Showdogs' Breaskfast Rivals Foreign Cinema | San Francisco

Why is first-rate breakfast a weekend-only affair?

Brunch is fine for hungover weekends, but morning sustenance is often more vital on weekdays, which require sharp synapses and eight hours of concentration.

Enter Showdogs, the Market Street hot dog and sausage emporium. This oasis on a dodgy stretch of Market Street is now serving breakfast Monday through Friday, a welcome addition to the restaurant's excellent lunchtime menu.

Given that Showdogs is the kid sister to Foreign Cinema–where the "Pop-Tarts" filled with house-made jam and balsamic fried eggs are brunch sensations–the bar is high. But one bite of the crisp-edged silver-dollar corn pancakes with molasses syrup ($8), the celery-root hash browns ($4), or the nontraditional huevos rancheros–blue-corn tortillas loaded with white beans, bacon and cheddar (pictured; $9)–and it's clear Showdogs and the Cinema are cracking eggs from the same carton.

The Four Barrel coffee is hot and strong, but if your day promises to be full of mind-numbing hurdles, you might consider a warm glass of Lagunitas Espresso Stout instead–to help put you in a Saturday state of mind.

Showdogs, 1020 Market St.; 415-558-9560 or showdogssf.com