San Francisco Bay Area: Your favorite things to do or places to go

[El Diablo]

OK, a few people have requested this in different threads. So I'm planning to do a few of these, maybe one a week, then post in the resource guide thread. I figure we'll hit NY, Chicago, Atlanta, and some other big cities first. Post other cities to do in the suggestions thread.

Feel free to mention both well-known top restaurants and little divey places. Mention tourist attractions that are great plus things to do that are off the beaten path.

Here are a few things to do in the San Francisco area.

Alcatraz tour. I am usually anti-touristy things, but this tour (get the audio guided tour thing) is really cool.

Sushi Groove South. Tons of great sushi places in SF (see the sushi thread for a long list). This place is very "SF-style" with a nice, somewhat dark ambience. A friend I just took there said "this is the first time I've been at a sushi place with a DJ, interesting!" which pretty much sums it up. Great fish as well, of course.

Harris'. The best steak in SF, this is an old-school place with great martinis, steaks, and whatever else you want. Expensive, but well worth it.

Izzy's. For a more casual steak, go to Izzy's in the Marina. For about $25 you get a steak and two sides. I recommend the Prime Rib plus Izzy's potatoes and creamed spinach.

Tommy's Joynt. This place makes great corned beef, pastrami, brisket, and tons of other stuff. They'll make that up on a platter for you with a couple of sides for about $8 or make a big sandwich for you for $5. I recommend the brisket sandwich w/ BBQ sauce or the corned beef and cabbage.

Tommy's Mexican and Tequila Bar. This is out in the avenues, a bit of a hike from the center of the city, but really everything's close in SF. A nice meal after checking out Golden Gate Park during the day. They have some pretty good Mexican food, but the highlight is the bar w/ countless forms of tequila that you can sip straight or in some really great margaritas.

Farmer's Market at Ferry Building. On Saturday mornings. This place is a little pricier than the other farmer's markets in the Bay Area due to its central location, but it has tons of great vendors. Lots of really, really delicious stuff to buy. Also, inside the building are a lot of great speciality stores like olive oil stores (on a Saturday between the stores and vendors, there are probably 20 places selling high-end olive oil!), chocolates, butcher, cheese place, bakeries, etc. Between the farmer's market and ferry building shops you can put together an INCREDIBLE picnic.

Anchor Steam Brewery Tour. I haven't actually done this, but people love it.

Scharfen Berger Factory Tour. In Oakland. Another one I haven't done, but am told is great. They make really great chocolate.

[The DaveR]

The best bread I've had in the US is at Acme which started in Berkeley but is also in the Ferry Building market. Berkeley also has terrific chaat at Vik's, which is basically a barebones warehouse operation adjacent to their food import business.

In the Castro is Anchor Oyster Bar, which has the best New England clam chowder I've had. It's a little neighborhood secret with the same guy in the kitchen every day.

The standard touristy (yet still very good) Chinese place is House of Nanking but down the block and up Broadway is Yuet Lee, which IMO is much more delicious. I'll typically just order whatever specials they have and go to town.

Another tradition was having a sausage foccacia sandwich and some good coffee at Mario's Bohemian Cigar Shop off Washington Square or getting a delicious sandwich at Molinari's, a couple blocks down Columbus. Molinari also makes fresh ravioli that you can buy by the box.

EDIT: Forgot about Pyung Chang in Oakland. Excellent soon dubu for people who like Korean food. And Avatar's Punjabi Burritos in Mill Valley.

[Evan]

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In the Castro is Anchor Oyster Bar, which has the best New England clam chowder I've had. It's a little neighborhood secret with the same guy in the kitchen every day.

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This place is really good.

My favorite thing to eat in northern California is Mexican food. It's a real treat for someone coming from the east coast where it's very hard to get anything near that quality. I know Diablo has posted about El Farolito in the past, it's really good. I still think Taqueria Santa Cruz is the best Mexican I've ever had.

Other than food I think one of the coolest things I did in SF was playing Frisbee on a beach under the Golden Gate Bridge. I forget the name but I'm sure any of the locals know where it is.

[Aloysius]

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Tosca is old school. The drink of choice is a cappucino/brandy mixture that is delicious. They do all sorts of coffee/liquor drinks. Just get the house special, it's the best. They have tons of glasses lined up and ready to go.

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Unless times have changed over past couple years, you can smoke in there too! (Although I guess this might not be good for some people...)

Wanted to recommend the Lower Haight area - couple good spots there (had a good friend who lived at Haight and Fillmore), and noticed doesn't get much love in SF threads: Mad Dog in the Fog (good bar to watch soccer games); Rosamunde's Grill (excellent sausage sandwiches); Toronado (one of the better beer selections in SF, 100+ on tap); Molotov (reminds me of Kilowatt in Mission; gritty biker type bar).

And second Daver's comment about Acme Bread - best I've ever had in US, Bay Area is lucky to have it there.

-Al

[El Diablo]

Evan,

My favorite burrito place in SF is La Taqueria on Mission near 25th. El Farolito is my second favorite.

Oh, I mentioned Tommy's above for Mexican. Pretty much across the street from there is Trad'r Sam's. It is a tiki bar w/ all sorts of crazy fruity and milkshake drinks. On weekends it is often packed with young, super drunk people. It can be really fun (if you're drunk) or really annoying (if you're not). If you go there, take a cab. Those scorpion bowls and milkshake drinks will get you super messed up. Also, the most horrible hangovers ever.

[Evan]

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My favorite burrito place in SF is La Taqueria on Mission near 25th. El Farolito is my second favorite.


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I like tacos more than burritos and pretty much get them without exception at northern california mexican places because I love all the different choices of meats. Which place do you think is better for tacos?

[haakee]

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I like tacos more than burritos and pretty much get them without exception at northern california mexican places because I love all the different choices of meats. Which place do you think is better for tacos?

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Tacos at La Taqueria are excellent though I do usually get a burrito.

[cbloom]

Also in the Lower Haight is Memphis Minnie's, superb BBQ. Nearby up Haight is Magnolia Brew Pub which has okay food but some very good beer.

For tourists :

The Exploratorium is really fun and right near the green belt on the Marina which has great views of Golden Gate Bridge. Also nearby if you bikes it's really fun to ride around the Presidio and you can ride across the bridge.

Coit Tower is actually really cool, the view is nice but my favorite thing are the WPA murals.

The De Young Museum is pretty cool; the building itself has really interesting architecture, you can go up in the tower for another cool view, and it's right in Golden Gate Park which is a totally amazing place (again best on bikes because it's huge).

I love going up to Twin Peaks and Buena Vista Park, but like my favorite thing generally is trekking around.

The Mexican food in the Mission is indeed great. I'm kind of tired of taquerias now so I've been hitting other places :

Chava's has amazing mexican soups called "caldos" that are rich and spicy.

Los Jarritos is a sit-down joint that has all the regular stuff; I love the "sopa de albondigas" (meatball soup)

[DpR]

Well since this says Bay Area and not just SF I will add some of my fav places down on teh pennisula.

Sushi: Fuki Sushi on El Camino Ave in Palo Alto. This is my favorite sushi places outside of the best of the best national stuff (i.e Nobu).

Mexican: Casa Lupe in Los Altos. Sort of a dive, it is basically someones house on Main St, but man I love this place.

American: Somewhat unknown and stuck with the hotel restaurant stigma, but Parcel 104 at the Marriott near great adventure is surprisingly good.

There are tons of other great restaurants of course, but those are 3 I would eat at weekly.

[suzzer99]

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Evan,

My favorite burrito place in SF is La Taqueria on Mission near 25th. El Farolito is my second favorite.


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Is this the place that's pretty big and open late? If so, best chicken tacos I've ever had. Althogh I think I might be thinking about a place more like 28th and Mission. Like a block or two from Army. I think there's a #1 and #2 pretty close to each other. But it's not El Toro.

I think the best thing about the Bay Area is the sheer beauty of it all. I lived there 5 years, I never got numb to the scenery. I lived in SF and work in Marin for a few years. On a regular basis the bay would take on some new, stunning look that I'd never seen before - either low clouds hanging over the city, or the water smooth as glass with the moon shining off, or a crystal clear sunset.

To that end I think the view at sunset, from Mt. Tamalpais on a clear night, is the best view I've ever seen. It's hard for me to imagine there being a better one on earth, and I've seen some pretty good ones. Other sweet views are coming up over market street at sundown, or Pt. Lobos on a beautiful day.

Other stuff, if it's still going (I've been in LA for 6 years now):

Ali Baba falaffel wrap things in lower haight. Best late night drunk food in the world. I had never had anything like that before I moved to SF. Trying one of those first time late at night, drunk, hungry as hell was a memorable experience.

There's a bar called Finnegan's Wake in Cole Valley that always had tons of cute girls. Somehow the balance never got out of whack with a bunch of moron dudes moving in. Which is rare.

My favorite burrito is (was) a place called Pancho's on Polk St. Kind of dry but I love the char-grilled meat and sweet mango salsa they had. LA does tacos better in general, but SF burritos are the bomb.

I waited tables at McCormick and Kuletos on Fisherman's Wharf for a while. The food mostly sucks. But if you ever find yourself stuck there, the oysters are good, and the dungenes crab if they have it. Also they have a ton of good scotch, and the bartneders really know their [censored]. Also there's a thing called a boat burger in the crabcake lounge, but you can get it downstairs as well. It's a burger with capers and garlic, topped with blue cheese that is still one of my all time favorite burger. Also for brunch the crabcake benedict is awesome.

Loved the oversize martinis at the Red Room, if it's still going. Two of those was all it took. Also Blondie's maritinis rocked.

Loved the Tapas at Timos.

Little Vietnamese place called Cordon Bleu at Van Ness and California (I believe).

Brother in Law's BBQ on Divisidero was the best I had in SF.

Always a nice day to go hiking in Marin somewhere then have dinner at Gyuama's (sp?) in Tiburon.

I always thought Transmission Lounge was a good place to see bands. The ones I saw there kind of sucked except one acid jazz kind of thing I really liked. But good venue.

Probably most of the clubs and bars I would know have rotated in and out of coolness or disappeared. Well that' about all I can think of. Hopefully some of these places are still around.
North Beach Pizza. But ONLY after it was reheated in a toaster oven. The first time too soggy. 2nd crispy and some of the best pizza I've ever had.