Cordon Bleu

Cordon Bleu is a small Vietnamese lunch counter in Lower Nob Hill that looks like it hasn’t changed in about 50 years, but the food is both really good and super affordable. Once you sit down at one of the nine bar stools, one of the ladies behind the counter will ask you what you want. The menu isn’t huge and includes things like veggie spring rolls and spicy pork chops, but the Number 5 - a platter of fried pork spring rolls, shish kebab, and five-spice roasted chicken served over rice with meat sauce and cabbage salad - gets you the most for your money and is what you should order.

Unsurprisingly, you won’t need to eat for a while after this, but if you don’t want to walk around in a post-lunch daze, just go for the chicken instead. You can also get a half chicken to go for about $8 that’s way more interesting than the sad grocery store rotisserie chicken you shoved to the back of your fridge last month.