Serving since
1938
88 years in San Francisco
Sears Fine Food
- Go here for
- 18 Swedish pancakes
- Why go
- Plates of 18 small Swedish pancakes on Powell Street, from a family recipe the restaurant has served since 1938.
- Local character
- Visitor destination
- Good to know
- Expect crowds. On Powell Street at Union Square; SFGATE reviewed it in its 'Eat Like a Tourist' series and found it full of holiday tourists.Breakfast and lunch only, 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. daily; dinner menu temporarily unavailable.
Opened on Powell Street in 1938. A historical marker says the Searses first ran a restaurant in San Luis Obispo from 1924 and relocated it in 1938; we use the San Francisco year.
Why it matters
Ben Sears, a retired circus clown, and his wife opened Sears Fine Food on Powell Street, just off Union Square, in 1938. The restaurant built its name on small Swedish pancakes made from a recipe from his wife's Swedish family.
In 2004 the restaurant was renovated and began serving dinner for the first time. Today it serves breakfast and lunch daily.
The story
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Notes on the record
- Sources spell the founder's wife's name differently (Hilbur, Wilbur, Hilda). We leave it out until confirmed.
- A historical marker dates the Searses' first restaurant to 1924 in San Luis Obispo. We show 1938, when the Powell Street restaurant opened.
Details
- Address
- 439 Powell Street, San Francisco, CA 94102
- Neighborhood
- Union Square
- Ownership
- Not verified
- Status
- Open · verified Sep 2026
OldScore
A secondary, editorial measure. The founding year above is the fact that matters most. How it works.
| Age | 25 | / 35 |
|---|---|---|
| Continuity | — | / 20 |
| Local significance | 10 | / 20 |
| Local food culture | 5 | / 15 |
| Independence | — | / 10 |
| OldScore | Not yet scored |
"—" means unknown. We don't publish a total until every part is verified.
Local character: Visitor destination. On Powell Street at Union Square; SFGATE reviewed it in its 'Eat Like a Tourist' series and found it full of holiday tourists. This is separate from OldScore: a place can be popular with visitors and still belong here.
More like this
Sources
- Sears Fine Food (official site) Founding year, Address, Current status, What to order
- Sears Fine Food, Our History (official) Founding year, History, What to order
- The Historical Marker Database, Sears Fine Food marker History
- Time Out San Francisco, Sears Fine Food (2014) What to order
- SFGATE, 'Eat Like a Tourist: Sears Fine Food' (Madeline Wells, Dec 2022) History