Guidebook of San Francisco
Food scene
Long-standing Japanese eatery serving sushi & classic entrees in a cozy, streamlined setting. $$
101 locals recommend
Ebisu Restaurant
1283 9th AveLong-standing Japanese eatery serving sushi & classic entrees in a cozy, streamlined setting. $$
Fresh fish & sushi restaurant, dedicated to delivering high-quality, sustainable seafood. $$
111 locals recommend
Pacific Catch
1200 9th AveFresh fish & sushi restaurant, dedicated to delivering high-quality, sustainable seafood. $$
Ushi Taro
1382 9th AvenueSpecialize in beef bone marrow and ox tail ramen. Perfect for ramen lovers. $$
Famed dry fried chicken wings, handmade noodles & other Chinese eats in a no-frills setting. $$
154 locals recommend
San Tung
1031 Irving StFamed dry fried chicken wings, handmade noodles & other Chinese eats in a no-frills setting. $$
Cozy spot serving classic Korean fare such as spicy tofu stews & seafood pancakes, plus lunch deals. $$
33 locals recommend
Manna
845 Irving StCozy spot serving classic Korean fare such as spicy tofu stews & seafood pancakes, plus lunch deals. $$
Informal dinner spot serving all-you-can-eat, grill-your-own Korean BBQ, plus beer & sake. $$$
Kogi Gogi BBQ
1358 9th AvenueInformal dinner spot serving all-you-can-eat, grill-your-own Korean BBQ, plus beer & sake. $$$
This eatery offers the standard Vietnamese dishes like pho & banh xeo in a no-frills setting. $$
25 locals recommend
Yummy Yummy
1015 Irving StThis eatery offers the standard Vietnamese dishes like pho & banh xeo in a no-frills setting. $$
Grocery stores
Upscale specialty market offering a full range of groceries, plus organic foods & local products. $$
76 locals recommend
Andronico's
1200 Irving StUpscale specialty market offering a full range of groceries, plus organic foods & local products. $$
Year-round Sunday market features a range of vendors with seasonal, organic fare & artisanal goods. Only every SUNDAY. $
15 locals recommend
Inner Sunset Farmers' Market
1315 8th AveYear-round Sunday market features a range of vendors with seasonal, organic fare & artisanal goods. Only every SUNDAY. $
Coffee shops
Snowbird Coffee
1352 9th Ave
Beanery
1307 9th Ave
Starbucks
2132 Chestnut StBars
Laid-back Irish bar with ample flat-screens & weekly events like karaoke, trivia & DJ nights. $
16 locals recommend
Blackthorn Tavern
834 Irving StLaid-back Irish bar with ample flat-screens & weekly events like karaoke, trivia & DJ nights. $
Relaxed bar pleasing locals & UCSF students with its cozy fireplace, overstuffed sofas & jukebox. $
17 locals recommend
Fireside Bar
603 Irving StRelaxed bar pleasing locals & UCSF students with its cozy fireplace, overstuffed sofas & jukebox. $
Sightseeing
One of the world’s largest man-made havens. It covers over 1,000 acres of San Francisco and ranges more than 50 city blocks. Home to the world-renown California Academy of Sciences, the tranquil Japanese Tea Gardens, and the oldest glass and wood Victorian greenhouse in the western hemisphere
1721 locals recommend
Golden Gate Park
One of the world’s largest man-made havens. It covers over 1,000 acres of San Francisco and ranges more than 50 city blocks. Home to the world-renown California Academy of Sciences, the tranquil Japanese Tea Gardens, and the oldest glass and wood Victorian greenhouse in the western hemisphere
The de Young showcases American art from the 17th through the 21st centuries, international contemporary art, textiles, and costumes, and art from the Americas, the Pacific and Africa.
999 locals recommend
de Young Museum
50 Hagiwara Tea Garden DrThe de Young showcases American art from the 17th through the 21st centuries, international contemporary art, textiles, and costumes, and art from the Americas, the Pacific and Africa.
Natural history museum with an aquarium, planetarium & scientists conducting a variety of research.
816 locals recommend
California Academy of Sciences
55 Music Concourse DrNatural history museum with an aquarium, planetarium & scientists conducting a variety of research.
55 acres of serene gardens showcasing diverse plants from around the world & a magnolia collection.
182 locals recommend
San Francisco Botanical Garden
1199 9th Ave55 acres of serene gardens showcasing diverse plants from around the world & a magnolia collection.
Popular gardens with a Japanese teahouse & narrow paths winding past koi ponds, pagodas & a bridge.
348 locals recommend
Japanese Tea Garden
75 Hagiwara Tea Garden DrPopular gardens with a Japanese teahouse & narrow paths winding past koi ponds, pagodas & a bridge.
A greenhouse and botanical garden that houses a collection of rare and exotic plants in Golden Gate Park. With construction having been completed in 1879, it is the oldest building in the park.
232 locals recommend
Conservatory of Flowers
100 John F Kennedy DrA greenhouse and botanical garden that houses a collection of rare and exotic plants in Golden Gate Park. With construction having been completed in 1879, it is the oldest building in the park.
A grassy 64-acre hilltop park is a popular attraction, with its hiking trails leading up to wind-swept peaks and 360-degree views of the Bay Area. The triple-pronged Sutro Tower antenna that soars over the neighborhood is a fixture in the skyline.
727 locals recommend
Twin Peaks
A grassy 64-acre hilltop park is a popular attraction, with its hiking trails leading up to wind-swept peaks and 360-degree views of the Bay Area. The triple-pronged Sutro Tower antenna that soars over the neighborhood is a fixture in the skyline.
Known around the world for its Victorian row homes, this spectacular hilltop park is an ideal place for taking photos
390 locals recommend
Alamo Square
Known around the world for its Victorian row homes, this spectacular hilltop park is an ideal place for taking photos
Creative, community-driven mosaic featuring a flowing sea to stars design up a 163-step stairway.
84 locals recommend
16 Avenue Tiled Steps
16th AvenueCreative, community-driven mosaic featuring a flowing sea to stars design up a 163-step stairway.
A 1,500-acre park on a former military post and a major outdoor recreation hub. It has forested areas, miles of trails, a golf course and scenic overlooks. Other highlights include grassy Crissy Field with Golden Gate Bridge views, Civil War–era Fort Point and sandy Baker Beach.
383 locals recommend
Presidio of San Francisco
A 1,500-acre park on a former military post and a major outdoor recreation hub. It has forested areas, miles of trails, a golf course and scenic overlooks. Other highlights include grassy Crissy Field with Golden Gate Bridge views, Civil War–era Fort Point and sandy Baker Beach.
A stunning place to walk or bike on a flat, hard-packed promenade with iconic views of the Bay and Golden Gate Bridge. A beautiful and much-loved trail winds through Crissy Field between Marina Green and Fort Point
426 locals recommend
Crissy Field
A stunning place to walk or bike on a flat, hard-packed promenade with iconic views of the Bay and Golden Gate Bridge. A beautiful and much-loved trail winds through Crissy Field between Marina Green and Fort Point
A monumental structure located in the Marina District of San Francisco, California, originally constructed for the 1915 Panama–Pacific International Exposition to exhibit works of art. Completely rebuilt from 1964 to 1974, it is the only structure from the exposition that survives on site
463 locals recommend
Palace of Fine Arts
3601 Lyon StA monumental structure located in the Marina District of San Francisco, California, originally constructed for the 1915 Panama–Pacific International Exposition to exhibit works of art. Completely rebuilt from 1964 to 1974, it is the only structure from the exposition that survives on site
Displays a collection spanning more than 6,000 years of ancient and European art and houses the Achenbach Foundation for Graphic Arts
208 locals recommend
Legion of Honor
100 34th AveDisplays a collection spanning more than 6,000 years of ancient and European art and houses the Achenbach Foundation for Graphic Arts
3.5-mile white sand beach with fire pits & restrooms, a popular spot for flying kites & windsurfing.
553 locals recommend
Ocean Beach
La Playa St3.5-mile white sand beach with fire pits & restrooms, a popular spot for flying kites & windsurfing.
A mile-long sandy shoreline beneath serpentine cliffs in the southwest corner of the Presidio. Has amazing views of the Golden Gate Bridge, along with stunning vistas of the Pacific Ocean, the Marin Headlands, and Lands End.
349 locals recommend
Baker Beach
A mile-long sandy shoreline beneath serpentine cliffs in the southwest corner of the Presidio. Has amazing views of the Golden Gate Bridge, along with stunning vistas of the Pacific Ocean, the Marin Headlands, and Lands End.
A compact historic enclave in the Western Addition. Large indoor/outdoor complexes house an assortment of sushi, ramen and shabu-shabu restaurants, plus specialty grocery stores, kitschy gift shops, karaoke bars and Asian-style day spas. A courtyard plaza with a striking, 5-tiered Peace Pagoda regularly hosts community events such as the annual Cherry Blossom Festival.
246 locals recommend
Japan Town
A compact historic enclave in the Western Addition. Large indoor/outdoor complexes house an assortment of sushi, ramen and shabu-shabu restaurants, plus specialty grocery stores, kitschy gift shops, karaoke bars and Asian-style day spas. A courtyard plaza with a striking, 5-tiered Peace Pagoda regularly hosts community events such as the annual Cherry Blossom Festival.
One of the oldest and most established Chinatowns in the U.S. Beyond iconic Dragon’s Gate, a bustling maze of streets and alleys brims with dim sum joints and other traditional eateries. Also found are herbalists, bakeries, souvenir shops, and dark cocktail lounges and karaoke bars. There are ornate temples, including the landmark Tien How, as well as the Chinese Historical Society of America Museum.
551 locals recommend
Chinatown
One of the oldest and most established Chinatowns in the U.S. Beyond iconic Dragon’s Gate, a bustling maze of streets and alleys brims with dim sum joints and other traditional eateries. Also found are herbalists, bakeries, souvenir shops, and dark cocktail lounges and karaoke bars. There are ornate temples, including the landmark Tien How, as well as the Chinese Historical Society of America Museum.
2.6-acre public plaza bordered by Geary, Powell, Post and Stockton Streets in downtown San Francisco, California. "Union Square" also refers to the central shopping, hotel, and theater district that surrounds the plaza for several blocks
817 locals recommend
Union Square
333 Post St2.6-acre public plaza bordered by Geary, Powell, Post and Stockton Streets in downtown San Francisco, California. "Union Square" also refers to the central shopping, hotel, and theater district that surrounds the plaza for several blocks
Holds an internationally recognized collection of modern and contemporary art, and was the first museum on the West Coast devoted solely to 20th-century art.
813 locals recommend
San Francisco Museum of Modern Art
151 3rd StHolds an internationally recognized collection of modern and contemporary art, and was the first museum on the West Coast devoted solely to 20th-century art.
Encompassing nearly 16 acres, Mission Dolores Park is one of San Francisco's most popular parks, the vibrant heart of its equally vibrant, culturally diverse neighborhood. On sunny afternoons people flock to the park to play, picnic, lounge, walk their dogs, and enjoy spectacular views of the city's skyline and beyond.
1244 locals recommend
Mission Dolores Park
19th StreetEncompassing nearly 16 acres, Mission Dolores Park is one of San Francisco's most popular parks, the vibrant heart of its equally vibrant, culturally diverse neighborhood. On sunny afternoons people flock to the park to play, picnic, lounge, walk their dogs, and enjoy spectacular views of the city's skyline and beyond.
Synonymous with gay culture. Revelers often spill onto the sidewalks at numerous bars and clubs. The lavish Castro Theatre and the GLBT Historic Museum are also found here
293 locals recommend
The Castro
Synonymous with gay culture. Revelers often spill onto the sidewalks at numerous bars and clubs. The lavish Castro Theatre and the GLBT Historic Museum are also found here
One of the city's busiest tourist areas. Souvenir shops and stalls selling crab and clam chowder in sourdough bread bowls appear at every turn, as do postcard views of the bay, Golden Gate and Alcatraz. There’s also a colony of sea lions to see and historic ships to tour. At Ghirardelli Square, boutiques and eateries reside in the famed former chocolate factory.
713 locals recommend
Fisherman's Wharf
2801 Leavenworth StOne of the city's busiest tourist areas. Souvenir shops and stalls selling crab and clam chowder in sourdough bread bowls appear at every turn, as do postcard views of the bay, Golden Gate and Alcatraz. There’s also a colony of sea lions to see and historic ships to tour. At Ghirardelli Square, boutiques and eateries reside in the famed former chocolate factory.
3-level landmark former chocolate factory near Fisherman's Wharf. It has wineries, award-winning restaurants, spectacular views of the Golden Gate Bridge to Alcatraz, landscaped gardens, one-of-a-kind shopping and, of course famous Ghirardelli Chocolate.
217 locals recommend
The Original Ghirardelli Ice Cream & Chocolate Shop at Ghirardelli Square
900 North Point St3-level landmark former chocolate factory near Fisherman's Wharf. It has wineries, award-winning restaurants, spectacular views of the Golden Gate Bridge to Alcatraz, landscaped gardens, one-of-a-kind shopping and, of course famous Ghirardelli Chocolate.
Alcatraz reveals stories of American incarceration, justice, and our common humanity. This small island was once a fort, a military prison, and a maximum security federal penitentiary.
503 locals recommend
Alcatraz Island
Alcatraz reveals stories of American incarceration, justice, and our common humanity. This small island was once a fort, a military prison, and a maximum security federal penitentiary.
The largest natural island in the San Francisco Bay. It offers some of the best views of the surrounding Bay Area. With great hiking trails and many other recreational opportunities readily available, Angel Island is truly a hidden gem in the midst of the urban Bay Area.
107 locals recommend
Angel Island Café
Main StreetThe largest natural island in the San Francisco Bay. It offers some of the best views of the surrounding Bay Area. With great hiking trails and many other recreational opportunities readily available, Angel Island is truly a hidden gem in the midst of the urban Bay Area.
Traveler advice
Ways to save
Many SF museums offer free admission at least once a month
https://www.sftourismtips.com/free-museum-admission-days.html