5 Iconic Eats San Francisco

Why it made the list: The Mission burrito was born in San Francisco in the 1960s and it's a specific thing: a huge flour tortilla, steamed, wrapped tight in foil, loaded with rice, beans, meat and salsa until it weighs like a brick. It's the city's most democratic food, six or seven dollars, eaten standing up, and better than almost anything you'll pay four times as much for.

Why it made the list: San Francisco sourdough isn't a marketing line, the local wild yeast genuinely produces a tangier loaf than the same recipe made elsewhere, and bakeries here have been working the same starters for over a century. It's the one souvenir worth carrying home in your hand luggage.

Why it made the list: Sweeter and meatier than most crab, and the local delicacy that genuinely isn't as good anywhere else. Season runs roughly November through spring, which is the single best argument for visiting San Francisco in winter rather than summer.

Why it made the list: San Francisco's Chinatown is the oldest in North America and dim sum here isn't a brunch trend, it's a century-old routine. The best rooms are loud, bright, cash-friendly and full of families, which is exactly the signal you want.

Why it made the list: A tomato-and-wine seafood stew invented by Italian fishermen in San Francisco, crab, clams, mussels, fish, whatever came back on the boat, thrown into one pot. It's the city's history in a bowl and it's still best in the old Italian rooms of North Beach.