
What we’re about
This group is for visiting San Francisco Bay Area restaurants and other events that have foodie interest or a food centric theme. Such as food and wine festivals, Eat, Drink San Francisco, the San Francisco Chocolate Festival and San Francisco Street Food Festival.
While food and beverages are of primary importance, this is a social group for having fun, making new friends and keeping touch with others, trying something new, or visiting an old favorite, yet again. Join with a friend or two, or eat with strangers and find common and uncommon feasts of food, conversation and an occasional butterfly.
Attendees
Please be prompt or message your host directly (perhaps use the new chat feature) comments are delayed by as much as an hour. Dress is usually casual, use your own judgement, on a rare occasion a jacket, dress or no shorts may be required. And please take pictures of your food and upload them to our group, San Francisco Foodies maintains that the photographer maintains ownership of their art. If you want to take pictures of guests please remember to ask their permission before. Bullying and derogatory remarks are causes for removal from an event and this group. Not paying for your ordered items most likely will result in legal action.
Administrative Trivia
There are no dues. However some events require a deposit for joining. A deposit is spent toward an attendee’s bill (restaurants sometimes charge a deposit from $5, $50 or the entire cost of a meal and beverage $400).
Events are usually free to attend but each member and their guests pay for their respective meals, drinks, some events have split appetizers or family style meals where each person pays the same price and all share the meal. These details are in each event. Restaurants usually charge city tax and a mandatory gratuity. In San Francisco a percentage for employee insurance. Expect 30% to 35% added to your order.
Some Events ask for attendees to prepay a portion of any deposits or venue costs. These are paid events.
Nonprofit Fundraisers are where a donation is requested, a nonprofit is selected, usually rated 100% (some local charities are not nationally rated but all of their donations are 100% used to support their activities). For our events San Francisco Foodies asks donations to be given to the nonprofit directly, any donations collected are forwarded (100%). These are also marked as paid events.
Event Organizers are unpaid volunteers, however, some may charge a fee. Those will be paid events and full disclosure of where fees go are in each event's description. San Francisco Foodies is always looking for new volunteers as organizers and adding new events.
Use of Meetup Comments and Chat for spam is forbidden. Suggesting events is encouraged. If the event is in another group please contact an event organizer to co-host with our group. Much better to become an event organizer with our group and host an event yourself.
Be Well, #Eat San Francisco.
Upcoming events (4+)
See all- Max's Opera Cafe Dinner before RigolettoMax's Opera Cafe, San Francisco, CA
Rigoletto on September 10, 2025 at 7:30 at War Memorial Opera House
buy tickets: Rigoletto Tickets ($28 and up)
Verdi’s masterpiece is a study in dualities: cynicism and tenderness, hope and despair. Gossip is Rigoletto’s stock-in-trade as the court jester to a womanizing duke.
Buy tickets earlyMax's Opera Cafe
601 Van Ness Ave.
San Francisco, CA 94102
tel: 415-771-7300
Dinner at 5:00pThe first Max's opened during 1978 in Burlingame, San Francisco's Max's Opera Cafesoon followed, featuring singing servers, bistro style deli food, and their restaurant empire took off. Founded by Dennis Berkowitz on the principles of treating people fairly and providing high quality food at a great price.
from San Mateo Daily Journal (2012)Currently Michael Adams is the General Manager and Executive Chef Carlos Salcedo.
Burlingame's Max's was my first experience with this Northern California staple, they all have a large menu, with delicious selections of deli sandwiches, seafood, pasta, steaks and huge desserts. I especially enjoyed their made at your table iced tea, providing an elegance to a simple order, like hushed angel wings you could only imagine what would arrive later.Bring your sense of wonder and appetite, for this day we dine as kings.
Menus and Reviews
Max's Opera Cafe requests no reviews
Max's Opera Cafe
Max's Opera Cafe LocationAdministrative Trivia
Max's Opera Cafe's menu shows three course dinner pricing is about $35-$50 per person, excluding tax and tip. Alcoholic drinks can easily increase this average.Dress is smart casual.
Each diner is responsible for their own orders and costs but we will have to consolidate and divvy up the final bill accordingly, if we cannot have separate checks. Please bring cash or have Zelle or Apple Cash available.
Taxes and Fees
Dining in San Francisco has a sales tax (8.625%) and probably an employee health mandate (3-10%), a tip (20%) may be automatically added, even on individual bills. I calculate each diner's orders separately unless the meal is shared or family style, and round up.Parking and Transportation
MUNI: California Street Cable Car is 8 blocks away, 49, 47, Civic Center Muni KLMN
BART: Civic Center
Finding street parking in Civic Center/Hayes Valley is usually difficult.
Parking garage can be found nearby (3-4 blocks)
Use event comments for Car Pooling and Ride Sharing.
Photos and history from San Francisco Opera website - Modern Chinese Cuisine at The Happy Crane (Table for 6)The Happy Crane, San Francisco , CA
Debuted on August 8, The Happy Crane is the first venture of up-and-coming internationally trained chef James Yeun Leong Parry, who has worked in kitchens in Beijing, Tokyo, Hong Kong and San Francisco, where he was Chef de Partie at Michelin 3-starred Benu and Chef de Cuisine at Palette Tea House. When I met with Chef James in person, I was delighted to learn that we both were avid fans of food writer Fuchsia Dunlop (the first Western woman formally trained in classic Sichuan cuisine) as well as devotees of Chinese roast meats.
Join me for a family-style dinner with a menu to be assembled by me in consultation with Justin, the house general manager. Likely not to be the best event for vegetarians or pescatarians.
Previews and Reviews:
https://sf.eater.com/inside-the-dishes/204874/the-happy-crane-modern-chinese-restaurant-opening-san-francisco
https://www.yelp.com/biz/the-happy-crane-san-francisco
The location is the former venue of Monsier Benjamin, 451 Gough Street (x Ivy street).
My guesstimate is that each share of the family dinner will be roughly $100, plus drinks, taxes, fees and tips - think $150 or so total per person. Unfortunately no adjustments to the shared family menu or cost for dietary preferences or allergies. Each diner is responsible for their share of the family style order, plus their own individually ordered drinks and dishes. We willl consolidate and divvy up the final bill accordingly. Please bring CASH, Apple Cash, or Zelle to settle your sharee. Dress is casual.
Taxes and Fees
Dining in San Francisco has a sales tax (8.625%) and possibly an employee health mandate (5%), and a tip (20%) may be automatically added. There will be one single check. We’ll calculate individual dishes (raw x 1.34) to include all of these, and round final payment to the closest dollar. Bring CASH or settle bill with Zelle or Apple Cash; no credit cards.Attendees and Waitlist:
Please have consideration and update your RSVP 72 hours prior to the event if you are unable to attend.Parking and Transportation
Located a block from Hayes Valley, street parking is available and free after 6 PM, but may be challenging. Allow ample time for parking. The Van Ness Muni Metro station is a 9 minute walk away. - Whiz Drive-In for Burgers, Shakes and other GoodiesWhiz Burgers Drive-In, San Francisco, CA
The Whiz Drive-In
History
Hmmm, not much to find here.. but they opened in 1955 and have been in the same location for Seventy Years (70), holding down one corner of San Francisco's Mission District. A diverse menu of beef, vegetarian and vegan offerings. Delicious burgers, wonderfully creamy thick shakes and floats. A timeless classic, Outdoor seating in almost-September.. a great way to spend a few hours, then go walk down Mission, catch a movie, find a bookstore or one of the few record shops that still exist.You can tell by looking that not much has changed on this corner, but the city around has gone through many cycles and reinvents itself over and over. The last time I was here (in 2024) their burgers tasted the same as 2000.
I'm putting in a reservation for us.. but not limiting the group size, just to let them know they'll be busy.
A Note from the restaurant
At Whiz Burgers Drive-In, we celebrate the rich tapestry of San Francisco's Mission District with our timeless approach to burgers. Established amidst a wave of gentrification, we’ve become a cherished institution for all—welcoming everyone from families to hipsters, with flavors that resonate through generations. Our menu boasts not just classic burgers, but also diverse vegetarian options, alongside delicious sides like crispy fries and comforting shakes. Diners love our relaxed, slightly kitschy atmosphere—perfect for enjoying a meal at our outdoor seating or experiencing a nostalgic drive-thru visit. Whiz Burgers Drive-In is where community and culinary delight thrive, making every visit unforgettable.Menus and Reviews
The Whiz Drive-In (Facebook Fan Page)
The Whiz Drive-InAdministratriva
The Whiz Drive-In is order at the counter and eat at one of their outdoor picnic tables.
Dress is Comfortable and a Light JacketTransportation
MUNI: 14
Restaurant has parking.Use event comments for Car Pooling and Ride Sharing.
Many thanks for the photos and history from restaurant website.