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Neighborhoods

The Marina spreads along the waterfront where San Francisco meets the bay.

Dogpatch rose from the bones of shipyards and factories, keeping the warehouse architecture while filling those massive spaces…

0 restaurants 2 things to do

North Beach

San Francisco's Italian quarter and birthplace of the Beat Generation. Historic cafes, legendary bookstores, and some of the…

8 restaurants 9 things to do

Haight-Ashbury

The corner of Haight and Ashbury still draws pilgrims chasing the ghost of 1967, and while the Summer…

1 restaurants 17 things to do

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Where to Eat

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Sam’s Grill & Seafood Restaurant

Request a curtained booth. Order the sand dabs or rex sole. This is one of the last restaurants in the city that still operates like it did 50 years ago, and it won't be around forever.

$$$ Seafood

Flour + Water

Book through Resy two to three weeks out. The pasta tasting menu is what to order if you can swing it. Walk-ins should try bar seats right at 5:30 PM when they open.

$$$ The Mission District Italian, Pasta

Good Mong Kok Bakery

Get the char siu bao and egg tarts. Bring cash and be ready to point at what you want. Best before 10 AM on weekdays when the cases are fully stocked.

$ Chinatown Chinese Bakery

Scoma’s

Cioppino and crab. Family-run at Pier 47 since 1965 with dock-to-kitchen sourcing. Reserve via OpenTable for a window table.

Seafood

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Things to Do

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Classic

Robert Moses Kin

A modern dance company based in the Mission that performs at various SF venues. Their work blends dance with spoken word and multimedia. Check their season schedule for performance dates and locations, as they don't have a permanent theater.

Classic

Albion Castle

Visits by appointment only, so plan ahead. The hand-carved caves and natural springs underneath the castle are the real draw. In Hunter's Point, off the beaten path. Check the website for tour availability.

free

Classic

Musée Mécanique

Bring a bag of quarters. The Laughing Sal and the arm-wrestling machine are the crowd favorites. Free to enter, machines run 25 cents to a dollar. Skip if you're in a hurry because you'll lose an hour.

free

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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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