The Mint

Civic Center Courthouse Lower
400 McAllister St.
San Francisco, CA
415-431-6468
http://www.mintsf.com/

LA Times Review

Prices: $4.19-$6.99

Mayor Gavin Newsom's favorite lunch spot is a cramped diner in the bowels of the Civic Center Courthouse.

The restaurant isn't much more than a few refrigerator cases, a deli counter and shelves stocked with candy and chips. But location is everything, and on a busy weekday there's a line out the door: attorneys in suits, bored jurors wearing badges, bureaucrats taking a break from the city's business.

I lined up with the rest and ordered the mayor's special lunch: a chicken club wrap — huge chunks of chicken, triangles of sliced tomato, lettuce and Parmesan cheese — a half-pound of salad on a tortilla ($6.99). The sandwich was tasty, the ingredients were fresh and the portion was hearty.

Newsom rounds out lunch with an apple ($1) and Diet Snapple Metabolism Green Tea ($2.99).

"The mayor's our most loyal customer," said Mint owner Reem Nestra.

We loved: joining the city's movers and shakers for lunch.

We didn't love: that the Mint is open only until 3:30 p.m.