Your SF Guide
Curated by a local tour guide. No ads, no fluff—just honest recommendations from someone who shows people around this city every day.
Neighborhoods
All 35 neighborhoods →Where to Eat
All restaurants →Good Mong Kok Bakery
Get the char siu bao and egg tarts while they're hot. Bring cash and be ready to point at what you want. Best before 10 AM on weekdays when the cases are fully stocked.
Sam Wo
Order the sampan congee and barbecue pork noodles. Late-night visits after 10 PM are the real Sam Wo experience. Cash is easiest.
Tony’s Pizza Napoletana
Try the Margherita from the Napoletana menu and one from the New York coal-fired oven to compare. Walk-ins only for bar seats starting at 5 PM. The Cal Italia with seasonal toppings is the sleeper hit.
Mister Jiu’s
Book the tasting menu through Resy at least two weeks out. Ask for a table by the windows overlooking Grant Avenue. The whole roasted duck requires 48-hour advance notice but is the best thing on the menu.
Things to Do
All activities →A.C.T.’s Toni Rembe Theater
ACT's main stage on Geary Street with 1,000 seats. The building itself is worth seeing, restored after the 1989 earthquake. Bigger productions, classic and contemporary plays. Tickets $25 to $110. Two blocks from Powell BART.
Fisherman’s Wharf
Skip the chain restaurants and head for the working fishing boats at Pier 45. The historic ships at Hyde Street Pier are underrated. Boudin sourdough is fine but the real seafood is at the outdoor crab stands in season (November to June).
Bill Graham Civic Auditorium
The city's largest indoor venue holds 8,500 people. Floor tickets mean standing for hours, so consider lower bowl seats for comfort. Civic Center BART is right there. Eat before you arrive because concession lines are brutal.
Written by someone who actually does this every day
I've been a San Francisco tour guide for years. These aren't hot takes from a travel writer who flew in for a weekend—they're the answers I give people every single day.
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