Regardless of how many places I’ve tried in San Francisco, there’s always a new restaurant that falls into my path. Squat & Gobble, which has been around since 1993, has a unique look and distinct “San Francisco” neighborhood feel.
I love the fact that it has an outdoor patio since there aren’t as many restaurants in San Francisco where you can dine outside as you’d think.
Established originally as a crepery at 237 Fillmore Street, they now have locations in the Castro (which is where I had lunch), the West Portal, Upper Haight, Fillmore Street, 16th & Market and the Marina.
Known for their crepes, they also do a great job on burgers, sandwiches and specialty salads.
Too many choices to choose from, I ended up with the Chicken Pesto crepe, which I had with onions, pesto and sun-dried tomatoes minus the cheese. You can also get a curried chicken crepe served with cheddar cheese, onions and broccoli.
The Mama Mia is LOADED with ingredients, from cheddar, mozzarrella, cottage cheese, onions, mushrooms, spinach, eggplant, tomatoes, mushrooms, and walnuts topped with marinara sauce and Parmesan cheese.
Whoah Nelly! Not short on calories or fat if you’re wanting to splurge. There’s also the Hawaiian which is served with cheddar, onion, pineapple, ham and sweet and sour sauce.
Zorba the Greek includes spinach, artichokes, Feta, tomatoes, mushrooms, olives and cucumber yogurt mint sauce whereas the Marina is served with salmon, spinach, onions, capers, artichokes, tomatoes, tarragon and Fontina cheese, topped with sun-dried tomato pesto. The Italian crepe is is served with onions, black olives, mushrooms, spinach scrambled eggs and Mozzarella topped and pesto sauce.
For salads, they have nearly a dozen of them, my favorites being the Asian Chicken Salad, (served with shredded romaine hearts, bean sprouts, cucumber, red onion, watermelon radish, red peppers, Asian noodles, peanuts, cilantro, basil, mint and sweet sesame soy dressing) and the Mexican Grilled Salad (served with romaine hearts, cheddar cheese, avocado, crispy corn tortilla strips, black beans, roasted corn, red onions, red peppers, Roma tomatoes, cilantro-jalapeño sour cream and lemon cumin vinaigrette).
If you want breakfast diner style, they also serve up massive plates of potatoes, bacon, toast and delicious homemade rasberry jam, which has a bit of a bite to it.
The service was great and the prices reasonable. The crepes were in the $10 range and crikey, where can you get a large iced tea for $1.95 AND they gave me two free refills. It’s a great place for lunch in the center of San Francisco’s Castro.
Renee Blodgett is the founder of We Blog the World. The site combines the magic of an online culture and travel magazine with a global blog network and has contributors from every continent in the world. Having lived in 10 countries and explored nearly 80, she is an avid traveler, and a lover, observer and participant in cultural diversity.
She is also the CEO and founder of Magic Sauce Media, a new media services consultancy focused on viral marketing, social media, branding, events and PR. For over 20 years, she has helped companies from 12 countries get traction in the market. Known for her global and organic approach to product and corporate launches, Renee practices what she pitches and as an active user of social media, she helps clients navigate digital waters from around the world. Renee has been blogging for over 16 years and regularly writes on her personal blog Down the Avenue, Huffington Post, BlogHer, We Blog the World and other sites. She was ranked #12 Social Media Influencer by Forbes Magazine and is listed as a new media influencer and game changer on various sites and books on the new media revolution. In 2013, she was listed as the 6th most influential woman in social media by Forbes Magazine on a Top 20 List.
Her passion for art, storytelling and photography led to the launch of Magic Sauce Photography, which is a visual extension of her writing, the result of which has led to producing six photo books: Galapagos Islands, London, South Africa, Rome, Urbanization and Ecuador.
Renee is also the co-founder of Traveling Geeks, an initiative that brings entrepreneurs, thought leaders, bloggers, creators, curators and influencers to other countries to share and learn from peers, governments, corporations, and the general public in order to educate, share, evaluate, and promote innovative technologies.
