We took it upon ourselves to explore the city in pursuit of savory avocado toast, and made it our mission to find the best of the best. We learned a truly masterful toast comes with a combination of quality bread, delectable toppings, and intricate spices.
Home
Birthplace to the famous rainbow lattes seen on instagram, Home not only provides legendary lattes, but they also offer three types of avocado toast. Choose from Br-avo, their avocado toast with bacon crumbles and radish, Seoul Much Avo with spicy kimchi and seeds, or Let’s Avo-Cuddle with baby arugula and cherry tomatoes. If you can’t pick one, don’t fret – you can get a sampler with all three. // Multiple locations, Served during all open hours, $7.75; home-cafe.cafes-city.com
Frog Hollow
Although this is more of your traditional avotoast, Frog Hollow slices their perfectly ripe avocados on Acme green onion bread, to add an extra zing for your palate. This toast comes full circle with a drizzle of olive oil and cracked black pepper. They offer half portions which are comparable to a regular avotoast, or a full size if you’re looking to load up on energy for the day. // One Ferry Building, #46, Embarcadero, Served during all open hours, $7.50 half, $12 full; froghollow.com
Bodega
Just glancing at the avocado toast here is enough to cause a Pavlovian reaction of pure salivation. Bodega’s tops their avotoast with their remarkable italian salsa verde and pickled toppings. Underneath lays an over-easy egg resting on a bed of avocado. // 700 Columbus Ave, North Beach, Served Sat-Sun open until 3 PM, $10;
Mazarine
French inspirations and freshly picked avocados—Mazarine aims for greatness when creating their toasts. But again, the ingredients and toppings are Je Ne Sais Quoi: Avocado, Chèvre Cheese, Radish, Chives, Sea Salt, and Cracked Pepper on Toasted Pain de Mie. To DIE FOR. Though, with a pretty lunch rush, we recommend getting to the cafe before 10am or after 3pm to enjoy your toast in peace. // 720 Market St, Union Square, Served breakfast, lunch and brunch hours, $9 or with an egg at the same price; mazarinecoffee.com.
Fueling Station
A cute, low-key neighborhood nook ideal for catching up with a friend or getting work done, Fueling Station’s avocado toast is under their “Brunch Bites” menu. Keep it plain jane with their regular avotoast and black pepper, or dress it up with “The Works,” which includes two thick cut bacon and a poached egg. The scent of their bacon alone will make you want to devour this protein-packed toast within seconds. // 2436 Polk St, North Beach, Served during all open hours, $4.50 + $3.50 for bacon and egg; yelp.com
GreenSurge
Avocado is in the DNA of this place, as many of their smoothies include avo in the mix and of course, it’s on their toast menu. Hearty and wholesome Dave’s Killer Bread is smeared with hummus, avocado, a sliced hard-boiled egg, chili flakes, plus salt and pepper. // 2301 Market St., Castro, Served during all open business hours, $6.00; drinkgreensurge.com
Scullery
Sometimes simple is better, and although Scullery doesn’t load their avocado toast with extravagant ingredients, their seasoning is perfection. Their fresh, sliced avocado is sprinkled with garlic oil sea salt and cracked pepper, for those craving a savory addition to their morning coffee. // 687 Geary St, Tendernob, Served during all open business hours, $7; scullerysf.com
Foundation Cafe
This toast to-go is layered with a foundation of ricotta, followed by sliced haas avocado, lemon zest, sea salt and olive oil on a grilled sourdough base. Ideal for those who are also ricotta toast fans. // 335 Kearny St, FiDi, Served weekdays 7-10 AM, $4.75 + egg $1.75; foundationcafesf.com
Provender
Layered with garlic aioli, lemon, flake salt, cilantro and crispy garlic, Provender’s toast is distinct when that first bite hits your taste buds. Crafted with care, this avocado toast will not leave you disappointed. // 1415 18th Street., Dogpatch, Served during all open hours, $10; provendercoffee.co
Bicycle Banh Mi
A quaint Vietnamese comfort food window by the Pottery Barn office, this inconspicuous spot serves a flavorful power toast to munch on in the AM. The thick, chewy sesame bread is topped with smashed avocado, drizzled with olive oil and red chili flakes, and a perfectly poached egg. // 1 Icehouse Alley, North Beach/FiDi, Served weekdays 7:30-10:30 AM, $4 + egg $1.25; bicyclebanhmi.com
Outerlands
Swanky meets rustic comfort in this setting just blocks away from the ocean, with beautifully presented food. Come for the avocado toast with cucumbers, parsley, and togarashi spices (a Japanese blend of chili, sesame, orange peel and nori) and stay for atmosphere, with many other items worth eyeballing on the menu. // 4001 Judah St, Outer Sunset, Served weekdays breakfast and lunch hours, $10; outerlandssf.com
// Feature photo by Caroline Attwood
