when we started telling people about our trip to san francisco earlier this spring, we got sooo many recommendations of fantastic places to eat, drink, grab coffee, and otherwise visit. and so we made it our mission to eat and drink as much as possible during our three-day latermoon, and i’m happy to report that i think we fared pretty well. to say thanks to everyone who recommended one or many of the places that we visited, and to pass along our favorites to anyone visiting in the future, i’ve put together a list of (nearly) everywhere we ate and drank during our time in san francisco. enjoy and bon appetit!

FOOD

taqueria cancun | 1003 market street

taqueria cancun was our first stop after arriving in san francisco from a long day of traveling. it was right up the street from our airbnb and was recommended by our host, and we needed a quick bite before our reservation for drinks later that evening, so it worked out perfectly. it’s your typical hole-in-the-wall taco place, but it didn’t disappoint. we both had a carne asada “super taco,” which comes with onions, cilantro, salsa, cheese, avocado, and sour cream, and at just $3 and plenty big, that’s hard to beat.

guardino’s at fisherman’s wharf | 2801 taylor street

we might not have gone here had i read the yelp reviews before eating here, because they’re quite mixed, but for us, this was the perfect way to get our fisherman’s wharf seafood fix without having to splurge at one of the pricier dine-in restaurants. we split a lobster roll (splitting is key when you’re trying to eat your way through a city like we did), and i’m glad we did, because it was giant and they didn’t skimp on the lobster meat. we ordered an anchor steam beer here too, and although you’re technically supposed to drink it right by their stand, they’ll put it in a brown paper bag so you can somewhat inconspicuously drink it across the street where there’s a few places to sit.

locanda osteria + bar | 557 valencia street

we sort of stumbled upon locanda when a couple other places in the mission district we were considering eating at weren’t open for dinner yet. the menu looked good and they had a table available for an early dinner, so we figured we’d give it a shot. ironically, it turned out to be not only one of the best meals of the trip, but one of the best meals ever. locanda has the same owners as delfina and pizzeria delfina just down the street (which also came highly recommended to us), and specializes in from-scratch pastas, craft cocktails, and unique antipasti and bar snacks.

we started with the radishes + anchovy butter – something i wouldn’t normally be drawn to but figured this was the kind of place to try it at. it was wonderful. we also tried their coppiette, a roman-style pork jerky, which is marinated in campari and peroni and consequently was also wonderful. and then the entrées – kevin ordered the orecchiette (sausage, broccoli raab, parmesan), which was amazing, but the star of the show was my entrée – the short rib ravioli with sunchoke velutato and black pepper. omg. i don’t even know what a velutato is but i know i like it and i know this is the pasta dish i will forever be dreaming about. for dessert we had the cookie plate, which came with a rosemary shortbread and a chocolate espresso drop – the perfect light, small dessert to balance out the richness of our dinner. go here.

mission street oyster bar | 2322 mission street

after our morning tour at anchor brewing company (see below), we were in the mood for a lighter lunch and in search of somewhere to try some pacific coast oysters. mission street oyster bar was in walking distance and fit the bill – we had side salads and some miyagi oysters, and although this was our first and only time having pacific coast oysters, i definitely preferred them over the atlantic coast ones we’ve had (which is saying something, because we really like those too). bonus: it was happy hour when we were there (at lunchtime? score!) so oysters were only $1.50 each, making this a super affordable meal.

sliver pizzeria | 2132 center street, berkeley

our stop at sliver was totally unplanned – our reservations at chez panisse weren’t until 9:30 that night and we found ourselves in berkeley several hours before that needing a pre-dinner dinner to prevent getting hangry. i was willing to eat anything at this point and wasn’t expecting much, but this was The Trip of No Bad Meals. sliver has a different slice of the day each day, which happened to be fresh corn, red bell pepper, chile pasilla, mozzarella, cotija cheese, limes, cilantro, and garlic olive oil when we were there, aka all my favorite flavors piled into one. so good. when you order a slice, you actually get a slice plus a “sliver” – hence the name – which was a fun surprise. also, their mission (other than making fantastic pizza) is centered around eliminating human trafficking, so that’s an added bonus.

chez panisse cafe | 1517 shattuck avenue, berkeley

chez panisse was the only meal we made reservations for on this trip and has been on my bucket list for a looong time, #becausealicewaters. we went on the third and final night of our trip, at which point (a) we were exhausted, (b) we were so sick of walking, and (c) i was pretty sure i had strep throat and could not find an urgent care anywhere nearby (surprise! i had an ear infection instead and spent the rest of our california trip on antibiotics). but! we took operation steak + frites very seriously and made the mile+ trek to the cafe from the BART, complete with lots of grumbling over tired legs, sore throats and self-questioning over why we thought it was a good idea to eat dinner at 9:30.

but we went inside and for an hour, everything was perfect and magical and just what i’d dreamed it would be like. at 9:30 on the dot, our server (who was french, of course) brought over the late-night menu and we promptly ordered what we came for, the steak + frites with salad greens and a glass of the house zinfandel (because red wine is so good for sore throats, ha!). it was perfect. a great way to experience chez panisse without breaking the bank, as the late-night meal is only $25/person. already dreaming about going back someday.

SNACKS

pressed juicery | 1 ferry building #38a

a cute little juice stand inside the ferry building with tons of pre-bottled juices to choose from. we got the greens 1.5 and loved it. pretty pricey, but we split one and it was a great mid-morning snack and pick me up for our walk along the embarcadero.

bi-rite market | 3639 18th street

bi-rite market is pretty famous as a model locally-owned grocery store with tons of local produce (they even grow stuff on their roof!) and other locally-sourced artisan products, so i definitely wanted to pay this place a visit. we didn’t make it to their ice cream shop, but we did stop in at the market to pick up a few snacks – some popcorn and some cranberry-orange scones from a bakery in berkeley.

gott’s roadside | 1 ferry building #6

also inside the ferry building; i think they have a full restaurant on the outside of the building, but we visited their indoor frozen yogurt stand for an afternoon ice cream snack our our way back from fisherman’s wharf. the pomegranate-blueberry flavor was delicious, and any fro-yo place with mochi as a topping option is a favorite in my book. yum!

COFFEE

blue bottle mint plaza | 66 mint plaza

we had three mornings in san francisco and three coffee shops we wanted to visit, so it worked out perfectly. blue bottle at mint plaza was our first stop, and was conveniently just a couple minutes’ walk from our apartment. our macchiatos were great, and since this location has a full food program, we grabbed breakfast here as well. this location is pretty small and was very busy on the sunday morning we were there, but there’s plenty of indoor and outdoor seating that makes this a great place to read the paper and enjoy a cup of coffee before starting your day.

blue bottle ferry building | 1 ferry building #7

a second blue bottle location, obviously, in the ferry building. we stopped here on our way back to our apartment from our morning in fisherman’s wharf for an iced coffee, which was very good.

sightglass coffee | 270 7th street

out of the three shops we visited, sightglass was the one i knew the least about before our trip, but after realizing that it was also right down the street from our apartment and reading the yelp reviews about how neat of a space it was, we made a trip there on monday morning on our way to anchor brewing. sure enough, it didn’t disappoint. our iced coffees were very good, and although we’d already eaten breakfast, i wish we hadn’t because there were lots of good-looking pastry options taunting me. the space was indeed very cool, with a cool staircase up to a second level with another full coffee bar. also cool: their packing/labeling line is visible from virtually the whole shop, which was neat to watch.

four barrel | 375 valencia street

four barrel was recommended to us by a whole bunch of people, so we walked back down to their mission district location on our last morning in san francisco before heading to the airport. another very cool space, similar to sightglass with lots of cool, open seating, plus some bar-like seating where you can watch the roasters in action. my cappuccino was very good, and the blackberry pistachio croissant was amazing – i’m a sucker for anything pistachio, so definitely worth a visit just for that.

DRINK

bourbon & branch | 501 jones street

if you’ve always wanted to go to a place with a password (everyone, right?), then bourbon & branch is a must. b & b is a speakeasy-style bar with a password entrance in a slightly-seedy neighborhood that only adds to the whole experience. reservations can be made one month in advance online. it’s a little hard to find, but that’s part of it, so i won’t give you any hints here. their cocktail list is incredibly extensive, and i’m sure everything is good. it was negroni week when we were there, so i went with their featured negroni, but their staff is very knowledgeable, so i bet you could rattle off a couple things you like and they’d bring you something that exceeds your expectations. great place for a fancy, unique night out!

anchor brewing company | 1705 mariposa street

ever since our epic trip to fort collins to tour at new belgium, i’ve set my expectations fairly low for other brewery tours because theirs is just flat-out hard to beat. the tour and experience at anchor, however, comes mighty close. our tour guide had tons of personality (essential), gave a great history of the brewery and the craft beer movement in general (essential-er), and, wait for it, we got to try eight different beers at the end (essential-ist). their tours are super popular, so make sure you sign up months (yes, months) in advance or you might not be able to get a spot.

thanks again to everyone who sent us their recommendations – we loved everything!