The first time I visited San Francisco was when I was about 13 years old with my family. Our trip was mostly centered around doing typical tourist things, like visiting Alcatraz and Lombard Street. While San Francisco is great for all its attractions, I didn’t know how amazing all the food was at the time.
Now that I’m grown up and know better, I appreciate this quirky city’s unique, mouthwatering food. From bread bowls to sandwiches and everything in between, it can be nearly impossible to choose just one place to visit. Luckily, I did the research (read: personally taste-tested) and approved of these seven places that are a must-try for the next time you’re in San Francisco.
1. Farm:Table
Photo by Hana Brannigan
From the outside, this quaint little cafe doesn’t look like much. Their menu is small, too, but when a place specializes in something like their toast, you’ll see why they don’t offer much other than the special.
The toast here is deliciously thick and smeared with a flavored mascarpone that pairs perfectly with the fruits of the day. If that’s not your thing, you can also find savory tarts, egg croissants, and baked goods that are all drool-worthy.
2. Roam Artisan Burgers
Photo courtesy of Paul Castro
Whenever I go on a food adventure, I try to stay away from typical food and instead go for food that makes that specific city unique. That is, unless it stands out as much as Roam Artisan Burgers.
This hip restaurant pays attention to their ingredients and uses all natural beef, turkey, and bison patties (and they even have an organic vegetarian patty option). What I love about this place, though, is that they make mouthwatering creations with these ingredients. An all natural, grass-fed burger stuffed with fries? Yes please.
3. Mitchell’s Ice Cream
Photo by Hana Brannigan
Mitchell’s Ice Cream is a small parlor, but their selection of flavors is anything but. They have a lot of classics, but also exotic flavors like this ube ice cream. Mitchell’s even has avocado ice cream for those trying to keep on track with their New Year’s resolution.
4. Basik Cafe
Photo by Hana Brannigan
There are a lot of açai places in San Fran, and to be honest, I just didn’t get the hype. Basik is different because they originate from Hawaii, so you know you’re getting super authentic açai bowls.
The one pictured above is The Forager. Each bowl here is completely different, so it won’t be hard to find something you’ll gravitate towards. The blend itself is has a sorbet consistency and the toppings are very fresh. Plus, all the bowls are super aesthetic so you can get that perfect Instagram shot.
5. Sushirrito
Photo by Hana Brannigan
This place must’ve read my mind because they just combined my two favorite foods into one glorious creation. The fish is so fresh and they make your sushiritto right in front of you. This picture pretty much says the rest.
6. American Grilled Cheese Kitchen
Photo by Hana Brannigan
I have to admit, I’m not a huge grilled cheese fan. It can get too greasy, and the cheese-to-bread ratio has to be perfect. With that said, the American Grilled Cheese Kitchen turned me into a grilled cheese believer.
The bread here is toasted to perfection, has just the perfect amount of cheese-to-bread ratio, and it all just melts in your mouth. They have a lot of other options, including breakfast options served all day and even a mac n’ cheese grilled cheese. This place is cheese heaven.
7. Over the Moon
Photo by Hana Brannigan
Like the name suggests, I was over the moon when I took a bite of this ice cream sandwich. Even though it’s a simple little shop, and they have limited flavors, a lot of the flavors are unique. Plus, the cookies are the warmest, most perfectly soft cookies you’ll have the pleasure of sinking your teeth into.
The flavor pictured is called stracciatella, which is an Italian flavor with a vanilla base and small chocolate shavings. They also have another flavor called Cookie Monster, which is blue and turns your mouth blue—which is a lot of fun.