San Francisco

Check out the usual web sites such as www.booking.com and www.venere.com, on our first visit we stayed downtown but we did not enjoy this particulalrly and wanted to try another area when we returned. For our second visit we booked the Metro Hotel, 319 Divisadero Street, The Haight, www.metrohotelsf.com. This is a smallish hotel, with no frills but the rooms are good and clean, the staff are great and so friendly and helpful. The area around Haight Street with the Upper Haight & Lower Haight to choose from is five minutes away and Divisadero Street itself has some great restaurants and bars. Personally I would not choose anywhere else for another visit.

Restaurants

Like any major city if you want to go to the good restaurants then you need to book in advance, a great web site is www.opentable.com which is used by most of the best restaurants as their booking service.

The Slanted Door, One Ferry Building, Embarcadero, is high on the list of San Francisco’s best, it is Vietnamese, but really is meat and fish with a Vietnamese slant, recent reviews seem to suggest it is may be slightly living on its laurels.

Gotts Roadside, 1 Ferry Building, Embarcadero, is reckoned to be the best burger in the SF area, you order your food, wine or beer, get your pager find a seat and wait till the pager bleeps, then enjoy a real burger and chips and very reasonably priced.

Anchor & Hope, 83 Minna Street, between 1st & 2nd, SOMA, have only had a drink there but met one of the owners and saw the food coming out of the kitchen so would definitely recommend. They also own the Salt House & Town Hall two other places both in SOMA. The Anchor & Hope has an amazing beer selection.

SPQR, 1911 Filmore Street, is owned by the same people as A16, see below, we tried it for lunch at the weekend and it was excellent, The dishes are all so different from the pasta dishes you would normally expect and likewise the starters, it is expensive but is worth the cost.

Bar Crudo, 655 Divisadero Street,the Haight, when there are queues for the happy hour from  5 to 6.30 you know that this is a popular place. The $1 oysters and other special offers are only part the reason. I suspect booking is always required here based on other reviews.

Nopa, 560 Divisadero Street,the Haight,  we hadn’t booked this in advance but walking past it and seeing how packed it was for brunch we decided to book for dinner. Everyone we talked to later said it was “The” place to eat so we went for our late dinner booking on a Sunday. The service was excellent and the place buzzing, we tried two of the most popular dishes and were slightly disappointed with the famous Roast Chicken, parts were rather dry. I would however give it another chance.

Off The Grid, is an organisation which gets food trucks with cooking from all parts of the world together in various locations in SF. Fort Mason on Friday night is supposed to be the best and there are 30 plus trucks, craft beers from Magnolia, cocktail bars and pop up restaurants. It start at 5pm but get there before and get a seat at a table then when they start selling try different stalls, wrap up it can get chilly. Check out the web site for other locations.

The Taddich Grill, 240 California Street, unfortunately we did not get a chance to sample the food but this is a SF institution, a wonderful building and seems to be always packed at the bar with people waiting for tables or eating. Great reviews from people we know in the city.

Vinyl, 350 Divisadero Street, the Haight, I had read about this in the Lonely Planet and we were lucky enough to be staying a block away. During the day great place for breakfast or lunch, good selection and friendly staff and so nice not to have to go to a chain. After 5.30 it becomes a wine bar with an excellent range of wines and food including selections of cheeses and meats. A great place to relax.

Bar Tartine, one of the most popular places to eat in the Mission, the menu has lots of veggie dishes but not exclusively so, the selection of brushcettas seemed to be one of the most popular dishes, again with lots of very different ingredients.

Waterbar, 399 Embarcadero, about 10 minutes walk from the Ferry Building and very popular with visitors for the views. The happy hour oysters and white wine should not to be missed.

RN74, 301 Mission Street, is one of the top SF chef Michael Mina’s restaurants, a highly rated place to eat however we only sampled the happy hour offers which were good, the design of the bar and restaurant is great.

A16, 2355 Chestnut Street, Marina, does southern Italian cooking Californian style, it is an incredibly buzzy restaurant with excellent food, service and some reasonably priced wines on the list. There is no chance of a table if you do not book in advance, it was packed on a Sunday evening with locals. It is good value by SF standards for a place of this quality.

Café Sport, 574 Green Street, North Beach, it does huge portions of seafood pasta and wine by the carafe and is reasonably priced. There are loads of Italian restaurants in this area, Little Italy, also looked good, check out your guide books for other recommendations.

Swan Oyster Depot, 1517 Polk Street, Russian Hill, is an SF institution, the queue starts at 11am when it opens and the seats are a row along the counter. The staff are great, serving refreshments to the queue, the oysters, seafood and clam chowder top notch. They offer a selection of wines and beer, it is still as good as ever for quality and value. Be prepared for the wait so go for an early mid week lunch to avoid the worst queues.

City View Restaurant, 622 Commercial Street, Chinatown, there are loads of warnings about rip offs in Chinatown, this however was great both times we were in SF. Dim-Sum at lunchtime is the when to go and go early as it fills up. There is no menu for the dim-sum as it is wheeled round in trolleys, do not rush in as there are so many different ones. The price comes as a pleasant shock, the dishes start at $3 and go up to $6.50, seven dishes and tea $37. So good to come back and find the quality and price is as great as ever.

La Taqueria, 2889 Mission Street, The Mission 24th Street, rated by some to be the best Taqueria in town, well the locals know, it was very good, incredibly busy, and amazingly cheap. There are dozens in this area, many with similar names.

Lori’s Diner 336 Mason Street, Downtown, this a SF chain but I liked the look of the place, old fashioned diner style but newly done and the breakfast was excellent

Bars

The Page, 298 Divisadero Street, The Haight, this is one of the best “local” bars we have found on our travels, great beers, wine and spirits and not really a fancy cocktail place. It has top notch staff and really friendly customers. Yes it does attract a youngish crowd later as it stays open till 2am, but a great, comfortable and welcoming bar, what you would want in a good local.

The Elite Café, 2049 Filmore Street, Pacific Heights, has a lovely art deco interior, the initial service experience was not great but our server was excellent the brunches looked good and the Bloody Mary was top notch.

Zam Zam. 1633 Haight Street , Upper Haight, was recommended by a local and the cocktail bar is unchanged since 1945 and is a true gem. There is a wide selection of local customers as you would expect in this lively area. They also have beers and wine.

Madrone Art Bar, 500 Divisadero Street, what a find on a Sunday evening, a bar, gallery, and live music venue with excellent jazz on a Sunday. We heard from several people that on Monday’s the Motown & Soul nights mean queues from 5.30 pm in the evening.

The Buena Vista, Hyde Street, just up from the Aquatic Park near Fisherman’s Wharf. This is apparently where Irish Coffees were invented and I have never seen so many sold, not even in Dublin’s famous bars. Old fashioned bar tenders, not the friendliest but better than some of the places at the Wharf

Church Key, 1402 Grant Avenue, North Beach, is not the easiest place to find as there does not appear to be a name but it is worth seeking out. A small selection of beers and wine, red or white, and no fancy drinks. An older crowd than many of the bars in the area.

Elixir, 3200 16^th Street, The Mission, is a great neighbourhood bar, with a great bar tender and friendly customers. With a Blood Mary corner to add or mix to your own taste on a Sunday at least and what more could you want, just wish we had got a chance for a return visit.

Clock Bar, Downtown, 335 Powell Street at the Westin St Francis Hotel, for a swanky cocktail near Union Square this is a good place to try.

Marriot Hotel, 55 Fourth Street, Downtown, The View on the 39th Floor, does what the names says, go for cocktails and take in the views.

Royal Exchange, 301 Sacramento Street, Financial District, is a really friendly bar with a great selection of beers and also doing what looked like excellent food. Sydney Town at 531 Commercial Street is another similar bar.

Kennedy’s Bar & Curry House, 1040 Columbus Avenue, if you are at Fisherman’s Wharf head up to Columbus and check this place out, a bit grungy with a student bar feel but good beers and two for one between 5pm and 7pm.

San Francisco Brewing Company, 155 Columbus Avenue, at Pacific, one of the many old fashioned bars in the North Beach Area.

Vesuvios, 255 Columbus Avenue, is another North Beach old fashioned bar next to the famous City Lights Bookshop, a Beat Era institution.

Spec’s, in an alley just off Columbus between Pacific & Broadway, yet another old fashioned saloon type bar, all the bars in North Beach are popular with a young student crowd.

Ferry Plaza Wine Merchants, One Ferry Building, Embarcadero, go and look at the amazing food shops in the Ferry Building then have a glass of wine and possibly some nibbles at this wine shop and wine bar.

21st Amendment, 543 2nd Street, SOMA, along with Magnolia one of the first bars to brew its own beers.

Magnolia Pub & Brewery, 1398 Haight Street, Upper Haight, this is what we would call a gastro pub, they brew their own beer and do excellent food including some unusual bar snacks if you are unable to get a table for a main meal.

Alembic, 1725 Haight Street, Upper Haight, this is owned by the same people as Magnolia, but is rather trendier and specialises in cocktails which are excellent, also does food.

Toronado, 547 Haight Street, Lower Haight, this is a beer lovers paradise, a bit grungy but good apart possibly from the loud rock on the juke box. A highlight is to do what everyone does and go next door to Rosamunde and order from their great selection of sausages then bring them back, freshly cooked, to Tornado.

Mythic Pizza, 551 Haight Street, do not despair if Rosamunde has shut, this may not look much but it does excellent slices of Pizza.

Absinthe, 398 Hayes Street, Gough, Hayes Valley, is a beautiful bar and brasserie doing some of the best cocktails in SF and with an excellent reputation for food, shuts Monday.

Beach Chalet, at the end of Golden Gate Park facing the Pacific, book or queue for a table for the weekend brunch.

Drink

San Francisco is surrounded by some of California’s best wine growing regions, the North coast which includes Napa & Sonoma, the Central Coast including some of the nearby Bay Area, and the Inland Valleys to the east. The principal varieties grown in California are cabernet sauvignon and chardonnay however many of the French champagne houses have set up in the Napa Valley. Wine tours to this area are easily arranged during a visit to SF.

Do try and sample some local wines during your visit even though in most restaurants it is expensive by the bottle, but loads are available by the glass and there is always a huge range of beer and it is common to drink this with meals. Which leads nicely on to craft beer since California produces more than any other state in the US. Two of the biggest are Sierra Nevada and Lagunitas but there are a number of small brew bars in the city itself, some of which are mentioned in the bar section above.

Colt Tower, near Union Square & Columbus, there is a bus that goes up the hill if you do not want to walk, once you get to the tower be sure to look at the murals then take the lift up to the top and see the amazing views.

Do all the Cable Cars, a tip for the ones starting at Powell is they do not take the maximum number on at the terminus so you may have more chance if you walk up a couple of stops. The California Street one is the easiest to get on, it also crosses the other two.

Visit the Cable Car Museum, 1201 Mason Street, it is a fascinating look at how the cars actually run.

The Golden Gate Park is huge to explore and also contains the California Academy of Sciences & the De Young Museum a large amount to see in one location.

You should visit Alamo Park and see the famous painted ladies houses and the fantastic views of the city as seen on so many cards and pictures of the city.

The Mission area is well worth a visit, see the many murals all around the area but best in Balmy Alley, then have a burrito !

Hayes Valley & Valencia Street near the Mission at two areas rated excellent for eating and also exploring as they are very up and coming but all areas of the city have their own gems, Chestnut at Pacific Heights is also a good area to explore.

Take the ferry from the Ferry Building to Sausilito, have a wander round, look at the views and the lovely town itself, you pass Alcatraz and the Golden Gate on the way.

DSW Shoes, 400 Post Street, Union Square, Downtown, has four floors of fantastic discount shoes and bags, men’s and women’s, this is a new location and a much better and larger shop than previously.