Reservations Needed

Description:

The buzz preceding the opening of Tony's Pizza Napoletana in San Francisco's North Beach neighborhood was deafening but nothing if not accurate.  Located off of Washington Square park and cooking everything from the 2007 World Pizza Cup (Naples, Italy) Margherita - only 73 made a day - to Sicilian Colombo to an authentic Jersey Tomato Pie, Tony's has a pizza for each and every taste. All of the staff are knowledgeable and attentive, the wine list is extensive, and the restaurant is a great place to see and be seen.

Description:

The landmark Coit Tower was built in the 1930's as a tribute to the city's firefighters, at the behest of eccentric local celebrity Lillie Hitchcock Coit, an honorary firefighter herself. Today, Coit Tower stands proudly on the northeastern edge of the city in the scenic Telegraph Hill district. Although Coit Tower is accessed by an entirely uphill climb, visitors who brave it are treated to unparalleled views of the Bay and its bridges, Marin County, the East Bay, and the undulating San Francisco cityscape. Plus there's an incredible Art Deco mural that covers the entire circumference of the tower's interior ground-floor walls. Painted by 26 artists, this masterpiece depicts many aspects of '30's California industry and labor. Remember, the walk back is all downhill; head southwest into the nearby Italian-American enclave of North Beach for a cappuccino and gelato and some fabulous shopping on Grant Avenue.

Description:

Known for generous portions, this Bay Area treasure is a retro soda fountain that showcases daily ice cream production and fountain sundae making. Founded in 1894, Fentons Creamery is a landmark institution that has served generations its famous handcrafted ice creams and sauces. The fresh Crab Salad sandwich is the house specialty, best when accompanied by a thick shake! Our ice cream sundaes are world famous – the Black & Tan Sundae is our signature item, made with one of the many ice cream flavors invented by Melvin Fenton – Toasted Almond. Fentons Creamery offers a wonderful, hearty breakfast on Friday, Saturday & Sunday! Serving thick Belgian waffles (best topped with ice cream), Pancakes, French toast, Crab Omelets and Crab Cake Eggs Benedict, savory turkey sausage…and so much more! Featured on the History Channel, the Food Network, USA Today and Zagat, Fentons offers ice cream production tours by appointment.

Description:

A tasting room in San Francisco, Cellar 360 brings together the work of 30+ wineries around the world into one stylish tasting room in the heart of Ghirardelli Square. Tasting flights change every month, and various wines are also available by the glass. Classes on Wednesdays and Sundays are open to the public, pairing exciting selections with tasty treats from Cellar 360's in-house Chef. Bottle selection is extensive, and there is a patio for those who would like to consume their purchases there. They ship around the world, and have partner tasting rooms in Napa and Sonoma.

Description:

In 1953, Buena Vista Cafe served San Francisco the first Irish Coffee it had ever tasted. There is a rumor that it was the first one ANYONE had tasted. Almost fifty years later, it makes an estimated 2,000 Irish Coffees each day, packing the old mahogany bar (and its consistent queue) primarily with Fisherman's Wharf tourists. The view, which encompasses Ghirardelli Square, The Cannery, the Wharf, and much of the Bay, is amazing.

Description:

Located in one of San Francisco's most famous districts, this hotel is only 1 block from Fisherman's Wharf , 3 blocks from Pier 39, 1 block to the famous Hyde/ Powell Cable Car line, and adjacent to the Cannery. Chinatown and North Beach are less than 1/2 mile away - walk, bus, or cab! Walk a 1/2 block to the "F" line antique street cars and take a ride along the Embarcadero, up Market street through Downtown, Civic Center, and out to The Castro District.

Our Local Expert Says:

You can find everything from slippers, chicken's feet, porcelain statues of buddha, and fire-works in San Francisco's Chinatown.

Description:

Red lanterns waving in the breeze. Incense wafting out of small temples. Esoteric medicinal herbs dangling in shop windows. Some aspects of San Francisco's Chinatown, the oldest in America, hardly seem worlds apart from the motherland and haven't changed much from when the neighborhood was first built in the mid-19th century. Enter at the dragon-flanked gate on Bush Street at Grant Avenue and get lost in a wonderland of bustling produce markets, touches of ancient Chinese architecture, quirky gift and houseware shops, art galleries, clothing stores, dim sum eateries, and serene tea houses, the densest concentration of which are on Grant Avenue and Stockton Street. Some hot spots are Portsmouth Square, where you can admire the graceful movements of Tai Chi practitioners and the strategy of elderly chess players, and the Chinese Culture Center of San Francisco, where Sinophiles can take in art exhibits, be led on an informative, guided Heritage Walking Tour (excellent for those wishing to pick up on the area's rich history), or take a brush painting or traditional Chinese music workshop.

Description:

Though the cuisine is Cantonese, you will feel like you have traveled to Japan when you climb the stairs to the dining room of the R & G Lounge. The room is covered with silk-screened Japanese prints and Japanese flute music plays overhead. The house specialty is seafood. In the late autumn and early winter months, experience a San Francisco tradition by sampling the roasted Dungeness crab. The salt and pepper quail and fresh oysters are other sea-faring favorites.

Description:

Lefty's is the perfect place to sit down and unwind after a long day of shopping, sight-seeing or working. They are more than a restaurant and lounge—offering one-of-a-kind baseball memorabilia, rare celebrity photos and "the best deal on the square." Lefty's has 12 TVs scattered throughout their restaurant. Don't forget the kids!

Description:

Power hitters of the local and the international variety gather here to drink, eat, and conduct business in a comfortable setting. While the most requested drink may be the classic dry martini, other drink features include a Mojito 'Isidro' and Bix Punch. Entrees include Seared Rare Yellowfin Tuna and Grilled Rib-Eye Stctiorange

Description:

This frat-party-cum-neighborhood-bar is the place to go if you're eager to take on a few wasted recent grads in beer pong or put the moves on that cute girl who used to live down the hall from you freshman year (or someone who looks just like her). Downstairs and behind more respectable establishments on this posh stretch of Union Street in the Marina, Bar None would be aptly named if the bouncers didn't occasionally turn away the unfit from the line on the street Friday and Saturday nights. Once inside, it does appear that anything goes. Bluto and the brothers of Delta Tau Chi would be proud.

Description:

Located in one of San Francisco's most famous districts, this hotel is only 1 block from Fisherman's Wharf , 3 blocks from Pier 39, 1 block to the famous Hyde/ Powell Cable Car line, and adjacent to the Cannery. Chinatown and North Beach are less than 1/2 mile away - walk, bus, or cab! Walk a 1/2 block to the "F" line antique street cars and take a ride along the Embarcadero, up Market street through Downtown, Civic Center, and out to The Castro District.

Description:

Located in one of San Francisco's most famous districts, this hotel is only 1 block from Fisherman's Wharf , 3 blocks from Pier 39, 1 block to the famous Hyde/ Powell Cable Car line, and adjacent to the Cannery. Chinatown and North Beach are less than 1/2 mile away - walk, bus, or cab! Walk a 1/2 block to the "F" line antique street cars and take a ride along the Embarcadero, up Market street through Downtown, Civic Center, and out to The Castro District.

Description:

The Giotta family opened this charming cafe more than 40 years ago and it was the first espresso bar on the West Coast. Now, it is a North Beach tradition with its polished wood surfaces and celebrity photograph-lined walls. You will get the feeling that if Chris Isaac and Tony Bennett are loyal customers, you should be too. Along with excellent coffee and homemade cuisine, you get live music, as several family members are professional singers. Saturday evenings, your coffee comes accompanied by traditional Italian songs, ballads, or even opera. Note: Cash only.

Description:

Famed as the "crookedest street in the world," the swath of Lombard Street between Hyde and Leavenworth streets in San Francisco's Russian Hill district is indeed full of twists and turns. Lombard Street was designed as a series of switchbacks in order to make its steep grade navigable by automobile. Today, you'll almost definitely see Lombard Street congested with cars making the celebrated drive down. Therefore, we recommend hoofing it—you'll be able to admire all the more slowly the lovely, brightly-colored houses flanked with bougainvillea and all manner of flowers, as well as the gorgeous view of North Beach, Telegraph Hill, and the bay. After winding down Lombard Street, head east to nearby North Beach for serious Italian eats, or north to the maritime delights of Fisherman's Wharf and Ghiradelli Square.

Description:

This center of '60s psychedelic activity to this day retains counterculture credentials with a proliferation of piercing salons, bookstores brimming with hippie nostalgia, and off-beat shops set amid Victorian architecture.

Our Local Expert Says:

An absolute must-see for any San Francisco visitor. You were going to go back home and tell your friends you DIDN'T see the Golden Gate Bridge up close?

Description:

Perhaps the most iconic bridge in the country, if not in the world, the rusted-orange expanse of the Golden Gate Bridge is a not-to-miss sight while in San Francisco. Connecting the city and neighboring Marin County to the north, the Golden Gate Bridge also serves as a gateway between the San Francisco Bay and the Pacific Ocean. Although you'll be treated to glimpses of the bridge throughout the city, the best way to experience it is to walk or bike across, starting in the Presidio. You can then spend a serene afternoon strolling around the quaint Marin seaside city of Sausalito. If you prefer a gentler route, you can take a ferry from the San Francisco Ferry Building or from Fisherman's Wharf to Sausalito or Tiburon (another beautiful Marin town full of great restaurants and nearby walking paths), gazing at the majestic Golden Gate Bridge, plus sailboats, kite-surfers, and the gorgeous Bay views along the way.

Our Local Expert Says:

The park is home to the architecturally striking De Young museum, with notable collections of American painters and South American, Oceanic and African indigenous art. Across the Music Concourse is the stunning new LEED Platinum certified home of the California Academy of Sciences, the greenest museum building in the world. Check out its living roof!

Description:

Spanning three miles from the edge of Haight-Ashbury all the way to the Pacific Ocean, Golden Gate Park contains so many mini-universes and attractions you'll want to (literally) stop and smell the roses on several occasions. Die-hard nature lovers can check out the Rose Garden, the Conservatory of Flowers, or the famous Japanese Tea Garden, featuring a classic pagoda, cherry blossoms, and landscaping straight out of the Land of the Rising Sun. Golden Gate Park's natural highlight, however, is the San Francisco Botanical Garden, which features a horticultural trip around the world (don't miss the redwood grove and succulents section).
Don't miss Golden Gate Park's two world-class museums, the California Academy of Sciences and the De Young Museum. Both were completely rebuilt in their original locations in the past decade, and are worth a visit for their architecture alone. The park is also the perfect place to get active. There are tons of walking paths, several public tennis courts, an affordable pitch and put nine-hole golf course, sport fields, and picnic grounds. You can even rent a boat and head out for a delightful row on Stow Lake. Spring, summer, and fall bring a number of events to Golden Gate Park, including bluegrass, rock, and hip-hop concerts and Shakespeare in the Park performances.

Description:

Sausalito is a quaint, Mediterranean-style waterfront town that serves as the ideal gateway to outdoors adventures galore in Marin County—or as the perfect après-activity haven. From window-shopping at eclectic boutiques to grabbing some scoops at Lappert's Ice Cream and savoring them by a Spanish-style fountain in the sun-splashed plaza, Sausalito certainly has its charms, not to mention its fair share of top-notch dining. And then there are Sausalito's views of San Francisco twinkling across the bay and the surrounding Marin hills dotted with gorgeous homes. Sausalito is also home to a vibrant community of artists, who open their galleries and studios on the second Wednesday of every month during an Artwalk in the Caledonia Street neighborhood. In addition, the renowned Sausalito Art Festival takes place in the center of town every Labor Day weekend.