we'd rather avoid, or just a bitter obligation because some old friend is in town for the weekend and it's all she had time for and OMG she really wants to try this amazing poutine Benedict she read about on Eater.

In a 1998 piece in the Times, writer William Grimes discusses how the name of the game in New York brunches at the time was "the more bizarre, the better," from a sardine-potato tart topped with an egg to a Thai-influenced shrimp frittata. The late 1990's in San Francisco, also, saw a boom in brunch experimentation along with the dot-com boom, from Boogaloo's vegetarian herb gravy over biscuits to the Pork Store Cafe's "Two Eggs in a Tasty Nest," the nest being made of bacon, crispy potatoes, peppers, and onions.

As for drinks, "hair of the dog" was likely an option at every brunch since brunch began. The Bloody Mary, for one, originated at a bar in Paris under a different name in 1920's (following the introduction of vodka to the bar scene by Russian émigrés, and one bartender's confusion over how to give it some flavor), and the drink rose in popularity in 1930's New York via the King Cole Bar at the St. Regis, as Esquire tells us, under the name Red Snapper.

Much like everyone started ordering Cosmopolitans post-1998 because of 'Sex & The City,' gal pals and gays in every city wanted to do weekly brunch just like these ladies.

And it should be noted, in as notorious a drinking town as San Francisco has always been, one of the city's longtime signature beverages, Fernet-Branca, was first invented as a hangover cure, according to Smithsonian Mag, and the original formula contained opiates.

Where brunch stands in the food culture of 2016: First of all, it's now pretty much universally understood that brunch is served both on Saturday and Sunday, which was not always the case — and in New York it's usually until 3 or 4 p.m., while on the West Coast, where last call is 2 a.m. and therefore people don't tend to sleep as late, the cutoff is almost always 2 p.m. In the last few years there's been plenty of loud backlash against brunch in general, not only from Gothamist and the Times, but all across the foodinista sphere, which then spawned a backlash against the backlash in pieces like this one from Grub Street in 2014. ("Brunch has done nothing wrong. Brunch just wants to be there for you, should you choose to partake... It's an excuse to be lazy right in the middle of the day.")

There is some reason for all this harping back and forth, as every year brings a new round of young singletons to every city to overhype a new round of brunch spots and newly mashed up brunch foods — burrata French toast anyone? Now there's an actual BrunchCon coming LA this summer, as LAist reported this week — which is just nuts.

But as the Washington Post shows us via some handy graphs based on Google searches, brunch remains in the last decade still an urban and coastal phenomenon, with its popularity directly correlated, interestingly, with a state's Jewish population.

While brunch has become a guaranteed money-maker for many big restaurants, it's also become a notorious amateur hour for both front- and back-of-house staffs at these places, because the experienced, Class A personnel all work Saturday nights and wouldn't be caught dead at a brunch shift unless they're covering for someone. Also, executive chefs are most definitely sleeping in and letting the place run on auto-pilot.

That said, no matter where you live, Brunch as a thing shows no signs of slowing down or going away, and every city in the nation (besides those in Nebraska, Arkansas, and the Dakotas) has more than its share of brunch faithful. And that's cool! Especially if there isn't a line. As the lists linked below show, there's also still plenty of unique deliciousness to be found around the country at this oft-derided weekend meal.

But can we all agree that a Bloody Mary doesn't need to be stacked with an entire meal's worth of garnishes? Thanks.

Related: The Best New Brunches In San Francisco And Oakland
The 12 Best Brunch Spots In NYC
18 Of Our Favorite Brunch Spots In Los Angeles
13 Of The Best Brunch Spots In Chicago
The Best Brunch Spots In D.C., Part Two

Sure to make any new list we make of the city's best sandwiches, and part of one of SF's top brunch menus, is this little piece of high-cholesterol heaven at Salumeria on the weekends. Though the brunch at Central Kitchen has been discontinued, next-door sister spot Salumeria is keeping things going with counter service and food delivered to tables on the shared patio between the two. And the menu, which will change seasonally, has a number of fun and delicious items, not the least of which is an insane apple-walnut-bacon sticky bun that probably ought to be shared by two to three people.

But the fried chicken and egg sandwich pictured above is incredibly good as well, and features a crunchy and juicy piece of boneless chicken topped with prosciutto, a runny egg, and lightly spicy chili hollandaise. It sounds like too much, I know, but never was there a better indulgent bite for a hungover Sunday than this thing. It could be called medicinal, though only if you're already prescribed a statin.

Pair it with one of the tasty brunch cocktails, or their brunch carafe of sparkling wine ($48) which comes with OJ, herb syrup, and a couple kinds of bitters for a mix-and-match, mimosa/champagne cocktail experience that's equally just what the doctor ordered.

See the full brunch offering here.

Salumeria - 3000 20th Street at Florida - Brunch served Saturday and Sunday on a walk-in basis, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Though brunch is not for everybody, there is a time and a place when brunching is absolutely necessary. And if there's anything San Francisco excels at, it's drinking during daylight hours, and eating a good first meal on the weekend is a necessary preparation for that. So, we've run down our solid favorite brunch spots before, as well as some newer entries to the brunch scene, but now it's time to give you a definitive list of places to brunch for brunch-time needs, be they savory or sweet, hungover or not hungover, and with various obstacles to entry including lines, and offbeat locations. Once again, you're welcome.

Best prix fixe brunch with beef tartare: Bar Tartine ($35) - 561 Valencia Street between 16th and 17th

Best family-style brunch for a gang: Bar Agricole (custom made for groups of five to ten people) - 355 11th Street near Harrison

Best pancake brunch that you should probably only attempt on weekdays: Mama's - 1701 Stockton Street at Filbert

Best poached egg brunch in which the eggs are poached in wine: Monsieur Benjamin (the oeufs en meurette, they come out purple) - 451 Gough Street near Grove

Best excuse to do laundry while you brunch: Brainwash Cafe - 1122 Folsom Street at Langton Street

Plow from Peter Belanger on Vimeo.

Most delicious brunch for those who don't mind an hour wait: Plow - 1299 18th Street at Texas

Most delicious (German) brunch where there's rarely a wait: Schmidt's - 2400 Folsom Street at 20th

Most delicious dim sum brunch where there will definitely be a wait: Hong Kong Lounge 2 - 3300 Geary Boulevard at Parker

Best new Oakland brunch: Sequoia Diner - 3719 MacArthur Blvd. Oakland

Best OG Oakland brunch with fried chicken and waffles: Brown Sugar Kitchen - 2534 Mandela Parkway, Oakland

"Adam's Bonanza" at Rye Project. Photo: Rye Project

The Torija on Beso's brunch menu. Photo: Facebook

Best all-occasion brunch with relatives: Zuni Cafe (don't miss the burger) - 1658 Market Street near Gough

Best downtown/SoMa brunch when you have friends at a hotel: Marlowe - 500 Brannan Street at 4th

The Square's Tots and Eggs, with hand-made oversized tater tots topped with Hollandaise and bacon. Photo: Instagram

Photo: Facebook

Best burger brunch with reservations: Nopa (the baked eggs and French toast are great too) - 560 Divisadero at Hayes

Best burger brunch, Oakland edition, with pork-y grits: Kronnerburger - 4063 Piedmont Avenue, Oakland

Foreign Cinema (Photo: Jennifer Yin)

Best excuse for morning cocktails with a breakfast sandwich: ABV - 3174 16th Street

Crawfish beignets from Brenda's.

Best pulled pork hash and biscuit brunch this side of the Mississippi: Brenda's Meat & Three - 919 Divisadero Street near McAllister

Nutella Crepe from Sprig. Photo: Sprig

Best new brunch, Cow Hollow edition: Belga - 2000 Union Street between Webster and Buchanan Streets

Best après-surf brunch: Outerlands - 4001 Judah Street between 45th and 46th Avenues

Best margarita brunch: Loló - 974 Valencia Street between 21st and Liberty Streets

Wise Sons. Melissa K. via Yelp

Best peak Valencia brunch: The Vestry (short on waits/lines in a neighborhood famous for them, and the food's good!) - 777 Valencia Street between 18th and 19th Streets

Best brunch if you correctly consider pizza to be a brunch food: Beretta 1199 Valencia Street between 22nd and 23rd Streets

Best boozy brunch with kimchee fried rice, Oakland edition: Hopscotch - 1915 San Pablo Avenue, Oakland

Photo via Facebook.

Best brunch for when all you really want is a Bloody Mary with bacon in it: Pop's Bar - 2800 24th Street at York Street

Best Bloody Mary brunch, waterfront edition: Waterbar (includes jumbo shrimp and bacon!) - 399 Embarcadero

Best casual Dogpatch brunch: Just For You Cafe - 732 22nd Street at 3rd Street

Photo via Flickr.

Best excuse to have a milkshake with brunch: St. Francis Fountain - 2801 24th Street at York Street

Best you're-feeling-energetic-because-you-went-to-bed-early-and-you-want-an-activity-while-you-brunch brunch: Mission Bowling Club - 3176 17th Street between South Van Ness Avenue and Shotwell Street

Marla Bakery's Baked Egg brunch dish: Eugene M./Yelp

Best see-and-be-seen North Beach brunch, with boozy milkshakes: Park Tavern - 1652 Stockton Street

Best see-and-be-seen brunch, Marina edition: Presidio Social Club - 563 Rutger Avenue

Crab fat congee with crispy pork, soft cooked egg, heirloom tomato and corn at 1760. Photo courtesy of 1760

Best off-the-beaten-path bottomless mimosa brunch: The Corner Store - 5 Masonic Avenue

Best French brunch, 24th Street edition: Sous Beurre Kitchen - 2704 24th Street

Photo: Jay Barmann/SFist

Best bacon walnut sticky bun brunch: Salumeria (formerly part of Central Kitchen's brunch, now more casual, starting this weekend) - 3000 20th Street at Florida

Best new, healthy, vegetarian brunch, Richmond edition: Nourish Cafe - 189 6th Avenue at California

Best old-school, diner-style, hangover brunch, Nopa edition: Eddie's Cafe - 800 Divisadero Street

Art does his thing. Photo: Ben M/Yelp

Previously: The 10 Best Brunch Spots In San Francisco (and One In Oakland)

Good news, brunch squad! Though Valencia Street favorite Boogaloos is indeed facing a fat rent increase and was rumored to be shutting its doors for good pretty much right away, it's totally staying open until later this year! So, as they say, "let's do brunch."

"For sure we’re not leaving in September,” co-owner Carolyn Blair Brandeis tells Mission Local. “We’ll be staying open at least through Christmas, that’s our plan.” And with lines a fixture outside of the old drugstore, you might want to camp out for your table starting, well, now.

It was reportedly the "whacked out Valencia Street rent" and an increase thereof that's making it nigh impossible for Boogaloo's to stay put. According to a rent listing, it'll be $17,500 per month. “We’re just trying every angle,” said Blair Brandeis. “It’s up in the air, but we will be staying as long as we can.”

“We will try to keep it open at another location,” she added of her 1994-founded operation. “We’re just trying to make this work.”

Vegetarian fans of that herb gravy will, thus, be able to enjoy it well into fall.

Previously: Brunch Spot Boogaloo's Is Closing Their Doors Because Of 'Whacked Out' Rent

Castro bar The Lookout is positioning itself as a brunch destination with a new pop-up starting this Saturday. That's when we'll get a first taste of Soul Delicious, a partnership between Wes Rowe of Wes Burger, Dominique Garcia of Mama Knows Grub, and the Motown on Monday DJs.

Garcia has previously hosted pop-ups at The Lookout serving her fried chicken and other specialties.

The two chefs are going to take turns in the toque with Rowe starting things this week from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., and Garcia heading it up on June 20. The music will greet you and won't let up, and the plan is to keep it going every week until October.

Eater and Tablehopper snagged the debut menu, which is right here and very tempting.

Ultimate Breakfast Sandwich $11
Buttered white bun, fried egg, ground maple pork belly patty, aged cheddar, red eye
mayo, and arugula served with home fries

Uncle Brother’s Fried Chicken $12
Cheese grit cakes topped with sautéed tomatoes, fried chicken, and jalapeno cream
gravy

Sweet or Savory Waffles $12
Sharp cheddar scallion waffle served with 2 poached eggs and bacon
or Buttermilk waffle with fresh whipped cream, maple and fresh fruit

Austin Style Breakfast Tacos (3) $12
Bacon, eggs, potatoes, and cheese served with smoked jalapeno salsa
(Option to sub bacon for refried black beans)