Where to Eat in San Francisco

I’ve mentioned it here before: eating is one of my favorite things to do, especially while traveling. I love eating new foods, finding cool local places, and trying unique desserts.

San Francisco was a foodie’s delight, with tons of local options. There are amazing places to try out local California dishes as well as cuisines from around the world.

Every meal I ate was spectacular, and I’m looking forward to going back to try even more cool restaurants.

Are you wondering where to eat in San Francisco? Keep reading for my recommendations!

Dobb’s Ferry

San Franciscans love their brunch, so this was something we did several times on our trip. Our first stop was Dobb’s Ferry, a super-cute spot in Hayes Valley with great brunch and bottomless mimosas/peach bellinis (you get to switch back and forth if you want!). This is the perfect brunch spot for a girls trip to San Francisco!

DOBB’S FERRY // 409 GOUGH STREET // SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94120

I got the Chicken & Bacon Waffle Benedict, which was two pieces of delicious buttermilk-fried chicken, half of a Belgian waffle filled with bacon & cheddar cheese, and sunny-side up eggs. The chicken was oh-so-good, and the waffle was fluffy and delicious. My only complaint was that it only came with half of a waffle. I was so hungry that I probably could’ve eaten a whole one!

The best part? The bottomless mimosas and bellinis – they were constantly coming to refill our glasses, so it was hard to keep track of how many we’d had!

Stacks Restaurant

If you’re looking at another great brunch spot, you’ve got to check out Stacks Restaurant.

Upon arrival, I thought this place would be a bust, since their apparently delicious biscuits & gravy (weekend special only…get there early!) were sold out. After combing through the menu to find a separate option, I settled on the Chocolate Divine Belgian waffle with a side of bacon and potatoes.

While it wasn’t biscuits and gravy, the waffle was fluffy and chocolatey, the bacon was crisp, and the potatoes were seriously some of the best breakfast potatoes I’ve ever had.

I only had Stacks for brunch, but their dinner menu sounded fabulous too, so it’s at the top of my list for my next San Francisco getaway.

STACKS RESTAURANT // 501 HAYES STREET // SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94102

Eureka Restaurant & Lounge

Southern comfort food is something that I’ve always associated with the south, and I never would’ve expected the west coast to have comfort food that rivaled what I can get at home. I was surprised, however, when I found Eureka Restaurant & Lounge.

First off, I just want to say that I highly recommend making reservations for dinner here. We had a reservation, and we still had to wait a while since the place was so busy. We started out with drinks in the bar while we were waiting for our table, and I had a Raspberry Kiss. The drinks here are a bit pricey, but they’re delicious and they’re strong.

After getting seated, I decided to order their meatloaf, which was superb. It had a very strong pepper taste, which I really enjoyed. Though I didn’t try it, their pot roast is supposed to be the best around – that’s on my list for my next visit!

EUREKA RESTAURANT & LOUNGE // 4063 18TH STREET // SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94114

Nick’s Crispy Tacos

f you know me, you know I’m OBSESSED with Mexican food. I eat it multiple times a week, sometimes multiple times a day. One of my must-dos for San Francisco was to check out a local Mexican place. Enter Nick’s Crispy Tacos: a taco joint and bar located in an old nightclub (red velvet and chandeliers EVERYWHERE!).

Everything here sounded SO GOOD, so my friends and I ended up ordering a ton of food. I started with a pineapple mojito for Mojito Monday ($5 mojitos, $15 pitchers), and ordered a fish taco and a fried chicken taco (order them the special Nick’s Way: a taco with two shells (one crispy, one soft), jack cheese, and guacamole (they put A LOT), a grilled chicken quesadilla, and elote.

The tacos and quesadilla were great, but OH MY GOD the elote was one of the best things I’ve ever put in my mouth. If you don’t know what that is, it’s delicious Mexican corn on the cob covered in mayonnaise, parmesan cheese, and chili powder. If you go to Nick’s Crispy Tacos, you absolutely must try the elote. Trust me on this one.

A note: the food counter is CASH ONLY, but the bar also accepts cards.

NICK’S CRISPY TACOS // 1500 BROADWAY AT POLK STREET // SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94109

Chantal Guillon

I’m a nut for macarons, but Kentucky doesn’t have a huge selection of macaron bakeries. Because of this, I always seek out some while traveling.

Chantal Guillon in Hayes Valley saved the day. When I visited, they had 16 different flavors, all of which looked and sounded amazing.

I tried the red velvet, strawberry milk, and Earl Grey tea (which surprisingly tasted like Fruity Pebbles) macarons, and they were all SO GOOD. I’ve literally been dreaming about these since I left (and I’ve come SUPER close to ordering a box to be delivered to my home in Kentucky). They also had macaron ice cream sandwiches, which were super cute and most likely delicious.

In addition to Hayes Valley, there are two other Chantal Guillon locations in the Bay Area: another in San Francisco and one in Palo Alto.

CHANTAL GUILLON HAYES VALLEY // 437 A HAYES STREET // SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94102 CHANTAL GUILLON SoMA // 1309 HOWARD STREET // SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94103 CHANTAL GUILLON PALO ALTO // 444 UNIVERSITY AVENUE // PALO ALTO, CA 94301

Mitchell’s Ice Cream

I ate my ice cream too fast to take pictures (oops!), but Mitchell’s Ice Cream has the best chocolate ice cream I’ve ever had. It’s super fudgy like the fudge pops you ate as a kid, but it’s still so much better than that.

There will most likely be a line, so make sure to step inside and grab a number. They’ll announce the numbers over the loudspeaker so that you’ll know when it’s your turn. There are a ton of flavors too, including some really unique ones. The flavors change pretty regularly too, so there will always be something new to try!

MITCHELL’S ICE CREAM // 688 SAN JOSE AVENUE // SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94110

Hot Cookie

In the Castro, you’ll find Hot Cookie, a bakery serving up warm, delicious cookies and brownies. While I was there, there was a drunk guy crying because he was so excited to get his favorite cookie. Enough said.

Try the snickerdoodle, and you might be crying tears of happiness too!

HOT COOKIE // 407 CASTRO STREET // SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94114

Want more amazing eats in San Francisco? Check out a food tour of the Bay City!

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If you’re heading to San Francisco soon and try any of my recommendations, make sure to let me know! If you have any suggestions of your own, let me know in the comments so I can give them a try on my next visit to the Bay City. I’m always ready to try some new food!

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