Squat & Gobble: Crepes and eggs-actly whatever else you want
Foodies with money to burn can skip this story, because the Squat & Gobble Café & Creperie on Haight Street—and four others scattered around San Francisco neighborhoods—are for the rest of us. Just give us a wide variety of good food to choose from in hearty portions, at reasonable prices and at almost any hour (they’re open daily from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m.) and we’ll keep coming back. No wonder Squat and Gobble’s spacious restaurants are never empty.
How can they charge so little, with most entrees using quality ingredients and costing under $10? Well, you do have to order at the counter, one aspect of the informality that characterizes S&Gs. This is the kind of place where you don’t need to worry what you’re wearing, but unlike McDonald’s, you don’t need to worry about where your food is coming from either.
Crepes are the main attraction, with 12 savory crepes and nine dessert crepes on the all-day menu. The Chicken Pesto Crepe ($9.50), which combines sliced chicken breast, mozzarella, onions, pesto and sun-dried tomatoes, is the most popular crepe. The crepe occupies half the plate and rosemary garlic potatoes or a mixed baby green salad the other half; you won’t leave hungry. Another favorite is the Mama Mia ($9.75): four cheeses, mushrooms, onions, spinach, eggplant, tomatoes and walnuts topped by marinara sauce. The rest of the menu is filled with omelets, pasta dishes, sandwiches and salads, all described on a colorful chalkboard that occupies most of one wall behind the counter.
That’s just the all-day menu. In the evening, a limited dinner menu is also offered, with such items as Sake Steamed Mussels in red coconut curry sauce ($9) and a Teriyaki-Marinated Beef Tenderloin with jasmine rice and tempura-style vegetables ($16). Other classy touches that elevate S&G above the standard café are the wine list and the mint-and-lemon-infused water that’s brought to your table.
Squat and Gobble’s four other locations share the same menu and prices. Find them in the Marina district (2263 Chestnut), the Lower Haight (237 Fillmore), Upper Market/Castro (3600 Sixteenth St.) and West Portal (1 West Portal).
Any down side? Well, the name is a turkey.
HelloSanFrancisco Tip: In any weather, considering taking a patio table beside a heating lamp. At the Haight Street location there’s a solarium patio in back; the Marina location’s patio features a Mediterranean fountain and fresh-cut flowers.
Posted by Bob Cooper
