Yes, I supposed if compared to the fifth largest city in the world, San Francisco isn't a gigantic, sprawling metropolis.

Come on.

The only “real” city in the USA is Manhattan. SF does not come close to qualifying as one. Let me know when I can get dinner reservations at more the 2 places at midnight. The streets roll up at around 10pm. Just for perspective I would argue the only real city in the world is Tokyo.

Very few cities in the world have the sort of late night options you talk about. London sure doesn't. And you start excluding cities like London from a list of "real cities" and you have to wonder if your criteria need to be adjusted a bit.

I can get dinner at midnight in London and Paris.

As someone who frequently flies into London relatively late at night, it's not easy to get a decent meal at 11pm, Of course, I'm not sure the options for a decent meal in Manhattan at that hour are great either. The number of fast food restaurants open don't really count and London is better if you know where some of the ethnic enclaves are.

NYC is definitely more of a "city that never sleeps" than most but its hours are not the norm for most major world cities.

Try these two links. A mix of food with last orders at 1130 up until 2am for some.

https://www.hot-dinners.com/Features/Hot-Dinners-recommends/...

https://www.standard.co.uk/go/london/restaurants/midnight-fe...