Many an eater has left their heart in San Francisco. Some, like me, stuck around for good after that first bite. When I first told my mother that I wasn’t going to law school, but was instead moving to San Francisco to start a career in food justice, we had what one might diplomatically call a "difficult conversation." Thirteen years later, I hold a deep love for a city that has taught me to nourish—and resist—for most of my adult life. (And Mom’s proud, in case you were wondering.)

From crusty slabs of natural sourdough to warming bowls of tonkotsu ramen and heirloom varieties of fruit you might not be able to pronounce, there's no shortage of evidence that San Francisco has rightfully earned its title of world-class food destination. This didn’t happen by accident. Situated on traditional, un-ceded Ohlone land, the raw beauty of San Francisco’s surroundings and a real shot at economic opportunity have drawn diverse diasporas to the City by the Bay for two centuries. And each has left a delectable mark.

Chinese railroad laborers and miners established the country’s oldest Chinatown, morphing Cantonese dishes into Anglicized shrimp in lobster sauce and chop suey. Italian fishermen in North Beach favored a Genovese specialty: Ligurian focaccia. African-American naval-shipyard workers never forgot their Southern roots and love of barbecue while living in Butchertown (present-day Bayview). And, while the cultural significance of the Mission burrito cannot be underestimated, regional treats such as huaraches, mole, and sauce-soaked tortas are a nod to the steady flow of Mexican migration, from braceros to revolutionaries.

San Francisco is also bordered by over 100 miles of verdant farmland and ranches, aided by northern California’s mostly temperate climate and a long growing season. Bounded by both the sea and the bay, the city has also long sustained fishing communities up and down the California coast (thank you, Dungeness crab). It’s no wonder people here love to eat—how can we help ourselves?

Our food scene can be as mercurial as our weather—skyrocketing rents mean more restaurant closures than we can bring ourselves to count—but one thing remains the same: There are delicious treasures in every corner of San Francisco, if you know where to look. Our collective diet is shaped by our neighborhoods, nostalgia, and novelty. Eating like a local is a sincere commitment to preserving the old school, while steadily supporting an earnest new school.

While not even an encyclopedia could capture the dynamic foodscape of San Francisco, my list is a humble, short offering to a city that keeps my stomach full and my heart even more so.