San Francisco Tips on Where to Eat
Chinatown Fisherman's Wharf Ghirardelli's Bob's Donut Shop 4 Foodies
Where to eat in San Francisco? Gourmet foodies are tempted with Fisherman's Wharf, Chinatown, Ghirardelli's and Bob's Donut Shops. Local cuisine & accommodation tips.
Popular Attractions:
The Golden Gate Bridge, cable cars and Alcatraz, Nob Hill, Pier 39and The Cannery. These are some of the most popular attractions that San Francisco has to offer. Photo opportunities abound, and people watching is a major draw for the curious visitor. But what the adventurous foodie is really looking for in the City by the Bay, is the local cuisine.
Where to Eat: Culinary Highlights
- Fisherman's Wharf is one such place. Seafood and Italian restaurants vie for space along Jefferson Street, Pier 47 and beyond with street vendors and crab houses. The aroma of fresh San Francisco sourdough bread bowls full of thick clam chowder is enough to lure anyone down to the wharf. Priced from $5.95, that's an inexpensive treat. Steam rising from huge pots of fresh dungeness crabs, forces people to walk through the delicious cloud. Outside, hungry diners eat their lunch standing along the counters shoulder to shoulder, even in the worst weather.
- Chinatown can be exciting and sometimes overwhelming for the first-timer. Throngs of people crowd the narrow streets to shop at open air produce and fish markets. Strange looking fish, some whole with eyeballs and skinned naked, are displayed in ice filled tubs along the shops' sidewalks. Dim sum restaurants with deep fried pigeon, pig's intestines and whole butterflied duck hang from hooks in the windows. Most menus and prices are in Chinese, and dinner for two can set you back a whopping $10.00, tip included.
- Ghirardelli Square is located around the corner from Fisherman's Wharf on North Point Street. The "Square" is made up of gourmet shops, restaurants and unique specialty stores. Holiday time at Ghirardelli's Chocolate Company can be especially crowded with lines out the door. Once inside, you'll be handed one of their famous chocolate samples. Truffles, chocolate bars, hot cocoa and Ghirardelli's Ice Cream Parlor is heaven for the chocoholic.
- Bob's Donut & Pastry Shop is located on Polk Street in the Nob Hill section. Their donuts are made fresh all day, and at Bob's, that day is 24 hours long. Apple fritters are one of their specialties. Which donut is better - Krispy Kreme, Dunkin Donuts or Bob's? The debate is still out on that one.
Getting Around the City:
Parking in the heart of the city can be almost impossible, and when you do find a garage or lot, it can be very expensive - up to $30.00 in some areas. Cable cars and street cars provide an authentic San Francisco experience for $5.00 per trip. Hanging off the side of a cable car through on-coming traffic can give an exciting roller coaster ride down the steep streets you see in movies. The Powell-Hyde line will bring you to Fisherman's Wharf and Ghirardeli Square, with Chinatown and Nob Hill along the way.
Accommodations can be found at:
- The Argonaut Hotel, 495 Jefferson St. (415) 563-0800
- Best Western Tuscan Inn on Fisherman’s Wharf, 425 North Point St. (415) 561-1100
- Hyatt at Fisherman's Wharf, 555 North Point St. (415) 563-1234
Take a day or a weekend and enjoy eating your way through San Francisco.
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