San Francisco, California
A City of Dreamers & Doers
It’s been 10 years since I’ve been back to San Francisco! I was 22 then, I’m 32 now. My memories of San Francisco consisted of our family driving from Stockton to San Fran. The ride to SF probably took us two hours or less, depending on the traffic. For me, two hours is two hours too long! Back home in Edmonton, the traffic jam is nothing compared to the bumper to bumper traffic I had experienced in Cali. Long rides gets to me since I’m highly prone to getting car sick, something I wish I outgrew but still haven’t. Besides the journey to SF, I remember San Francisco for the beautiful iconic, Golden Gate Bridge; dining at our go-to-spot, Vietnamese II for the flavourful, hot and sour catfish soup; and, shopping at the souvenir shops in Chinatown. As well, I remember the pungent smell that hits your face when strolling on certain streets and I can’t forget the times I would be fighting with the wind. How I wanted, just one decent picture of me in front of the Golden Gate Bridge without my hair looking like a hot mess! Of course, the wind won that time and yes, the strong wind was present in this trip too!
This time around, we had three days to explore San Francisco. We were dedicated to filling our days with back-to-back exploring and of course, eating! One out of the three days in SF, our cousins from Stockton happily joined us. One of my cousin had expressed to us, he always wanted to explore the diverse food culture in previous outings to SF. The opportunity did not permit him to do so, due to the fact, he was traveling with friends whom were reluctant to experiment with food from their norm. Therefore, we wanted to make sure our cousin tasted savoury xiao long baos (soup dumplings), delicious tonkatsu ramen, fresh ceviche, fresh raw oysters and more delicious food present in San Francisco. I have to say, this trip was memorable and I thoroughly enjoyed it with my family! There’s still so much to do and discover in SF, we did not even scratch the service! Here are a few places we were able to hit up and some of the restaurants we enjoyed in San Francisco, California.
San Francisco
Travel Dates: July 11th, 15th, and 16th
Things To Do in San Francisco
Chinatown
We decided on this trip, we had to go back to Chinatown. Mainly for cheap, delicious eats! If you want to have delicious, authentic Chinese food, of course, you make your way to Chinatown! Ten years ago, I recall maneuvering my way around the massive crowds of tourists roaming the busy streets of Chinatown. Because I was focus on zigzagging my way around people, I didn’t have the opportunity to truly “see” Chinatown. Our Uber driver dropped us off, right in front of Dragon’s gate - the entrance to Chinatown. He informed us, many tourist loved to take their pictures in front of the Bruce Lee mural. Of course, my hunger for xiao long baos went out the door and I was on a mission to find the Bruce Lee mural he was talking about. Not only did I find the Bruce Lee mural, I saw an array of brightly colored, Asian-inspired murals painted on building walls found in Chinatown. It felt like deja vu! I was transported back to Brooklyn all over again! It was incredible! Even though San Francisco’s Chinatown is always packed with tourist, it’s a place you must visit when you come to San Francisco. Enjoy Chinatown for the lovely displays of red lanterns floating high across business buildings; discover and photograph the many colorful artistic murals; enjoy the architecture of old buildings; satisfy your hunger with authentic Chinese cuisines; and don’t forget to line up for the best tasting Chinese baked goods and pastries found only in Chinatown.
I found the Bruce Lee mural and more incredible murals all over Chinatown!
Cable car
The handful of times I’ve been to San Fran, I have never been on the iconic SF cable car. There’s a desire to ride on it at least once, just to say I did it. The only thing preventing me from riding the cable car is the lining up part. There’s always going to be a long queue for the cable cars, it’s inevitable! It’s a major tourist attraction and it’s on everyone’s things to do list when visiting SF. There are three main routes - Powell-Mason, Powell-Hyde and the California Street line. My sister says the best route for the most stunning view of San Francisco is the Powell-Hyde line hence it’s the most popular cable car route taken by tourist. It will cost you $7.00 USD for one ride and if you are planning to ride it for the whole day, it’s best to purchase the all-day pass for $17.00 USD. An insider tip I read online suggest, if you want to avoid the long line up, it’s best to board somewhere along the route where there are far fewer people waiting. It’s best not to wait in the popular waiting areas (beginning or the end of cable car route). In the future, if I’m fortunate to visit San Francisco once more, a ride on the iconic SF cable car will be on the top of my things to do list. And yes, I will be taking the Powell-Hyde route, securing a spot outside the cable car so I can stick out my head and have a Full House moment!
Crissy Field
Address: 1199 E Beach, San Francisco, CA 94129-1605
We desired for a picture perfect view of the Golden Gate Bridge. My aunts and uncles from Stockton have been to San Francisco a handful of times so they know where to go for Instagram worthy pictures of the Golden Gate Bridge. My aunt texted, Crissy Field. En route to Crissy Field we go! We didn’t know where to park because my cousins haven’t been to Crissy Field themselves, so we parked our car at an empty parking lot across from a store selling sporting goods, hoping our car would still be there when we got back. We made our journey towards what I believe to be Crissy Field beach. Already we were in awe of the sight of the Golden Gate Bridge even though we were distance away. Here’s a throwback for you! Do you remember the time when you were a little child and you were told, a pot of gold sits at the end of every rainbow? If you were to chase the rainbow, you would eventually reach the pot of gold. Young and naive, you wait for the rain to clear so you could spot the rainbow and make your way to the pot of gold. Following the path of the Bay Trail felt like I was chasing the rainbow, closer to the pot of gold that is, the Golden Gate Bridge. We caught the sunset as well, and it made everything more grander! We saw many locals and visitors run, stroll and cycle along the Bay Trail. With a gorgeous back drop such as the Golden Gate Bridge, it makes exercising that more enjoyable! Dress warmly and make your way to Crissy Field. You will be gifted for the incredible view of the magnificent, Golden Gate Bridge.
The magnificent iconic, Golden Gate Bridge.
Coffee Spots in San Francisco
Blue Bottle Coffee
Address: 1 Ferry Building, #7, San Francisco, CA 94111
I love coffee! When traveling, I like to visit local coffee shops or places that know how to do coffee well. The first time I ever had Blue Bottle Coffee it was in NYC. I was there catching The Roots Picnic in Bryant Park. I definitely enjoyed their coffee and I knew I had to have a cup from where it all originated - the Bay area. Blue Bottle Coffee originated in the early 2000s in Oakland, California with 10 locations in SF and 18 locations in the Bay Area. Blue Bottle Coffee has done tremendously well and continues to grow across the US, Japan and Korea. Their space is modern, clean-lined and I love their signature blue bottle logo.
Blue Bottle Coffee in the Ferry Building
Ritual Coffee Roasters
Address: 432b Octavia St, San Francisco, CA 94102, USA
This is my first time ever having coffee from Ritual Coffee Roasters. In all of my travels, a must do for me is to visit two or three coffee shops. Either I’m researching on the web to see what’s the top coffee spots or I get suggestions from my coffee-loving friends. To make it on my top places to visit for coffee, I look for a spot with great reviews, they must offer good drip or pour-overs coffees since I drink my coffee black and of course, I love checking out beautifully decorated coffee spots! I have a thing for coffee shops decorating their space with lively green plants! It makes the space much more prettier. I must say, from all of my travels and the many coffee shops I have been to for drip/pour-overs, hands down, the coffee I had at Ritual was the best I ever had! I don’t remember the region my coffee was from but with each sips, I tasted delicious notes of chocolate, fruit and nut. Don’t ask me what fruit or nut I tasted! My coffee was prepared exceptionally well, the finish was smooth and the coffee was not acidic at all. My sister had a latte and she definitely agreed with me, the best latte she ever had! Definitely, I had to bring a bag of beans home. I purchased a bag of coffee beans - La Lecheria from Tarrazu, Costa Rica. On the bag its describes the notes of ripe peach, cherry and caramel. Check out Ritual Coffee Roasters on Octavia Street! The space is quaint but I love that you can have your coffee outside the public space. A great space to people watch and enjoy the most incredible cup of coffee you ever had.
Enjoying the pubic space & Ritual’s coffee.
Boba Milk Tea Spot
Boba Guys
Address: 429 Stockton St, San Francisco, CA 94108, USA
I usually don’t line up for things. That’s not in my vocabulary! The last time I lined up for something, it was for my brother and that was to get raffle tickets to purchase limited-edition sneakers from Foot Locker. I only went because I love my brother and also, he promised my sister and I he would feed us right after we got our tickets! Now I don’t know why I lined up for Boba Guys because one, I’m not much of a boba drinking kind-of-girl and two, its not my style to line up for things! I’m too old! We were full from our lunch and we wanted something sweet. I believe my cousin Google Map the closest boba spot and it lead us to Boba Guys. Because we were already here, I did what I vowed never to do, I lined up for boba!
What we ordered: Head in the Clouds, P.O.G. (passion fruit, oranges and guava), Banana Milk Tea, and Classic Milk Tea
Restaurants in San Francisco
Dumpling Time
Address: 11 Division St, San Francisco, CA 94103, USA
Before we even touched down in San Francisco, my siblings and I all agreed, the first restaurant we must visit had to be a spot serving xiao long baos! My brother used his reliable source, Yelp reviews to navigate us to one of the popular spots for xiao long baos in SF. The chosen spot, Dumpling Time in the Design District. Dumpling Time is a modern, casual eatery known for fresh dumplings made before your eyes. They also serve popular traditional Chinese dim sum delights such as bao, har gow, siu mai, dumplings and noodles. We definitely enjoyed the xia long baos and ordered 3 trays to satisfy our soup dumpling cravings. The customer service was exceptional and our food were served quick and hot!
What we ordered: Pork xiao long baos, sauteed and gingered snap peas, pork baos, wagyu beef gyoza, and lamb xi’an dumplings.
Hog Island Oyster
Address: Ferry Building, One, #11, San Francisco, CA 94111, United States
If you’re looking to catch a vibe you have to come to Hog Island Oyster! I love the overall atmosphere of this place. Ideal seating for the restaurant had to be right at the bar, getting the opportunity to watch the staff shuck fresh oysters at rapid speed or you can be seated outside on their lovely patio. We asked the server if we could be seated outside because we believe, when dining, everything taste much better when you’re outside! You get the view of the waters, the live action happening on the boardwalk and crisp, fresh air. I love the vibe, the service was amazing and the seafood… SO FRESH & DELICIOUS!!! I would highly recommend ordering the Oyster Bar Mix because you get to enjoy a selection of their fresh catch of the day.
What we ordered: Harissa Grilled Oysters w/ Piquillo peppers, calabrian chili, cumin, cilantro, coriander, garlic, lime juice; Geoduck Ceviche w/ red onion, micro cilantro, calabrian chilli; Chowder w/ Manila clams, aromatic vegetables, bacon, potatoes, cream; and a medium-sized Oyster Bar Mix w/ a selection of the featured oysters.
Oyster Bar Mix
Chowder with a generous servings of Manila clams
Begoni Bistro
Address: 615 Jackson St, San Francisco, CA 94133, USA
We thoroughly enjoyed our days in Stockton, California and it was time to head back to San Francisco. Our cousins were gracious enough to drive us back to SF and they decided they would stay for a day and enjoy SF with us! We decided since they never had xiao long baos, we would hit up Chinatown for our first meal of the day.
Begoni Bistro is a contemporary eatery serving delicious Chinese food. The modern and spacious restaurant offers authentic Chinese cuisine, over eighty dim sum dishes, extensive alcohol and beverage selections and they also serve authentic loose leaf tea. The food menu was extensive but thankfully, we had our server point out popular items from the menu. Everything we ordered were fresh and delicious. We definitely polished off all of our plates! I was definitely impressed with the garlic noodles! It was my favorite dish from Begoni Bistro. It looks so simple, you would think it would be bland in taste. That was not the case. It was flavorful and the texture of the noodles were nice and chewy. The garlic noodles were delicious on it’s own but if you needed a kick, it tasted pretty darn good with some hot sauce. I was very impressed.
What we ordered: Garlic Noodles, Xiao long baos, steamed shrimp dumplings, steamed vegetarian dumplings, Chinese chopstick donut rice rolls, and Chinese broccoli in oyster sauce.
Golden Gate Bakery
Address: 1029 Grant Ave, San Francisco, CA 94133, USA
When in Chinatown, you have to make sure to visit one of the popular Chinese bakeries selling baked goods and pastries! Remember, you can go online and search for the best places for baked goods or you can look for places with lineups out the door. They must be serving something delicious if people are willing to wait in line! I’m not big on sweets, desserts or lineups but if it’s a highly recommended place, I would definitely try it out. FOMO! We were passing by a bakery when a group of ladies stopped my cousin to take a picture of them eating Chinese egg tarts in front of the bakery. They told us the bakery they were standing in front of, made the best Chinese egg tarts! They said they were expensive ($2.50 each) but its definitely worth it. We trusted the ladies and bought two to share since we were full from our lunch. The ladies were right! The egg tart was soft, flaky and delicious! I forgot to grab the name of the bakery and had to ask my brother. He remembered the name and when I was checking the reviews online there were comments about the insane lineups for this place! Thank the Lord! The time we were there, no crazy lineups. Golden Gate Bakery only accepts cash and most people purchase half or full orders. A full order will cost you $30.00.
Marufuku Ramen
Address: 1581 Webster St #235, San Francisco, CA 94115, USA
Another line up! Maybe I do line up for things but I just have a bad memory. Ahhh! I know now! I only queue if I don’t see a massive line up. Like this one! We knew we wanted to have ramen for our next meal. My brother went on Yelp and there were rave reviews on Marufuku Ramen. We were in Japantown a tad bit early and had to wait for the restaurant to open up at 5:00 p.m. We aimlessly strolled around Japantown before the doors opened at 5:00 p.m. Luckily, we were a head of the line and were immediately seated to our table.
Marufuku Ramen proudly serves authentic Hakata-style Tonkotsu ramen - a premium, rich and milky tonkotsu broth cooked for over 20 hours. Marafuku Ramen takes pride in making everything handmade. It shows in the care they take with cooking the tonkotsu broth for over 20 hours to extract the umami flavor, the ultra-thin noodles cooked to perfection, and the quality of cha-shu made from specially selected pork. The marriage of flavours and texture was found in the perfect bowl of ramen which we all enjoyed.
What we ordered: 3 bowls of Hakata Tonkotsu and 1 Hakata Tonkotsu DX
A bowl of Hakata Tonkotsu
ARIA Korean Street Food
Address: 932 Larkin St, San Francisco, CA 94109, USA
The name of the restaurant speaks for itself. ARIA is a local, informal and hip Korean restaurant serving street food or Korean tapas. When you think of classic street food found in South Korea’s outdoor markets or street stalls, the popular items include kimbap, tteokbokki, ramen, and Korean fried chicken smothered in sweet & spicy gochujang sauce (red chili paste). ARIA serves all the classics with their own flavor to it! What I love about this place is the vibrancy of the building. There’s the graffiti work painted in the exterior walls of the restaurant, a multitude of stickers plastered on the focal wall, and while dining, you get to listen to a sick hip hop playlist! I swear, you always find the best music in Korean restaurants!! GUARANTEED! I’ve never been to a Korean restaurant with bad music! My siblings and I came here for lunch and we grabbed a few things to share. My favorite item had to be the bulgogi kimbap. ARIA did not sting out on the bulgogi and every bite was packed with flavours. The bulgogi kimbap was pretty bombed dipped in the tteokbokki sauce.
What we ordered: Bulgogi Kimbap (korean sushi rolls), KFC (Korean Fried Chicken, and tteokbokki (spicy rice cakes).
Fog Harbor Fish House
Address: The Embarcadero, San Francisco, CA 94133, USA (Located in Pier 39)
The highlight of our dinner experience at Fog Harbor Fish House had to be the Seafood Tower! For $88.00 USD the tower consist of: ½ Maine lobster, ½ cracked Dungeness crab, 6 fresh shucked oysters, 6 jumbo shrimp, 6 mussels, Dungeness crab ceviche served with cocktail sauce and mignonette. The seafood were fresh and delicious! We barely used the cocktail sauce and the mignonette. Just a squeeze of lemon juice heightened the fresh taste of the seafood which made every bite satisfying. The crispy calamari were lightly battered which I enjoyed and the clam chowder was nicely thick and rich which we all enjoyed.
What we ordered: Crispy calamari, Award-winning clam chowder, and Seafood Tower.
Seven Hills
Address: 1550 Hyde St, San Francisco, CA 94109, USA
There’s a story why we picked Seven Hills as one of the restaurant to dine in San Francisco. If you aren’t a Spurs fan or an avid watcher of NBA Baskeball, you probably haven’t heard the name Greg Popovich. No he’s not a basketball player for the Spurs in fact, he’s the head coach of the San Antonio Spurs. My older sister loves watching basketball, so does my little brother. Everyone in my family loves watching basketball! The thing is, my sister LOVES the San Antonio Spurs! Of course, she was extremely sad when Kawhi Leonard left the team. The morning of the announcement of his departure, she literally called me extremely devastated and upset. I was so scared because she rarely calls me when she’s at work. I thought she was involved in a car accident! Back to the story. I believe it was on an ESPN article where Greg Popovich expressed whenever he’s down in San Francisco, the restaurant he likes to frequent is Seven Hills. He especially likes the wine selection. Because Coach Pop likes Seven Hills, we had to come here to make my sister happy.
Seven Hills is a fine, cozy Italian restaurant located in Russian Hill which serves locally sourced, farm-to-table Roman fare crafted with love. The atmosphere is very intimate and cozy. The dishes are served in small plates therefore, I suggest ordering a couple of dishes and sharing it. Don’t forget to order a glass or bottle of wine to pair with your dishes. They have a great wine selection, which my brother and I truly enjoyed. I highly recommend taking your special someone on a romantic dinner date!
What we ordered: American Wagyu Carpaccio w/ arugula, pesto, caper, charred scape, parmigiano, Tomato Braised Polpette w/ Fontina stuffed meatballs, toasted polenta bread, Pappardelle w/ Stemple Creek lam sugo, pecorino romano, mint, Orecchiette w/ Napolitano sausage basil pesto, tomato, cherry tomato, and Maccheroncelli w/ crushed tomato, chili, basil, house made ricotta.
Oakland, California
Taqueria El Paisa@.com
Address: 4610 International Blvd, Oakland, CA 94601, USA
We purposely landed in San Francisco’s International Airport instead of San Jose or Sacramento because we really wanted to explore San Fran. Like I said, my memories of San Fran is seeing the iconic Golden Gate Bridge, visiting Chinatown and filing our belly with catfish hot and sour soup at Vietnamese II. I knew there were more to San Fran than my fond little memories. In addition, landing in San Francisco before heading to Stockton gave us the opportunity to visit Oakland. We had it all figured out! A couple hours in SF and then we would hop on an Uber and make our way to Oakland, where our uncle would pick us up from there. I had a whole list for Oakland! I wanted to visit at least two coffee shops, hit up some trendy vintage stores and we were planning to visit a highly-noted, popular Cambodian restaurant, Yum Bai. Well, my plans didn’t go as planned because our flight got delayed and my uncle came extra early to pick us up. It’s not his fault. He just happened to drive with ease from Stockton and didn’t have to suffer in traffic.
Luckily, we did get the opportunity to check out Taqueria El Paisa@.com. I did my research this time, not relying on my brother to pick a spot for us to eat. This place had stellar reviews on their tacos and we love us some delicious tacos! Who doesn’t! Especially, when they taste freaking good, gets you full and it doesn’t cost you an arm and a leg! Back home, tacos aren’t comparable to tacos found in California. NOT AT ALL. They taste meh and they’re pretty expensive. An order of three tacos can set you back at $14.00. Tacos in California are next level! Tacos over here are inexpensive and damn, they are TASTY! The tacos at Taqueia El Paisa@.com were superb. I really enjoyed the lengua tacos and the horchata.
What we ordered: Carne asada, Lengua, Tripas tacos and Horchatas
