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San Francisco, CA: Why Go

Recommendations & Suggestions

Anchor Brewing Tours
1705 Mariposa St.
Phone: 415.863.8350

The Anchor Brewing Company is dedicated not only to making brewing history, but also to preserving it. The brewery added the word "hefeweizen" to the modern American vocabulary in 1984 by creating the first wheat beer made in the United States since Prohibition. In 1993, the owners decided to apply the micro-brewing philosophy to spirits, creating a micro-distilled gin--making the Anchor Company the first brewery in America to include an in-house still.

In addition to wheat beer, Anchor Brewing makes a well-known "steam" beer, a porter, an ale, and various seasonal brews. Visitors can tour the brewing facility every weekday to see how the magic happens. The tour (and tasting!) is free, but guests are asked to call 415.863.8350 as far in advance as possible for tour reservations.

Caffe Trieste
601 Vallejo Street
Phone: 415.982.2605

Founded in 1956, Caffe Trieste was the first place on the West Coast to serve espresso, and it's still the first stop for many North Beach visitors in the know. Excellent, Italian-style coffee, delectable pastries, and light meals are available all day and evening. On Saturday, loyal crowds form to hear operatic arias are performed live. At other times, if it's not too packed, you can admire the countless photos of famous patrons, or commune with the spirits of beat poets past and present who have hung out here.

Citizen Cake
399 Grove St.
Phone: 415-861-2228

Dessert is an art form at this critically lauded pastry emporium. Grab some rose-petal creme brulee or pear and hazelnut Napoleon to go. Or sit down and enjoy a fabulous dinner followed by one of chef Elizabeth Falkner's signature towering dessert creations.

City Lights Bookstore
261 Columbus Avenue
Phone: 415.362.8193

How many cities do you know with their own poet Laureate? San Francisco has had one since 1998, when the city crowned City Lights Bookstore founder Lawrence Ferlinghetti its first Poet Laureate. The choice was easy, as Ferlinghetti has been a supporter of subversive and creative literature since the beat days. The independent bookstore is still one of the best places in the city to soak up bohemian culture--and to pick up that hard-to-find new or used book you've been searching for. The more off-beat the better your chances of finding it, although the store stocks best-sellers as well.

Cowgirl Creamery's Artisan Cheese Shop
Stall #17 Ferry Building Marketplace
Phone: 415.362.9354

The Cowgirl Creamery's Artisan Cheese Shop is a Mecca for all things cheese. Cheese-making equipment, books on cheese, and of course, wheels and wheels of the creamy stuff are available here. The shop sells cheeses of all types from all over the world, but the focus is on the Cowgirl Creamery's own cheeses, made from organic cow's milk. Favorites include smooth and mild triple-cream, fromage blanc, and cottage cheese, as well as earthier varieties like the brine-washed, orange tinted Red Hawk, and wine-and-herb-rinsed, semi-firm Pierce Point cheese.

Ferry Building
Ferry Building Plaza at the foot of Market Street

In the days before bridges spanned the San Francisco Bay, the Ferry Building was the main access point to the city. It's still a focal point, due to the excellent shopping in the newly renovated space.

The plaza outside the Ferry Building is the site of a large farmer's market several days a week, and the building's full-time tenants tend toward the culinary as well. Stores in the building include meat markets, dealers of artisanal cheese, and cookware vendors. There are several restaurants, and a few non food-oriented stores as well, including the excellent Book Passage bookstore.

Ferry Building Farmer's Market
Ferry Building Plaza At the foot of Market Street
Phone: 415.391.2000

The perfect breakfast? Snacking your way through the gorgeous fruits, fresh breads and pastries, and other edibles at the Ferry Building Farmer's Market. It's the perfect place to assemble a picnic or pick up locally made vinegars and oils, which make great souvenirs. California's wildly fresh produce has influenced cuisine across the country and the market is an ideal place to sample this inspiration before it reaches market.

The biggest event of the week is on Saturday mornings, when over 100 local farmers sell their wares from 8am to 2pm. Smaller farmer's markets are held Sunday morning from 8-2, Tuesday mornings from 10am-2pm, and Thursday afternoons from 3pm-7pm. The farmer's market is held on the plaza surrounding the historic San Francisco Ferry Building.

House of Nanking
919 Kearny Street
Phone: 415.421.1429

Though its authenticity is perpetually debated by locals, there is constantly a line out the door of this hole-in-the-wall restaurant. It's crowded and busy, and the service is near-absent, but the staff is friendly, the prices are right and the Hunan food is consistently good. Be sure to ask the staff for recommendations, as there are numerous specials that go unlisted.

Jardiniere
300 Grove Street
Phone: 415-861-5555

Celebrity chef Traci Des Jardins has won numerous awards for her innovative French-California cuisine--she describes it as French techniques applied to the freshest local California meats and vegetables. Reservations are strongly recommended.

San Francisco Brewing Company
155 Columbus Avenue
Phone: 415.434.3344

The historic San Francisco Brewing Company stands on the site of the 1907 Andromeda Saloon, once a swinging Barbary Coast nightspot. Today, the mahogany and tile-decorated pub is a civilized but unpretentious place to enjoy San Francisco's freshest beer along with snacks or a hearty dinner.

Brew master Allen Paul pays tribute to San Francisco history with a wide variety of beers, including Alcatraz Stout, Pony Express Ale, Gripman's Porter, and Emperor Norton Lager (named after one of old San Francisco's most famous characters). That's an ambitious slate, but the brewers know what they're doing--they've been making beer here since 1985. The San Francisco Brewing Company is, in fact, the oldest brewpub in San Francisco--and when it opened it was only the fourth in all of the United States.