Forkelo ranking · Updated September 2026

Best Tri-Tips in San Francisco.

7 tri-tips across San Francisco, ranked on what people say about the dish itself — never the restaurant's overall rating.

#1
$16.99
9.6 Forkelo score High confidence

32 dish-specific mentions · 97% positive · 3 source types · menu verified September 2026

  • halal
  • slow smoked
  • garlic spread
  • jalapeños

Slow-smoked halal tri-tip, chopped and sauced with garlic spread, cheddar and jalapeños on a loaded roll. Diners call it tender, juicy and generous.

#2

Tri Tip Sandwich

Roxie Food Center · Mission Terrace

$15.99
9.2 Forkelo score High confidence

50 dish-specific mentions · 88% positive · 5 source types · menu verified September 2026

  • smoked tri-tip
  • jalapeños
  • bbq sauce
  • melted cheese

Smoky tri-tip piled with jalapeños, cheese and BBQ sauce on a big roll: a messy, hefty deli sandwich locals swear by. The heat and sauce can bury the meat, and the bread can run dry.

#3
$14.75
8.3 Forkelo score Medium confidence

20 dish-specific mentions · 85% positive · 2 source types · menu verified September 2026

  • mon wed fri only
  • deli sandwich

A Monday, Wednesday and Friday tri-tip sandwich: juicy, smoky sliced beef piled high on a soft roll. Most love it; a few call it nothing special for the price.

#4

Tri-Tip

Per Diem · Financial District

$22.00
8.1 Forkelo score Medium confidence

24 dish-specific mentions · 88% positive · 2 source types · menu verified September 2026

  • lunch only
  • gruyère
  • horseradish
  • au jus

Tender tri-tip with sweet caramelized onions and horseradish on bread hot off the grill, with jus. A big lunch sandwich; a few find it pricey for what it is.

#5
7.1 Forkelo score Medium confidence

19 dish-specific mentions · 58% positive · 3 source types · menu verified September 2026

  • char roasted
  • plate with sides
  • thick sliced

Thick-sliced, char-roasted tri-tip with two sides, tender and smoky on a good day. The cut varies, and some platters come tough, chewy or on the small side.

#6

Tri Tip

Amal's Deli and Market · Haight-Ashbury

$15.00
6.1 Forkelo score Limited data

3 dish-specific mentions · 33% positive · 2 source types · menu verified September 2026

  • deli sandwich
  • choice of cheese

A hot, cheesy tri-tip sandwich on your pick of bread from a Haight Street deli. It can run more bread than meat for the price.

How this ranking works.

Every score is built from evidence about the specific dish: how often locals recommend it, how strongly, how recently, and whether independent sources agree. A restaurant's overall star rating is never converted into a dish score.

Quality and confidence are reported separately. A dish two people loved can score high, but it is marked limited data until more evidence backs it up. The whole calculation — every constant, and three dishes worked through line by line — is written out on the methodology page.

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Tri-Tips · San Francisco

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