San Francisco Foodies Guide
San Francisco, California Travel Itinerary & Guide
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4 Days in San Francisco, California
San Francisco is one of the culinary capitals of the U.S. so this itinerary is all about the food! I’ve lived in San Francisco for over 5-years so it’s given me a great amount of time to explore the city and discover these hidden gems that I’m sure you will enjoy. I’ve crafted this itinerary by neighborhood, but feel free to mix and match for what you’re feeling and how much time you have.
Day 1:
The first day will be a beautiful blend of what the Marina has to offer. I actually live in the Marina District so I’ve been able to try almost every restaurant and the following are my favorites.
Blackwood is one of the top brunches in the city and also features a few sister restaurants sprinkled throughout the Bay Area. Their brunch menu is absolute perfection blending together classic favorites and Thai fusion. They also have bottomless mimosas for $22. Their bloody mary is also great! My favorites for dishes are the stone hot pot, the Oscar Benny, and the breaky tacos. You can also try their Millionaires Bacon which has won #1 The Best Bacon Award in San Francisco 2018. If you make it for lunch time their Pad Thai, Pad See You, and Beef Noodle Soup are the definition of perfection.
They don’t take reservations for brunch, but you can join a wait list on Yelp when you’re close to the restaurant to skip the wait.
Hands down Causwells offers one of the best burgers I have ever had in my life (and I’ve eaten a lot of burgers). The Americana Burger, their signature hamburger is essentially an artisanal Big Mac. I don’t know what they put on this burger, but every time I bring someone here, they can’t stop raving about how wonderful it is (and neither can I). They have great other options on the menu and a monthly burger special, but you can’t go wrong with the Americana Burger.
They accept reservations through Yelp, if you can’t get a reservation through Yelp, give them a call as they normally can help you out: (415) 447-6081.
Delarosa is my favorite restaurant in the city and I almost don’t want to share it because it’s already so popular but for ViaExperiencers I’ll give you the best! Delarosa features two-locations, the original located in the Marina District just across the street from Blackwood and the newer location is in Yerba Buena. Delarosa features classic Italian dishes with simple yet high-quality ingredients crafting wonderful dishes. Everything is family-style, I so generally like going with a larger group so I can order more. My go-to order is the spicy meatballs, the mussels (Super pro-tip: save the broth to dip the pizza crust into), burata bruschetta, kale Caesar salad, pappardelle with napoletana sugo, and the prosciutto di parma pizza.
Their cocktails are great and so is their wine selection. They also have a reasonable corkage fee for San Francisco.
The Marina location will take reservations for 6 people in above.
Day 2:
On this second day we’ll blend the areas of the Marina and Fisherman’s Wharf.
Chubby Noodle has a great All You Can Eat Drink and Eat brunch specials on Saturday and Sunday. Chubby Noodle is known for its Asian fusion brunch, unique brunch drinks, and hip-hop hits (that’s actually a famous playlist on Spotify).
They have set times that they rotate groups in and out and the restaurant is quite small so I’d strongly recommend making a reservation a few days in advance (they will ask for a credit card hold for the reservation).
The waiters will typically walk you through the menu and guide you through the meal, but you’re welcome to order how and what’d you like and revisit as many dishes as you can fill your belly with.
We usually visit the Marina location on Lombard.
Lucca Deli is perfect on a summer day to grab an Italian sub sandwich and enjoy it in the park. They do also offer a few other Italian favorites. My go-to order is the Hot Italian sandwich and the #1 Italian Combo. It can get a bit crowded in the store but you can order online.
My dad was a pilot and was flying to San Francisco between 1970s and 1990s and every layover he would make sure to eat at Scomas. Twenty years later, once I moved to San Francisco my dad came to visit and took me out for dinner here, it was still as good as the times he used to go. Scomas specializes in Italian seafood, but also offers a few other favorites.
Scomas is located in Fisherman’s Wharf and normally has quite a wait, so a reservation made a few days in advance is extremely recommended.
(Photo is courtesy of Scomas.)
The first Baked Bear I went to was in San Diego and was so delighted to hear they were opening one in San Francisco. Baked Bear specializes in ice cream cookie sandwiches. Choose a fresh cookie and a variety of ice cream flavors then enjoy.
(Photo is courtesy of Baked Bear.)
Day 3:
Let’s explore North Beach which includes Little Italy and China Town.
Don Pistos offers a fun and lively boozey brunch on the weekends including bottomless margaritas, sangria, and beer with a great mix of Mexican dishes. The portions are a little small, but look at it this way, just means the drinks will kick in faster.
(Photo is courtesy of Don Pistos.)
Tony's Pizza
Tony’s Pizza is one of my favorite pizzas I’ve ever had in the world! Put your name down on the wait list and go explore North Beach as it can be a wait. I do recommend going early as possible as many of their famous pizzas run out quickly.
Lai Hong Lounge is a very popular dim sum brunch restaurant, so much so, the wait usually is 1 to 2-hours, how to avoid the wait? Go for dinner. Still, almost all the same dishes, and you can easily walk right in without a reservation. My favorites on the menu are the turnip cakes, pork and shrimp siu mai, salt and pepper chicken wings, honey walnut prawns, Kung Pao Chicken, broccoli beef, beef chow fun, combo fried rice. It’s fun to go with a big group so you can enjoy more. They also have a cheap corkage fee for San Francisco (I think it’s $10 a bottle, but it could have changed).
Day 4:
On our last day, we’ll explore the Mission.
I honestly dream about Farmhouse Kitchen, as it’s the best Thai restaurant in San Francisco. Their food and even the atmosphere/decor remind me so much of Thailand! (If you want to visit Thailand for free, they have a meat dish with unexceptionally hot sauce that you can eat in a certain time period to win a free flight to Thailand.) My favorites on the menu are Pad Thai, Thai Fried Rice, Papaya Salad, and Crab Fried Rice. If you celebrate your birthday there, the staff does a hilarious birthday song. There is usually a wait for Farmhouse since it’s so good, but there is Trick Dog down the street for drinks.
(Photo is courtesy of Farmhouse Kitchen.)
Save room for dessert, as Dandelion Chocolate is one of the premier Chocolatiers in the Bay. They just opened a new factory as well that has tours during the day!
Note: Dandelion Chocolate closes at 8:00 pm, so keep this in mind when visiting for dessert after dinner.
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