SF Eats – Swah’s Best Places to Eat in San Francisco

I LOVE San Francisco and would move there in a heartbeat (anyone want to give me a visa?). The beautiful architecture, fascinating history, rolling hills and sprawling parks make San Francisco a traveller’s paradise, and the sheer quality and selection of food is second to none.

♥ Tartine Bakery – 600 Guerrero St

Prepare to queue, but it’s worth it. Try the Tres Leches Cake (layers of sweet coconut milk moistened chiffon, layered with cajeta and crema) or the coconut cake or any of the tarts. Try everything, actually. And they have foodgasm-inducing grilled cheese sandwiches (prosciutto and provolone, pictured below) after 11.30!!

♥ Mission Beach Cafe 198 Guerrero St

Mission Beach Cafe was recommended to us as having a great brunch/lunch/dinner so we knew we couldn’t go wrong. We ended up giving brunch a whirl and it hit the spot, great coffee and hearty serves of eggs (served fried with a hash on the left, and scrambled with fried potatoes on the right). I would love to return and try their famous lavender french toast.

♥ La Taqueria – 2889 Mission St

Wildly regarded as one of the best taco places in The Mission District, this place is cheap, cheerful, authentic and delicious. Also check out the nearby El Farolito Taqueria (2950 24th St), another well known SF Mexican haunt.

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♥ Pizzeria Delfina – 3611 18th St

Arguably San Francisco’s best pizza and it blew our socks off. My pick was the Salsiccia which came with housemade fennel sausage, tomato, bell peppers, onions and mozzarella.

♥ Candy Baron – Pier 39

Located in the very touristy Pier 39 area, check out the seals, take a tour of Alcatraz and then on your way back swing by Candy Baron for barrels and barrels of salt water taffy heaven.

♥ Locanda – 577 Valencia St

This gorgeous Italian Osteria is a bit pricey but worth every cent. Highlights included a small chicken cooked under a brick with lentils and red quinoa and ricotta bread pudding with orange blossom honey, lemon thyme and verjus sherbetto. Please go here.

♥ Miette – Locations around San Francisco

Miette is the sweetest bakery with an awe-inspiring range of delicious treats to choose from. Their chocolate cupcake was rich and moist and the vanilla icing was delicious and creamy but not too sweet, and the fleur de sel caramels I purchased were to die for.

♥ Blue Bottle Coffee – Several locations incl SFMOMA – 159 Minna St, 5th Floor and Ferry Building – Shop #7

America has an unfortunate reputation for serving rubbish coffee, but fortunately Blue Bottle saves the day with the best cappuccino in town. Their iced coffees are also amazing when it’s hot – but be prepared to queue, it seems everyone in San Francisco wants their coffee!

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♥ Four Barrel – 375 Valencia St and 736 Divisadero St

Another brilliant coffee shop serving delicious drinks with good music. Beware, they are pretty anti-Instagram and refuse to offer free wifi – apparently they’d rather us reading paper-back books and chatting with friends then on our phones.

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♥ Tonga Room and Hurricane Bar – 950 Mason St

Anthony Bourdain once recommended this place and I’ll do basically anything he says. It’s a tiki bar that rains inside, there is a huge lagoon in the middle of the bar on which a band plays, I drank a cocktail from a pineapple and basically had an all-round amazing time. It’s super kitsch but that’s why everyone loves it. They serve “Pacific Rim Asian Cuisine” which included a lot of dumplings, pork buns and sliders. All delicious!

♥ SOMA Streatfood Park, 428 11th Street

Sometimes it can get a bit exhausting trying to track down your favourite food truck around the neighbourhood. The SOMA Streatfood Park makes that simple, they have 10 of SF’s best food trucks in one place. A great way to discover the best local craft/artisan food vendors.

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Do you want even more San Francisco food, drink, shopping and accommodation suggestions? Don’t forget to grab a copy of my San Francisco City Guide!

And heading to Los Angeles too? Check out my other post LA Eats – Swah’s Best Places to Eat in Los Angeles