A fellow with thick-rimmed glasses and a well-groomed ‘stache speeds by on his fixed gear bicycle. You’re here! You’ve officially ventured into the epicenter of San Francisco’s hipster culture: the Mission district.

When you’ve lived in the city as long as I have, you really do need your hipster fix every now and again. For this, there is only one cure: Enter St. Francis Fountain.

St. Francis Fountain

St. Francis Fountain dishes out tasty bites and a healthy serving of ‘hip’ with their incredible supply of vintage candy, a kitschy interior, and a contagious attitude of indifference. The menu is an extensive variety of diner favorites, with the warm nostalgia of a mom and pop shop.

This was definitely an appropriate spot to meet up with old college friends Aiza and Amanda, since the food was just as comforting as their company. As a trio, we are not the easiest to please since we’re a mix of picky, vegetarian, and gluten-intolerant diners, yet surprisingly, the menu catered to all of our tastes.

Left: Jalapeno Cornbread, Right: Biscuits and Gravy with eggs and potatoes

I ordered a biscuit and gravy breakfast plate which was filling and amazingly flavorful. The potato hash was filled with bits of green and red peppers, onions, and a heavy hand of spices. The biscuit itself was not particularly memorable but the gravy was buttery, luscious, and packed with pepper. My friend Aiza got the griddled jalapeno cornbread and it was quite an experience. It was like a solid block of butter in the best way possible, with sweet corn and a bit of heat.

This place puts other greasy spoon diners to shame. Not only did it satisfy my unwavering love of breakfast, it also got the approval of my vegetarian and gluten-intolerant friends, with a dose of ‘hip’ to last us until next year. However, even though we’re good on the hipster front, I doubt we’ll be able to stay away from this tasty little joint when the insatiable greasy spoon urge comes back.