How to Eat and Drink Your Way Through San Francisco
Get a taste of the Bay Area at classic Chinese spots, historic Italian cafes, high-concept tasting menus, and elegant cocktail bars
There’s an argument to be made that the San Francisco Bay Area is America’s greatest destination for eating and drinking. It may not have the glitz of New York or the exuberance of New Orleans, but the Bay Area is still scattered with everything from budget-busting Michelin-starred tasting menus designed by world-famous chefs like Thomas Keller and Dominique Crenn to snack stalls operated by immigrants from around the world. (Oakland, right across the Bay Bridge is one of the most diverse cities in America.)
Visitors will want to spend a couple of days exploring the city of San Francisco, with its postcard hilltop views, romantic cable car rides, historic Chinatown, and lively bar and restaurant scene. Don’t sleep on the rest of the Bay, though. After all, Alice Waters essentially invented modern farm-to-table cuisine — and changed the way Americans everywhere eat — at Chez Panisse in Berkeley, and the Napa Valley, the place that broke the French monopoly on fine wine back in the 1970s, is just an hour’s drive to the north, across the Golden Gate Bridge.
Regardless of whether you’re staying in the city or crossing a bridge at some point, one piece of advice: Come hungry.
Who I am: I’m Justin Goldman, a former editor of Hemispheres who grew up in the Bay Area and has written numerous guides to San Francisco and California Wine Country over the last decade. I’ve lived in some of the city’s underrated neighborhoods (Bernal Heights, NoPa, the Outer Richmond), as well as in Oakland, and spent countless hours eating and drinking around the Bay to form opinions on everything from burritos (rice, please) to pinot noir (the closer the vineyard is to the ocean, the better). An old roommate once called me “the Anthony Bourdain of San Francisco,” and I can think of no higher compliment.
Before you go
Know the seasons: The quote “the coldest winter I ever spent was a summer in San Francisco” is often attributed to Mark Twain, although experts agree he likely never said it. Regardless, there is at least some truth to the sentiment, as the city’s famous fog rolls off the Pacific most thickly from June to August, driving down temperatures. It’s not actually that cold — it’s not like it ever snows here — but if you’re looking for true summer weather, September and October is the best time to visit. Winter can be rainy, although the city sees less precipitation than the North Bay (i.e., Wine Country). While San Francisco is a small city, its hilly geography also results in a surprising variety of microclimates: It can be clear and sunny in the Mission and completely fogged in at Ocean Beach at the same time. No matter what time of year you visit, make like the locals and dress in layers.
Getting around: At seven miles by seven miles, San Francisco is a small city, and between Muni buses and trains, Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART), and widely available rideshares, you don’t need a car. If you’re planning to venture outside the city, Oakland and Berkeley are easily accessible on BART, but you’ll need a car to get to Napa or Sonoma, which are both about an hour’s drive away.
Book early: Many of the city’s best fine-dining restaurants book out weeks and even months in advance (House of Prime Rib being the most notorious example). If you don’t get a reservation, however, many of them do offer walk-in bar seating.
Where to Stay
Two Food- and Drink-Filled Days in the San Francisco Bay Area
Day 1: Old-school Italian and Chinese snacks, drinks at the city’s hottest wine bar, and a fresh take on Southern cuisine
Morning
- Much of today’s focus is on historic spots, but you should begin at someplace new: Café Sebastian, a sleek bistro from Michelin-starred chef Brad Kilgore on the ground floor of the recently updated Transamerica Pyramid Center. You’re gonna be eating a lot today, so have something light — perhaps house-smoked trout toast — and then step outside to look up through the branches of the center’s redwood grove to the top of the city’s most iconic building.
- Exit the park and head up the hill on Columbus Avenue into North Beach, which has been San Francisco’s Little Italy since the early 20th century. (Joe DiMaggio grew up here, the son of a fisherman who immigrated from Sicily.) Drink in the neighborhood’s tasty history with a cappuccino at Caffe Trieste, which opened in 1956 and claims to be the city’s original espresso house, and a cannoli or a tiramisu at Victoria Pastry Company, which dates all the way back to 1914.
Afternoon
- North Beach borders another historic neighborhood: America’s oldest Chinatown. (You’ll know you’re in the latter when you start seeing Chinese characters on the street signs.) Even with all the food you’ve already had, all the walking should keep your appetite stoked. Stop at Golden Gate Fortune Cookie Factory, which has been making its namesake treat since 1962. Watch the employees at work and then pick up a bag to take home. From here, go around the corner to Wong Lee Bakery for a classic egg custard tart. Those won’t keep long enough for you to take them on the plane home, so make one more quick stop at China Live, a food hall from chef George Chen that also has a marketplace where you can buy less perishable treats like Peking duck fat popcorn.
- You could happily settle in for lunch at China Live, but inspired by that popcorn you should duck into Z&Y Peking Duck, a new favorite helmed by Lijun Han, the former chef of the San Francisco Chinese Consulate. The signature fowl dish is transcendent, but be sure to complement it with dandan noodles, xiao long bao, and everything else.
- Roll back down the hill to the Embarcadero to shop for all manner of food- and cooking-related souvenirs at the Ferry Building Marketplace. You’ve got Acme Bread, Blue Bottle Coffee, Dandelion Chocolate, Fatted Calf charcuterie, Imperial Tea Court, Stonehouse California Olive Oil, Tsar Nicolai Caviar… and views of the Bay Bridge and the water right outside. If you get here before 2 p.m. on Tuesday, Thursday, or Saturday, you can even catch the tail end of the beloved Ferry Plaza Farmers Market.
Evening
- Verjus might be the toughest table in the Bay Area right now, but if you get to this Jackson Square wine bar — which the team behind the three-Michelin-starred Quince reopened last November after a four-year closure — right at opening you just might be able to snag a counter or bar seat. Once you’re in the door, order a glass of something French off the extensive wine list, and maybe a snack (oysters? pâté en croute?) off the menu, which is displayed on a lit-up marquee on the wall. Don’t eat too much, though…
- … because you’ve got dinner a couple of blocks away, at Prelude, where executive chef Celtin Hendrickson-Jones has taken inspiration from the cooking of his Alabamian grandmother and applied his experience in Michelin-starred kitchens to create a unique, upscale Southern restaurant. You can go a la carte, but it’s worth it to splurge for the tasting menu, so you can sample dishes such as smoked catfish dumplings in crayfish éttoufée, Heritage Duroc pork with ramp mostarda, and Tierra Vegetables hominy grits. Don’t sleep on the thoughtful wine pairing, either.
- If you’re still standing, close the night out at Pacific Cocktail Haven in Union Square. There’s no false advertising in that name, as the drinks at bartender Kevin Diedrich’s award-winning place (currently ranked 16th on the North America’s 50 Best Bars list) are inspired by Asia and the Pacific and are indeed heavenly. As an aficionado of both boxing and whiskey, I can never say no to the Thrilla in Manila, made with bourbon, absinthe, calamansi, pineapple, coconut, dried salty plums, and shiso. Have more than one of those, though, and you’re definitely at risk of getting knocked out.
Day 2: Fantastic baked goods and ice cream, under-the-radar Asian cuisine, and cocktails at one of America’s most sustainable bars
Morning
- Start your second day in town with one of the marvelous croissants, tarts, or sandwiches at Tartine Bakery, the Mission District spot that redefined what an American bakery can be when Chad Roberston and Elisabeth Prueitt opened it in 2002. The original bakery is small, and the line can get long, so you can also try your luck on the east side of the Mission at the more spacious second location, Tartine Manufactory, where there’s a decent chance you’ll end up sitting next to a group of 20-something millionaires scheming on the next big AI platform.
- It’s never too early for dessert, right? Walk up the block from Tartine Bakery to Bi-Rite Creamery and order a scoop of Ritual Coffee Toffee, made with espresso beans from nearby Ritual Coffee. Take that sweet a block west to Mission Dolores Park, where you’ll see a diverse crowd from the surrounding neighborhoods enjoying the sunny Mission weather and the panoramic views of downtown.
Afternoon
- Head over to the foggy, western side of the city, which San Franciscans call “the Avenues.” The Richmond and Sunset Districts are both home to large Asian communities. Get some legendary Burmese food for lunch at Mandalay Restaurant, a 41-year-old place that won the James Beard Foundation’s Classics Award in 2024. The order here is the tea leaf salad, a staple made with toasted tea leaves, ground shrimp, fried garlic, lentils, and peanuts, and tossed tableside. This, in my humble opinion, is the world’s greatest salad.
- Cross Golden Gate Park to the Sunset District and keep heading westward, toward Ocean Beach. Your destination is Palm City, an acclaimed hoagie shop and natural wine bar. You probably don’t have room for a sandwich (no matter how good that roast pork and broccoli rabe one looks), but a plate of spicy garlic cheese spread and a glass of one of the house wines, made in collaboration with Les Lunes? You won’t even feel the fog.
Evening
- Dinner is in the Presidio, a historic former army base that’s now part of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area, at one of the city’s hottest restaurants, Dalida. Husband-and-wife chefs Laura and Sayat Oyzilmaz specialize in Eastern Mediterranean cuisine with California twists: Start with the tahdig (crispy saffron rice topped with uni, trout roe, and kanpachi) and the mind-blowing hummus and dips, before moving on to 12-hour tandoor-cooked lamb shoulder. Don’t leave without trying a housemade sour cherry cordial.
- Hop in a rideshare back to the Mission for a nightcap at True Laurel, a cocktail bar from the owners of two-Michelin-starred Lazy Bear that won the North America’s 50 Best Bars Ketel One Sustainable Bar Award in 2024. The menu changes often to feature fresh ingredients, but I can personally vouch for the TL Carajillo, a take on the classic Mexican after-dinner drink made with cold brew concentrate, Licor 43, and Scotch. If you need something to soak up the booze after closing time, wander over to Mission Street and find a vendor selling the ultimate local midnight snack: the bacon-wrapped hot dog.
If you have three days
All of the above, but add…
- Pop across the Bay Bridge to explore the East Bay. Start in North Oakland at Poppy Bagels, which offers California takes on the New York staple (think big heirloom tomatoes and black truffle cream cheese). Then cross the border into the People’s Republic of Berkeley to check out the farm-fresh produce at Berkeley Bowl, one of the country’s most famous grocery stores.
- If you want to keep going with the New York theme, have lunch at Rose Pizzeria, which got the stamp of approval as one of the nation’s best pizza places from none other than the New York Times. For something different, zip across Oakland to Alameda and get in line at Fikscue, a new place that fuses Texas barbecue and Indonesian cuisine; Daniel Vaughn of Texas Monthly named it one of the best barbecue joints in the country.
- Kill a couple of hours before dinner in formerly industrial West Berkeley, where a cluster of natural wineries makes up the Gilman District Wine Block. Then head back to North Oakland for dinner at Burdell, a modern Soul Food place that Food & Wine named its restaurant of the year in 2024.
If you have four days
All of the above, but add…
- No food-and-wine lover’s trip to Northern California would be complete without a jaunt to Wine Country. Start by visiting the recently opened Napa Valley Museum of Art & Culture, which has an exhibition on Julia Child on display through March 2026. Be sure to grab a bite at the (very fancy) cafe next door, Under-Study, co-owned by Michelin-starred chef Philip Tessier.
- The sheer number of options for wine-tasting are staggering — and the prices can be, too. For the best experience, seek out smaller, family owned places, like Spottswoode, Chappellet, Corison, and Seavey, all of which are among the valley’s very best cab houses and offer intimate, deeply informative tastings. Just be aware that reservations are mandatory for almost every high-end winery these days.
- The valley is full of incredible restaurants, but if you’ve only got one dinner, you’ve kinda gotta do one of Thomas Keller’s places in Yountville. The French Laundry remains a bucket-list meal for many, but the chef also runs more relaxed, relatively budget-friendly options, serving classic French fare at Bouchon Bistro and well-executed American food, like buttermilk fried chicken, at Ad Hoc.
