When it comes to food options, the City has it all. From Mission burritos and tamales to seafood and the famous San Francisco sourdough, the sheer diversity of cuisine here will have even the pickiest eater satisfied.
This makes San Francisco an exciting place to be when it comes to food crawls. Food what, we hear you ask? Well, much like the vaunted pub crawls of uni-yesteryear, the foodie version follows a similar path, just without the wearing of a traffic cone at the end of it. You simply select a handful of great restaurants, cafes, bakers and food trucks, stop off and overindulge. Sounds like heaven!
San Francisco is the perfect place for such an adventure, with so many eateries serving the city with quick, convenient bites. Perhaps the best way to go food crawling around the city with your group would be to opt for a San Francisco minibus or mini coach bus rental, depending on the size of your squad. In doing so, you can enjoy a few libations en route, and not worry about the inevitable food coma causing irresponsible driving. With that in mind, here are 6 IDEAL stops on your food crawl of San Francisco.
ANCHOR BREWING
If you’re someone who loves their beer, then you’ll probably know that the West Coast of America has gone through something of a craft beer revolution in recent years, with microbreweries doing batches of the good stuff from San Diego to Portland and beyond. While in San Francisco, make sure to try out the iconic Anchor Steam Beer at Anchor Brewing to wet (yep, not whet) your appetite. If you’re after a pick me up not depressant, then head a quarter of an hour north; the coffee at Buena Vista Café on Hyde Street is superb. Their Irish Coffee is that alchemy of hot coffee, Irish whiskey and whipped cream which is something to be cherished.
BOUDIN SOURDOUGH
Most of the city’s ‘must visit’ dining spots are, well, just that; packed with visitors looking to tick boxes, and as such, tend to be little soulless and underwhelming. The exception, we think, is the Boudin Bakery chain, as well as Boudin Bistro, found on 160 Jefferson Street, Fisherman’s Wharf. The baker brand is ubiquitous with San Francisco, and makes a rightful claim to being both the city’s oldest business still in operation and perhaps more impressively, to baking the original San Francisco sourdough, a loaf which forms part of the fabric of the city.
Visit one of their bakeries in the area or head to Boudin Bistro for a clam chowder served in a sourdough bowl; there really couldn’t be anything more San Franciscan than that.
MISSION BURRITO
Another must try worth actually trying is the Mission Burrito from the Mission District, another San Francisco classic beloved of a city which has a strong Latin American community and as such, superb food from south of the border. This burrito is huge, filled with rice, salsa and guacamole, amongst other things. The taqueria which can lay claim to doing the best version is a source of huge debate in the city. For what it’s worth, we’re huge fans of Taqueria El Castillito on 2092 Mission Street, who do a damn fine burrito and some of the best tacos in the Bay Area, too. That’s all we’re saying.
TARTINE MANUFACTORY
Hey, we hope you’re not full yet; this thing is only just getting started. Another place to get fed is the Tartine Manufactory on Alabama Street. It has a bakery, a restaurant, bar and coffee shop! Good for everything that ails you, then. You can try out the sweet pastries and a wide variety of sandwiches made with that ubiquitous San Francisco bread that’s taken over the world.
ALIOTO’S, FISHERMAN’S WHARF
If you love seafood, you need to be at Fisherman’s Wharf, in amongst the action, shells and claws. Try out Cioppino – a seafood stew at Alioto’s which boasts saline depth and bursts with flavour extracted from the shells of many an ocean based beast. While you’re at the Wharf, don’t miss out on the oysters from Fog Harbour Fish House. All of this seafood is locally sourced and spanking fresh, and that’s all you can ask for from your fish restaurants, right?
YANK SING, CHINATOWN
Your San Francisco food crawl wouldn’t be complete without a visit to the biggest Chinatown in the world outside of the motherland. So, finish up with some dim sum in here, and perhaps some noodles, buns and more. There are a plethora of great restaurants here to choose from, so follow your nose and stomach, but it’s compulsory at some stage to try the Xiao Long Bao from Yank Sing; an absolute SF classic.
And after all that eating, we hope you’ve got room to report back to us on what your favourite foodie treat was? Good luck and bon appetitie!