"The casual institution (with locations in the Tenderloin and Ingleside, plus a couple of East Bay outposts) has been around since before Bluetooth was invented—probably because the curries, biryanis, and other Pakistani Indian dishes are consistently excellent. Pakwan is always packed with people standing in line, waiting for their turn at a table and some tikka masala. Still, things run smoothly here, so you'll easily secure a table for that spontaneous Monday night dinner." - julia chen 1, lani conway, ricky rodriguez