The most popular item. Brisket is carved fresh to order from the steam table, piled generous and tender on bread. It comes with your choice of mashed potatoes, vegetables, beans, or salad plus bread and butter. The meat is the focus here — no pretense, just good quality beef carved thick and served hot.
Tips from diners
Get the brisket — it's carved fresh to order and the meat quality is genuinely good. The mashed potatoes are the better side.
A thick-cut ham carved fresh to order. It's milder and sweeter than the beef cuts, and pairs well with the vegetable side options. Comes with the standard sides and bread.
Tips from diners
If you don't eat beef, the ham is a solid choice and genuinely fresh here.
A lighter option compared to brisket and pastrami. The turkey is carved fresh and served with the same sides options. It's leaner but still flavorful when carved thick.
Tips from diners
The turkey sandwich is the cheapest meat option here and comes with the same large portions. Good value if you want something lighter.
A slightly lighter alternative to the brisket with a distinctive spice rub. Pastrami has more texture than brisket — it's stringier and more robust in flavor. Carved fresh to order and served on bread with your choice of sides.
Tips from diners
If you've had pastrami at New York delis, this version is less peppery but still well-spiced and definitely worth trying.
Opened in 1947 by radio personality Tommy Harris and the Veprin and Pollack families, Tommy's Joynt is the last remaining San Francisco hofbrau in its original format. Located at 1101 Geary Boulevard on the border of the Civic Center and Van Ness neighborhoods, it's an old-school no-frills meat counter where everything is carved fresh to order. The walls are filled with antique firearms, taxidermy, and stained-glass lights. Open late (2am most nights), it's been a destination for nearly 80 years.
Open until 2am on weekdays and 2am on weekends. If you're hungry at 1am, this is one of the few places in SF still serving hot food.
This is a steam-table, counter-service operation. Order at the counter, pick your meat, choose sides, grab a seat. Cash is preferred but cards are accepted.
Over 100 beers on tap and in bottles. The beer list is genuinely diverse and well-curated for a casual spot like this.
It's an institution — the walls are covered with old guns, taxidermy, and memorabilia. Come for the history and the people-watching as much as the food.
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