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.