Whether you're a Daly City native or you've only ever passed through it on your way to SFO, it should be on your list of cities to eat your way through. This foggy stretch just south of San Francisco is home to some of the best restaurants in the Bay Area. Whether you're craving a plate of sizzling sisig, world-class chicken and waffles, or some of the best dim sum outside of Chinatown, Daly City delivers.
Like me, most people were here for one reason: a $3.50 fish sandwich. An Instagram video the Alameda Pulse posted earlier that week featuring the bakery's fish filet bun had, as of writing, about 590,000 views. The original video to spread the word about the sandwich, posted on Jan. 3, has over 180,000 views on Instagram. John Vitale and his wife, who had just made it to the doorway of the bakery but had yet to reach the front, told me they'd been waiting in line for 30 or 45 minutes.
Las Vegas has a long list of under the radar restaurants, and Rainbow Kitchen is one of those local favorites serving up authentic Chinese food, from pi pa tofu to taro with sliced pork shoulder, ong choy with fermented bean curd, salted fish, and salted egg. The restaurant also has clay pots filled with lamb stew, pork stomach, chicken, and bitter melon spare ribs, among others.
11.19.25: Dough Zone, a West Coast chain home to Chinese comfort foods like soup dumplings, Szechuan dan dan noodles and pan-fried potstickers, has opened in what was formerly Triple Rock Brewing's expanded space. It's an ideal spot for a fast casual lunch, and if you're not in the mood for dumplings, try the spicy beef sandwich, sweet and sour cucumber, or Shanghainese green onion soy sauce noodles. Dough Zone, 1912 Shattuck Ave. (at Hearst Ave.), Berkeley
It's one of the more hotly anticipated arrivals of the year, from the Michelin-starred team behind the much smaller Sorrel, and I'll bring you more news once I get in to see it. And the extra-luxe Wolfsbane, in the former Serpentine space in Dogpatch, from the team behind Lord Stanley, made its official debut Wednesday, October 15. More on that also to come.
A no-frills establishment located in the heart of Oakland Chinatown, Tao Yuen serves steaming hot dim sum to-go at accessible prices. My go-to order is the ho fun ($6.62), or as my Cantonese-speaking partner likes to call them, drunken noodles. Bouncy rice noodles, thinly sliced cabbage, caramelized onions, and marinated beef are stir-fried in an umami sauce for the dish. It's topped with sesame seeds, chopped scallions, and a smidge of cilantro, creating a symphony of savory and fresh flavors.
My go-to order is the ho fun ($6.62), or as my Cantonese-speaking partner likes to call them, drunken noodles. Bouncy rice noodles, thinly sliced cabbage, caramelized onions, and marinated beef are stir-fried in an umami sauce for the dish. It's topped with sesame seeds, chopped scallions, and a smidge of cilantro, creating a symphony of savory and fresh flavors. Tao Yuen is known for its heaping portions, so even if you ask for a small box, expect the server to fill it to the brim.
