"This French bistro in Hayes Valley serves the hearty, butter-heavy comfort food you want when your social battery gets depleted after a week of going into the office. Soothe yourself with still-steaming mussels, and french onion soup loaded with what could be half a wheel of gruyere. Another perk of coming alone is that you won’t have to wait for a table—the always-packed restaurant has a bar that usually has seats available. " - julia chen 1, lani conway, ricky rodriguez