Where to Eat in San Francisco

San Francisco is physically smaller than many imagine. Boxed in on three sides by the Pacific Ocean and San Francisco Bay, it’s just a mere seven by seven miles in total area. Still, it punches far above its weight class as a dining destination. Since the time of the Gold Rush, it’s attracted diverse cuisines: Italian fishermen tossed Dungeness crab and seafood scraps into garlicky cioppino, while French bakers bubbled the mother starter for the city’s famed crusty sourdough. The city is also home to the country’s oldest and biggest Chinatown, for decades the setting of prodigious dumpling and noodle feasts. And Latino culture rides low and trumpets loud through the Mission, known for its namesake meaty burritos.

The landscape rises into steep hills and Victorian and Edwardian architecture, painted in pastel colors and flowing with misty fog. Clanging cable cars still climb up and down the streets, although these days they’re joined by self-driving taxis, an ever-present reminder of the whirring tech scene. Chefs sit pretty, able to source ingredients from the best farms in the state and bottles from the various nearby wine-producing regions. Deep-pocketed residents ball out on omakase and Michelin-starred fare, but never forget, this is also the hometown of DoorDash, Uber Eats, and Postmate. Accordingly, take-out options abound.

Overwhelmed by choice, and don’t know where to start? We’ve got you. Grab a sweater, let’s go eat.

Start the day with electric green kaya toast and dreamy seasonal croissants.

No visit to San Fran is complete without snapping a photo of the Golden Gate Bridge, so wake up with a stroll through the eucalyptus groves of the Presidio, the national park at the foot of the bridge. Once you work up an appetite, peel off onto Clement Street and hit Breadbelly, the award-winning bakery whose comfort food offerings marry Asian flavors with a Californian sensibility. The teal storefront with gold lettering, outside which patrons sip egg coffees with pups at their feet, is easy to spot. Order the iconic kaya toast on fluffy milk bread, squiggled with bright green pandan-coconut jam. But don’t skip the breakfast sandwiches, constructed on outstandingly thick bread and stuffed with creamy egg salad and crispy shrimp cakes.

Alternatively, croissants are basically a competitive sport in SF, and Butter & Crumble in North Beach is arguably the It pastry shop of the moment. Baker and owner Sophie Smith was just 27 years old when she opened the bakery’s doors in late 2023, and the team is largely young women. After taking over a beloved former cooking school in the historic Italian American neighborhood, Smith and her team repainted the airy space in blush pink, matching the staff’s aprons and the espresso machine (that’s Miss Marzocco, if you’re nasty). The offerings are unfailingly creative and unconventional, playing with unexpected shapes and flavors. Think a laminated pastry stuffed with bacon, egg, and cheese rolled up like a snail, with a jammy yolk dropped in the center; a potato-artichoke croquiche (that’s a cross between a croissant and a quiche, naturally) smothered with Gruyère and herbs; or tall cruffins (croissant-muffins) pumped full of strawberry rhubarb curd and vanilla bean mascarpone cream with rhubarb curls tangled on top. Fair warning: The line is invariably long, and they will definitely sell out, so slide in early on the days it operates, Thursday through Sunday.

Digest with a stroll through the farmers market and snap up some local goodies.

Fueled up after a good breakfast, there’s nothing more NorCal than wandering around a farmers market and ogling the seasonal produce. The biggest and most famous is the Ferry Plaza Farmers Market, which pops up around the historic landmark on Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday mornings. The Ferry Building itself is well worth a visit, originally built in Beaux Arts style in 1898, with a cathedral-inspired atrium and clock tower. It’s still a transportation hub, but also a food hall stocked with local artisans like Dandelion Chocolate and Heath Ceramics—ideal goodies to tote home. On market days, consider stuffing a bottle of olive oil or bag of walnuts in your suitcase, and see how many star chefs you can spot loading up their veggie carts.

Slurpable pho or meaty burritos.

A few short blocks from Ferry Building, legendary noodle spot Turtle Tower remains one of the city’s most beloved bowls—just ask comedian Ali Wong. For more than two decades, the Pham family operated out of a tiny space in the Tenderloin before moving to a new home in the FiDi in 2025. The space, lit with basket lights, is lush with tropical plants that soften the exposed brick walls. Chef Steven Pham is still simmering his signature Northern Vietnamese–style pho ga, which features a soul piercingly clear broth, tender poached chicken, rice noodles, and a floating raft of fresh herbs. Round out the meal with fresh rice paper rolls, which convey delights like grilled pork, steamed shrimp, and fried tofu, and a strong Vietnamese iced coffee will keep you buzzing all afternoon. Planning on being on the north side of town? The Phams have already opened a second location in the Marina.

Alternatively, a burrito that forever changes the way you view burritos is required eating in SF. Ask a dozen locals for their favorite Mission offering, and you’ll get as many (correct) answers, from the smoky carne asada at La Vaca Birria to the trompo-twirled pastor of Al Pastor Papi. But consider starting with a classic experience at James Beard Awarding–winning La Taqueria, a mainstay for more than half a century. The line to enter, flowing through the white arches on Mission Street, moves quickly, with lucky diners squeezed in at long wood tables and serenaded by the occasional mariachi band. Everyone’s here for the super burrito, a tight bundling of your choice of meat, cheese, guacamole, and sour cream. (The pro move is to get it “dorado,” a.k.a. griddled until golden.) La Taq can be divisive, because the eatery’s burritos famously don’t include rice, but on a big day of eating, this can be a strategic advantage.

Raise a glass to the natural wine movement.

After a few hours exploring the Mission District’s colorful alleyway murals and the Mission Dolores complex, which includes structures dating to the colonial era, keep the momentum going with a glass of wine. The vibes are excellent at Buddy, which is in fact a buddy project, pooling the talents of several bar scene stalwarts. The laid-back café is a lovely spot to rest up from 4 p.m. onward, with a marble bar, checkerboard floor, and tufted leather banquettes. Natural wine is the main attraction, and the menu is filled with low-intervention bottles from California, France, and beyond. Opt for sips like a chilled red made right across the Bay in Berkeley, or a sparkling skin-contact orange wine from Alsace. If you’re feeling peckish, Buddy’s snack game is strong with plates of salmon crudo draped in coconut cream and trumpet mushrooms pepped up with truffle honey, feta, and walnut salsa macha. It also have a reputation for hosting the coolest pop-ups, such as Ilna, Petit Américain, Hadeem, and Four Kings.

Take your pick between next-gen Cantonese or a California pizza party.

SF boasts a long and fragrant tradition of Cantonese cooking, from lacquered roast ducks swinging in windows to bamboo basketfuls of dim sum bathed in clouds of steam. Now the next generation is digging into Cantonese-inflected nostalgia, epitomized at spots like Four Kings, 606, and Quack House. Joining this modern tradition is The Happy Crane, which London-born and Hong Kong–raised chef James Yeun Leong Parry opened in summer of 2025 after honing his skills in Michelin-starred kitchens in Tokyo and San Francisco. At The Happy Crane, Parry gives the char siu treatment to rich Iberico pork jowl, steams and grinds his own rice for the crab rice roll, and tosses Monterey abalone and Jimmy Nardello peppers into a smoking wok with XO sauce. It’s all served in an industrial space of concrete, steel, and glass near the Opera House, warmed in tone by walnut wood lattices and jade green banquettes. A couple of stone dragons guard the door.

But don’t leave town without sampling some California pizza. Jules, which first fired up its ovens in spring of 2025, is the hottest in the game right now with a freewheeling regional style. Chef Max Blachman-Gentile, who previously slung dough at both Roberta’s in NYC and Tartine in SF, named this wood-paneled joint after his Italian nonna and has mastered the sourdough crust, achieving a masterful balance between crackle and chew. Go for pies like the fungi-forward Fun Guy, which features a mushroom sauce base and a topping of maitake, hon-shimeji, and porcini mushrooms, with dollops of black garlic for good measure. The Spicy Ronny is also great, rocking perfect pepperoni cups and Calabrian chiles. Before heading out, peep the vintage Pizza Hut lamp in the bathroom. Stick around the Lower Haight for a nightcap: cocktails at Stoa Bar, wine at Bar Jabroni, or beer at Woods.

Take a ride out to oyster country.

Staying for a few days? If time allows for a mini roadtrip, cross the Golden Gate Bridge and head out to Point Reyes National Seashore, a treasure trove of rocky headlands, beaches, and waterfall hikes. It’s right next to Hog Island Oyster Co. in Tomales Bay, a sustainable shellfish farm that supplies restaurants across SF. After a long closure following the pandemic, Hog Island has reopened its shuck-it-yourself picnic tables during the summer, so visitors can buy a bucket and crack the operation’s signature Sweetwaters right at the source. Many consider it the ultimate oyster experience in the Bay Area, but it’s walk-in only and the schedule is spotty, so call ahead. And if the waiting list gets outrageous, don’t despair—there are many ways to slurp in Tomales Bay. You might just find god in the pool of garlic butter underneath a BBQ oyster at The Marshall Store.