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.

First Time? Eat & Drink Neighborhoods This Week Day Trips

Neighborhoods

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Hayes Valley

A compact neighborhood of independent shops, top restaurants, and performing arts venues that emerged after the 1989 earthquake…

1 restaurants 1 things to do
North Beach

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

9 restaurants 9 things to do
Chinatown

Chinatown is the oldest in North America and one of the largest outside Asia, built to its current…

9 restaurants 5 things to do
The Embarcadero

The 1989 earthquake collapsed the Embarcadero Freeway and gave San Francisco back its waterfront.

2 restaurants 4 things to do
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Where to Eat

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Mister Jiu’s

Book the tasting menu through Resy at least two weeks out. The whole roasted duck needs 48-hour advance notice and is the best thing on the menu. Walk-ins should try the bar early in the evening.

$$$$ Chinatown Chinese, Cantonese, Fine Dining

Surisan

The Korean fried chicken is the order. A surprisingly good restaurant for the Wharf neighborhood. Weekend brunch is popular.

$$ Korean

La Taqueria

Order the carne asada dorado style. The griddled tortilla changes everything. The line looks intimidating but moves fast. Go weekdays at lunch to skip the worst of it.

$ The Mission District Mexican

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
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Things to Do

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Classic

Golden Gate Bridge

Walk the east side for city views. Best mid-morning after fog burns off, or at sunset. Skip the parking lot on weekends and take the 28 bus.

Free
Classic

Presidio Theater

A beautifully restored theater in the Presidio that screens films, hosts speakers, and puts on live performances. The building itself is worth seeing. Free parking in the Presidio lot. Combine with a walk or dinner at one of the Presidio's restaurants.

$$
Classic

Loved to Death

Not for everyone, but if oddities and Victorian mourning culture interest you, this is one of the best curated shops of its kind. On Haight Street between Ashbury and Clayton. Free to browse.

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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