San Francisco's Best Breakfast Places

Road Journals Blog—What makes some breakfast joints shine? I'd say that prompt service ranks up there, as does attention to little things like high-quality jam and breakfast meats, and servers who understand that only minutes before you might have still been in your warm, comfy bed.

San Francisco is a great breakfast-out town, with top-notch spots in just about every neighborhood. Here are five that will get your day started right. All numbers are 415 area code.

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Wake up with the pumpkin butterscotch French toast at Dottie's True Blue Cafe. | Lucinda Wang/Urbanspoon

What makes some breakfast joints shine? I'd say that prompt service ranks up there, as does attention to little things like high-quality jam and breakfast meats, and servers who understand that only minutes before you might have still been in your warm, comfy bed.

San Francisco is a great breakfast-out town, with top-notch spots in just about every neighborhood. Here are five that will get your day started right. All numbers are 415 area code.

Chloe's Cafe A classy and very popular little Noe Valley spot where Sinatra may be playing softly in the background as you wake up to an avocado and Jarlsberg scramble with rosemary bread toast, banana walnut pancakes, and croissant French toast with strawberries. 1399 Church St., 648-4116.

Dottie's True Blue Cafe OK, the neighborhood just south of Market isn't the greatest, but there's a reason this gem often has a line early in the morning. In fact, there are many reasons, among them whiskey-blueberry coffeecake, a prosciutto scramble, and pumpkin-pecan French toast. 28 6th St., 885-2767, facebook.com/dottiestrueblue [3].

Kate's Kitchen Among the offerings at this warm and funky Haight venue are thick-cut bacon, house-made sausage, cornmeal-buttermilk pancakes with real maple syrup, and a Flanched Farney Carney ("the original flipped egg and cheese sandwich"). 471 Haight St., 626-3984, kates-kitchensf.com [4].

It's Tops Coffee Shop Crazy for buckwheat? This sweet, tiny spot on the edge of the Mission might just be your ticket, with vintage 1935 knotty pine walls, chrome tabletop juke boxes with '50s tunes, and a menu that includes buckwheat pancakes and waffles in addition to the usual breakfast suspects. 1801 Market St., 431-6395, itstopscoffeeshop.com [5].

Manor Coffee Shop A classic, huge-menu American coffee shop in West Portal, complete with waitresses in uniform who swiftly refill your cuppa joe while delivering omelettes, corned beef hash, or a stomach-stretching combo of Hawaiian bread French toast 'n' eggs with breakfast meat. You won't eat again till dinner. 321 West Portal Ave., 661-2458.

Agree with these? No? Let us know your nominees for San Francisco's best breakfast spots.

This blog post was first published in July 2012. Some facts may have aged gracelessly. Please call ahead to verify information.