Zak & I moved to SF in the winter of 2018 – we’ve LOVED our time here!
Here’s a list of our favorite places to eat & places to visit – by area in SF and outside the city. I’ll keep it updated as long as we keep living here!
Where to Eat & What to Do in San Francisco
Within San Francisco
General To-Do’s
Here are 2 blogs with self guided walking tours by neighborhood – 1) Free Tours by Foot, 2) SF Tourism Tips
Multiple Locations – SF Classics
The Grove – one of my fave go-to places for sure. It’s similar to Panera or Corner Bakery where you order & get a number, and then they bring the food to you. I usually get the Cobb salad (are you surprised?!)
Gotts – this is probably my FAVORITE spot!! It’s a high end diner with really good quality food. I usually get the Cobb salad and a small ice cream with rainbow sprinkles
Super Duper Burger – get a burger in a lettuce wrap & a small black and white milkshake
Stacks – One of my fave brunch places! The omelets are huge.
Tacolicious – Delicious Mexican food with a fun atmosphere – huge salads!
Mission Bay / South Park / China Basin
Spark Social SF – this is an awesome outdoor setting of food trucks, mini golf, corn hole & more! I love getting roast chicken & Brussels sprouts from one of the food trucks (unfortunately I forget the name!)
Marlowe – get their burger wrapped in a lettuce wrap!
El Garaje – hole in the wall Mexican food – delish!
Cafe Reveille – get a fancy avocado toast & bring your computer when you need to work
Embarcadero / Ferry Building
Perry’s – above average American food
Humphrey Slocombe Ice Cream – really fun flavors like bourbon cornflakes
Union Square / SoMa
Tonga Room & Hurricane Bar – This bar is SO FUN. It’s a tiki bar lounge below the Hotel Fairmont with a huge pool (not for swimming, but they do have kind of “water shows”) in the middle. Word to the wise: make a reservation ahead of time!
The Chieftain – This one is really only making the list because it’s your above-average bar that’s close to where Z & I live haha! If you just need to rest your feet and want a beer and some bar food – this is a great place.
Mr Tipples Recording Studio – the coolest jazz bar for a late night date
Chinatown
Walk around town – try this self-guided walking tour
China Live – sit at the “bar” where you can see the dumplings being made
Russian Hill
Blue Barn – they have HUGE fresh salads that come in very cool to-go boxes
The Mission
Do some indoor mini golf at Urban Putt
Flour + Water – one of the most popular restaurants in SF! Very hard to get a reservation. Get there before it opens at 5:30pm to put your name in – you’ll likely have to wait for 1-2 hours. Get a drink at Trick Dog or Shotwell’s
North Beach / Little Italy
Go to Punchline or Cobb’s for a comedy show
Original Joe’s – has a real Frank Sinatra feel! The waiters wear bowties &
Tony’s – they do actually have a multi-grain crust on some of their pizzas!
Golden Boy Pizza – cash only! Wait in line to get a $5 delicious slice – try to sit at the bar if there’s room (there’s no other seating area)
Park Tavern – upscale American
Bix – this is where Zak & I went after we got engaged! Upscale restaurant with live piano music
Dogpatch
Anchor Brewing Company – fun brewery with outside games like corn hole
Plow – we actually haven’t been here yet but many people have recommended it for brunch!
Mochica – excellent Peruvian food – save your #1starchperday for the fries – DELICIOUS!
Salsalito
Bike across the the Golden Gate Bridge – get bikes through Groupon! We follow this blogger’s recommendations
Get brunch at Lighthouse Cafe – sit at the bar where you can see the action!
Get a drink & play some outdoor games at Bar Bocce – I love the shishito peppers!
The Presidio
I honestly love just sitting in the big green here – in the summer they bring out big lawn chairs. Bring a blanket, some cards, and get a deli
cious hot chocolate from the Walt Disney Museum!
Japan Town
We loved the conveyer-belt sushi restaurant Tenruko Sushi – they have cucumber-wrapped sushi!
Outside San Francisco
Muir Woods
45 – 90 min drive from SF
Stop at Dipsea for brunch on the way out of the city – big big omelets
Muir Woods: You have to have a reservation in order to park close to Muir Woods. However! What we do is park at Mountain Home Inn & there’s a trail down from there (about an hour hike).
Stinson Beach: The Siren Canteen has amazing fresh food. I typically get a bun-less burger. Their milkshakes are legendary but honestly Zak and I prefer the twist ice cream from Parkside Cafe – you will not be disappointed!!
Hog Island
90+ min drive from SF
Hog Island Oyster Co – their bread that comes with the oysters is SO. WORTH. IT.
Yosemite National Park
3 hour drive from SF
We actually haven’t done this yet but it’s on our to-do list!
Half Moon Bay
45-60 min drive from SF
Cute little town with pumpkin picking, a family-friendly zoo & mini amusement park, and more
We like Sacrilege Brewery + Kitchen for drinks, and Main Street Grill for brunch!
Other Hikes
Windy Hill is a great walk (low intensity)
Diablo hike is where Zak & I got engaged!
Alamere Falls is super fun – hike until you see an arrow on the ground made of stones and sticks – follow where it’s pointing until you get to the waterfalls
