Golden Gate Bridge
The Warming Hut
The Golden Gate is immersed in parkland – the Headlands to the north, the Presidio to the south. While it may seem like food is nowhere in sight, just half a mile from the base of the bridge is the Warming Hut, a cafe and bookstore in a former army storehouse built in 1909. Its breakfast burritos ($5.95) and locally baked pastries make solid morning snacks, while lunchtime favourites includean “ultimate” club sandwich ($11.95) with roast chicken, bacon and avocado, plus salads and soups. Eat outside on the grass, or make for the nearby pier, where you can chill with local fishermen and enjoy unobstructed views of the bridge.
• 983 Marine Drive, parksconservancy.org
Ghirardelli Square and Marina District
Blue Barn (Chestnut Street)
After doing the Ghirardelli Square shops, avoid the tourist trap of Fisherman’s Wharf and walk west through Fort Mason to the Marina, a quieter and far more charming waterfront neighbourhood. Head for main drag Chestnut Street, a couple of blocks back from the bay, and look out for a big faux-barn-door facade. At Blue Barn, salads are the thing to get: bowlfuls that come with hunks of homemade focaccia. The kale caesar, drenched in parmesan, is especially good ($12.75). There are also tasty burgers (from $6.95), which come “truffle style” for an extra $1.25. The produce is from Oak Hill, a small organic farm in nearby Sonoma County.
• 2105 Chestnut Street, bluebarngourmet.com
Lombard Street
Za Pizza
Some say “you can’t get a good slice” in San Francisco. Sure, it’s no New York but spots such as Za’s might change your mind. Five minutes from “the world’s crookedest street” is Hyde Street, a tree-lined slice of old San Francisco. Za’s is pleasingly cosy, with a few tables and a slim bar where you can grab an Anchor Steam ale and watch the chefs as they stretch and dress specialities like the Potesto (roasted red potatoes and homemade pesto) or the Vincent Van Dough – a simple mix of tomato, fresh basil and garlic. A medium pizza is $26.50 and a large $32, but large means large: easily sharable for four. There’s also a slice-to-go menu ($6 each) that changes daily and includes a meat and a veggie option.
• 1919 Hyde Street, zapizzasf.com
City Lights bookshop
Yan’s Kitchen
After visiting the birthplace of the Beats, head next door to Jack Kerouac’s old watering hole, Cafe Vesuvio, and knock back a quick martini. For a meal, nearby Chinatown is full of delicious spots, and Yan’s Kitchen is the kind that makes you feel instantly at home. Check tablecloths and lace curtains give the place a diner feel, while the menu is rich with Chinese-American comfort dishes such as General Tso’s chicken, egg-fried rice, and Mongolian beef (dishes around $8.75 each). Be sure to start with a round of potstickers ($5), whose ratio of crunchy shell to hot oily pork centre is worth its own poem.
• 57 Columbus Avenue, on Facebook
SFMOMA
Ferry Building Marketplace and Ferry Plaza Farmer’s Market
Our architecture critic may have called it a giant meringue but museums like SFMOMA are a great place to work up an appetite. The best spot for lunch is the nearby San Francisco Ferry Building, a glorious indoor market of cafes, restaurants and bars. On Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays, a pop-up farmer’s market takes over the space. Top choices include RoliRoti, which serves succulent rotisserie chicken and porchetta sandwiches ($8.50) and Hog Island Oyster Co, which in the summer shucks fresh oysters (from $3) from the nearby Tomales Bay that are perfect with a squeeze of lemon.
• One Ferry Building, ferrybuildingmarketplace.com
Mission District
Panchita’s Restaurant No 2
There are plenty of reasons to come to the Mission – the sunny Dolores Park, the colorful street murals – but the best is to eat; this is, after all, the birthplace of the “mission style” burrito. Panchita’s #2, a Salvadoran pupuseria with communal wooden tables, sums up the area’s warm vibe. Pupusas are thick corn cakes with a savoury filling, fried on a hot griddle. Take your pick of chicken, pork, bean, courgette, mushroom and more, which all come with a side of curtido, a tangy cabbage and carrot slaw. At $4 each (or two for $7), one makes a filling snack while two make a great cheap meal.
• 3091 16th Street, panchitas-restaurant-no-2-san-francisco.sites.tablehero.com
The Castro
Philz Coffee
This historic LGBT neighbourhood is a great place to wander while clutching a cup of coffee from Philz, one of the city’s best-loved local chains and a pioneer of artisanal (some might say fussy) brews. Founder Phil Jaber opened his first shop 25 years ago and his obsessive care is in every cup. Your own personal barista will talk you through a menu of more than 20 custom varieties. My favourite is the fragrant Philharmonic, with fresh mint.
• 549 Castro Street, philzcoffee.com
Haight-Ashbury
Padrecito
Haight Street, like the hippies who made it famous, isn’t known for great food. But stray just a few blocks off the main drag and you’ll find the outstanding Padrecito, one of my favourite brunch spots. Lazy Sunday afternoons here usually consist of chilaquiles ($16; fluffy scrambled eggs laced with tortilla strips) and sopes de machaca ($17; slow-braised beef on crispy corn cakes with baked eggs), a dish so hearty it’s almost wrong to call it breakfast. All of that is washed down with a few spicy chipotle “bloody marias” ($11). This brunch will keep you going long into the evening.
• 901 Cole Street, padrecitosf.com
The Painted Ladies and Alamo Square
Souvla
The colourful Victorian houses, made famous by TV’s Full House, are in the heart of NoPa (North of the Panhandle), an area often overlooked by visitors. A delicious recent addition is Souvla, a Greek cafeteria that reveres the spit-roast. Pick your main (lamb, chicken, pork or sweet potato) and your vehicle (wrap, $12-14, or salad, $13-$15), then grab some sides (fries with lemon and olive oil are $5) and a seat in the backyard patio. Ingredients such as pickled onions, feta, and fennel keep the salads bright, while the wrap bread is pillowy. The frozen greek yogurt ($5) is divine: get it topped with baklava and honey.
• 531 Divisadero Street, souvla.com
Ocean Beach and Land’s End
Louis’ Restaurant
The 19th-century Cliff House, perched precariously above Ocean Beach, is the city’s most famous ocean-view restaurant, with a pricey menu to match. If you’d rather skip the $20 omelettes then head up the hill to Louis’ Restaurant. This place has been run by the same family since 1937 and the menu is full of diner-style meals: egg dishes start from $9.25; the burgers ($11.25) are good and so is the clam chowder ($6.50 a cup). And here’s the thing about Louis’: you get the same million-dollar view in a far better setting, relaxing in window booths that overlook the Pacific. If you ask the lovely staff, they’ll lend you a pair of binoculars for whale watching.
• 902 Point Lobos Avenue, louissf.com
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