Airport food gets a bad wrap for being overpriced and unpalatable, but SFO is a reflection of some of the best food in the Bay offering everything from dim sum to Baja fish tacos. Here’s a list of our favorite spots to eat when we fly out of SFO.
Terminal 1
OTG Food Trucks
You can catch Off the Grid creators outside of terminal 1 from Tuesday through Friday from 10AM to 2PM. We like to keep our lineup fresh but you can expect to find spicy chicken sandwiches from Chick N’ Bros, tacos from Oaxacan Kitchen, or stir fry by Wokitchen. Check out our daily lineup here.
Ritual Coffee
Whether you’re taking off in the early morning or arriving jet lagged, you’ll need a good cup of coffee to get you through the day. Ritual Coffee is our top choice due to their commitment to sourcing beans ethically and roasting them fresh.
Mama Goes Filipino
This spot is great if you’re in a hurry since the food is made and ready to serve cafeteria-style. You can enjoy Filipino classics like lumpia and longanisa or opt for typical breakfast foods like breakfast sandwiches and burritos. We recommend going with the best of both worlds — a longanisa sausage, egg, and cheese breakfast sandwich.
Bonus stop:
If you have some downtime to shop, stop by Green Apple Books to pick up an interesting read for your layover or flight. If you’re looking for some cool SF-based merch, stop by San Franpsycho to stock up on shirts with dungeness crabs and sea lions.
Terminal 2
Little Skillet
This is our go-to breakfast spot for classics like hash brown bowls, breakfast burritos, pastries, and fried chicken. Our favorite is “The Works” an upgrade to the traditional chicken and waffles that includes a muffin and a side — we recommend the mac and cheese.
Napa Farms Market
This one-stop shop serves a selection of artisan cheese from Cowgirl Creamery, cold cut sandwiches, Acme bread, Equator coffee, and wood-fired pizza. It’s a great place to sample some of California’s best food creators while stocking up on snacks for your trip.
Terminal 3
Koi Palace Express
Check out this Bay Area dim sum staple in a fast-paced environment with favorites like BBQ pork bao, sesame ball, XO spicy udon, and fried rice. You can also find other popular Chinese dishes like mapo tofu, Mongolian beef, and kung pao chicken.
Proposition Chicken
The best spot for fried chicken in SFO offers sandwiches, buffalo wings, chicken strips, and crispy bbq tofu (fried chicken-style). If you stop by early in the morning, no worries fried chicken is always on the menu — get breakfast sandwich-style on a croissant with pickles, cheese, and a fried egg.
Terminal A
Gott’s Roadside
One of our favorite burger spots in the city has an outpost at SFO. Their menu has something for everyone — burgers, tacos, salads, and breakfast. We love their crispy Vietnamese chicken salad tossed in a peanut lime vinaigrette and topped with pickled Fresno chiles. You also can’t go wrong with their baja fish tacos made with beer-battered mahi mahi.
Manufactory Food Hall
We love this spot because they carry pastries from Tartine like the ham and vegetable quiche, pain au chocolat, scones, and lemon almond poppy seed loaf. They also have a solid selection of Mexican food including a cochinita pibil burrito and soy chorizo quesadillas.
