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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SoMa

SoMa refuses easy definition.

3 restaurants 13 things to do
Japantown

The Peace Pagoda rises above the Japan Center plaza, a gift from Osaka that anchors one of only…

4 restaurants 4 things to do
The Mission District

Sunny-afternoon Mission. Burrito at La Taqueria, murals on Balmy Alley, park at Dolores, dinner on Valencia.

11 restaurants 21 things to do
The Sunset

The Sunset spreads west of Golden Gate Park in a foggy grid of pastel row houses that stretches…

2 restaurants 6 things to do
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Where to Eat

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Marufuku Ramen

Get the Hakata Tonkotsu DX. Go on a weekday before noon or after 2pm to skip the worst of the line. The broth is the real thing.

$$ Japanese

Padrecito

Tequila bar and a heated patio. Order three moles and a margarita. Cole Valley.

Mexican

Butter & Crumble

Preorder on Tuesday at 9am through Hotplate if you want a guaranteed selection. Otherwise, Thursday morning is the easiest in-person visit. Saturday lines start before 8am.

$$ Bakery

Capital Restaurant

Cash only, so hit an ATM first. The salt and pepper wings are the move. Go at 11am on a weekday to skip the lunch rush.

$ Chinatown Chinese
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Things to Do

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Classic

de Young Museum

The observation tower is free and you don't need a museum ticket. Take the elevator up for 360-degree views of Golden Gate Park and the city. Best on clear afternoons.
Classic

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).

free
Classic

Tenderloin National Forest

Two minutes to walk through but a genuine surprise. Off Ellis Street between Leavenworth and Jones in the Tenderloin. Open during daylight hours. Combine it with a visit to the nearby Great American Music Hall.

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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