The sun shines a little brighter in North Beach.
The clouds tend to avoid the hills.
Today is grim though, grey skies and an unrelenting breeze.
A good day for coffee; a bad day for Hole in the Wall.
Outside of a stool for the barista, Hole in the Wall has no indoor seating.
Clutching your coffee in the cold is often a part of the experience.
Turning the corner and seeing Jack is always a welcome sight.
When Jack is in the mood, he makes great conversation.
I enjoy our shared silence just the same.
He reads a lot.
Jack is joined by Nick, who has stepped away from his stool to have his lunch.
Nick has been away from Hole in the Wall lately
as he is opening his first restaurant, Lily Coits.
Nick works hard.
You wouldn’t know it.
He is perpetually engaging.
For now, Nick is quiet and focused on his lunch: a bowl of noodle soup.
It's hard to resist pointing out that today is a great day for coffee.
A synchronized glare from these two —
Today is a fine day for coffee, they say,
and a great day for soup.
If you ever get the chance to live in North Beach, do it.
The neighborhood is historic, the community is enchanting, and vice versa.
Residents are shoved into a corner of the city and have been for some time.
Many rarely venture outside the neighborhood,
choosing instead to stay close to home and retell tales about the streets they haunt. Small cafes are abundant and provide a passive audience for storytelling.
Hole in the Wall was my cafe. I went every day.
Hole in the Wall is a sidewalk coffee window about a half block from Washington Square Park. The shop is well-shaded, doesn’t foam milk, and boasts a uniquely diverse clientele. Half are locals, convinced the city is changed forever;
the other half just moved here. It is a fertile crescent for conversation.
Food was always a common denominator. Where we’ve eaten, what to eat, and why.
It was at Hole in the Wall that I was introduced to Hon's Wun Tun House by a
Hole in the Wall veteran, Jack, and the cafe's owner, Nick.
Nick was enjoying Hon’s at the time,
Jack was going once a week.
Prolonged and consistent affection is at the root of any good recommendation.
It's a good recommendation because it’s always good.
From North Beach, Hon’s is a brief walk down Columbus and a short trot along Kearny. Portsmouth Square is worth the stop if you’re into skateboarding or playing cards. Hon’s is right across the street.
Anyone would be quick to realize that Hon's is special. It looks the part.
Humble signage, open seats, and frequented by the elderly.
You have to live in a city for a long time to learn about a place like this.
I’ve mentioned Hon’s to many who have lived in SF longer than me;
nobody ever knows what I’m talking about.
I got lucky.
Hon’s menu is large, numbered, and intimidating.
You can tell Hon knows how to do a handful of proteins, vegetables, noodles and dumplings well and has imagined 100. different ways to combine them.
Jack made things easy by telling me to look no further than B1.
In total, Jack recommends four dishes: B1. House Special Dumpling Noodle Soup,
H1. Spicy Szechuan Wontons, A6. Cold Beef Tripe and A7. Scallion Pancake.
I’ve returned to Hons a dozen times since my first visit and this, minus the tripe,
has been my order every time. If I’m ever craving cold tripe, Hon’s will be the place. Until then, it will remain omitted from my order. Jack won’t let it go,
he says it's his favorite thing. I trust Jack and I recommend the tripe on his behalf.
Outside of his insistence on intenstine,
Jack’s order provides a well-curated Hon's experience.
Hon's soup is made to order in the restaurant’s front window,
the Szechuan wontons are flavorful and dressed in a chili crunch, sesame, vinegar mixture that is best used to season one’s soup,
and the scallion pancake is an achievement.
Flakey, chewy, oily, oniony, and golden brown.
Hon’s has defined what I should expect from a scallion pancake for the rest of my life.
Since my introduction, Hon’s has become my favorite place to show people.
Your first visit feels like you’ve struck gold.
This is the shit you see on the travel channel
they just haven’t made it here yet.