Okay, so there's your usual restaurant options where you sit someplace, or maybe stand in a line indoors, and then there's street food. These wares are peddled by folks with carts or cars, often catering to the drunk or immediately in need, and sometimes hilariously delicious and terrible for you.
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Hot dog stands are found in dense tourist areas, like Union Square or Fisherman's Wharf. Some hot dog stands specialize in hot dogs wrapped in bacon that are fried on the spot (popular in the Mission).
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Taco trucks roam the Mission and elsewhere, selling greasy Mexican food
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Ice cream can be bought from carts around the city (usually they have bells on the cart)
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Street mango vendors will sell you fresh mango dipped in spices.
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Street corn is grilled corn, possibly covered in mayo with spices on it, also popular in the mission
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Tamales are wheeled around town, and Tamale Lady (and her imitators such as "vegan tamale dudes") will often pop into bars. Sometimes tamale-sellers position themselves outside the Mission BART stations and sell to riders coming up from the escalators. Seriously, how good would a tamale be right now?
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Occasionally you'll see people selling fruits or vegetables from a truck (almost as a sort of one-person farmers market).
