State Bird Provisions is one of my favorite restaurants in San Francisco, both for quality of food and consistently being such a great experience. This restaurant has both a cart and an a-la-cart menu, having traditional menu-style small plates, as well as an assortment of surprise items that are grabbable off the dim-sum style carts walking around. It’s such an exciting concept for a restaurant because diners have no idea what’s coming next, and are excited to see what the next cart may bring. Diners be warned- it can be so tempting to grab every dim sum item that goes by because it’s a ‘get it while you can mentality,’ but these small plates add up (both in stomach and wallet capacity) rather quickly!

Every item State Bird Provisions serves is well thought out and packs a powerful punch of taste in a small bite. Their portions are small- for someone with an appetite it will likely take a lot of plates to fill you up, so either don’t come really hungry or be prepared to order a lot. With that being said, you will probably WANT to try a lot of their plates, because each one is so intriguing. Their menu changes frequently, so you’ll likely see a seasonal menu, with a few of their staples that linger throughout the year. Certain plates are more worth while than others, but you’ll start to feel that out as soon as you see some start to pass by. General rule of thumb- from the dim sum carts anything sourdough or brad related is great, their veggies tend to be interesting, and their pork belly is incredibly rich with flavor. From the traditional menu, any of their toasts are great and their sourdough sauerkraut ricotta pancakes are a staple.