I’ll be San Francisco soon for a 3 day convention (I play the part of a booth bunny for my employer) at the Moscone Center. I’ll be staying at a hotel close to the convention center, within walking distance of Chinatown. I may want to walk to Japantown or Castro (both a bit of a hike) as well. Are there parts of town that I want to avoid because of crime? Are there restaurants near the Moscone Center that I Should Not Miss?
I just got back from a couple of weeks there-- stayed close to the Moscone.
Best “nice restaurants” were in an alley. Belden Place, across Market Street near Union Square. An assortment of Italian and French restaurants that back up on an alley, where you can dine outdoors, or head into the places if it’s too cool out.
But I soon realized that the cheaper, funkier joints were a lot more fun. I’d take a bus or the BART to the Mission District and find a little family-run burrito joint, like Papalote. But the best? The taco trucks! I stumbled upon the Gallo Giro truck one evening, and had a mouth-watering, huge Lime Carnitas Taco… for a buck and a half.
Look up where the city’s best food trucks will be on which night, and feast.
I took the J bus out Market Street a couple of times, and always included a stop at Ike’s Place for the huge, creative, really fresh-tasting sandwiches. You should study their menu ahead of time-- there are over 70 wild concoctions.
And SF is full of funky little breakfast places. Golden Coffee or La Moulin in the Tenderloin/Nob Hill area, or Red’s Diner on the Embarcadero.
Oh, and have coffee at a Philz Coffee. But don’t plan on just grabbing a cup as you’re rushing to a seminar or a meeting… I had to sit and savor The Best Cuppa Joe I’d Ever Had, and said screw the seminar.
Oh, yeah, I walked Golden Gate Park, and saw museums and houseboats and the Tin Tin Shop and the Marin Highlands, but finding those little dives were the best part of the trip.
Check out Tommy’s Joynt at Van Ness and Geary.
I’ve recommended Tommy’s several times in the past, generally getting no reaction (the only one I recall questioned my sanity). I was beginning to think I was the only person on the Dope who would admit to having been there.
The food, while scarcely haute cuisine, is good and inexpensive; and the atmosphere is . . . interesting.
I’m gonna buck the trend here; I think Tommy’s and Belden Place and their ilk are entirely overrated. Not bad, but not what I’d pick if I had limited time in SF (caveat: I’m a total foodie, so that might not be as important to you). Instead, I’d recommend hitting the Mission; it has some of the best food I’ve ever had. I especially recommend doing brunch in the Mission if you can; San Franciscans brunch like no one else. Waiting is de rigeur on weekends, but some places take reservations and/or have bars that you can get if you’re alone. Best brunch spots are highly debated, but you can’t go wrong with Universal Cafe, Mission Beach Cafe, or Bar Tartine. Those are my staples, anyways. Remember, the mission is a seven-minute Bart ride from downtown!
Closer to Moscone it gets more touristy and therefore pricier for what you get, but I like Akiko’s Sushi, and if you’re there on Wednesday, Off the Grid sets up a half dozen food trucks for lunch downtown.
Now, Chinatown is fantastic. There’s some great food there, and some pretty nifty sights, along with the usual cheap souvenir shops. Portsmouth Square should be on your Chinatown list; it’s basically the outdoor living room of half of Chinatown. Old men playing Chinese chess and betting, a playground full of kids, tai chi; it’s great. I also highly recommend going uphill a bit from the usual touristy bits; Stockton street is where all the Chinese grocers are, and it’s a fun little walk. Also, get over to One thing about SF is how tiny it all really is; you can walk through Chinatown and end up in Little Italy in like twenty minutes. FYI, Little Italy is another overrated area (IMO).
Now, the Castro/Japantown. Almost all the good Japanese food in SF is in the Castro. Don’t ask me why. Japantown is nifty, but expensive, and pretty mall-y, food wise. On the other hand, there are a couple Japanese grocery stores that are a blast to browse, plus a bunch of little-adorable-Japanese-things shops. Castro is also probably more accessible from downtown; there are a bunch of busses, or you can take the Subway (Muni, not BART, unless you take BART to the Mission and walk up. But Muni runs direct). I wouldn’t walk; Market between downtown and the Castro is pretty sketchy; not dangerous-sketchy, but run-down-and-boring-sketchy. It’s a quick walk, though, so up to you. While I’m on the subject, the Tenderloin is SF’s seediest district, but even that is more bums and druggies than gangs. There’s really nowhere that’s actually all that dangerous.
This is getting long, so I’ll stop now, but if there are specific things you’re looking for, I might have suggestions. Especially about food, since that’s obviously something I think about way too much.
Note you can walk to Whole Foods, which is “just” a chain natural grocery store, but with deli’s, etc. Great for a minor shopping experience and stocking up. $$$$
The Ferry building is a longer walk. but nice, including shopping and food.
The Disney Museum is a great place, but I dunno if you have time.
Around the Moscone Center:
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Get a cream puff at Beard Papa. Very delicious, makes a lovely afternoon snack.
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Walk down Market (toward the water) to the Ferry Building. There are lots of nice little shops and restaurants inside, and they have a wickedly good farmer’s market on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays.
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Restaurant Lulu is close by and rather good. It’s served family-style, so ideally you’d want several people to maximize the experience, but I’ve enjoyed the food both times I’ve gone there.
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I’ve heard very good things about Amber India, if you like Indian food.
As for bad neighborhoods, you’ll probably be uncomfortable in the area around the Civic Center / Tenderloin (if you head up to Market and take a left, you’ll soon see a lot of porno shops and homeless people), although I don’t know if it’s actively dangerous any more.
Other random tidbits:
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The California Academy of Sciences in Golden Gate park is a really fun and interesting museum. Their cafeteria is quite good as well, both in variety and quality.
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We recently ate at Absinthe, which was simply delicious. Get the coq au vin, you’ll thank me for it.
Here’s something that might help. Sfgate.com (the website for the San Francisco Chronicle) recently did an excellent little exercise. They put a grid over the 49 square miles of the city then did a culinary evaluation on each square mile.
http://www.sfgate.com/food/article/49-Square-Miles-It-s-a-wrap-3831947.php#photo-3391165
Michael Bauer (the top food critic) thought that square 5 was the most representative of the city’s (culinary)character.
Square 5 also has the best restaurant I’ve ever been to, Coi (very good but pricey).
Near your hotel are a couple good ones close by they are Salt House and Anchor and Hope.
There’s tons more but I’ll stop there.
Have fun and pack some warm clothes too!
North Beach is very good for live music. There are several bars within a block or two of each other and, unless things have changed since I last went, there’s usually no cover and live bands almost every night. I don’t live there so I don’t remember exactly what streets cross each other where, but The Saloon at 1232 Grant is a good starting point. This area is adjacent to Chinatown, so one can easily start the evening with dinner there and move on to the bars. Or North Beach itself has good Italian restaurants.
Thanks everyone for the suggestions. I’m going to print this out and take it with me. I fly out tomorrow.