FRIDAY FIVE

We started the month highlighting the best deals for Oakland Restaurant Week. Now it’s time to close out the month with the same shenanigans, but in San Francisco.

As we previously explained, Restaurant Weeks in any city are often just an excuse for places to curate overpriced prix fixe menus. Too often, you’re better off eating out at a different time or place — but in this case, you were better off eating in the East Bay. We hate to say it, but we hope you enjoyed your Oakland deals, because — in typical San Francisco fashion — things are pricier over here.

But we made a promise to find the best deals, and we shall see that through. We scoured every menu so you didn’t have to. In the end, unfortunately, we found few dinner steals—we think one is worth it—but we have options for lunch. If these menus are still too much for your bank account, blame San Francisco’s outrageous cost of living, not us.

San Francisco Restaurant Week began January 22 and goes through January 31. We’ll see you at lunch?

1. a Mano

In recent years, this Hayes Valley eatery has become quite a scene for San Francisco yuppies. Drinks at the Riddler, then dinner at a Mano. It’s not a place you can just drop in and get a table—there is always a wait—but it is delicious. Given its popularity, it’s surprising that the restaurant is running such an appealing Restaurant Week deal. For $25.25, you get a three-course prix fixe meal: Start with a salad or soup, move on to a fusilli pasta — with either kale pesto or braised beef shoulder with cremini mushrooms — and end with the famous buttermilk panna cotta.

450 Hayes Street (Hayes Valley) | amanosf.com

2. Blue Mermaid

TBI has long looked for steals in the city — we once wrote about how you can still get lunch for under $4, not including fast food. But that was 2017, and $15 might as well be the new $4, which is why this deal at Blue Mermaid is so enticing. Yes, you heard us: Blue Mermaid. Sure, it’s a tourist spot in the heart of Fisherman’s Wharf (in the Argonaut Hotel), but we’re after deals, not bougieness. Here, you’ll find a two-course lunch for $15.50. That’s less than the cost of most sad desk salads these days. So, embrace the touristy vibes and sit down in a comfortable booth. You’ll start with a salad or the house-made chowder, followed by a main dish of either fish tacos, corned beef brisket, or chicken mac and cheese.

471 Jefferson Street (Fisherman’s Wharf) | argonauthotel.com/fishermans-wharf-seafood-restaurants

3. Cafe Zoetrope

Lunch for $15.15! We’ll take it. At North Beach staple Cafe Zoetrope — located in the iconic Sentinel Building, on the corner of Kearny and Columbus, and owned by the Francis Coppola family — you’ll find a delicious two-course lunch that is a steal in San Francisco. Hell, maybe you can save one course for dinner and make it a real deal. For the first course, choose between radicchio and pear salad or the soup of the day, followed by mushroom lasagna or pizza bread for the main course.

916 Kearny Street (North Beach) | cafezoetrope.com

4. Credo

This might be the cheapest meal you’ll ever have at Credo, a beloved rustic Italian restaurant in the Financial District with a menu that changes daily, so we’re including it on our list. For $25.25 (don’t forget that quarter), you can indulge in a two-course lunch of either butternut squash crostini or mixed greens followed by a seared flat-iron steak, butternut squash ravioli, or roasted chicken. We know $25 isn’t a cheap lunch per se, but it’s a deal for what you get and where you get it.

360 Pine Street (Financial District) | credosf.com

5. Uva Enoteca

The lone dinner recommendation goes to Uva Enoteca, a little Italian gem in the Lower Haight that can be costly at times, especially if there’s wine involved. But Restaurant Week promises to feed us three courses here for $40.40, and — bonus — that includes a “mini cocktail.” Start with artichoke dip or chili-glazed chicken wings; move on to a double burger, cioppino, or polenta; and end with dessert: cheesecake or slice of key lime pie.

568 Haight Street (Lower Haight) | uvaenoteca.com