Late Dining in San Francisco

For those of us who are part human, part lemur -- coming to life in the midnight hour -- San Francisco isn't quite New York -- or Las Vegas -- or Paris. I was reminded of this in an e-mail I received recently from an out-of-towner looking for a place to have a late dinner after last call.

Although some after-hours clubs thrive on the post-2am buzz, if you're looking for a place to settle in for a bona fide dinner (or breakfast), the pickings get slimmer as the hour rounds 1am. And naturally, the demographic gets more bizarre.

That said, there are some old standbys -- like late (or very early) breakfasts at the Grubstake off Polk, or some 24-hour diner grub at Orphan Andy's.

If you're new to the post-pub-crawl scene in SF, check out this map of late dining restaurants to see what you might be missing on the night shift.

If you have a favorite after-hours spot that's not listed, submit a short blurb and I'll put it on the roster.

^{Pictured: The Grubstake
Photo © Ingrid Taylar}