Ferry Building
The Verdict
"Come for the Ferry Plaza Farmers Market on Saturday mornings, an outdoor market selling produce and fruit."
What you need to know
The Ferry Building has stood at the foot of Market Street since 1898, its 245-foot clock tower marking the eastern edge of downtown. It survived the 1906 earthquake and was eclipsed for decades by the elevated Embarcadero Freeway, demolished in 1991, before a renovation reopened it as a marketplace. Before the bridges opened in the 1930s, ferries carried about 50 million passengers a year through here.
The Marketplace
The nave houses food vendors and shops: Acme Bread, Cowgirl Creamery, Blue Bottle Coffee, Recchiuti Confections, Far West Fungi, and Humphry Slocombe. Hog Island Oyster Company runs a raw bar inside with bay views.
The Farmers Market
The Ferry Plaza Farmers Market runs outside along the Embarcadero. Saturday 8am to 2pm is the largest; smaller markets run Tuesday and Thursday 10am to 2pm. Restaurant cooks shop alongside the public.
Getting There
The Embarcadero BART and Muni Metro station is across the street. The F-Market streetcar runs along the waterfront to Fisherman’s Wharf and inland to the Castro.
Explore Nearby
Red’s Place
Bills itself as the oldest bar in Chinatown.
Buddha Lounge
A Chinatown dive with red lanterns, a jukebox, and stiff, cheap pours.
Hang Ah Tea Room
Widely cited as the oldest dim sum restaurant in the United States.
Good Mong Kok Bakery
Chinatown bakery on Stockton Street, open since 1977. Steamed char siu bao...
