House of Prime Rib has been around since the 1940s, and it still feels like an ode to the era. Sure, there are far fewer tipped fedoras and shoulder pads, but everything here feels old-school. In the dining room adorned with stained glass clerk lamps and curved maroon leather booths, tuxedoed servers are constantly pushing around silver zeppelins housing slabs of perfectly cooked beef. Decades in, HOPR continues to be one of SF’s most sought-after tables that requires luck or patience (or a combination of both). But it is very much worth the effort. The menu is simple: five cuts of prime rib, a token daily fish option, and sides. You only need to decide a few things: how big of a slice of prime rib you want (the size of your fist or the size of your face), how you want it cooked, and what sides will go along with your meat. Everything unfolds tableside in just the right degree of spectacle. Salads are spun and prime rib is carved an arm’s length away, and while fun to watch, the staff knows how eager guests are to dig in, so it goes by fast. There’s no going wrong with any of the sides, but we always get the potatoes, either mashed or baked, and the creamed spinach. Getting into this classic institution is harder than getting a seat on the 38R at rush hour—reservations are booked a year in advance—but it’s somewhere any meat-lover, visiting or local, should go to at least once. Walk-ins are possible, but you’ll need to get there early and expect a long wait. Thankfully, plenty of bars are nearby to keep you entertained until your table’s ready.