r/SanFranciscoSecrets

Heya! 👋

My hubby is over in San Francisco on a business trip, so me and our 10yo have obviously decided to tag along for the week 😂 We’ve already got the Academy of Sciences booked for one day, which we’re really excited about!

We’d love some recommendations for the rest of our time here - food, breakfast/lunch spots, little hidden gems, shops, bookshops, random cool things to see… basically anything you’d recommend that we wouldn’t get back home in the UK!

We’re not looking to absolutely rinse San Francisco in 48 hours 😂 We’d rather have a nice, relaxed week and actually enjoy it, but we’d love to find some of the fun/quirky stuff too.

Also, Thursday is hubby’s only evening off work, so we’re planning to go see the Golden Gate Bridge around sunset and then get some nice food afterwards as a family. Any recommendations for somewhere that feels a little bit special but is still somewhere we can take our 10yo without her feeling like she’s been dragged into a fancy restaurant against her will? 😂

And if there are any US exclusive things you think we need to buy/try while we’re here, please tell me! We’re already fully prepared to come home with a suitcase full of things we absolutely did not need.

Thanks in advance! ❤️

About to hit 20 years living here and want to celebrate by doing stuff I’ve somehow missed. What are your classic or must do items??

Examples:

-stroll down Macondray Lane (aka Barbary Lane)

-ziplock cocktail from Mr. Liquor

-water slide at Hamilton

Im tryna find places that are late night eats like grab a bite or desserts i know bobs donuts is open 24/7 so i usually go there for dessert but what places can i go to eat that is open until 3am in the morning?

My big brother died in june completely unexpectedly. He was 37 and he was the most selfless, hilarious, and fun-loving dude ever. I’m planning his daytime memorial now for winter in south bay, but at the end of the night i’ll be with just the family, and it would be very much his style light some fireworks. anyone know where i can find some around here?? I’ve heard maybe chinatown? Please let me know. It’s for a good cause.

Ps- This would be in a giant empty lot near my house (we used to do this growing up) and i will take absolutely every safety precaution. My family is all made up of environmentalists so i know that it is top priority to be safe with fires, wildlife, etc.

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Hello, I am coming down from Humboldt for a Drs. Appointment on Parnassus. Wondering if they are any great restaurants nearby the doctor’s office or parks that are within walking or biking distance or E bike shops where you can rent a bike.

I love museums and being out in nature and thought about visiting the conservatory. Japanese bonsai Garden, but I am a little nervous about driving all over the city and want to avoid a lot of traffic.
Any cool places/good restaurants that will give you a experience? I love ethnic food and thought a Turkish or Moroccan style restaurant would be good especially if there’s belly dancing or something to see or if it’s a restaurant with a nice view, relaxing atmosphere. Also love Hole in the wall places too with good food.

Also love being away from lots of people so I thought about possibly staying in bodega Bay and then coming out from San Francisco and also wondered if there is any cool places within an hour from the city that are worth checking out.

Any cool hotels or places or districts to stay in with less expensive rooms where I could commute in? I’ve tried doing research but haven’t fell in my bearings yet on where to stay what districts are laid-back. My favorite things are meandering around town, thrift stores and artist/makers markets, art galleries, interactive museums, good coffee..
Looking for somewhat of a laid-back experience inside of the city!

Looks like I would have to spend my birthday alone in SF. Any recommendations on things to do in downtown SF? I’m a guy if that matters.. budget is under $200

So I was at Bottom of the Hill Sat/Sun for Off with their Heads and D4 this weekend, and found out that Larry Arms is playing Saturday September 5th. BOTH just has all 4 nights listed as TBA, and being that I'm not on social media like I once was, I missed the posts. Looking for a couple tickets for Sat. 9/5, if anyone has a couple extras.

Hey everyone! I’m a 30-year-old male traveling solo to San Francisco next weekend Aug 20 and would love to meet some new people along the way.
If you’re traveling solo or already have a travel group/crew and don’t mind another person joining, I’d be happy to tag along and explore the city together. 🙌
I’m open to sharing travel costs where it makes sense and splitting prices fairly. Mainly looking to meet cool people, explore, grab some food/drinks, take photos, and have a good time.
Feel free to DM me if you’re around SF that weekend or have a group I could join!

I’m from the east coast and traveling to SF for a work trip the week of the 49ers home opener on 9/20. I have never been to SF at all, much less a game at Levi. I had a coworker who was coming with me, but they had to back out of the trip now.

We had already bought 2 200 level club tickets with food included for the game. I still want to go, but should I do it alone and just sell the other ticket? Or try to make a new friend that wants to come too? Haha I am open to going alone I guess but having never been there, I am scared to get lost or something along the way. Will arrive at SFO that morning.

Any tips tricks or information would be appreciated!

Going to SF with a group of friends in our 30s and looking for recommendations beyond the usual tourist stuff.

Half of the group has lived in SF and the other have visited often. As much as we love to bar hop we’re looking for something different something to really indulge in the city

What neighborhoods, bars, restaurants, activities, or random things would you actually recommend? Open to pretty much anything — food, drinks, sailing, outdoors, events, etc.

Especially interested in things locals would pick over the typical tourist recommendations.

So I have a date this Saturday night in San Francisco and I'm coming in from out of town. I've been crawling the internet looking for a good spot and I definitely got on this too late lol. Most of the good places I found are booked. I'm looking for something with a lounge feel but with good food. Something dark, cozy and swanky that I can still get a reservation at on a Saturday night. Any recommendations would be appreciated. Thank you!

EDIT: First of thank you all! So many great suggestions! Unfortunately some of them were booked. I sent a bunch of them to my date and she chose Chotto Matte! So that's the winner! Hopefully there will be a second date and I can try out some of these other places y'all recommended.

i’m planning a solo date/day in San Fransisco and i’m looking for things to do that are fun, interesting, relatively inexpensive, and not SUPER touristy.

I originally wanted to go to the de Young’s Art of Manga exhibition because i LOVE exhibitions like that, but unfortunately i realized it already ended 😭 so now im tryna find other things with a similar kind of vibe — museums, temporary exhibitions, galleries, scenic nature spots, etc.

i also really wanted to go to a nice, calm jazz bar/club, but a lot of the ones i’ve found are 21+ or have pretty expensive cover charges. so if there are any chill music/arts experiences that aren’t centered around drinking, i’d love to hear about those too.

i always see recommendations for things like photobooths and the japanese tea garden, but i’m looking for more variety — exhibitions, museums, galleries, creative activities, bookstores, interesting spaces, workshops, performances, etc.

i do like hiking, but im planning a separate full hiking day, so im mainly looking for attractions/activities/things to see or do for this particular day.

i’m open to basically anything, even something random u think is genuinely worth doing.

We’re basically looking for a place where we can be loud and have fun without worrying about complaints 😂🔥**.**

hellooooo everyone - im around the mendocino coast area often and am curious if there’s any diy event scene to tap into in the area

want to meet more people around the area and have funnn open to any and all events :)

Hey! So we are headed out west for our honeymoon and looking forward to San Fran as homebase. We have planned a couple things- Muir Woods, Sausalito, Alcatraz, Sonoma, Haight.

We haven’t totally committed to a lot so any recs would be much appreciated. We are big MUSIC, history, food, art, wine and beer interested people. Cannot wait to see your beautiful city for the first time. I just don’t have much point of reference as neither of us has been west of Colorado.

Would love to hear- Things to check out, hidden gems, great restaurants, hole in the walls, just general authentic local experiences, history and/or art honey holes, anything Grateful Dead related, street food, clothing stores.

We are here for a week.

Thank you in advance! Cheers 🍻 ✌️