This past weekend Keegan and I visited his new home for the summer, San Francisco! I have been to the city a couple times but only for day trips. My grandparents live in a little town outside of Sacramento and it’s only about an hour drive from their house so it’s really easy to pop up there when I am down visiting. This past holiday break Keegan got the news that he received an internship offer from Pinterest, yes, SO COOL! If I might brag just a little for him, he took Pinterest’s offer over Amazon and Starbucks. I’m a proud girlfriend 😉 The same day he called to take the offer, we knew we wanted to head down, look for places to live, and get acquainted with the area. Within just a couple of hours we booked a really last minute trip and we found ourselves there for the weekend, the perfect trip to start my year off. If you don’t know, my goal for this year is to travel somewhere every month, so so far, I’m off to a good start!
Each month I am going to be sharing a travel guide with everything you might want to do, eat, see, stay, etc.! If you have any other suggestions than what I share, I would love to try those out next time I am there. I am a major foodie, so this will definitely be the place to come if you need any restaurant suggestions. Thank you everyone who sent us suggestions for this trip, we only went to places recommended to us! If you haven’t check out my NYC Food Diary from September, or if you choose your resturatns based on how good of an IG pic you can get check out The Top Instagrammable #Foodie Places in NYC. Heading to London or Maui soon? I gotchu! Here are my top picks for London eats + drinks and places to go & eat in Maui.
San Francisco: Where to Eat & Drink
Delarosa
We were looking for a cute and nearby restaurant for lunch on our first day and stumbled upon this pizza place! It was super cute and trendy. They have a cool little bar and outdoor seating. We got the burrata bruschetta, hot salami/coppa/marinara/diavolicchio pizza, and drinks, I specially fell in love with a ORANGINA drink I tried, you Shake the Pulp and it tastes amazing. Keegan got a beer (yuck) and I got the Salty Dog cocktail. This was a perfect spot for lunch not far from union square!
25 Lusk
I asked you guys on Instagram for restaurant recommendations and every place after Delarosa was suggested to me, and you guys were totally spot on, especially with this place. It is restaurant upstairs and lounge downstairs. We dined upstairs and headed down to the lounge for after dinner drinks after we ate. This place has a great vibe and amazing food. It is a new American restaurant so they have creative dishes and they presentation was beautiful. We got the Tuna Tartar and shared the rabbit pasta dish. I NEVER eat rabbit but our server suggested it and we were so happy about our choice. SO YUMMY. Put this place on your list, at least for drinks at the lounge! Definitely will be going back!
Mr. Holmes Bakehouse
This is an obvious choice when in San Francisco. Honestly, I don’t know if I was more excited to take a picture in front of the “I got baked in San Francisco” sign or for the matcha dipped croissant! Pro tip: you don’t have to buy a ton of pastries to get the cute box, you can buy it for 65 cents 😉
Samovar Tea Lounge
I found the best avocado toast here-no lie! It was actually called the veggie toast, but beyond good. I am going to be replicating it at home! It had pesto, red bell peppers (which I actually don’t usually enjoy), arugula, avocado, and sea salt. I also ordered a jasmine lemonade and that was just as bomb. Keegan got a chai tea (boring LOL), but he isn’t a tea guy so I was just happy he went with me.
The perfect lunch stop in the Hayes Valley. We sat outside, Keegan sipped a beer, and we got some great people watching in and bomb food. I got the beef tartar and Keegan got a burger. This is one of many amazing restaurants in that area.
Roka Akor
Another BOMB recommendation from you guys. Keegan and I live off of sushi so this place was a gold mine for us. We tried to make a reservation but the earliest time as a 9:30pm which was a little last so we decided to just show up and eat in their downstairs lounge which I HIGHLY recommend over the dining room. They have their full menu in the lounge it is a great atmosphere and so comfy! They offer a cocktail omakase which we SO wanted to do, but you have to book in advance and we were too last minute but when we are back we are for sure going to do that! Best part, they had crispy rice. If you know, you know!
Cafe Réveille
Before heading out, we made a stop at this instagram worthy cafe. It was so poppin’ we had to wait about 10 minutes for a table, but worth it! Keegan got the egg sandwich and I got the acai bowl and burrata toast.
Where to Stay
Anywhere in the Union Square area! I would suggest not venturing out of this area for your hotel. It is most central and it ensures you don’t end up in a sketchy area. SF is pretty dirty and seedy in some areas so it is best to stay in the most central location.
What to Do & See
Billy Goat Hill
This park has the best views in the city! It also used to have the perfect swing for IG pics but when we got there it must have broke because in its place was a stick on a string and I was not about to take any chances HAHA! It’s about a 10 minute drive out of the city but so worth the view!
Telegraph Hill
Keegan and I went here just after sunset and it was so pretty! Great views of the city! We missed the chaos of everyone watching the sun go down, but I bet it would be perfect for that!
Hayes Valley
The best place for boutique shopping and a fun dining atmosphere! This is where to hang out! Keegan and I both did a little shopping, got lunch and sat outside, and he even got a haircut. It was a beautiful Saturday and the whole street was buzzing with good vibes. A great place for happy hour or a lively atmosphere.
Hawk Hill
If you want a photo with the Golden Gate Bridge, this is your place! It is one of the furthest up viewpoints and it was must less crowded than the other lookouts. A must when in town!
This will be the first of a few SF guides since Keegan will be there this summer and I’m sure I will be spending a lot of time there as well. Thanks so much for reading and I hope you are able to try out some of these places when you are in SF next too!