Diners enjoy MoMo's new outside arbor deck across the street from Oracle Park in San Francisco, Calif., Tuesday, Feb. 10, 2023. (Karl Mondon/Bay Area News Group)
The only thing better than decking yourself out in orange and black for a day at the ballpark is some delicious food to go with it. You can certainly eat inside San Francisco’s Oracle Park — who doesn’t love Organic Coup or The Lumpia Company?
But if you’re looking for something before or after the game, there are plenty of options for reasonably priced, tasty eats between SoMa and Mission Bay, and many are within a 10-minute walk. Some even have waterfront and ballpark views. Neighborhood restaurateurs, such as Scott Morton of MoMo’s, take great pride in matching the excitement of orange-clad fans with stellar hospitality.
“It’s a full house on most game days, and my job is to put on the best show I can,” Morton says. “Hospitality and maintaining a fun atmosphere are a big part of that.”
Here’s everything you need to know about MoMo’s, which is celebrating 25 years in the neighborhood, and four other restaurants where you can have a memorable meal on game day — or any day.
MoMo’s
This American bar and grill checks multiple game-day boxes, from waterfront views and hearty eats to a stellar happy hour. Former Momo’s general manager Scott Morton and his wife and MoMo’s events director, Caitlyn, took over ownership in 2019, and recently completed a refresh that includes newly upholstered booths, fresh coats of paint and an impressive arbor atop the 80-seat deck. It protects outdoor diners from the sun in the summer and rain in the spring.
MoMo’s prides itself on a menu of accessible dishes, including meal-sized salads, wood-fired pizzas, a half-pound burger with griddled onions and eight shareable appetizers, such as Brussels sprouts with pancetta and crispy chicken wings with housemade chile pepper sauce. It’s the kind of place you can get both spinach gnocchi and fish tacos with roasted pineapple salsa.
The dish: Don’t miss the French Dip sandwich ($21). Sliced New York strip is layered with provolone on a warm baguette slathered in horseradish aioli, with a side of au jus for dipping. Don’t forget the fries.
Details: Opens at 11:30 a.m. Monday-Saturday at 760 Second St. in San Francisco; www.sfmomos.com.
New Belgium Brewing Taproom & Restaurant
This massive, 6,300-square foot brewery and restaurant opened its doors just in time for the Giants’ first home game day of the season in 2021, a fitting debut for an establishment overlooking Oracle Park. New Belgium is based in Colorado, but the menu, brews and talent here are all San Francisco. Head brewer Ramon Tamayo came over from Russian River Brewing Company to join the lineup, and Noosh founders Laura and Sayat Ozyilmaz launched the menu, which is now executed by chef Antonio Padilla.
Inside, colorful bicycles dangle from the ceiling in bright contrast to the industrial steel beams. A blue sign — “Smile, beer loves you” — beckons you to the bar, where a dozen taps offer a mix of small batch, classic Belgian-style brews, experimental hoppy beers and sour blends. Anchoring the small menu of global, seasonal eats are 10 shareable starters, such as Mexican spiced peanuts and a warm, Bavarian pretzel served with beer cheese fondue, and six entrees, including mussels steamed in garlic and beer, naturally.
The dish: Fried Cauliflower ($10). Among the restaurant’s home-run dishes, these tempura batter-dipped florets are fried to a crisp and served with a side of ranch dipping sauce.
Details: Open from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily at 1000A Third St.; www.newbelgium.com/visit/san-francisco.
Little Skillet at Victory Hall & Parlor
Preposterously crispy fried chicken and golden, fluffy yeasted waffles make Little Skillet one of the most delicious choices for dinner near Oracle Park. You can add craft cocktails to that winning combination, since the Southern food gem is located inside Deanna Sison’s revamped bar, Victory Hall & Parlor.
Inside the historic building that once housed one of San Francisco’s first gay bath houses and later, the storied 330 Ritch nightclub, Victory Hall & Parlor is modern yet cozy, with brick walls, exposed wood beams and a bar lined with pendant lights and soft, leather-backed stools. The Little Skillet menu is focused on that fried chicken, which owes its dynamite flavor to an overnight brine. It comes in two-, three- and eight-piece orders alongside a bevy of classic sides. Don’t miss the bar menu — available starting at 4 p.m. — which features slow-roasted pulled pork sliders and Old Bay deviled eggs with crispy garlic.
The dish: Fried chicken, of course. The Works ($21) gets you two pieces of that glorious bird with a housemade waffle and side of your choice. We recommend the jalapeño kale slaw.
Details: Opens at 11:30 a.m. weekdays and 10:30 a.m. weekends at 360 Ritch St.; www.littleskilletsf.com
Underdogs Cantina
Craving affordable Mexican food? Look for the Giants flag billowing above the orange-and-white surfboard logo, and you’ll know you’re in the right place. Located just across the street from Oracle Park, Underdogs Cantina is a casual Mexican restaurant specializing in street tacos, burritos and quesadillas. It’s the kind of place you’ll find flautas, elote and a cheeseburger in burrito form.
Inside the split-level dining room, it’s festive and roomy with a mix of booths and tables, including plenty of seating at the full bar, where you’ll find multiple flat screens for catching the game. The epic happy hour (4:30-6 p.m. daily) includes everything from two-buck churros to five-dollar margies.
As for the menu, best come hungry. Those burritos, especially the San Francisco, a Mission-style favorite loaded with meat, cheese, rice, beans, guacamole and pico de gallo, are giant. And don’t skip dessert: Underdogs serves a Mexican chocolate mousse made with Ghirardelli chocolate.
The dish: Crispy Taco ($5.75-$8.75). You’ll want a few of these legendary tacos that fill grilled corn tortillas with your choice of carne asada, chicken, Baja-style fish or cauliflower and all the fixings.
Details: Opens at 11 a.m. daily at 128 King St.; https://underdogscantina.com
21st Amendment Brewery & Restaurant
Over the past 23 years, brewery founders Shaun O’Sullivan and Nico Freccia have helped establish South Beach as a lively epicenter. Just two blocks from Oracle Park, the 21st Amendment brewery and restaurant inside the familiar blue corner building is a dynamite hub for comfort food and iconic beers (What will the next seasonal Hell or High Water fruit beer be?)
Whether you’re perched inside the brightly lit brewpub or accompanying furry friends on the rear patio, 21st Amendment typically offers at least 10 beers on tap — a recent lineup featured everything from a rich, black IPA called Back in Black to a light and crisp Mexican lager, El Sully. And the restaurant serves up a hefty menu of appetizers, soups, salads, burgers, pizzas and larger entrees, like a rotisserie-style half jerk chicken and baby back ribs slathered in house beer-barbecue sauce.
The dish: Sharing or not, you’ll want the tater tot nachos ($14) topped with two kinds of cheese and cilantro-spiked sour cream. On chilly days, the Brew Free! or Die Chili ($7/$10), made with red beans, fresh-ground chuck and the brewery’s signature IPA, hits the spot.
Details: Opens at 11 a.m. daily at 563 Second St.; https://21st-amendment.com.
