Build a Potato

Last summer, I saw an article about a brand new restaurant, Hot Spud,  that serves entirely build-it-yourself baked potatoes. Being a potato lover and an obsessive trendy food trier, I was 110% on board... until I read the location: Fisher-freaking-man's Wharf. File that one away under "never." As a snooty wannabe local SF-er, I HATE Fisherman's Wharf. Even the thought of it brings back horrible memories of my family's dysfunctional vacation there when I was 8 years old.

potato ordering bar

Then I took on the task of localizing Carlos who has been highly sheltered from SF experiences.  He suggested we check out Musée Mécanique at the pier. As much as I dreaded it, this place sounded pretty awesome, so I agreed to head over as long as I got my potato for lunch.

menu with options

We decided to try our luck on Sunday. Luckily the weather was gorgeous and it was fairly early, so things were pleasant. I even found a free parking space only a few blocks away after some patient circling :D!! This set the right tone for the afternoon.

Hot Spud is located just a street away from the main Wharf area, but it didn't seem too badly touristy. They have a cute, modern interior with both counter and table seating. When you enter you see a giant bar of all the toppings. You are allowed to either choose a recommended combo or you can make your own from scratch. Toppings range from meats, to tons of veggies (including jalapenos, corn, even some fruits), to sauces, to things like tortilla strips. It's essentially a salad bar for a potato. AWESOME!!!

sharon's potato

We both ordered pre-made combo potatoes that we totally substituted in to customized items. Mine was a steak potato with chipotle sauce, corn, green onions, peas, and jalapenos. He ordered a chicken one with alfredo sauce, cheese, jalapenos, corn, bacon.... and I'm not even sure. They were pretty tasty! The only thing I didn't like was the chipotle sauce on mine, it had an odd flavor. Everything else was really good. I ended up eating like a third of his potato because the alfredo sauce was such win.

The place is slightly pricey, around $9 for a potato. They give a local discount though (to me at least, haha apparently Carlos's accent and flusteredness made him seem like a tourist), and I think everything in that neighborhood is expensive due to the rent.

carlos's potato! so much win <3 mmmm

I really liked the worker, he cared about our experience and came to ask if we were enjoying it. Next time you are in that area, skip Bubba Gump's, Rain Forest, Hard Rock... and check this place out!