Good Taste: Inner Sunset's 'food Court' Blooms With New And Old Neighborhood Favorites

Good Taste offers a paper for eating good successful nan Bay Area. Today, we return a look astatine nan area astir Ninth and Judah Streets successful San Francisco. Long considered a “food court” for nan Inner Sunset, there’s a batch present to admit correct now.

Um.Ma’s grilled mackerel.

Sweet maize Basque cheesecake astatine Sweet Glory.

With truthful galore mom and popular spots, it’s beautiful difficult to find a bad repast successful nan Inner Sunset. (Except Posh Bagel, don’t spell there.) There are a fewer destination spots successful this portion of nan metropolis that person opened complete nan past fewer years.

Here are nan places I ever want to return friends erstwhile it’s not raining: nan patio astatine nan six-year-old Um.Ma (1220 Ninth Avenue) to eat KBBQ, nan backyard astatine Sweet Glory (1336 Ninth Avenue), which opened past summertime pinch a should-be-iconic saccharine maize Basque cheesecake and a assortment of Asian flavors of mille crepes that are made successful nan window.

Lobster rotation astatine Caché.

Also successful nan destination spot category, I precocious ate astatine nan caller French cafe called Caché (1235 Ninth Avenue), which was rather beautiful and delicious and besides has a small backmost patio pinch a fewer tables. I deliberation it is instantly nan astir costly spot successful this zone, truthful it can’t beryllium portion of nan individual dense rotation, but nan dog-friendly argumentation is going to beryllium a invited dainty for group coming to nan area to bask nan adjacent portion of Golden Gate Park. I’d for illustration to spell backmost astatine slightest for java and pastries; others whitethorn bask nan vino barroom aspect.

Traffic Roll astatine Zentarou Sushi.

The comparatively caller Zentarou Sushi and Sake Bar (1380 Ninth Avenue) has an fantabulous paper of rolls, including immoderate really developed vegan maki for illustration nan Traffic Roll (inari, saccharine murphy tempura, and cucumber inside, mango, avocado, and crispy purple yam connected top). It’s a worrisome clip for sushi spots that root seafood from Japan, but I’m hoping that vegan sushi helps support immoderate of these spots open.

The Japanese gift shop Sakura (936 Irving) astir nan area reopened nether caller ownership. That transportation intends that location are now location cooking offerings for illustration bento boxes, chickenhearted karaage, and onigiri to go. Koo Japanese Restaurant (408 Irving) tin get crowded, but is peculiarly worthy stopping successful for happy hr bites.

According to Eater SF, Saint Frank Coffee will unfastened successful nan aged Starbucks connected Irving astatine Ninth (744 Irving Street) this summer, and Luke’s Local will open a market successful nan aged Lemonade (1266 Ninth Avenue) connected Ninth astatine Irving; nan second has been quiet for years, and nan opening day has yet to beryllium announced.

The vicinity misses nan stalwart Tart to Tart, which closed successful 2022, and Park Show, which dipped retired successful 2018. At slightest there’s a coagulated replacement successful Fiorella (1240 Ninth Avenue), and you tin still eat connected nan tile there. Several longtime businesses are still astir arsenic well. Art’s Cafe (747 Irving) is still making them statement up for nan counter. Pasquale’s Pizza (700 Irving) continues to propulsion pies, Lavash (511 Irving) is backmost cracking tahdig (crispy rice) nether accepted Persian stews aft a fire, and Ebisu (1283 Ninth Avenue) remains patient successful its sushi rolling, to sanction a few. 

Vegetarian sampler astatine New Eritrea.

A fewer blocks away, nan nutrient and veggie platters astatine New Eritrea (907 Irving) are reliably awesome aft decades successful business, nan orangish basking condiment astatine King of Noodles (1639 Irving), which is really a king of dumplings, is still getting attention, and nan lines stay for dry-fried chickenhearted wings and different Chinese dishes astatine San Tung (1031 Irving), which has gotten world attention. There’s astatine slightest 1 caller and notable dumpling shop that is going to open, astir apt soon, connected this agelong of Irving eastbound of 19th Avenue.

After a meal, nan stiff yogurt handles astatine Eazy Breezy (718 Irving) beckon, arsenic does nan caller mint crystal pick astatine San Francisco’s Hometown Creamery (1290 Ninth Avenue). Supported by nan vicinity and visitors alike, hopefully it tin stay a bloom loop complete here.

Tamara publishes nan California Eating website, newsletter, and zine.