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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

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.

St. Francis Fountain San Francisco Food

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.

To help celebrate Valentine’s Day and do this “Day of Love” justice, I figured it was appropriate to write about a meal that would give your heart a good workout.

I recently met some friends at Hard Knox Cafe to help cure my ever-present craving for fried chicken. I had heard some great things about their corn muffins, mac and cheese, and perfectly fried chicken, so I recommended it for our casual catch-up. Hard Knox is like a sports bar/auto garage/vintage diner with a heavy touch of Southern soul. The menu items are predictable, but comforting: Po-Boys, meatloaf, BBQ, coleslaw, rice and beans– you name it.

Hard Knox Cafe Clement St San Francisco

Hard Knox Cafe decor and signage

I decided to go for some expected favs: spicy fried chicken, mac and cheese, corn on the cob, beer, and corn muffins. We were served the corn muffins first and it was hard not to devour them considering they were light, fluffy, mildly sweet, and served with a (very excessive) side of butter. Luckily I had the beer to help cut through some of the richness because when our fried chicken plates arrived, I was ready to roll my sleeves up.

Hard Knox Cafe Chicken and Muffins

Left: Corn muffins and beer, Right: Spicy fried chicken, mac and cheese, corn on the cob.

The spicy fried chicken was indeed spicy. It didn’t overwhelm my tastebuds, but definitely made its flavor known with each bite. The skin was perfectly crunchy and the meat remained juicy and tender– the sign of a good piece of fried chicken. It wasn’t overly coated in batter nor was it over-seasoned, which was a plus. The mac and cheese was not particularly exciting. It had the authentic velveta-y gooey cheese flavor that but lacked some depth and contrast in texture.

As a whole, the meal itself was not the best I’d ever had, but it definitely hit the spot. The food was tasty, fresh, and well-prepared, but not the awe-inducing surprise I was hoping for. I would definitely recommend Hard Knox Cafe if you’re craving some true Southern food, but only when your heart is feeling up to the heavy task.