Ever since we have been toddlers we have been lucky enough to tag along with our parents to San Fransisco many times each year. Since we have been here literally millions of time we have discovered some of the best places to visit, and the places that are just tourist traps. So we have created a list of our favorite things to do, and places you MUST stop in when in San Fran!!!
Restaurants:
•Zarzuela- This is a Spanish restaurant that has the BEST tapas!!! We recommend the shrimp and mushroom tapas, paella, salmon and chicken. It is a family run business and serves very authentic Spanish food. If you are looking for Spanish food, this is a must stop!!! (within walking distance to Little Italy/ located in Russian Hill)
• Original Joes- This is definitely not your average joe restaurant!! It is in the heart of Little Italy and is one of the BEST restaurant for Italian food. The pasta is really good and the seafood is great!
• Tadich Grill- AMAZING seafood!! This restaurant is on the small side but has some of the best seafood in the city!! If you plan to come here, arrive early as this restaurant doesn't take reservations. (near Union Square off of Market Street)
•Mccormick and Kuleto's- DELICIOUS!!! We love to come to this restaurant and it has great seafood and steaks. Make sure to reserve a table with a view, because of the gorgeous bay views at sunset!! It is in the same plaza as Ghirardelli in Fisherman's Wharf!
•Oasis Grill- This is a great restaurant for fast mediterranean food. We LOVE anything mediterranean and Oasis Grill is definitely one of our absolute favs in San Fran. This is not a fancy restaurant, but great for a quick lunch stop!! (on Market Street)
• La Mar Cebicheria Peruana- This is by far one of our FAV places in SF!!! The food is delicious-- it is mainly dishes from Peru, which are phenomenal. We recommend the Ahi Tuna salad because it is SOO refreshing! We also love how this restaurant gives you platanos, which are plantain chips (and are the best thing ever!!). It is located between Pier 1 and 2, and has AMAZING views of the bay and of the Bay Bridge. They also have cebiche which is very similar to ceviche. A fantastic restaurant.
• Waterfront Restaurant - A wonderful restaurant with again beautiful views of the San Francisco Bay! You honestly can't go wrong with anything here but our favorite is the sea bass!!
Dessert shops:
• Mara's Bakery- Mara's is a great, hole in the wall bakery in Little Italy. It has classic Italian pastries that are phenomenal!!! We recommend the palmiers, cinnamon crisps and gelato!! It is amazing and very authentic!!
•Teaspoon- We LOVE this place!! Teaspoon is mainly a tea shop that makes various different teas ( bubble tea!!) but our favorite treat here is the snow ice. It is so so so DELICIOUS! A must stop!
• Ghirardelli- Best chocolate everrrr!!!! Ghirardelli Square is beautiful and easy to spot with all the bright lights at night! The original factory is located in San Fransisco's Fisherman's Wharf, where they have their headquarter cafe and shop. However, they have multiple cafe locations all throughout SF. If the line is too long at the main location, just walk towards the end of Ghirardelli Square near a store called Yap, and there is another Ghirardelli cafe that is larger and literally is never crowded. We recommend getting the hot chocolate, vanilla ice cream and, obviously, the chocolate squares!! Our fav is the dark chocolate carmel.
• Nespresso Cafe- BEST coffee shop in SF!! We love Nespresso coffee, so we knew we had to stop here, and we absolutely loved it!! (check out our Nespresso Cafe blog!!)
• Mariposa Baking Company- Gluten Free EVERYTHING!! Mariposa is a gluten free bakery that has so many dessert options. Mariposa not only is has gluten free desserts, but many of the desserts are vegan, dairy free, nut free, egg free, vegetarian and more!! Our favorite item was the Whoopie pie that is Gluten Free and Vegan!!
Activities & shopping:
• Golden Gate Bridge- This is obviously, a must see in San Fran, but it is our favorite place to visit. We usually drive across the bridge and then take pics with the city and the famous bridge in the back!! Great for pics!! (check out our instagram for Golden Gate Bridge pics)
• Sausalito- We love to go to Sausalito when we are in SF. It is a cute town with AMAZING gelato and some cute shops with souvenirs. Plan to spend around a day here. It is usually best to take a boat or ferry to Sausalito.
• Pier 39- Pier 39 is a very fun place full of shopping and restaurants. It tends to get VERY crowded since it is a major tourist attraction. We usually go to the Embarcadero, and then walk to Pier 39 (it is a nice long walk) to hit some shops. We recommend not eating lunch in Pier 39 as the food usually isn't too good and the restaurants are usually packed with tons of tourists. Our favorite store in Pier 39 is Bliss. It is a small jewelry store that is SO cute.
• Embarcadero Ferry Building - We love going to the Embarcadero Ferry Building because it has small local bakeries and local restaurants inside and outside. It is also a great spot for photos because there is a view of the bay and the ferry building is really pretty.
• Westfield San Francisco Centre- WE love to shop here!! The Westfield Center is HUGE, it is filled with so many stores and boutiques!! There are so many department stores in the Centre and nearby including, Nordstrom, Bloomingdales, and Macys. There is also a Zara store (there is also one in Union Square) and an Amazon Pop up shop.
• Union Square- Union Square also has shopping and is a great place for pics. We usually stay at the St. Francis or the Palace, which are both very close to Union Square. In the middle of Union Square, there is a couple of cafes, so it is a great places to take a break from shopping. Union Square is very centralized so it is easy to go anywhere from here!! Saks, Niketown, and Neiman Marcus are located in Union Square.
• California Academy of Science- We love this museum!! We are very interested in science and this museum has SO many interesting exhibits!! Our fav was the earthquake simulator. It simulated previous San Francisco earthquakes.
• LF store - Super Super cute clothes!! WE LOVE THIS STORE!! The reason we love it is that it is original and unique!
• Brandy Melville - There is a big Brandy shop here in SF! The clothes are cute and fun!