Glorious fried potatoes. Are there any problems they can’t solve? Whether they’re slathered in gravy, dipped in sauces sweet and spicy, or blanketed in delicious toppings, you just can’t go wrong with them. Here are some spots in San Francisco that serve delicious, piping hot orders of french fries.

1. AL’s Place

1499 Valencia Street

We’ve mentioned their fries in the past when AL’s Place got nominated for the Best New Restaurant in America by Bon Appétit, but here’s a beautiful description of them by Andrew Knowlton:

“First, large new potatoes, grown for the restaurant, are passed through a fry cutter. Then they are brined for 96 hours in 68-degree water that has been inoculated with salt and cabbage leaves to accelerate fermentation. Next, they’re fried for about five minutes at 325 degrees in rice bran oil. Finally, when an order comes in, they are fried again at 375 degrees for exactly one minute. They are served with a smoked apple barbecue sauce whose creation is equally involved. I had no idea about all of this when I first bit into them. All I knew was that they were like no other fries I’d ever tasted: slightly pickled, creamy in the middle, crunchy on the outside. And they cost $7.”

Simply amazing. Now, AL’s is not the kind of restaurant you can stroll in and just get the fries, but when you do make a reservation, they’re not to be missed.

2. Wise Sons Delicatessen

3150 24th Street

Their glorious pastrami cheese fries double down on the salty goodness. Plus, the strips of meat are perfectly crisp, and coupled with the fried egg, you are getting in all the things you need to satisfy those cravings.

3. AT&T Park

24 Willie Mays Plaza

A San Francisco staple, and practically a fry rite of passage, the stadium’s famous Gilroy Garlic fries are covered in mounds of fresh chopped garlic and herbs. Yes, they’re the most expensive on this list at $12.50, but as far as ballpark food is concerned these are legitimately good. Bonus: after waiting in a long line to snag them, you’ll no doubt be ready to devour them while they’re nice and hot.

4. Rosamunde

2832 Mission Street & 545 Haight Street

What’s special about these fries (other than that they’re the perfect size and shape) is that they can be paired with allllll the special dipping sauces offered by the sausage shop. Curry ketchup? Garlic pepper mayonnaise? Honey-wasabi dijon? Whatever you choose, it’s sure to perfectly complement your already-delicious-as-is fries.

5. Garaje

475 3rd Street

The carne asada fries served here will meld your desire for crispy salty potatoes and Mexican food all in one go. As one Yelp reviewer described the experience of eating them, “Like nachos, layers of cheese, guacamole, and jalapeños melted in my too-happy mouth.” Couldn’t have said it better ourselves.

6. Mikkeller Bar

34 Mason Street

Plenty of Yelp reviewers insist Mikkeller Bar’s fries are the best-kept secret in the city. And we’re not really sure what that secret is—they’re just damn good fries that pair really well with their extensive beer selection.

7. Hogwash

582 Sutter Street

Their curry fries are coated in a gorgeous glaze of sauce, and can be topped with sausage and a duck egg for a (slightly more) well-rounded meal. Order with their pickle plate for a truly golden happy hour.

8. Citizen’s Band

1198 Folsom Street

This funky place that serves a square-shaped mac and cheese tower also happens to ace it in the fry department. While they do serve a poutine topped with pork belly, the little pockets of potato stand on their own or paired with a burger.

9. The Front Porch

65a 29th Street

This brunch hotspot serves up a fry side that’s a combo of creole-seasoned regular and sweet potatoes, a beautiful mix that works brilliantly with their signature jalapeño or tabasco aioli.

10. La Trappe

800 Greenwich Street

Like Rosamunde, La Trappe will serve up your fries with a variety of dipping sauces (like crushed red pepper aioli, for example), but you’ll get them Belgium-style, AKA thick-cut and in a paper cone. They are just delicious this way, especially when ordered with a beer.

11. Durty Nelly’s

2328 Irving Street

This beloved Irish pub might not be the first place you’d think of for fries. But that might be the best part—their curry chips (as they call them in the UK) are simply marvelous, and fly under the radar until you duck into this bar to order them. As one Yelp reviewer raved, “The french fries are now the spice of my life.”

12. Mission Beach Cafe

198 Guerrero Street 

And here comes our first order of truffle fries, which Mission Beach Cafe does extraordinarily well. Topped with generous amounts of shaved cheese, these fries are not too pretentious and capture the essence of truffle without dousing them—a necessity when ordering this sometimes hit-or-miss pairing.

13. Roam Artisan Burgers

1923 Fillmore Street & 1785 Union Street

This fancy-schmancy shop does do burgers well, but you’re really missing out if you don’t order the fries. From the fry-fecta (a trio of regular fries, sweet potato fries, and a zucchini onion haystack) to the custom seasonings (truffle parmesan, fresh herb, and chipotle maple), you really have quite a few good options. We recommend the truffle parmesan, because they are another example of truffle fries done right.

14. Super Duper

Various locations

And what would this list be without one of San Francisco’s premiere fast food joints, which serve their fresh-chopped garlic fries with aged cheddar? They’re simple, come out quickly, and are so, so good.

15. Frjtz

590 Valencia Street

Frjtz is San Francisco’s premiere Belgian french fry specialty shop, and though the fries themselves might have mixed reviews, you truly can’t go wrong with their extensive list of creative dipping sauces like the white truffle artichoke ketchup, the ginger orange mayo or the parmesan peppercorn ranch. The fries taste totally different each time you go in and flip the sauces, making this a unique french fry experience.

16. Marlowe

500 Brannan Street

This upscale SOMA restaurant has received many accolades, but the side of Marlowe fries with horseradish aoli are truly something special. Don’t forget to order them even during a fancy dinner—they’ll fit right in.

17. Jamber

858 Folsom Street

Order their delicious poutine during happy hour—AKA, house-cut french fries with cheese curds and gravy. It’s an impossibly good combo.

18. Monk’s Kettle

3141 16th Street

This gastropub has really excellent food on the whole, but they don’t shortcut the fries (some on Yelp even say it’s their favorite thing on the menu). Note: these guys serve a fantastic poutine as well that’s worth exploring.

19. Umami Burger

2184 Union Street & 242 King Street

Yes, another burger chain made the list, but it’s totally deserved. The fries come out with a whole host of delicious dips, and with choices of thin-cut fries, truffle fries, sweet potato, and—yes—maple bacon fries, it’s hard to go wrong. They put in the extra effort with their fry selection, and the every choice is killer.

Source: www.upout.com