A storefront with a vibrant painted exterior featuring abstract patterns and a wooden sign in front

GTE
San Francisco

Good to Eat

  • Taiwanese
  • Outdoor Dining
  • Casual
  • Family Friendly

Proudly queer-, female-, and immigrant-owned, Good to Eat is a mom-and-mom spot from chef Tony Tung and partner Angie Lin, who gently school the Bay Area on the breadth and depth of Taiwanese cooking. They started Good to Eat as a pop-up in 2017, serving long and crispy pot stickers. Then the pair opened this brick-and-mortar in Emeryville in 2021, expanding the menu with noodles, claypots, grilled whole fish, fried chicken cutlets, kimchi, and so much more. It’s worth the short side trip to Emeryville, and tickets go fast for the ja ban bae (“have you eaten yet?”) monthly tasting menus, offering a guided experience through 12 to 15 special dishes inspired by Taiwanese roadside banquets. But there’s no need to plan ahead on weeknights, when they keep it casual and walk-in only, and friends and families gather on the heated back patio strung with cafe lights.

When I lived in Oakland, I used to go there at least once a week. Good to Eat celebrates more traditional Taiwanese dishes, beyond pot stickers and dumplings.
A person with dark hair wearing a patterned top facing forward
Nite Yun

Nite's Perfect Order

Grilled eggplant topped with a savory sauce sesame seeds greens and chili flakes plated on a dish for serving

GTE

Lu-Rou Fan

Yun loves this “unassuming” dish with braised minced pork belly, smothered in a thick brown sauce, and served over rice.

Taiwanese Soy-Glazed Eggplants

An eggplant is split in half, seared until creamy, glazed in sweet sauce, and offered with or without a pile of noodles. (Get the noodles!)

Taiwanese Golden Kimchi

The restaurant’s dedication to fermenting is on full display with this golden kimchi packed with crinkled cabbage and funky tofu, with a sour tang from apple cider vinegar.

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