pastrami & swiss

george's bbq on 24th, 24th & capp, san francisco

This was the last sandwich I managed to get before departing from my dear, beloved San Francisco. George's BBQ on 24th is a place I first heard about on the exceptional Beer & Nosh, and I'd been curious about it ever since. Actually, I hadn't even ever set foot inside before this visit, despite the fact that I was living less that four blocks away from it while I was still in SF. George's immediately reminded me of another favorite of mine, Pete's BBQ at 20th and Mission. Pete's was responsible for the gentle aroma of roasting chicken that haunts 20th street, and its such a down-home, all-american, nothing-fancy-just-a-good-old-fashioned-hearty-meal eatery that I always want to salute and cry a single tear as I walk past. George's is kinda like that. No pretentions, no crazy dishes, just really honest and simple meals. The BBQ meats are the focus- on my sandwich, the veggies and cheese almost seemed like an afterthought. In fact, it seemed pretty funny to me that George's had gone through all of the effort to make their own pastrami, and that then they garnished the sandwich with some bland cheese and forgettable veggies. But of course, the pastrami was quite tasty, and that was the whole point. Unfortunately there are no options whatsoever for non-meat eaters here, so this joint is for meat-lovers only.