San Francisco is a cultural melting pot that lends to a great diversity of cuisines. From mission burritos to spicy ramen, you’re guaranteed to leave full. I stayed in San Francisco for a full week in January, giving me a good amount of time to eat my way around the city. Here are some of the things I enjoyed!
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Restaurants
Bangkok Street Thai
Upon arrival in San Francisco off a five and a half hour flight, my stomach was telling me it was lunchtime. I dropped my bags at my hotel, the Queen Anne Hotel in the Pacific Heights / Japantown neighborhood, and did a quick Google search of the closest restaurants. I landed on Bangkok Street Thai Street Food two blocks down from the Queen Anne. I got a table right away and it was a cozy and chill atmosphere. I ordered a super sweet and delicious Thai iced tea, and enjoyed a meal of Pad Kra Praw, a Thai basil chicken stir fry dish.
Hinodeya Ramen
For dinner one night, I stopped into Hinodeya Ramen Bar’s Japantown location for a hot bowl of spicy miso ramen and some edamame. This restaurant has a long and storied past, dating back to 1885 in Saitama, Japan, now with several locations across San Francisco and California. It’s a popular spot and there was a waitlist for tables when I went, but being by myself it took no more than 15 minutes to get a table and it was well worth the wait.
Limoncello
On New Year’s Eve after a day of sightseeing, I was in the mood for takeout in my hotel room before venturing back out for fireworks and festivities, and a little shop up the corner from my hotel with marquis light letters had caught my eye earlier in the week, so I decided to check out the trendy little deli called Limoncello. I ordered their Toscano Sandwich for pickup – fine Italian dry salami, Swiss cheese, mixed greens, tomato, pepperoncini, onion, Dijon mustard, black pepper, olive oil and balsamic vinegar on your choice of bread. Now that was a good sandwich!
Radhaus
My family follows a New Year’s Day tradition of a pork and sauerkraut dinner, and being that this was my first NYD spent away from home, I wanted to find a way to keep with tradition in San Francisco. My search landed me at Radhaus, an alpine bierhall in the Fort Mason Historical Landmark District, a former U.S. Army post in the Marina District. I enjoyed a platter of bratwurst, sauerkraut, and mashed potatoes paired with a German beer.
El Porteño Empanadas
For lunch during one of my days sightseeing, I stopped into the Ferry Building, which has a variety of eateries all under one roof. I picked up a few Argentinean empanadas from El Porteño Empanadas and devoured them from a counter in the rear of the building with views of the bay.
Fior d’Italia
For dinner one night after working the conference I came to San Francisco for, I hopped on a cable car from Union Square and rode down to the Little Italy neighborhood of San Fran where Fior d’Italia is located. This restaurant claims to be the oldest Italian restaurant in America, which made me raise my eyebrows because I knew at home in Philly, a restaurant called Ralph’s also claims this title. Upon a bit of research, Fior d’Italia closed for about six months in 2012 due to the economy, and that’s when Ralph’s took over. So, Ralph’s can have the title of oldest continually operating Italian restaurant, but Fior d’Italia is still alive and kicking as of 2025.
I grabbed a seat at the bar and ordered a glass of wine. I’m normally a gnocchi girl when I eat at Italian restaurants, but this night I was really in the mood for some lasagna, and Fior’s lasagna hit the absolute spot. The atmosphere was great too, with the bar having a very “locals” feel.
El Farolito
A friend of mine who formerly lived in San Fran told me that I had to have a mission burrito while I was there and that El Farolito was the best, and all my research told me the same thing: El Farolito is on just about every list you can find for mission burritos. I was there on a Saturday evening and it was fairly busy, and supposedly it gets busier the later the night goes on as a late night munchie spot. There are actually a few different locations of El Farolito – I went to the one at 2950 24th Street because some investigation told me the other one nearby in the Mission District didn’t accept credit cards and I needed to use my work credit card for dinner. The burrito was absolutely delicious and probably weighed five pounds and was the cheapest meal I got my entire time in San Francisco!
Breweries
San Francisco Brewing
On my first night in San Francisco, I hit San Francisco Brewing in the Ghirardelli Square complex. I had a flight of beers and a Cali grilled chicken sandwich, topped with jack cheese, avocado, bacon, honey mustard, tomato, and butter lettuce on a dutch crunch roll.
My flight of beers included:
- Revenge of the Nerds – a 6% Nerds candy flavored sour, complete with a Nerds-coated rim
- Fog City Hazy IPA – a 6.7% hazy with notes of passionfruit, guava, and pineapple
- Alcatraz Amber – a 6% malty and caramelly amber ale
- Peppermint Doppelbark – a 9% traditional doppelbock brewed with peppermint and Ghirardelli chocolate
I also had a pint of the Presidio Pils, a light and refreshing 5.5% German-style pilsner.
Bartlett Hall
I didn’t have far to go to find this little gem a block away from my conference hotel, the Hilton San Francisco Union Square. Bartlett Hall is a gastropub and brewery that highlights historic elements of San Francisco in a hip space. I enjoyed a hoppy and sweet Pillows of Illusion 6.1% hazy IPA along with a Harvest Burger topped with mixed greens, brie, bourbon caramelized onion, granny smith apple, and garlic squash aioli and a side of sweet potato fries. So good.
Southern Pacific Brewing
After my mission burrito at El Farolito, somehow I still had room for a beer and decided to stop into this nearby brewery. Southern Pacific Brewing is in an old warehouse and was a hopping place on a Saturday night, but I found a quiet corner in their outdoor patio to sip on a hoppy and fruity 6.3% hazy IPA.
Coffee
Red Bay Coffee
I came across this cute coffee shop in the Ferry Building and was wooed by a sign advertising their candied yam latte, so I stopped back for an afternoon pick-me-up one day during my sightseeing. Red Bay Coffee is a black-owned business headquartered in Oakland with a mission of inclusivity, hiring and serving people traditionally left out of the specialty coffee industry.
Philz Coffee
Philz Coffee was another recommendation from the same friend that recommended El Farolito’s burritos, so I had to give it a try. It began in the Mission District in 2003, and now has locations all over California and Chicago. When ordering at Philz, you have the choice of customizing your cream and sweetener, but a quick way to order is to get your coffee “Philz Way” with medium creamer and medium sweetener.
Treats
Golden Gate Fortune Cookie Factory
It’s believed that the fortune cookie originated right here in San Francisco as the creation of a Japanese immigrant. At Golden Gate Fortune Cookie in the heart of Chinatown, you can see the fortune cookies being made right in front of you, and can have one created with your own custom fortune. This seemed like the perfect way to kick off the new year, so I had one made with a little self-written fortune to myself, and the fortune cookie was a fresh and delightful little afternoon snack!
Ghirardelli Experience
The Ghirardelli Chocolate Company was founded in San Francisco, and while the production has since moved to San Leandro, the original buildings still stand on the northern waterfront of San Francisco and have been repurposed into a retail and dining destination. The complex includes the Ghirardelli Experience, where you can enjoy a Ghirardelli chocolate sundae and shop chocolates, including the option to customize your gifts with pick-and-mix individual chocolates. I stopped in for a decadent sea salt caramel sundae one night during my stay.
San Francisco is a great city for a foodie and has so much to explore and do – read more about the rest of my stay in the City by the Bay: Visiting San Francisco.
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