Going to San Francisco? I've put together some of my top spots for when guests are in town! This list is best for a second or third time to SF, as you'll want to hit all of the popular sites the first time around. Ready to take a deeper dive into San Francisco, then read on :)
TO EAT
Beretta | 1199 Valencia St.
I discovered Beretta long before I lived in San Francisco, and it quickly became one of my favorite spots. It's small, dark, and intimate, perfect for a date night, or even for a group. It is always a little louder in there, but I enjoy that. They serve up yummy cocktails, neopolitan-style pizzas, and new-Italian deliciousness. Everything is local and organic, too!
My favorites: burrata margherita pizza, herb-onion bread
Media Noche | 3465 19th St.
(across from Wildhawk, see “drink” section)
Not completely authentic, but still delicious, Media Noche puts a contemporary spin on Cuban food. As if good food isn't enough, entire restaurant is made for pictures, and makes you feel like you're right in the Carribean.
BONUS: Fnnch pink flamingo mural to take a picture with is right around the corner!
Foreign Cinema | 2534 Mission St.
"A San Francisco Chronicle “Top 100 Restaurant” for sixteen consecutive years, Chefs Gayle Pirie and John Clark’s collective visions weave food, wine, cocktails, film, and art gallery into one harmonious ambience." This place serves up a popular brunch, and turns into one of the most romantic restaurants in SF at night.
Lolinda | 2518 Mission St.
This is Jared's favorite spot, and for good reason. Like Tapas? Like Argentinian food? Don't know? Go here. The menu has a little bit of everything, and in a very good way. Great spot for a big group, or an intimate date.
BONUS: there is a fun, rooftop restaurant above Lolinda called El Techo, for before or after-dinner drinks (or both!).
Trattoria Contadina | 1800 Mason St.
Craving Italian? This family-owned restaurant is off the beaten North Beach path, and is a must try. With a wide selection of seafood, pasta, and wines, you will be feasting on some of the best Italian food in San Francisco. This is our go-to if we're craving Italian, which says a lot, given all of the options nearby!
Flores | 2030 Union St.
I cannot say enough good things about this place. It has quickly become one of the first places I take out of town guests to have yummy food. The ambiance is top-notch (seeing a theme here? I like cute restaurants). On top of that, they have some of the best Mexican fare I have ever had. There are plenty of shareable plates, and an assortment of roasted meats. Get the guac.
Belga | 2000 Union St.
"Belga, a Belgian-inspired brasserie, serves an assortment of Belgian-, French- and German-inspired fare constructed with California sensibilities in mind." If you like sausage, you won't want to miss their house-made options! Pro-tip: get the Belgian waffle dessert. Bonus, they do a yummy brunch.
Tacolicious | Multiple Locations
There are lots of excellent taqueria's in SF, especially in the Mission, but they are mostly known for burritos. Want tacos? Go here. Each type of taco has delicious flavor, but the real reason I'm a sucker for this place is because they have QUESO. Like cheese dip. Like literally no where west of Texas has this, so Tacolicious is one of my favorite discoveries for that reason.
WHAT TO DO
De Young Museum | 50 Hagiwara Tea Garden Drive
Golden Gate Park is a great spot on it's own, but it also houses some amazing museums. Right inside of the park is the De Young Museum, where you'll get your fine arts fix and get to see some really cool rotating exhibits. The building itself was designed by the renowned Swiss architecture firm Herzog & de Meuron, and there's a cool observation tower if you want to check out the view from above!
Dolores Park | 19th and Dolores Streets
All good dogs go to heaven, and all good SF hipsters flock to Dolores Park. This Mission greenspace is packed with sun-soakers on bright and shiny days. Prepare to see picnickers, families, ravers, and everyone in between. Casual outdoor drinking is more or less permitted here; just be mindful.
Lyon Street Steps | 2460 Lyon St.
San Francisco is known for its picture-perfect views—the gorgeous glimpses we get as one of our energy-efficient cars crests the city’s infamous hills. But there’s no gain without pain, so you have to test out those sea legs and try walking uphill. Running from Cow Hollow to Pacific Heights, the Lyon Street Steps make for a challenging walk or workout that pays off gloriously with absolutely stunning views of the bay.
SFMOMA | 151 3rd St.
SFMOMA reopened on May 14, 2016, following a major three-year-long expansion project. The expansion more than doubles the museum’s gallery spaces and provides almost six times as much public space as the previous building, allowing SFMOMA to showcase an expanded collection along with the Doris and Donald Fisher Collection of contemporary art. The museum’s current collection includes over 33,000 works of painting, sculpture, photography, architecture, design, and media arts. They are displayed in 170,000 square feet of exhibition space, making the museum one of the largest in the United States overall, and one of the largest in the world for modern and contemporary art.
Sutro Baths | 680 Point Lobos Ave.
The ruins of a large, privately owned swimming pool complex that was built in the late 19th century, the Sutro Baths, overlooking the Pacific Ocean, are one of my favorite places to visit. Do the Lands End hike (a short one) and end there, and then go to Cliff House for a spendy lunch. Or start there and walk to the Legion of Honor for some more museum time. Don’t forget to walk up to the Lands End labyrinth while you’re there too.
Punchline Comedy Club | 444 Battery St.
It all started in 1978 when Punch Line San Francisco opened in what was originally a dressing room for an adjacent rock club, The Old Waldorf. Both were owned by legendary rock promoter Bill Graham, and with the help of House MC Bobby Slayton, the venue quickly established itself as a premier comedy club for both audiences and performers.Jokes can be told anywhere, but the Punch Line's dedication to the craft of comedy and the intimate setting it creates for performers and audiences, helped them become the San Francisco Examiner and San Francisco Chronicle's readers' choices for Best Comedy Club.
Patricia’s Green | 300 Octavia Blvd.
Founded in 1999 along a former Central Freeway right-of-way, the small, well-maintained Patricia's Green park is one of Hayes Valley's most popular. The long, narrow park consists of two open lawns interspersed with circular plazas. The plaza contains a rotating public art from the Burning Man Festival. The park is also surrounded by many shops and restaurants making for a lively atmosphere most of the day.
BONUS: go to Miette sweet shop right in the green! Also nearby: Biergarten & Smuggler's Cove
WHERE TO SHOP
Big Daddy’s Antiques | 1550 17th St.
The term “antiques store” usually brings to mind stuffy, dusty old shops in which you tiptoe in fear of breaking something valuable. Big Daddy’s Antiques couldn’t be farther from that image. It’s both an antiques and vintage shop and a custom furniture store, and it’s a magical, Alice in Wonderland-esque space brimming with custom creations made from salvaged pieces, over-the-top reproductions, and one-of-a-kind pieces. Whether or not you’re in the market for home décor, it’s always an inspiring and fun place to browse.
Hudson Grace | 3350 Sacramento St.
Opened by a pair of alumni from Williams-Sonoma and Restoration Hardware, Hudson Grace is a goldmine of clean, modern, and classic entertaining items like hand-dipped cathedral candles, the perfect white dinnerware, and vintage hotel silver. It’s the ultimate place to shop for hostess gifts.
Hayes Valley | 488 Hayes St.
Twenty years ago, the thought of finding one of San Francisco's ultra-chic corridors in Hayes Valley would have been considered absurd. Like New York City's Times Square of old, the area, bordered by the Van Ness performing-arts district and the Western Addition around Laguna Street, was a seedy reminder for opera and symphony patrons of the city's homeless and drug problems. But over the past decades, Hayes Valley has developed into a haven for haute couture. Fun fact: the neighborhood doesn't allow any stores with over 7 locations to rent here (the only exception is Blue Bottle).
BONUS: Close to Miette, Blue Bottle, Patricia’s Green, Biergarten, & Stacks!
SWEET SPOTS
Miette | 449 Octavia St.
Modern, cheerful, and always delicious, Miette is San Francisco's most charming pastry shop, and one of my favorite places to take guests. Their impeccable cakes are traditionally American & birthday-party perfect. A modern interpretation and the finest, unrefined ingredients available have made Miette one of the top ten pastry shops in the world, according to Conde Nast. Not in the mood for cakes? Go anyway! They have a giant collection of candies and treats that will make you swoon.
Swensen’s | 1999 Hyde St.
Every hipster under the San Francisco fog will rave about Bi-Rite Creamery or Humphrey Slocombe, two ice cream shops that wow with over-the-top flavors and excessive lines. But if you don’t feel like wasting your day queueing for a scoop, I highly recommend Swensen’s. You may recognize the name, as it’s a franchise now. The original location, which first opened in 1948, is still going strong at the corner of Union and Hyde in Russian Hill, and with classic, time-tested recipes and flavors, it’s definitely worth climbing the hill for.
Bob’s Donuts | 1621 Polk St.
Home of the GIANT doughtnut! Open since 1960, Bob’s Donuts is a cornerstone of the Nob Hill neighborhood and one of the last indie doughnut shops still making their classic pastries from scratch and in-house. Open 24 hours a day, it’s also a veritable dive that draws yuppies and late-night wanderers after the bars on Polk Street close at 2 a.m., as well as early risers and families in the mornings for good old-fashioned breakfast treats.
COFFEE FIX
Sightglass Coffee | Multiple Locations
San Francisco’s Blue Bottle Coffee has lots of buzz around the country, but one of the lesser-known coffee companies with standout beans to try is Sightglass. Its Mission District store has a parklet out front with bike racks, so popping in and out is easy.
Blue Bottle | multiple locations, reccomended 315 Linden St. (it’s in a garage!)
As a coffee enthusiast in San Francisco a decade ago, Freeman recalls, it was nigh impossible to find a cup roasted the way he wanted it—which is to say, with a light touch, to set free the beans’ natural flavors. Instead the city’s sippers were in thrall to the dark, oily, French-press style purveyed by Peet’s, a contemporary of Starbucks. Inspired by traditional Japanese siphon bars, where baristas brew each painstaking cup by hand, Freeman opened a tiny Blue Bottle kiosk in the city’s Hayes Valley neighborhood in 2005.
Ritual Coffee Roasters | multiple locations, recommended 1026 Valencia St.
Ritual has been a pioneer in this delicious shift in coffee consciousness since they opened their doors on Valencia Street in 2005.
TO DRINK
Biergarten | 424 Octavia St.
Located in Hayes Valley (my neighborhood!), a superbly charming neighborhood with lots of must-see shops, Biergarten is a traditional Bavarian-style neighborhood outdoor beer garden, serving German beer and locally sourced snacks like bratwurst and organic pretzels.
The Black Horse London Pub | 1514 Union St.
The Black Horse London Deli is by far the tiniest bar in San Francisco, and I heard once it’s also the smallest west of the Mississippi. There’s no refrigerator here: just a porcelain bathtub behind the bar that’s filled up with ice and imported beers every day. No wine or cocktails either, but if you’re lucky, one of the friendly bartenders will share a Rice Krispies treat. Everyone in this little pub knows your name, and soon enough they’ll be whipping you in a game of dice, too.
Comstock Saloon | 155 Colombus Ave.
A turn-of-the-century-style saloon in North Beach, just a block and a half from the Transamerica Pyramid and bordering Chinatown, Comstock Saloon serves flawless classic cocktails. A great place to grab a drink before dinner at nearby restaurants like Cotogna, Quince, or Wayfare Tavern
Wildhawk | 3464 19th St.
Spirited, lively, and a bit bohemian, Wildhawk is another local favorite. The menu features cheeky cocktails with personality, including a range of vermouth-inspired cocktails, plus beer, wine and bar snacks to accompany your libations.
Smuggler’s Cove | 650 Gough St.
This tiki-themed bar is focused on one thing: rum. Serving traditional Caribbean drinks, classic libations of Prohibition-era Havana, and exotic cocktails from legendary tiki bars, Smuggler’s Cove walks the walk when it comes to tiki bars—it’s not just coconuts and tribal cups.
Trick Dog | 3010 20th St.
Opened by The Bon Vivants, a couple of respected cocktail consultants in the city, Trick Dog is my favorite spot to go for a cocktail while I’m waiting for a table at the nearby Flour + Water—one of my all-time favorite restaurants—or the adjacent Central Kitchen, both helmed by chef Thomas McNaughton. Trick Dog is always changing up its cocktail menu to something creative (a Pantone swatch book, record sleeves, horoscopes, and now a Dr. Seuss theme), and the drinks never disappoint.
Treasury | 200 Bush St.
The Treasury is a lively, lighthearted bar located in the heart of San Francisco’s Financial District. They offer delicious cocktails, craft beer, well-chosen wine, and chef-caliber bar snacks in a beautiful 1916 Beaux Arts space that feels lush, classic, and comfortable.
GENERAL RULES OF THUMB
IMPORTANT: Rules for staying in San Francisco
San Francisco is such a lovely city and has so much to offer, but being in a big city has it’s downsides. Here are a few rules of thumb to follow to make sure that you, and your belongings, are safe.
1. Don’t walk with your phone in your hand - people have been known to have their phones swiped right out of their hands while walking around the city. If you’re calling an Uber, looking at your map, or texting, be very aware of what is around you, and keep a tight grip on your phone. I try to step into a store, or onto a stoop, when I need to have my phone out.
2. If you are bringing a car, do not leave ANY belongings in it - whether you are parking for a few hours, or for the night, DO NOT leave anything in sight in your car. I cannot stress this enough. Phone chargers, overnight bags, ANYTHING - the chances of someone breaking in and stealing it are VERY high.
3. Just be aware of your surroundings, some neighborhoods are worse than others after dark, and if you're walking alone, double check your map to make sure that you are OK with the neighborhood you are about to go into. :)