San Francisco / San Jose

[Hipster Dufus]

Any restaurant recommendations for San fransisco?

So many good places to eat, I'd suggest checking Yelp for the cuisine you fancy.

If you like beer, head for the Anchor Brewing Company in the Potrero Hill area.

[Latino Lover]

Japantown and the Japanese gardens worth a look as is haight-ashbury. Definitely one of the nicest cities I've been to. Go to the mission for a burrito the size of small child, I went to a place of man v food.

[footiechick]

Any restaurant recommendations for San fransisco?

The Slanted Door. Excellent.

[Stu]

Just booked eight nights to San Francisco with my brother in October. Appreciate this thread is a few years old so would be good to get some tips, especially some of the less obvious stuff.

[ViktorVic]

I just got back from San Francisco. Here's a couple of highlights:

 - Golden Gate is boring, it looks way better in the movies

- The people are nice, so South Park can go to hell

- Way too many good bars and restaurants to count, I think personal recommendations will have to be Yield and Bourbon & Branch, they're in my (cheap) price range, clean and not too crowded

- Riding the tram somehow makes me dizzy

- Alcatraz looks like an ancient vampire's cattle in the middle of the Pacific coast, not at all architecturally and aesthetically fitting in the modern urban style of the city

- The smog is real

- I found Guerrero street from the movie "The Room", no hospital there

[L. Brilliant]

The smog IS real

Golden Gate isn't that riveting but I commute over the Forth every day.  

Alcatraz needs booked in advance.  It NEEDS booked in advance - don't forget this.

Down near the pier where all the sea lions hang about there is a bar/restaurant where you might be tempted to sit and take a pint. There are no prices visible.  Me and the wife had a pint and guess what?  You guessed right.

Also in that area is a place called Musee Mechanique which is a warehouse-sized 'free' museum of coin-op entertainments since the 1800s, right up to present day.  It's my no.1 san francisco recommendation.

Castro area is good for places to eat, it's very gay around there of course but you wouldn't be going if you were a broflake so enjoy what it offers.  Good city for taking a pint in general, Sierra Nevada on draught everywhere.  Osaka sushi restaurant opposite Castro theatre very good!

 

 

 

 

[Cerberus]

What kind of stuff you into?
I've lived here for a while.

Dragon Beaux does really good dim sum if you can be bothered going to Richmond district.
Stacks or Crepevine do a decent and huge breakfast.
Actually go to Stacks cause Hayes Valley is nice.
If your into hipster food trucks check out SOMA Streat food park. There's sometimes cool events like bands playing or if there's a warriors or football game it's a good atmosphere and whatnot.

Rye is a good cocktail place.
Bar None is usually good on a Friday or Saturday if you're into sticky floors and sorority girls.

There are some really good roof gardens that give good views of the city. You could check them out.
Coit Tower also gives good views and is near where I lived previously.
October is when the the air show is. If you're into that.
Also if your into cars you could try and get a tour of the Tesla factory in Fremont. You can take the bart.

Don't walk about in Tenderloin, Western Addition, Filmore or Mission at night unless you looking for crack or hookers.
Bring a jaiket. It's not Southern California.

[L. Brilliant]

Bring a jaiket. It's not Southern California.

100%

[stumigoo]

3 hours ago, Cerberus said:

What kind of stuff you into?
I've lived here for a while.

Dragon Beaux does really good dim sum if you can be bothered going to Richmond district.
Stacks or Crepevine do a decent and huge breakfast.
Actually go to Stacks cause Hayes Valley is nice.
If your into hipster food trucks check out SOMA Streat food park. There's sometimes cool events like bands playing or if there's a warriors or football game it's a good atmosphere and whatnot.

Rye is a good cocktail place.
Bar None is usually good on a Friday or Saturday if you're into sticky floors and sorority girls.

There are some really good roof gardens that give good views of the city. You could check them out.
Coit Tower also gives good views and is near where I lived previously.
October is when the the air show is. If you're into that.
Also if your into cars you could try and get a tour of the Tesla factory in Fremont. You can take the bart.

Don't walk about in Tenderloin, Western Addition, Filmore or Mission at night unless you looking for crack or hookers.
Bring a jaiket. It's not Southern California.

I think a walk (maybe a drive) around Tenderloin is a must in terms of eye-opening life experiences. I ended up there last year because my cousin (who is a SF resident) took us to a really good brewery/bar (for the life of me I can't remember the name). 

If you are a beer drinker then the Bay Area is like heaven. You can't move without bumping into some kind of micro-brewery. I would recommend a visit to City Beer Store and 21st Amendment (especially if you are heading to a Giants game).

Cerberus you mentioned Dragon Beaux, have you been to City View? I've been a couple of times and really enjoyed it. 

My namesake Stu, as a few have mentioned it depends what you are into. It is a great city to explore if you enjoy a wee hike and I would recommend doing the walk through Haight-Ashbury into Golden Gate Park and you can easily take in the 'Painted Ladies' famous row of houses and Mrs Doubtfire's house if you are into seeing some if the 'iconic' buildings in the city (the Palace of Fine Arts is another iconic "I'm sure I've seen that before" structure). A walk through the Presidio and Land's End I would also recommend as well as a trek right along the waterfront beginning at AT&T Park right along the Embarcadero (visiting the Ferry Building is a great little stop halfway and there is a brilliant selection of food within the Marketplace there). Fort Mason, Pier 39 and Ghirardelli Square are also tourist traps but a SF staple. 

Chinatown and Coit Tower is another great walk (if you do go up to Coit then make sure and find the Greenwich Stairs on the way down it is pretty interesting stroll through some 'houses on the hill').

Alcatraz is a must IMO. Definitely an experience you have to have if you are in San Francisco. Book in advance (as soon as you can). A Giants game is also a must do.

Are you hiring a car? If you are then a couple of hours away you have Santa Cruz, Monterey, Carmel and the 17 Mile-Drive (again a bit touristy but a great drive and another one of those Northern California experiences). On the other side a short drive over the Golden Gate and you are in Sausalito and beyond (if you like seafood then you can find loads of places here, plus another haven for craft beer). Back in the city a little jaunt up to Twin Peaks provides an alternative view of SF and it is also close to the Castro which is definitely worth a wander as it is like a little town within a city. 

Do you have any niche interests? San Francisco provides everything you can think of. If you are interested in music or music collection then a visit to Amoeba Music is like the holy grail of music shops.

I'm insanely jealous of your visit, I've been visiting San Francisco and the Bay Area most of my life due to family connections and last year was my last visit for I'm guessing a good few years (expecting my first child in a few months). It is one of the world's great cities.

I would say the one thing that can sometimes surprise people (other than the weather and the hills) is the homeless situation. San Francisco has been very 'welcoming' to California's homeless for years and a walk down Market Street downtown does provide a bit of a shock if you are not used to seeing such visible homelessness. It is also a city very much of the haves and have nots (in particular since the Silicon Valley boom). If you are walking around take a look at real estate prices it will amaze you how much seemingly small or run down houses would set you back. 

[Stu]

5 hours ago, Cerberus said:

What kind of stuff you into?
I've lived here for a while.

Dragon Beaux does really good dim sum if you can be bothered going to Richmond district.
Stacks or Crepevine do a decent and huge breakfast.
Actually go to Stacks cause Hayes Valley is nice.
If your into hipster food trucks check out SOMA Streat food park. There's sometimes cool events like bands playing or if there's a warriors or football game it's a good atmosphere and whatnot.

Rye is a good cocktail place.
Bar None is usually good on a Friday or Saturday if you're into sticky floors and sorority girls.

There are some really good roof gardens that give good views of the city. You could check them out.
Coit Tower also gives good views and is near where I lived previously.
October is when the the air show is. If you're into that.
Also if your into cars you could try and get a tour of the Tesla factory in Fremont. You can take the bart.

Don't walk about in Tenderloin, Western Addition, Filmore or Mission at night unless you looking for crack or hookers.
Bring a jaiket. It's not Southern California.

I despise hipsters and the term streetfood so will be giving that a miss.

Not getting a car, will be relying on public transport to get around (has been Ok before when in America) so will mainly be in San Francisco itself and maybe a trip to Oakland, although the Tesla factory sounds cool. Hoping to get tickets to a Raiders game, sadly by the time we're they're it'll be into the baseball play-offs season and the two teams are crap. Too early for basketball unless there's a friendly.

Quite like walking so looks like it's the perfect city for that. Staying at Union Square which looks like a great spot from which to explore.

[L. Brilliant]

Al's Super Cafe if you're anywhere near top end of Mission.
Amoeba seconded. Hollywood branch is going to close so a lot of stock was getting sold off when i was last over.

[S7C]

Heading back to San Francisco for 5 nights in October. Went in 2005 but ended up being as sick as I've ever been so saw literally nothing for 2 of the 3 days I was there. 

Starting in Vancouver, seeing family and getting to a Canucks game, then down to Seattle and Portland for a week or so and then finishing up in San Francisco. Can't wait.

[L. Brilliant]

 
Starting in Vancouver, seeing family and getting to a Canucks game, then down to Seattle and Portland for a week or so and then finishing up in San Francisco. Can't wait.

Sounds tremendous.
Asian food in Vancouver, Doug Fir Lounge for your breakfast in Portland.
Skyview Observatory in Seattle - twice as high as the Needle.

[S7C]

2 hours ago, L. Brilliant said:

Sounds tremendous.
Asian food in Vancouver, Doug Fir Lounge for your breakfast in Portland.
Skyview Observatory in Seattle - twice as high as the Needle.

Yeah, I always tell people that Vancouver has the best Asian food outside of Asia. Which shouldn't be surprising considering that half the population is Asian or of Asian descent. I went to a Vietnamese place the last time I was over and I haven't been able to find anything like it since. Looking forward to going back.

[Stu]

Got back home yesterday. Absolutely loved it, especially as the last few days it was high 20s/low 30s (was a record breaking temperature for one of the days according to the news).

Walked across the bridge the first day (probably the coldest and foggiest) and the last day (really warm). Also did the Presidio, which was nice although I couldn't find the Yoda statue, and the Lands End/Cliff House area on the way to Golden Gate Park. Some cracking views in that area.

Alcatraz was great, did a few boat cruises which offered fantastic views as did Coit Tower (sun was beginning to go down at that point). I'm into running and went from the Market Building to AT&T Park and back then to Pier 39 and back on the final morning (was injured before that sadly) and it was fantastic. Giants weren't playing but did a tour of AT&T which is in a fantastic location. Also went to the Raiders game against the Chiefs which had a dramatic finish and then took an hour from the stadium to the nearby station.

Cable cars were fun when I could get on them - seemed to be the only person queuing for them. The last night we got on a quietish one and it was flying because there weren't many stops needed 

[Senator Frimpton]

If you don't mind queuing, check out Mama's for breakfast (if it's still there)

Somewhere near the cathedral as I recall. Best montecristo you'll ever sample