Travel bucket list idea:
San Francisco, California, United States of America (USA)
Clam chowder in hallowed bread, a local specialty
Thanks to both the ocean and an abundance of farms on its doorstep, San Francisco is big on farm-to-table and sustainable cuisine. Green-leanings aside, culinary talent runs rampant in SF – in fact, the Bay Area is one of the three areas in the US that the Michelin Guide series rates.
A long-standing immigrant community from the East translates to some of the best Asian food outside Asia.
Cioppino, a seafood stew made with Dungeness crab, that, rumour has it, traces its roots to Fisherman’s Wharf.
Creamy and white clam chowder is a local staple that came with settlers who’d moved West. For a real San Francisco experience, have it served in a carved-out bread bowl from one of the city’s iconic sourdough purveyors, like Boudin. Their flagship bakery is in Fisherman’s Wharf.
The bold and bursting-at-the-seams Mission-style burrito is a San Francisco invention, one loaded with beans, meat, cheese…the works! You’ll find it everywhere in the city’s Mission neighbourhood, where it originated.
Also look out for popular fortune cookies – apparently invented in Golden Gate Park. There’s a fortune cooking factory tucked away in the alleyways of Chinatown where you can watch them being made (and score a big bag to-go!).
With amazing restaurants filling all corners of SF, the question becomes where not to eat.
For delish Asian food, of course head to Chinatown. SF’s Outer Richmond neighbourhood is known for its dim sum eateries.
To try SF’s famous to-die-for ‘Mission’ burritos, look for hole-in-the-wall cafés in the Mission neighbourhood, which many Latin Americans call home.
Food trucks offer some of the city’s tastiest and most inventive dining options (think steamed bao buns and Ukrainian pyrizhky). Look for them in Golden Gate Park and the Presidio’s new Tunnel Tops experience.
Hot restaurants and cool bars populate buzzy districts like SOMA, while North Beach and the gay-beloved Castro are good bets for fun after dark.
Fancy, five-star eateries tuck behind Victorian facades in Nob Hill and Pacific Heights. However, scoring a reservation at a buzzy restaurant can be near impossible. To pull a seat up to a particularly hot table, try going during lunch.
San Francisco, California, United States of America (USA)
Experience
Three days a week, the Ferry Building hosts this, one of San Francisco’s best markets. Every morning to mid-afternoon on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays, more than 100 local purveyors set up shop offering top-quality, locally-grown produce.
Good for age: 18+
San Francisco, California, United States of America (USA)
Experience
Hailed as the U.S. home of Irish coffee. Legend has it that in 1952, the cafe’s then-owner Jack Koeppler challenged a well-known travel writer to recreate a drink he’d had at Ireland’s Shannon Airport, and this local landmark has been serving them up (in an endless line along the bar) ever since.
Good for age: 18+
San Francisco, California, United States of America (USA)
Located in the historic Ferry Building on the Embarcadero at Market, this first-rate foodie foray – a hall of more than 40 different restaurants and food shops – has outlets offering anything from mushrooms grown in Moss Landing (a town two hours south), to cheeses from a local creamery.
The building itself is a late 19th-century landmark that was completely renovated and restored in 2002. It still serves as a transportation centre for ferries to Oakland, Alameda, Sausalito, and Angel Island.
Its views overlooking the bay and out toward the SF-Oakland Bay Bridge are worth going for alone.
Good for age: 18+
San Francisco, California, United States of America (USA)
Experience
The Cavallo Point Lodge, 30 mins across the bay in Sausalito, operates one of the best ‘hotel cooking schools’ in the country. If you can, time your visit for one of their excellent classes, often featuring local recipes and the farm-to-table produce that the city is famous for, or one of the summer ‘Oyster experiences’, featuring local bay oysters. Book well ahead.
Adult price: £100
Good for age: 18+
Duration: 3 hours
When: Select dates
Freq: Selected dates
San Francisco, California, United States of America (USA)
Experience
Swing by the Cheese School of San Francisco for a 2-hour themed class (book ahead) in cheese pairing, gourmet souvenirs, or some simple fromage and wine tasting. It’s home to San Francisco’s only cheesemaking creamery.
Adult price: £100
Good for age: 18+
Duration: 2 hours
When: Fridays
Freq: Selected dates
San Francisco is an early-to-bed city. Most restaurants open for dinner around 5ish and close up shop between 9 and 10pm.
For late-night eats, head to the Mission neighbourhood, where taquerias and a few artisan bars cater to hungry stomachs at least through midnight.
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