Guidebook for San Francisco

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Guidebook for San Francisco

Food Scene

Rare, salty, serious burger. Voted best in SF 2013. Full bar. Dark atmosphere. Great stuff. Falafel burger has great coriander sauce. "Juicy Lucy" is two small patties pressed between melted cheese.
9 locals recommend
KronnerBurger
4063 Piedmont Avenue
9 locals recommend
Rare, salty, serious burger. Voted best in SF 2013. Full bar. Dark atmosphere. Great stuff. Falafel burger has great coriander sauce. "Juicy Lucy" is two small patties pressed between melted cheese.
Terrible location, incredible baker. Salted chocolate cookies. Beautiful morning buns. Great sandwiches. Great eggs.
14 locals recommend
L'acajou Bakery and Cafe
498 9th St
14 locals recommend
Terrible location, incredible baker. Salted chocolate cookies. Beautiful morning buns. Great sandwiches. Great eggs.
Not revamped, not chic, not hipster. Old school tacos made on a cart by the guy up near the front.
64 locals recommend
Taqueria Vallarta
3033 24th St
64 locals recommend
Not revamped, not chic, not hipster. Old school tacos made on a cart by the guy up near the front.
Famous and extraordinary. Kung-pao pastrami is a must. Huge lines. Go early.
153 locals recommend
Mission Chinese Food
2234 Mission St
153 locals recommend
Famous and extraordinary. Kung-pao pastrami is a must. Huge lines. Go early.
Great food while you watch movies projected on a wall.
343 locals recommend
Foreign Cinema
2534 Mission St
343 locals recommend
Great food while you watch movies projected on a wall.
Cheap good shwarma.
23 locals recommend
Truly Mediterranean
3109 16th St
23 locals recommend
Cheap good shwarma.
Super cheap amazing noodles. Truly. Six-seat noodle house -- feels like Bladerunner. Get the cold noodles.
75 locals recommend
Yamo
3406 18th St
75 locals recommend
Super cheap amazing noodles. Truly. Six-seat noodle house -- feels like Bladerunner. Get the cold noodles.
Nuevo rustic french / California cuisine. The food SF is famous for. Order the pork chop, it will change your life. Seriously. And sunshine fix cocktail. Guillotine if adventurous.
504 locals recommend
Nopa
560 Divisadero St
504 locals recommend
Nuevo rustic french / California cuisine. The food SF is famous for. Order the pork chop, it will change your life. Seriously. And sunshine fix cocktail. Guillotine if adventurous.
The quality coffee and hipster ambience you came here for. People watch in the parklet. My friend's husband supplies the pastries. They're great.
348 locals recommend
Four Barrel Coffee
375 Valencia St
348 locals recommend
The quality coffee and hipster ambience you came here for. People watch in the parklet. My friend's husband supplies the pastries. They're great.
Great food, great cocktail program.
19 locals recommend
Luna Park
694 Valencia Street
19 locals recommend
Great food, great cocktail program.
Beautiful renovated high-ceilinged turn-of-the-century space. Best mocha in the city (real chocolate), good wine selection, deep comfy booth, great place to watch Market Street.
27 locals recommend
Mavelous Coffee Bar & Little Griddle
1455 Market St
27 locals recommend
Beautiful renovated high-ceilinged turn-of-the-century space. Best mocha in the city (real chocolate), good wine selection, deep comfy booth, great place to watch Market Street.
Every sandwich involves bacon and every sandwich is great.
21 locals recommend
We Be Sushi
538 Valencia Street
21 locals recommend
Every sandwich involves bacon and every sandwich is great.
Great space to sit and get your bearings. There's wifi, coffee, sandwiches, beer, donuts, but only the wifi is any good. Less than a block from our door. Hard to beat.
7 locals recommend
Flying Pig Bistro Pub
433 S Van Ness Ave
7 locals recommend
Great space to sit and get your bearings. There's wifi, coffee, sandwiches, beer, donuts, but only the wifi is any good. Less than a block from our door. Hard to beat.
Serious whiskey bar, serious Japanese food. Happy hour is affordable.
46 locals recommend
Nihon Whisky Lounge
1779 Folsom St
46 locals recommend
Serious whiskey bar, serious Japanese food. Happy hour is affordable.
Swanky baking operation. A semi-savory muffin with crumbly bacon and a runny egg baked in the exact center. Great brioche. Great coffee. Beautiful clean (Brooklynesque) aesthetic.
137 locals recommend
Craftsman and Wolves
746 Valencia St
137 locals recommend
Swanky baking operation. A semi-savory muffin with crumbly bacon and a runny egg baked in the exact center. Great brioche. Great coffee. Beautiful clean (Brooklynesque) aesthetic.
Pretty interiors, great place to work.
28 locals recommend
Sugarlump
2862 24th Street
28 locals recommend
Pretty interiors, great place to work.
Good tacos.
115 locals recommend
El Metate
2406 Bryant St
115 locals recommend
Good tacos.
Designed by one of SF's most famous architecture firms, this place is as beautiful to look at as it is to eat in. Incredible cocktail program, one of the best in the city. Classy deconstructed dishes.
56 locals recommend
Bar Agricole
1540 11th St
56 locals recommend
Designed by one of SF's most famous architecture firms, this place is as beautiful to look at as it is to eat in. Incredible cocktail program, one of the best in the city. Classy deconstructed dishes.
The only reason to come out to the Sunset. Incredible bread (baked in-house), killer food. Braised pork shoulder open-faced sandwich. Hot cider with Buffalo Trace bourbon.
259 locals recommend
Outerlands
4001 Judah St
259 locals recommend
The only reason to come out to the Sunset. Incredible bread (baked in-house), killer food. Braised pork shoulder open-faced sandwich. Hot cider with Buffalo Trace bourbon.
Excellent independent coffee roaster/house with big windows facing the park.
51 locals recommend
Flywheel Coffee Roasters
672 Stanyan St
51 locals recommend
Excellent independent coffee roaster/house with big windows facing the park.
You can't get in here anymore, the lines are prohibitive, but they make all their jams and pastries in-house, the eggs benedicts, seafood omelets, monte cristo sandwich, pain d'or - all truly amazing.
127 locals recommend
Mama's On Washington Square
1701 Stockton St
127 locals recommend
You can't get in here anymore, the lines are prohibitive, but they make all their jams and pastries in-house, the eggs benedicts, seafood omelets, monte cristo sandwich, pain d'or - all truly amazing.
Great Chinese fusion food on the water watching ferries arrive, killer cocktail program. Hard to get into -- sit at the community table / lounge with your cocktail by the windows.
95 locals recommend
The Slanted Door
Ferry Building
95 locals recommend
Great Chinese fusion food on the water watching ferries arrive, killer cocktail program. Hard to get into -- sit at the community table / lounge with your cocktail by the windows.
Burmese food that will change your handwriting. Fermented tea-leaf salad, samusa soup, key-lime iced tea.
58 locals recommend
B Star
127 Clement St
58 locals recommend
Burmese food that will change your handwriting. Fermented tea-leaf salad, samusa soup, key-lime iced tea.
Killer cream puffs.
Dave's Bar
99 Yerba Buena Ln
Killer cream puffs.

Arts & Culture

Movies are expensive but this place is a great spectacle. Overlooks the park, has La Boulange coffee & pastries down below, and of course Target.
124 locals recommend
Metreon
135 4th St
124 locals recommend
Movies are expensive but this place is a great spectacle. Overlooks the park, has La Boulange coffee & pastries down below, and of course Target.
Art house movie theatre. We have very few.
10 locals recommend
Landmark Theaters Opera Plaza Cinema
601 Van Ness Ave
10 locals recommend
Art house movie theatre. We have very few.
Dancing. Like, serious nightclub dancing.
73 locals recommend
DNA Lounge
375 11th St
73 locals recommend
Dancing. Like, serious nightclub dancing.

Drinks & Nightlife

Longest happy hour in the city. Pint-sized dark & stormys. Allows outside food, so get a basket of fries from frijtz and spend the evening playing pinball or pacman on real sit-down table games.
89 locals recommend
The Valencia Room
647 Valencia St
89 locals recommend
Longest happy hour in the city. Pint-sized dark & stormys. Allows outside food, so get a basket of fries from frijtz and spend the evening playing pinball or pacman on real sit-down table games.
Beautiful slender library bar with great cocktails and a strong kitchen. Get the meatballs.
37 locals recommend
Two Sisters Bar and Books
579 Hayes Street
37 locals recommend
Beautiful slender library bar with great cocktails and a strong kitchen. Get the meatballs.
Reasonably priced cocktails of reasonable quality. I learned to salsa dance here on a Wednesday. Their happy hour is pretty good and so is the art and DJ.
131 locals recommend
Madrone Art Bar
500 Divisadero St
131 locals recommend
Reasonably priced cocktails of reasonable quality. I learned to salsa dance here on a Wednesday. Their happy hour is pretty good and so is the art and DJ.
Cheapest martinis in town and they always come with a sidecar (which makes them really 2.5 martinis).
55 locals recommend
Bond Bar
3079 16th St
55 locals recommend
Cheapest martinis in town and they always come with a sidecar (which makes them really 2.5 martinis).
Great noodles, full bar.
92 locals recommend
Basil
1175 Folsom St
92 locals recommend
Great noodles, full bar.
Great noodles, full bar, beautiful red brick landmark building.
18 locals recommend
Basil Canteen
1489 Folsom St
18 locals recommend
Great noodles, full bar, beautiful red brick landmark building.
Great cocktails, delicious small plates. One of the saving graces of an otherwise touristed-out Haight-Ashbury.
137 locals recommend
The Alembic
1725 Haight St
137 locals recommend
Great cocktails, delicious small plates. One of the saving graces of an otherwise touristed-out Haight-Ashbury.

Essentials

Cheap large items. Butcher, on-site bakery, cheap (good) whiskey, cheap (good) champagne, incredibly cheap polish hot dogs, and chicken-bakes. If you're into that.
171 locals recommend
Costco Wholesale
450 10th St
171 locals recommend
Cheap large items. Butcher, on-site bakery, cheap (good) whiskey, cheap (good) champagne, incredibly cheap polish hot dogs, and chicken-bakes. If you're into that.
Heaven. Everything organic, bulk, medicinal, fresh, and wonderful is here. Costly, but high quality and worker owned. Best fromager in the city. No joke. Vegan. (except cheese).
275 locals recommend
Rainbow Grocery
1745 Folsom St
275 locals recommend
Heaven. Everything organic, bulk, medicinal, fresh, and wonderful is here. Costly, but high quality and worker owned. Best fromager in the city. No joke. Vegan. (except cheese).
Sometimes if Rainbow Grocery seems too expensive, I shop here. And it's incredibly cheap. But the lines are terrible. And there's no good cheese.
23 locals recommend
Foodsco
1800 Folsom St
23 locals recommend
Sometimes if Rainbow Grocery seems too expensive, I shop here. And it's incredibly cheap. But the lines are terrible. And there's no good cheese.

Everything Else

Transport: this is how you will get to the airport. It's a block away, it's wonderful. But the crowd is colorful and lively. Connects with all BART lines to East Bay and the Peninsula.
162 locals recommend
16th St Mission BART Station
2000 Mission St
162 locals recommend
Transport: this is how you will get to the airport. It's a block away, it's wonderful. But the crowd is colorful and lively. Connects with all BART lines to East Bay and the Peninsula.
Closest MUNI subway station to our house. Connects with all other MUNI lines.
21 locals recommend
Van Ness MUNI Metro Station
21 locals recommend
Closest MUNI subway station to our house. Connects with all other MUNI lines.
Some great exhibitions come thru here -- climb the twisty steel tower for great views.
999 locals recommend
de Young Museum
50 Hagiwara Tea Garden Dr
999 locals recommend
Some great exhibitions come thru here -- climb the twisty steel tower for great views.
A safe bet for great clam chowder.
39 locals recommend
Boudin at the Wharf
160 Jefferson St
39 locals recommend
A safe bet for great clam chowder.

Shopping

Most bizarre/wonderful ice cream. Flavors include "Elvis (the fat years)" banana peanut butter chocolate, "Secret Breakfast" bourbon cornflakes cream. Featured in NYTimes Magazine. Amazing place.
224 locals recommend
Humphry Slocombe
224 locals recommend
Most bizarre/wonderful ice cream. Flavors include "Elvis (the fat years)" banana peanut butter chocolate, "Secret Breakfast" bourbon cornflakes cream. Featured in NYTimes Magazine. Amazing place.
Dynamo Donut. Enough said.
199 locals recommend
Dynamo Donut and Coffee
2760 24th St
199 locals recommend
Dynamo Donut. Enough said.
My favorite bookshop in America. The staff-chosen book tables and displays are indispensable -- nothing directs my reading habits more. Beats poetry room upstairs. Cinema/philosophy downstairs.
86 locals recommend
City Lights Booksellers
261 Columbus Ave
86 locals recommend
My favorite bookshop in America. The staff-chosen book tables and displays are indispensable -- nothing directs my reading habits more. Beats poetry room upstairs. Cinema/philosophy downstairs.
Massive farmer's market Saturday and great trendy eating shops week-long.
679 locals recommend
Ferry Building Marketplace
679 locals recommend
Massive farmer's market Saturday and great trendy eating shops week-long.
Closed for expansion but beautiful.
813 locals recommend
San Francisco Museum of Modern Art
151 3rd St
813 locals recommend
Closed for expansion but beautiful.
Rare and amazing spirits and knowledge.
7 locals recommend
Cask
3185 College Ave
7 locals recommend
Rare and amazing spirits and knowledge.

Sightseeing

Great fun.
207 locals recommend
San Francisco Cable Car Museum
1201 Mason St
207 locals recommend
Great fun.
Go up to the parabolic living roof -- and wait in line for the planetarium -- great stuff. Super high quality science museum.
816 locals recommend
California Academy of Sciences
55 Music Concourse Dr
816 locals recommend
Go up to the parabolic living roof -- and wait in line for the planetarium -- great stuff. Super high quality science museum.