Little Gem

What: Chic restaurant with a focus on light, healthy dishes

Where: 400 Grove St., Hayes Valley, San Francisco

Pricing: This is what I would call ‘California affordable’ – meaning anywhere else it’d be a bit excessive, but here it seems pretty reasonable

Perfect for: A pleasant but casual weekday meal, eating with that one friend who just went vegan/paleo/gluten-free/etc.

I’m normally one to shy away from anything that calls itself ‘health food’, but on my recent trip to San Francisco there was something about Little Gem that was just calling my name. This trendy minimalist space in Hayes Valley is an excellent place for a relaxed lunch or dinner, and while their food is definitely health-conscious, there are still plenty of delicious choices on the menu. Most of their ingredients are also locally sourced, which was something that really appealed to me.

Little Gem has a bright, clean space that felt calming to me. They have counter service brunch and lunch as well as full-service dinner. Their food options take inspiration from a variety of different places and cuisines, and they use a wide range of rotating seasonal ingredients. Most of the dishes are very Instagrammable as well, as you can see above. I really enjoyed my breakfast plate, which consisted of potato pancakes, scrambled egg, and avocado. I will note that I felt like everything could have used a little bit of extra salt, so be sure to keep that in mind when you’re ordering.

Overall, I thought Little Gem took a concept that could have been incredibly pretentious and made it very accessible. Some of the items are a little pricey, but overall I thought everything was priced reasonably for what it was (although granted, this is San Francisco and ‘reasonable’ is a relative term). This is a versatile little spot that would work well for a variety of different occasions.

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