I woke up this morning, my first morning at my annual housesit in The Mission of San Francisco. On my past forays into this wonderful and colorful neighborhood, I would usually start my day with a pastry from one of the many and good panaderias on 24th. But this morning, I decided to go for a full breakfast, because, why not? It’s my first day in the ‘hood and it’s going to be a week to celebrate my escape from Berkeley.

I headed down 24th towards York. I decided that because it’s Monday, it would be a great day to go to the St. Francis Fountain for eggs and home fries. On the weekends the crowd outside the fountain is almost impenetrable, so this Monday morning should be a breeze and even if there were no tables, there would be room for me at the counter.

Then I remembered it is Friday.

But no matter. There was still no line at St. Francis and there were both two free tables and about five seats available at the counter. The host allowed me to decide where to sit. I chose a seat at the counter, because I like eat at counters. The whole point of going to a diner is to eat at the counter. Unless you are in a group and then a booth is best.

The St. Francis is the oldest ice cream parlor in San Francisco having opened in 1918. Opened by James Christakes, an immigrant from Sparta, Greece, the lunch counter was run over the years by three generations of his family. The current owners bought the diner in 2002, the menu was updated, a kitchen installed, and the dining room restored.

I ordered my usual breakfast fare of eggs and homefries, and “thing”ed my spuds with yummy melted cheese, salsa, sour cream and green onions – a side version of the Nebulous Potato Thing.

There are some other wonderful items on the menu. Like waffles and french toast, breakfast burritos and the three-egg omelette. A whole selection of lunch items, ice cream and a candy counter with hard to find memories from my childhood like Necco Wafers and trading card packs.

The St. Francis is a neighborhood favorite. And it’s one of my favorites when I’m here.

St. Francis Fountain
2801 24th @ York
San Francisco, CA 94110
415.826.4200

Hours: M – Sa: 8am – 10pm; Su: 8am – 9pm

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