San Francisco Guidebook
Food scene
one part Hawaiian, one part Californian, and one part Chinese. All fancy.
55 locals recommend
Liholiho Yacht Club
871 Sutter Streetone part Hawaiian, one part Californian, and one part Chinese. All fancy.
Tartine Manufactory
595 Alabama StYum coffee and brunch
Lazy Bear
3416 19th StA dining experience worth every penny.
La Taqueria
2889 Mission StTwo words: Carne asada
Zuni Café
1658 Market StAn oldie but a goodie. The chicken is still the best in town
Nopa
560 Divisadero StMy favorite restaurant in the city
Cotogna
490 Pacific AveThe best italian food in the city
Kokkari Estiatorio
200 Jackson StA greek staple.
Sorrel
3228 Sacramento StAmazing new spot
Swan Oyster Depot
1517 Polk Stdelicious fresh seafood, worth the wait
Coqueta
Pier 5 The EmbarcaderoAmazing Spanish tapas and view of the bay
Che Fico
838 Divisadero Sthouse-made pizza, pasta, and salumi in a vibrant space.
Outerlands
4001 Judah StBest brunch
China Live
644 BroadwayA multi-floored ode to modern Chinese food
The Ferry Building becomes San Francisco’s prime food destination during the Saturday Ferry Plaza farmers’ market, which brings more than 80 farmers and purveyors to the plaza surrounding the building, selling everything from rare citrus to small-batch miso to Nepalese dumplings. There's much to eat at other times, too. The famed Cowgirl Creamery offers decadent grilled cheese sandwiches, as well as their famous Mt. Tam cheese. The ever-popular Hog Island Oyster Company has an outpost serving briny oysters pulled from its flagship location on Tomales Bay . Also in the building are sister restaurants Boulette’s Larder and Boulibar, known for seasonal cuisine and wood-fired flatbreads. Boulette’s is currently open for take-out, while Boulibar has a 56-seat dining pop-up outside. And Blue Bottle's location here brews some of San Francisco's favorite coffee. Over the summer of 2020, the Ferry Building debuted an expanded outdoor seating area, which can accommodate 228 guests, making the building one of the largest venues for Bay Area residents to dine outdoors.
189 locals recommend
Ferry Building
The Ferry Building becomes San Francisco’s prime food destination during the Saturday Ferry Plaza farmers’ market, which brings more than 80 farmers and purveyors to the plaza surrounding the building, selling everything from rare citrus to small-batch miso to Nepalese dumplings. There's much to eat at other times, too. The famed Cowgirl Creamery offers decadent grilled cheese sandwiches, as well as their famous Mt. Tam cheese. The ever-popular Hog Island Oyster Company has an outpost serving briny oysters pulled from its flagship location on Tomales Bay . Also in the building are sister restaurants Boulette’s Larder and Boulibar, known for seasonal cuisine and wood-fired flatbreads. Boulette’s is currently open for take-out, while Boulibar has a 56-seat dining pop-up outside. And Blue Bottle's location here brews some of San Francisco's favorite coffee. Over the summer of 2020, the Ferry Building debuted an expanded outdoor seating area, which can accommodate 228 guests, making the building one of the largest venues for Bay Area residents to dine outdoors.
The Proper Hotel is stunning, and this rooftop bar gives you amazing views of the city
32 locals recommend
Charmaine's
45 McAllister StThe Proper Hotel is stunning, and this rooftop bar gives you amazing views of the city
Atelier Crenn
3127 Fillmore St Dominique Crenn's signature SF restaurant.
Padrecito
901 Cole StCute local mexican restaurant that means a lot to us
Ragazza
311 Divisadero StCute local italian restaurant that means a lot to us
Museum
San Francisco Museum of Modern Art
151 3rd St
de Young Museum
50 Hagiwara Tea Garden DrNeighborhoods
San Francisco’s Chinatown looms large in our collective imagination, and rightly so. Born during the California Gold Rush years, it dates back further than any other Chinese community in North America and, spanning 30 city blocks, it’s also the largest neighborhood of its kind outside Asia. The neighborhood unfolds slowly as you explore its nooks and crannies. Around every corner is something new and wondrous: down one side alley sits Tin How Temple, a quiet, incense-filled space where locals gather to pray; down another sits Golden Gate Fortune Cookie Factory, a small shop where workers rapid-fold fortune cookies beneath a soundtrack of whirring machinery. You’ll see a real cross-section of humanity here—families eating dim sum, older Chinese men playing cards, influencers snapping selfies on Grant Avenue, and tourists hunting for souvenirs (prices are cheaper here than in Union Square and Pier 39).
551 locals recommend
Chinatown
San Francisco’s Chinatown looms large in our collective imagination, and rightly so. Born during the California Gold Rush years, it dates back further than any other Chinese community in North America and, spanning 30 city blocks, it’s also the largest neighborhood of its kind outside Asia. The neighborhood unfolds slowly as you explore its nooks and crannies. Around every corner is something new and wondrous: down one side alley sits Tin How Temple, a quiet, incense-filled space where locals gather to pray; down another sits Golden Gate Fortune Cookie Factory, a small shop where workers rapid-fold fortune cookies beneath a soundtrack of whirring machinery. You’ll see a real cross-section of humanity here—families eating dim sum, older Chinese men playing cards, influencers snapping selfies on Grant Avenue, and tourists hunting for souvenirs (prices are cheaper here than in Union Square and Pier 39).
This is our favorite neighborhood - it's got everything from cute local shops, to great food to amazing coffee.
223 locals recommend
Hayes Valley
This is our favorite neighborhood - it's got everything from cute local shops, to great food to amazing coffee.
Sightseeing
Lands End Trail
Lands End TrailAmazing trail with breathtaking views of the golden gate bridge
The Mission's famous street art, which spills out of alleys, splashes across the exterior of grocery stores and bodegas, and covers homes, is one of its most pronounced characteristics. Some pieces are commissioned, others more spontaneous, but all of it contributes to the neighborhood’s character. The spots you should make sure to hit if you’re touring around are Balmy Alley, just off Mission and 24th Streets, and Clarion Alley near the 16th Street BART station. If you have a bit more time, check out the neighborhood’s major mural corridors, 24th Street from Valencia to Portrero Avenue and Mission Street from the corner of 15th Street to Cesar Chavez. For a real deep dive, contact Precita Eyes Muralists, a nonprofit that runs street art tours of the neighborhood.
355 locals recommend
Mission District
The Mission's famous street art, which spills out of alleys, splashes across the exterior of grocery stores and bodegas, and covers homes, is one of its most pronounced characteristics. Some pieces are commissioned, others more spontaneous, but all of it contributes to the neighborhood’s character. The spots you should make sure to hit if you’re touring around are Balmy Alley, just off Mission and 24th Streets, and Clarion Alley near the 16th Street BART station. If you have a bit more time, check out the neighborhood’s major mural corridors, 24th Street from Valencia to Portrero Avenue and Mission Street from the corner of 15th Street to Cesar Chavez. For a real deep dive, contact Precita Eyes Muralists, a nonprofit that runs street art tours of the neighborhood.
Golden Gate Park houses some of San Francisco’s most beloved institutions—the Victorian-era glass-ensconced Conservatory of Flowers, the de Young Fine Arts Museum, and the Academy of Sciences, among them—as well as less famous attractions such as the bison paddock, Shakespeare’s Garden and the north and south windmills. On Sundays, the main drive is closed to cars. Bicyclists, rollerskaters, and eager Lindy Hop aficionados take over the streets.
1721 locals recommend
Golden Gate Park
Golden Gate Park houses some of San Francisco’s most beloved institutions—the Victorian-era glass-ensconced Conservatory of Flowers, the de Young Fine Arts Museum, and the Academy of Sciences, among them—as well as less famous attractions such as the bison paddock, Shakespeare’s Garden and the north and south windmills. On Sundays, the main drive is closed to cars. Bicyclists, rollerskaters, and eager Lindy Hop aficionados take over the streets.
The most famous ones—there are hundreds of houses—can be found in NoPa, the Lower Haight, Haight-Ashbury, and Cole Valley neighborhoods. But there’s one row, in particular, so iconic that it’s simply referred to as “the Painted Ladies” (or sometimes “Postcard Row”): the houses of 710-720 Steiner Street at the corner of Hayes Street. These gals have appeared in an estimated 70 movies, ads, and TV shows including, yes, Full House. You can’t enter the Painted Ladies (real people live there), but you can get a great view and a photo of your own from the east-facing hillside of Alamo Square across the street.
300 locals recommend
Painted Ladies
Hayes StreetThe most famous ones—there are hundreds of houses—can be found in NoPa, the Lower Haight, Haight-Ashbury, and Cole Valley neighborhoods. But there’s one row, in particular, so iconic that it’s simply referred to as “the Painted Ladies” (or sometimes “Postcard Row”): the houses of 710-720 Steiner Street at the corner of Hayes Street. These gals have appeared in an estimated 70 movies, ads, and TV shows including, yes, Full House. You can’t enter the Painted Ladies (real people live there), but you can get a great view and a photo of your own from the east-facing hillside of Alamo Square across the street.
It may be miles from the ocean, but sunny Mission Dolores Park might just be the most popular 'beach' in San Francisco. Any weekend above 60 degrees and every green inch of the park is guaranteed to be packed with barbecues, locals lounging on inflatable couches, hula-hoopers, and tightrope walkers. Recently expanded restrooms and an updated playground for little ones make the convergence a little more comfortable. The southwest slope offers the best views of the downtown skyline and a variety of manscaping on what is known as the 'Fruit Shelf'.
1244 locals recommend
Mission Dolores Park
19th Street It may be miles from the ocean, but sunny Mission Dolores Park might just be the most popular 'beach' in San Francisco. Any weekend above 60 degrees and every green inch of the park is guaranteed to be packed with barbecues, locals lounging on inflatable couches, hula-hoopers, and tightrope walkers. Recently expanded restrooms and an updated playground for little ones make the convergence a little more comfortable. The southwest slope offers the best views of the downtown skyline and a variety of manscaping on what is known as the 'Fruit Shelf'.