Gettin’ Down (but not Dirty) with Susie
In some dictionary somewhere, beside the entry for hole-in-the-wall, is a picture of Susie’s Café on 7th Street. Talk about a dive! Cement floors, corrugated walls, exposed metal supports on the ceiling, counters older than I am and none of it in the oh, so trendy faux industrial design style fashionable in too many of the City’s finer eateries. This place is the real deal and is a real deal.
On a recent visit, Susie’s daily lunch special featured roast pork ($5.65). The soup that came with the special was a clear, slightly salty broth with elbow macaroni and chunks of pork. Nothing spectacular but not a bad way to whet the appetite. The main course featured a couple of nice, lean slices of roast pork loin served with steamed rice (despite the name, this is a Chinese-run joint and the rice seemed to me to be the starch with the best odds of being freshly made) and mixed veggies. The pork and rice were good, simple preparations. The mixed veggies were, well, mixed veggies.
I’ve also breakfasted at Susie’s. Good eggs, bacon and hash browns. Nothing special but a great value (gotta check the exact price but sub-$5.00).
The fresh-brewed iced tea ($1.10) has a tinge of a harsh edge. Not the best but miles better than what’s offered by tea specialist Teavana (who seems to specialize in making awful iced tea). The price is low but note that they charge for refills.
Susie’s is a curious mix of fresh and the compromises you’d expect from a cheap eats joint. On one hand, the hash browns grated straight from the potato onto the griddle. OTOH, the bacon is paper thin and the mixed veggies clearly came from a freezer bag.
The biggest surprise about Susie’s was the restaurant inspection score. Given the looks of the building and the prices, I expected that corner cutting would result in a room temperature rating. Lo and behold, Susie’s sports the prized Symbol of Excellence!
The next time you find yourself needing some good, cheap eats in SoMa, saunter on over to Susie’s.
Susie's Café
603 7th Street
near Brannan Street
San Francisco, CA 94103
(415) 431-2177
Map
Web site — are you kidding???
Food inspection score: 94
Symbol of Excellence: Yes
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