EST. 2011
I’m often emailed about my recommendations on how to spend a day or two in the city, so I put together a few itineraries highlighting easy-to-walk neighborhood favorites. These neighborhoods are charming as can be and filled to the brim with shops, delicious food, and lots of quintessential SF sparkle to take in…
1
North Beach + Jackson Square
Start on Hyde Street
Depending on the time of day, there are a few places I absolutely love in the area. No.3 is an adorable jewelry shop I always pop into when in the area. Next door is Union Larder, one of my absolute favorite wine bars in the area. They have fantastic food (I always order the chef selection cheese and burrata is always foolproof). I used to frequent The Nook (back when I lived in this area) and they have amazing sandwiches and very good sangria.
Make your way over to North Beach/ Columbus Ave
Hands down, my #1 go-to recommendation for visitors is Park Tavern. Amazing for breakfast/lunch/dinner/drinks… anytime, any day (be sure to check hours, they only offer brunch on the weekends). There’s also Bodega (great wine and snacks), Don Pistos (Mexican), Tacolicious (our favorite Mexican), Cotogna (one of our favorite restaurants) if the timing works for lunch. There’s also Cafe Reveille which is great for coffee and a little snack. Columbus is obviously a little touristy, but it’s still full of local places to pop in and lots of picturesque charm. We walked down Columbus to Jackson Street and made a left to walk towards Embarcadero.
Jackson Square area has so many amazing places to visit. Isabel Marant, William Stout Architectural Books, Aesop, APC, and more. Then we walked to Coqueta, on the water, for a bite to eat! It was a perfect afternoon.
2
Marina
Two streets (only a few blocks apart from each other) to explore for shopping, snacks, wine, delicious meals. Union Street (from Franklin to Steiner) and Chestnut Street (from Fillmore to Divisadero). Here are a few noteworthy favorite spots to explore on both streets…
Union Street
Rose’s Cafe (brunch), Marengo (best sliders and salads), West Coast Wine & Cheese (another favorite wine bar), Gamine (the real deal French), Terzo (great for a date) for eats/drinks. Lots of cute shops to pop into like Anomie and Jo Malone!
Chestnut Street
Tacolicious, A16 (for yummy pizza), Causwells (order the housemade ricotta), DRESS (cute boutique), Delarosa (more pizza! and Aperol spritz), Tipsy Pig if you want something scene-y (and order a strawberry field cocktail… big fan of that cocktail since ’09!)
3
Pacific Heights
I love to recommend this one to the ones who love to shop! I’d start on Fillmore and California and head north up the street. Grab coffee and breakfast from Jane (egg white panini is delicious… their bread, in general, is my absolute fave) to fuel up before exploring. In my opinion, Fillmore has some of the best shopping!
Places to shop: Intermix, Modern Citizen, Sandro, Reformation, Elizabeth Charles, Alice + Olivia, Jigsaw London, Freda Salvador, Le Labo, and more.
Food and drinks: Elite Cafe is a favorite, Delfina, Choquettes (under the radar french…I’m obsessed), State Bird Provisions, SPQR.
And if you explored and want a little more. Take an uber 3-5 minutes over to Sacramento Street! Tons of amazing interior design shops like MARCH, Hudson | Grace, and many more. Also, I love Spruce (nicer restaurant)… best burger I’ve ever had.
