Grubstake - San Francisco

4/5 stars

Ever get the munchies after a drink or seven? It's 3 o'clock in the morning and everything tastes or sounds good? Well, at Grubstake, the food actually IS good!

So we closed out the 500 Club and after convincing my German friend that San Francisco unfortunately stops selling alcohol at 2AM, we were all craving a burger. But none of us lived in the city so we had no idea what was open at 3AM. After consulting ye wise ol' Yelp, I found Grubstake! It was like discovering treasure! AND this place was featured on the Food Network's "Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives!" Score!

So I rounded up my three boys and went off in search of Pine street. I'm glad we didn't give up, because this place is quite the find. Hole in the wall, completely packed, couldn't be friendlier, and open till 4AM!! I don't think I've ever been happier seeing a lit-up neon Budweiser sign in the window. We snagged the last table and gazed around at the Portuguese emblems. The diner is in some sort of converted, previous mode of transportation - looked like a trolley or roach-coach, but bigger and nicer. Everybody in there was so cheerful, that the cheerfulness exuded from the walls itself. Nobody was rowdy or foul. It was as if they were behavin' because they were at their own mama's kitchen table.

SERVICE: was fast and so so nice. They must be used to dealing with people who think they're funnier when they're drunk. I don't know if it was the owner himself who greeted us at the door, whoever he was, he treated us as if we were old regulars - or maybe a lost niece and her three endearingly buzzed friends. Prices are a little high for a diner, but A) it was open at 3 in the morning and B) the food here was so much more solid than any ol' diner.

FOOD: we ordered way, way too much. Heck, I wasn't even hungry. I just thought I was. We got breakfast, a burger each (mine came with a fried egg!), fries, onion rings, AND mashed potatoes to share as an appetizer. It was awesome. The burger was surprisingly non-greasy, packed full of meat, huge and seasoned well. My only complaint is that the chocolate in my chocolate milkshake tasted fake. Next time I'm ordering strawberry.

IN A MOUTHFUL: Grubstake is wonderful. They could've just made mediocre food and been mean-spirited and people would still come because there aren't many places open till 4 in the morning. Instead, they chose to make really good food and take care of you. Thanks.

(2008)