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Eat like a local at Outside Lands: 14 SF restaurants serving food at the festival

Peter-Astrid Kane holds the loaded waffle fries at the first day of Outside Lands Music Festival in Golden Gate Park on Friday, August 5, 2022 in San Francisco, Calif. | Camille Cohen/The Standard

Let’s face it: Overspending is inevitable at Outside Lands—especially when it comes to food and drink. But knowing your hard-earned dollars are going to a San Francisco restaurateur may just make those festival prices easier to swallow.

It also helps that our local food scene is fantastic and incredibly diverse. Borsche and momo dumplings at a music festival? Where else are you going to find that?

Read on for a list of local restaurants serving up tasty treats at Outside Lands 2022.

Azalina’s 

Style: Malaysian
Signature Dish: Rolli, Mee Mamak
Neighborhood: Tenderloin

Azalina Eusope—a 5th-generation Malaysian street food vendor from Penang, combines bold Asian flavors with Californian ingredients. Ask her about the best way to enjoy her food and she’ll tell you: “With your hands.” On Azalina’s menu are things like rice hoppers, which are nests of steamed rice noodles, coconut-filled sweet potato dumplings, or noodle dishes like Mee Rebus from the menu.

Abaca

Style: Filipino
Signature Dish: Chicken Pyangyang
Neighborhood: Nob Hill 

Featuring the elegance and vitality of Filipino culture and cuisine, Abaca offers a modern take on old family recipes and flavors. Thin a traditional Filipino dish Chicken Pyanggang, which is grilled chicken served out of a blackened coconut, instead served as a skewer.

Baby Blues BBQ 

Style: Southern Barbecue
Signature Dish:  BBQ Ribs
Neighborhood: Mission District

Baby Blues BBQ | Courtesy Photo

Hearty helpings of barbecue are done in different ways, from Memphis-style brisket to Texas-style ribs. This comfort food will warm you from the inside out and give you the protein you need to keep partying for the rest of your day.

Bini’s Kitchen

Style: Nepalese 
Signature Dish: Momos (Nepalese street food dumplings) 
Neighborhood: SOMA

What is a music festival without mouth-watering street food? Bini’s Kitchen is famous for Momos, a type of dumpling lauded as “the most popular street food in Nepal.” Stuffed with vegetables, lamb, turkey or tofu, Momos are a to-die-for treat, especially when dipped in Bini’s signature tomato and cilantro sauce. 

Borsche Mobile

Style: Eastern European
Signature Dish: Borsche Soup
Neighborhood: Mobile 

Chilled, sour and made from bright red beetroots, borsche is a delightful summer soup to keep you energized throughout the day. Borsche Mobile will be serving this traditional Eastern European dish alongside scrumptious chicken and potato dumplings. 

Curry Up Now  

Style: Indian Street Food
Signature Dish: Deconstructed Samosa
Neighborhood: Bay Area-wide

This popular Indian Streetfood joint serves up a fusion of Latin-inspired dishes mixed with Indian spices. Their unique burritos are filled with chicken tikka masala, saag paneer or lamb stew. They also offer a unique spin on traditional Indian dishes. We recommend trying items like their deconstructed samosas and naan bits.

Fable 

Style: American Contemporary
Signature Dish: Fried Rocky J. Organic Chicken Sandwich
Neighborhood: Castro

Fable | Courtesy Photo

Fable’s commitment to using fresh, seasonal ingredients brings a vibrant twist to California cuisine. Known for their salads and sandwiches, their hearty lunches, full of fresh vegetables, rich spreads, and generously-heaped protein options, are perfect for a break in your day or a walking lunch between concerts. 

Nizario’s

Style: Italian
Signature Dish: Nizarios Special
Neighborhood: Richmond, Mission, Ingleside

When you bite into a pepperoni slice of Nizario’s Pizza, you are actually taking a bite of San Francisco history. This well-known, family-run pizzeria opened in the Richmond neighborhood in 1983 and quickly became well-known for its superior dough and flavorful toppings. Simply put, they stand for “great pizza, and nothing less.”

Otra

Style: Mexican Comfort
Signature Dish:
Black Bean Dip with homemade queso fresco
Neighborhood:
Haight 

The menu for the family-run Mexican restaurant that Chef Nick Cobarruvias and his wife Anna Sager Cobarruvias own and operate was inspired by the chef’s upbringing in Texas, where he ate foods like tamales made from fresh masa. At Otra you’ll discover that the traditional dishes have a unique twist like cod tostados and mushroom tacos.

Om Sabor

Style: Latin Vegan
Signature Dish: Flor de Jamaica Taco
Neighborhood: Hayes Valley

Om Sabor | Courtesy Photo

Om Sabor describes itself as having “cosmic vegan flavors,” and you can experience their cosmic energy with their “meaty” inspired dishes like tacos and burgers while staying vegan!

Palmetto

Style: Superfoods
Signature Dish: Acai
Neighborhood: Richmond, Marina

If you are looking for a healthy way to restore yourself after a big first day on the polo field, a Brazilian Acai Bowl might do the trick. The completely dairy-free menu features a variety of toppings like various fruits, seeds, and nuts to get you back in shape. 

Escape from NY Pizza

Style: New York Style Pizza
Signature Dish: You Say Potato w/ Pesto
Neighborhood: Haight 

This restaurant has become a San Francisco staple, especially their You Say Potato w/ Pesto. These massive slices of pizza are topped with a hefty helping of pesto sauce, red potatoes and whole cloves of garlic, along with plenty of cheese to fill your stomach.

Hard Knox Cafe 

Style: Cajun, Creole
Signature Dish: Fried Chicken
Neighborhood: Bayview, Richmond 

Hard Knox Cafe | Courtesy Photo

Serving Southern homestyle cooking at its most decadent, Hard Knox’s famous fried chicken follows a classic recipe not to be missed (or messed with).

Rosamunde Sausage Grill

Style: Straight-up Sausage
Signature Dish: Duroc Heritage Pork sausage
Neighborhood: Mission 

Grab a link at Rosamunde and fulfill your appetite with savory and juicy pork sausage.

Blue Fay and Ximena Loeza contributed additional reporting for this story.
Meaghan Mitchell can be reached at meaghan@sfstandard.com