Known far and wide for day parties on its back patio and cheap Tecate at its cash bar, El Rio never fails to dazzle out of towners and please regulars. It leans queer, but, per the slogan, it’s “Your Dive.” All are welcome, including several longhair cats who usually make themselves comfortable on the patio during the daytime. For takeout, they’re partnering with Frisco Pink, so fans can pair a margarita with a tamale to go.

The rare new restaurant that dared to open during the pandemic, Marlena is a neighborhood gem from a Michelin-starred power couple. They snapped up that sweet corner spot across from Precita Park, on the sunny and quiet North Slope. It’s an exciting date night option, with an affordable prix fixe, and a real dessert menu from a serious pastry chef, which is a rare treat these days. Plus, picnic baskets stuffed with cheese and charcuterie, ready to roll to the park.

Top San Francisco brewery Cellarmaker made its mark on Bernal with its second casual brewpub — and first pizza operation. Juicy IPAs, barrel-aged dark beers, and refreshing sour beers are all here. And while square, Detroit-inspired pizza is the big draw, a great mix of sides and small plates built around seasonal produce rounds out the menu.

Pinball wizards of all ages go wild for Outer Orbit, which usually combines Hawaiian food (spam musubi, loco moco, shaved ice), nine pinball machines, and tropical-leaning beers (adults only). The vibe is casual and lighthearted, with the after-school family crowd giving way to a more mature mix of patrons in the evening.

Punk is alive and well and getting plastered at the Knockout. The bar’s associated with nearby punk record store and label Thrillhouse Records, hence its leanings. The venue is usually a big scene with beer and music and dancing, but the pandemic has chilled out the show and moved it outside. They’ve got disco and funk listening parties in the parklet, and are featuring food from Outer Orbit.

Emmy’s knows its audience — families and Bernal locals — and plays to the crowd. Its adorably hand-drawn menu includes specials and popular zucchini noodles — or “zoodles” — but don’t skip the signature spaghetti with massive meatballs. And drinks are affordable, from the house wine to tall boys of beer.

Opened in 1953, Mitchell’s is a pillar of the local ice cream scene. Family run and family oriented, it’s a gathering place as well as an ice cream parlor. Take a number deli style and be prepared to wait for Americana classics like rocky road and Oreo and the wildly popular and bright purple ube.

Casual atmosphere and excellent pizza are the hallmarks of PizzaHacker, which started as a pop-up passion project. Fans used to be able to snag a seat at the beer hall tables in this former bank space with a soaring ceiling and order off the chalkboard menu, but now the pies are available for takeout and delivery. Recommended: The spicy and sweet “Yo Vinny!” and the solid “kale Caesar!” salad.

A success story out of local cooking incubator La Cucina, chef Isabel Caudillo brought slow-simmered stews and hand-shaped tortillas to her permanent restaurant home. Specialties at El Buen Comer include rich guisados, as well as sopes and tostadas, not to mention brunch chilaquiles.

Cafe St. Jorge is a local favorite for toast, coffee, and specialty Portuguese pastry like pastel de nata, a sweet egg custard tart. It’s usually a favorite WiFi and laptop work spot, but these days the coffee is still strong to go.

由一群注冊導遊啤酒其實並打開ts, Old Devil Moon is a sizable neighborhood bar with a voodoo-ish theme. As you might guess, the owners have pulled together a top-of-the-line beer selection, now available to go. Cocktails are also excellent, and New Orleans-inspired food is served.

Pinhole is a brightly lit, serene coffee shop. In a former butcher shop and grocery store from the 1880s, the cafe is a neighborhood favorite where baristas know their customers’ names. Most important, Pinhole’s drinks are great. The cafe uses Verve Coffee for espresso drinks, Linea for drip coffee, and no coffee at all in their child-friendly “kiduccino” — just steamed milk with honey.

Avedano’s may look like an old-school butcher shop thanks to its historic space, but it’s got a new-school, humanely raised meat ethos. Their panino sandwiches are an excellent introduction to the establishment, and they’ve also served up some hot items during the pandemic, with shepherd’s pie and chicken pot pie to fight cooking fatigue.

The highest-end offering on Cortland — see the oft-Instagrammed uni crème brûlée — 3rd cousin is still fine dining with a more casual Bernal vibe. Chef Greg Lutes has mostly matched his lofty ambitions to the neighborhood, and his restaurant is worth a date night trip.

A Bernal bar holding it down for the area’s historically lesbian population, Wild Side West was founded by a lesbian couple in Oakland in 1962 and moved to its current location in 1976. The owners have since passed away, but the Wild Side still leans queer. It’s best known for a giant backyard garden with drinking nooks and bizarre sculptures.

Black Jet holds down this end of Cortland as a favorite corner bakery. Owner Gillian Shaw is a hardworking baker and former East Coaster, and she’s known for grandma-style cakes, with rustic sides and generous sprinkles, all-butter and extra crumbly pies, and hot takes on childhood treats like Pop-Tarts and Oreos.