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

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