"Before you balk at the inclusion of a diner chain on this list, recall that before it ballooned to dozens of locations, Mel’s got its start right here in San Francisco way back in 1947. The Lombard location was the first of a second generation of Mel’s restaurants, founded by Steven Weiss, the son of original founder Mel Weiss, along with partner Donald Wagstaff. It’s a chrome-accented homage to all things Americana with a menu of breakfast, burgers, salads, and milkshakes designed to satisfy anyone and everyone." - Lauren Saria