El Mil Amores focuses mainly on Mexico City-style breakfast and lunch plates. All the dishes serve up more than enough food to make you want to nap in the sun at Dolores for three days straight. The Yulis breakfast sandwich is a high pile of scrambled eggs, supple arrachera, cheese, and avocado between the softest telera-like roll that instantly catapults this to the top of our internal Mission breakfast sandwich list.

No two meals are ever the same at Mijoté, a French restaurant that changes their four-course, prix fixe menu daily—and that’s exactly what makes it so exciting. Expect to see simple, bright dishes like maitake mushrooms that've been slow-roasted and drenched in harissa butter, a tower of scallops stacked high with cucumbers and nectarines, and crispy-skinned chicken with elderberry jus that’s poured tableside.

Funky Elephant is the Mission’s party restaurant. The Thai spot is lit up with a spinning disco ball overhead and pink and purple mood lighting, and odds are high you’ll spot at least one group with birthday hats clinking glasses of natural wine. Vibrant dishes add to the fun—papaya salad is refreshing yet fiery. Charcoal grilled pork is crisp around the edges and cuts like butter. And the appropriately named “party wings” are dotted with chilis and perfectly charred.

Bubbling vats of spicy tteokbokki and flat-out luxurious galbi are packed with so much flavor you’ll most likely spend 75% of the meal taking it all in with your eyes closed while wondering if you’ll ever eat a piece of beef this great again. Booking a table at this place that feels like an exclusive underground club usually requires month-out planning, but the effort is worth it. Get here for celebratory occasions, dinner with the parents, or any time you want a spread of life-changing meat.

The super burrito with carne asada from Taqueria El Farolito is a top contender for our favorite burrito in town - it’s about the size of a newborn baby, and filled with tender steak. And if you’re still searching for your number one burrito, coming here (for science) is never a bad call. You can also get quesadillas and nachos, or try one of each meat in taco form. FYI - it’s cash only, so come prepared.

Donaji is a counter-service Oaxacan restaurant in the Mission that we beeline to as often as Harry Styles reaches for a feather boa. The bright pink and teal walls will make you feel spontaneously transported to a beachside town where everyone exclusively wears jean shorts. The feeling will intensify once you get a glass of their ice cold sangria, richly spiced mole, and tamales with a flavorful chicken filling. Donaji’s thick housemade tortillas will also do wonders for your mood.

The food at this Mission izakaya is last-meal-in-the-city worthy. Exhibit A: the juicy, crispy-skinned yakitori with a dipping sauce that gets rich and creamy after you mix in the raw egg yolk. Or the hand-rolled udon with lingcod fishcake that soaks up the dashi broth like a sponge. It all makes for a pretty delicious escape, which you should enjoy while sipping on barley tea or umeshu. Get here with your parents, a group of friends, or someone you want to impress.

Taishoken specializes in tsukemen, a dipping ramen you won’t find at most Japanese spots in SF. Their version is one you should clear your schedule and get to immediately. The broth is rich with an intense pork-y flavor, the noodles have an ideal chew to them, and the sous-vide chashu basically falls apart when you poke it with a chopstick. Other dishes, like spicy cucumber salad and chicken karaage, and the spicy ramen with thinner noodles are also deserving of your time.

There are no wrong orders at this counter-service spot that makes Mexico City-style tacos. They’re the best in the city. Yes, that's a strong statement, and, yes, we stand by it. They're serving up quick tacos that make for a perfect casual weeknight dinner. Achiote-seasoned pastor spins on the spit in the back, asada is perfectly charred on all sides, and the plump, creamy fish of the fish taco will teleport you straight to Baja.

Flour + Water has crossed over from being a great restaurant to being a city-defining one. When you eat the best pasta in SF, you’ll be mentally comparing it to your last experience here. The restaurant itself is laid-back, but still feels like somewhere you’d go for a special occasion and some corn cappelletti or garganelli with braised rabbit. If you’re serious about pasta, they have a pasta tasting menu for $125 per person, but there’s nothing wrong with going a la carte.