The fried chicken at Farmerbrown is justly famous for its light crisp skin encapsulating tender juicy meat, all ready for a douse of fiery hot sauce and sides of mac and cheese and collard greens. You could even say it’s good for you—free-range, hormone-free and without antibiotics. You could also say that nobody does Southern-style food in San Francisco like chef-owner Jay Foster, who also turns out a mean shrimp and grits with sweet corn, perfectly seasoned pork chops with fried brussels sprouts, and original mixology, as in the Tenderloin Shandy cocktail, made with home-brewed ginger beer and Scrimshaw pilsner. All this good cooking is wrapped inside a dimly lit oasis inflected with riveting artwork by Berkeley's legendary Keba Konte, among others. Brunch is accompanied by great live soul and R&B from the Bayonics rhythm section, Hot Pocket. DJs spin Monday, Wednesday and Friday—on Monday while you make short work of $5 specialty cocktails and $10 chicken, catfish, or red beans and rice plates. The chicken and waffle weekend brunch buffet includes reasonably priced carafes of mimosas, proving that Farmer Brown is not only the ideal place to spend an evening but the perfect place to begin recovering from the night before.

Shrimp and stone-ground grits, sweet white corn, bell pepper
Fried chicken breast, drumstick, collard greens, mac and cheese
Pork chops and apple sauce, mashed potatoes, escarole salad
Farmerbrown burger, rémoulade, heirloom tomatoes and onions
*menu changes frequently
view full menu here

The long bar is a lively scene. Choose a table near the back of the restaurant for quiet conversation.

Jay Foster and his co-owner and wife, Deanna Foster, show a commitment to supporting African-American farmers by sourcing produce from their farms; the restaurant began with a strong relationship with the Will Scott family farm.

dinner: Sun.–Wed. 5 PM–10 PM; Thurs.–Sat. 5 PM–11 PM
brunch: Sat.–Sun. 10 AM–2:30 PM
happy hour: Mon.–Fri. 5 PM–7 PM

$12 (burger) to $23.95 (pork chop)