2 Fun Foodie Days in San Francisco
I recently survived an 8-day road trip traveling to Yosemite, Lake Tahoe, and San Francisco with my husband and two kids! Ok, “survived” might be a little dramatic, but I spent the first leg of our road trip in an RV at Yosemite where I completed a 6.5 mile hike (with a very steep incline) while being sick – I felt like Lance Armstrong in the Tour de France minus the performance-enhancing drugs. After that I got to drive on ice through a snow storm on our way to Lake Tahoe. Let’s just say that was a long, white-knuckled drive for this San Diegan!
After #winning Yosemite and experiencing Lake Tahoe, we moved on to the last leg of our road trip, San Francisco. While Yosemite and Lake Tahoe were both filled with breathtaking views of nature at its best, the foodie in me was excited to experience 2 Fun Foodie Days in San Francisco.
My favorite thing about San Francisco is the slew of diverse neighborhoods that comprise its approximate 46 square miles. Each neighborhood has its own distinct feel, flavor, and uniqueness, and since they’re all in such a small concentrated area, you can easily see a lot of the city in two days with a combination of walking, cable cars, public transportation, or bus tours.
From eating fresh seafood in Fisherman’s Wharf to shopping in the eclectic neighborhood of Haight Ashbury to experiencing the bustling area of Chinatown, there’s definitely something for everyone in this city.
Our first stop was the requisite Pier 39 at Fisherman’s Wharf. While undeniably touristy, Pier 39 offers a lot of waterfront, family-friendly restaurants, fun souvenir shops, and don’t forget about the resident sea lions that lay out on their part of the pier, barking and basking in the sun.
If clam chowder and/or fresh sourdough bread bowls are your thing, Fisherman’s Wharf has plenty of restaurants and walk-up seafood stands to satisfy your craving. We decided to have lunch at Pier Market on Pier 39, where they only serve sustainable seafood. Pier Market prides themselves on “selling San Francisco’s freshest seafood since 1983”. All I know is that I had the best shrimp meal I’ve ever had. I ordered their Shrimp Combo Fest that has shrimp scampi, fried shrimp, and grilled shrimp. Each part of the trio was absolute perfection. My husband said his Crab & Shrimp Sandwich was also excellent.
Since we were already at the water, we decided to take a 1-hour bay cruise to see the sites and learn more about this city. We chose a sunset cruise and I’m glad we did. The cruise leaves Fisherman’s Wharf and takes you out to the Golden Gate Bridge for a perfect sunset photo op, around Alcatraz Island for an up-close look at the old penitentiary, and comes back for a beautiful view of the lit up Bay Bridge that connects Oakland to San Francisco.
After your beautiful bay cruise, head down the Embarcadero to the Ferry Building Marketplace where you will find local farmers, producers, and other artisanal purveyors that sell their goods in a gorgeous, remodeled Ferry Building that dates back to 1898 when trains and ferry boats were the modes of transportation to San Francisco.
Whether you want fresh produce, cheese from an artisan creamery, a bottle of wine, or a cup of coffee, the Ferry Building Marketplace is a fun place to shop and look around. There was a magnetic force pulling me to CheeseQuakes!, a local San Franciscan cheesecake company that uses only natural ingredients in their products. They sell small and large cheesecakes, slices, and cute little BabyQuake Trios, which is what I bought. You get three bite-size, mind-blowing cheesecakes. Great crust with perfect texture and flavor. They have decadent flavors like Lemon Champagne, Bourbon Vanilla Bean, and Triple Chocolate that will make any dessert lover swoon.
After all the walking we did, we wanted to sit down and relax with a nice meal for dinner. We headed over to North Beach, which is San Francisco’s “Little Italy” neighborhood. We had a lovely meal at Piccolo Forno. The red sauce with the spaghetti was fabulous, and we all thoroughly enjoyed the pizza too!
The next day, I would recommend a bus tour to get you all around the city. I’ve been to San Francisco twice. Once I did a tour on a comfy coach bus, and the other time I did a “hop on and off” double decker bus. I highly recommend the coach bus – it’s warmer, more informative, and you don’t have to try and hear your guide from earbuds plugged in the roof.
A must-see place for me on this trip was Chinatown. They say the Chinatown in San Francisco is the largest Chinatown outside of Asia. In other words, if you’re going to go to a Chinatown, THIS is the one to see. There are a multitude of different shops and businesses in Chinatown, and guess what? They’re way cheaper here than in other parts of San Francisco. This is the place to go shopping and get the most bang for your buck.
I was really looking forward to having authentic Chinese food for lunch in Chinatown, and it did not disappoint! There are what seems like hundreds of Chinese restaurants to choose from, so how does one decide where to go? Well, I chose Begoni Bistro for exactly 4 reasons: they had an excellent rating on Yelp, they served dim sum, they had more than six tables, and they had a wine bar! Wine and Chinese food might not seem like a perfect match, but after hours of sightseeing with two kids, you’ll be looking for a Chinese restaurant with a wine bar too. As for the food, A+. We ordered a TON of things: General Tso’s Chicken, Shrimp Dumplings, Scallion Pancakes, Short Ribs, and my personal favorite, Spicy Beef Noodle Soup. My mouth was on fire in the best of ways from the soup, then cooled down with a glass of Rose wine. Everything was just as good as I hoped it would be.
After shopping in Chinatown, I was getting cold, craving coffee, and wanting to sit down somewhere. Right on the corner was a cute little French bistro called Cafe de la Presse. It’s in the Financial District/Union Square neighborhood, but totally within walking distance from Chinatown. We decided to get some coffee and do some dessert sharesies. I ordered Crème Brûlée infused with Grand Marnier, and my husband got Croissant Pudding with chocolate and toffee sauce w/vanilla gelato. Both desserts were huge hits with this crowd! If you go inside, it looks like a little Parisian cafe, it’s so cute!
If you want to see San Francisco from up in the sky, make sure to stop at the Marriott Marquis hotel and go up to the 39th floor to The View Lounge. It provides a stunning view of Downtown and is a great place to have a glass of wine or two.
Depending on how much time you have to spend, you may be able to experience more than 2 Fun Foodie Days in San Francisco. Some other places to see are: The Presidio and Palace of Fine Arts, Golden Gate Park, Ghiradelli Square, the Painted Ladies (beautiful Victorian homes) and don’t forget all the fabulous eating and drinking establishments on the good side of Polk Street! Take a cable car, go up to the observation deck at Coit Tower, visit Alcatraz Island, walk or drive down Lombard Street, aka, the “Crookedest Street in the World”. There is so much to do and see in San Francisco, it really is a fun place to visit.
Tips & Info:
- Hotel parking is very expensive. Expect to pay $60+ per day of parking.
- Alcatraz tickets need to bought in advance. I would buy the tickets when you are reserving your hotel.
- Cable cars are $7.00 per ride
- If you’re really into baking, one of the Boudin bakeries offers a tour of behind-the-scenes sourdough making.
From all the amazing types of food, to the cute Victorian homes on the steep hills, to all the different cultures and neighborhoods, San Francisco is tons of fun! It’s urban, gritty but beautiful, filled with mesmerizing aromas on every block, and a great place to visit whether you come as a family, with friends, or in a couple. Have fun!
If you’re planning on visiting more of California, check out Visiting Sacramento, America’s Farm-to-Fork Capital and A Foodie’s Trip to Palm Springs!
