Zach Margolis's Recommendations

San Francisco Recommendations (By Neighborhood)

My San Francisco recommendations, grouped geographically.

I've marked a few favorites with a ★. I like pretty much everything on this list, but I love those.

Contents

San Francisco

The Castro

• 🔗 Badlands: The one people go to for dancing. Has a cover sometimes.
• 🔗 Beaux: I feel like this is like a prototypical gay club. Go-gos everywhere, often a cover, crowded, loud.
• 🔗 The Detour: An arcade bar, also has great food. They have events throughout the week like trivia, free-play nights and tournaments for games like Smash Bros or Killer Queen.
• 🔗 The Edge: Smaller bar, has go-gos occasionally. I like it! Somehow I feel like it’s easiest to grab a seat and talk to people here.
• 🔗 Frances: Sibling restaurant to Octavia, has a similar vibe: seasonal “California cuisine” in a smaller venue. Last time I went, they had an incredible daikon radish dish that was so smooth and I hope they have something similar next time I go back! Added Sep 22nd, 2026
• 🔗 Hi-Tops: The sporty gay bar, draws a sporty crowd sometimes. The food is good, has a great fried chicken sandwich. Can get really loud.
• 🔗 Last Call: Teeny bar, usually pretty quiet, also good for talking.
• 🔗 The Lookout: It’s upstairs on a corner and has a deck so it…looks out…on the Castro. Sometimes has a cover.
• 🔗 The Mix: I like the patio in the back when there’s room. Apparently the highballs have heavy pours? I just end up getting beers so idk.
• 🔗 Moby Dick: Has a nautical theme (including a pretty big aquarium behind the bar).
• 🔗 Starbelly: My go-to for dinner in the Castro. They have a white bean puree that’s very similar to hummus, it’s great.

Chinatown

• 🔗 Bow Bow: Small-ish bar with karaoke in the back, run by an awesome woman who you can tell takes literally no crap from anybody.

Dogpatch

• 🔗 Museum of Craft and Design: A small museum in the Dogpatch that’s always got something fun there. I’ve seen a few really memorable exhibits, it rarely disappoints.

Duboce Triangle

• 🔗 Last Rites: Tiki bar that’s made to look like a plane crashed on a remote island.

The Embarcadero

• 🔗 Exploratorium: Fun hands-on museum ostensibly aimed at kids but is great for adults too. Thursday nights is adults only which is super refreshing.
• 🔗 Humphrey Slocombe: More great ice cream in the gorgeous Ferry Building! “Secret Breakfast” is bourbon and cornflakes-flavored and totally worth it. Has multiple locations throughout the city.
• 🔗 Pier 23 Cafe: Has a great patio to drink on the waterfront. The food is mediocre.

FiDi

• 🔗 ★ Pagan Idol: My favorite tiki bar in the city!
• 🔗 Ginger's: The only FiDi gay bar as far as I know. It’s in a basement, has been fairly quiet when I’ve gone.

The Fillmore

• 🔗 Boba Guys: Boba Guys has my favorite boba tea in the world. I love their matcha tea and their Thai tea flavors. Has other locations throughout the city (and now in NY and LA too!). Due to their anti-union practices. I am removing them as a rec. Try Purple Kow instead!
• 🔗 The Social Study: Great bar, I really like the music and their general vibe. Mostly beer and wine.

Golden Gate Park

• 🔗 Beach Chalet: Nice food and drinks in Golden Gate Park, right by the ocean! It’ll be windy out front.
• 🔗 Botanical Garden: It’s got some great stuff. Free admission for SF residents!
• 🔗 DeYoung Museum: The observation deck is still free, even if you don’t get a ticket. Has a great collection of wire sculptures by Ruth Asawa in first floor of the tower.
• 🔗 Stow Lake: Has pedal boats! My favorite.

Haight-Ashbury

• 🔗 Sandy's: Has New Orleans-style muffuletta sandwiches. I love their mushroom muff!

Hayes Valley

• 🔗 Anina: Bright, fun bar with a great patio. Sometimes has food pop-ups selling snacks.
• 🔗 Biergarten: An outdoor German-style beer garden with great pretzels. Sometimes can get crowded or have a long line on nice days. In the evenings they have blankets you can use when it gets cold.
• 🔗 Paxti’s: For their deep dish pizza.
• 🔗 Souvla: Fast-casual Greek food, kind of like Chipotle-style pick your shape (pita, salad) and pick your content. But their baklava frozen yogurt is incredible. Good fries too. Has multiple locations.

Inner Richmond

• 🔗 Burma Superstar: I don’t think I ever had Burmese food before moving to San Francisco, so if you’re looking for something you can’t find elsewhere, this is a great choice. The tea leaf salad is pretty unique to this cuisine, I strongly recomend it. Has multiple locations, including Oakland and Alameda. Another great Burmese place is Mandalay.
• 🔗 Mandalay: Another great Burmese restaurant, not too far from Burma Superstar either. Their tea leaf salad here is much crunchier and the vibe is pretty cozy.

Inner Sunset

• 🔗 Pineapple King Bakery: Chinese bakery with a great mix of treats, including some really good egg tarts Added Jan 20th, 2026
• 🔗 Szechuan Cuisine: Like the name implies, they serve szechuan cuisine. I really liked their mapo tofu as well as their eggplant. Added Jan 20th, 2026

The Marina

• 🔗 ★ The Interval at Long Now: A super kitsch bar with a kind of steampunk aesthetic, has fun cocktails and a great location in Fort Mason. I think this might be my favorite bar in the entire city. My go-to drink is the Oaxacan Old-Fashioned.
• 🔗 Equator Coffee: Cute coffee spot in Fort Mason. Their location in Sausalito is much larger and has a better food selection, but this one is good on-the-go. Well, one time the staff asked us to leave when we showed up in our swim suits (only) on the way to a swim. But other than that, good experiences.
• 🔗 Mauna Loa: Divey bar at the bottom of the hill.
• 🔗 Palace of Fine Arts: Built for the Panama-Pacific Exposition (basically another World’s Fair) in 1915. It’s gorgeous to walk around on a sunny day, take some pictures. For a fun game, try to guess ahead of time how many wedding photoshoots will be there.
• 🔗 Radhaus: German restaurant in Fort Mason. Has great views of the water.
• 🔗 Tacko: Tacos with a Cape Cod decor, get the tacos “Nick’s Way” for some cheese and guac (worth it).

Mint Hill

• 🔗 Orbit Room: Cute bar with good cocktails and also great pizzas.

The Mission

• 🔗 baklavastory.: A bakery that only makes baklava (pistachio or walnut) and it’s incredible. Their baking schedule is very tightly packed, you place an order and they’ll tell you when to pick it up (I recomend calling ahead). They usually have samples and will tell you to eat the baklava upside-down. I don’t know why, but I trust them and do what they say. Added Jun 9th, 2025
• 🔗 Blondie's Bar: Fun bar with great drinks, when you order a cocktail, they give you the glass and the rest of the mix.
• 🔗 El Mil Amores: Mexican restaurant with great brunch. A review I saw recommended the Yulis Breakfast sandwich, and after having it, I must do the same. It’s a treat. Very warm atmosphere, the staff are so friendly. No reservations but if you get there early enough, it’s not a problem. Added Nov 3rd, 2025
• 🔗 Emmy's Spaghetti Shack: Tasty spaghetti spot oozing with charm.
• 🔗 Foreign Cinema: Very San Francisco dining experience, it’s a restaurant in a former movie theater space. They do great brunch and dinner. For dinner, they project movies on to some of the walls in their patio.
• 🔗 La Tacqueria: Best burrito in the nation according to FiveThirtyEight.
• 🔗 Mission Chinese: Delicious Chinese fusion food, try the Kung Pao Pastrami and the Ma Po tofu.
• 🔗 Shuggie's: Really fun, funky spot with a lot of character. They’re focused on upcycled food, using ugly produce, food waste products and off-cuts of meats and things. The food still tastes great!
• 🔗 Smitten Ice Cream: Made with liquid nitrogen! It’s amazing.
• 🔗 Southern Pacific Brewing: Brewery with food. Get the brussels sprouts!
• 🔗 True Laurel: Really fun bar with great cocktails, I think they have food too but I’ve only gotten drinks and bar snacks.

Nob Hill

• 🔗 Taisho: Formerly called Yamasho, it’s a Japanese restaurant with private karaoke booths in the basement. The best part is you can order anything of the food/drinks from the restaurant menu, and get it delivered right to your room. If you have a group in the mood for some karaoke, this is absolutely the best spot to go.
• 🔗 Tonga Room: Just go in to see it! It’s a tiki bar with a freaking pool inside. Otherwise a mediocre bar, but walking distance from Pagan Idol.

NoPa

• 🔗 Schlok's: Incredible bagels. Don’t you dare toast them.

North Beach

• 🔗 Don Pisto’s: Great Mexican food in a fun neighborhood for drinks. Update: This is closed now

Oakland

• 🔗 Joodooboo: Korean restaurant in Oakland known for their own dooboo (tofu) from scratch. I had a really amazing noodle bowl there. Added Sep 22nd, 2026
• 🔗 Melo Melo Kava Bar: Non-alcoholic kava bar in Oakland on the far side of Lake Merritt, it’s a fun spot! Added Sep 22nd, 2026

Outer Richmind

• 🔗 Ocean Beach Cafe: A cute cafe that has lots of non-alcoholic drinks, including some kava (the root that numbs your tongue and gets you fake-drunk). Added Sep 22nd, 2026

Outer Richmond

• 🔗 Land’s End/Sutro Baths: Gorgeous views of the ocean and the Golden Gate Bridge you can walk around and explore at the end of the city. An easy walk to some food and beers at the Beach Chalet from here.
• 🔗 The Laundromat: This is a two-fer. In the evenings, it’s a sit-down pizza restaurant. In the mornings, it’s a rip-and-dip bagel spot. The bagels are extremely fresh and the schmears are incredible. One time, my friends and I brought our own cutting board and bagel fixings so we could make sandwiches without having to wait to get home. Added Sep 22nd, 2026
• 🔗 Purple Kow: Fun boba spot out on Balboa.

Outer Sunset

• 🔗 Trouble Coffee & Coconut Club: Famous for its $4 toast, a thick slice of bread with butter and cinammon. Has a cute parklet outside, and just a few blocks from Golden Gate Park and Ocean Beach. I recommend reading the story behind the toast. Update: closed forever, RIP.

Pac Heights

• 🔗 ★ Jane on Fillmore: This is my favorite in the city. Their avocado toast (the “avocado mash”) is mortgage-destroying and worth EVERY SINGLE GODDAMN PENNY. No regrets. Their pastries and breads are amazing also. There’s another location on Larkin and an amazing bakery location (with challah on Fridays!) on Geary.
• 🔗 Blue Bottle: Fancy 3rd-wave coffee chain, I really like their hot chocolate. Has other locations throughout the city. This location has avocado toast which is not bad, either Update: this location no longer has avocado toast Update 2: avocado toast is seasonal!
• 🔗 Boichik Bagels: Originally in Berkeley, but has expanded to SF and more of the bay area. Amazing bagels and also amazing cream cheese, the New York Times was absoutely right about them, this place is worth the sometimes long lines. The hype is deserved.
• 🔗 Elite Cafe: Great cocktails. I think they do food? Maybe? I’ve only been there for drinks. Update: their food is okay. Update 2: they are closed forever now.
• 🔗 La Boulangerie de San Francisco: Treat yourself to amazing pastries (chocolate hazelnut croissant FTW) and they have great bread too. There are multiple locations throughout the city.
• 🔗 La Mediteranee: Mediterranean restaurant, I love their mezze plate to share, and their friendly, neighborhoody feel. There’s another location in SF and a spot in Berkeley as well.
• 🔗 Octavia: Amazing restaurant, a little upscale, with a menu that changes seasonally. Worth it if you want to treat yourself to something fancy!
• 🔗 Pizzeria Delfina: Stellar pizza. The “Purgatorio” is off-menu, a little spicy and has an egg on top. There’s another location in the Mission too.
• 🔗 Roam Burgers: Good burgers, has a great veggie patty made with beets. Has multiple locations.
• 🔗 Taco Bar: Solid mexican food that gets extra points for being walking distance from home.
• 🔗 Troya: A more upscale Mediterranean restaurant, has some great cauliflower and good dips.

Polk St

• 🔗 ★ Cafe Reveille: Cute coffee shop/cafe, their breakfast burritos have slowly become a staple for me. Plenty of seating indoors and outdoors. Has other locations throughout the city.
• 🔗 ★ Leopold’s: Great Austrian/German food, and they serve beer in boots! Update: closed forever, RIP. Update 2: It’s back!!
• 🔗 ★ Saint Frank's: Precious coffee shop, sometimes has a bit of a line, but I love stopping here on my walk home from swimming. Has other locations now too.
• 🔗 Basik Cafe: Expensive Açaí Bowls but worth it if you want to treat yourself. Update: this location was bought out by name: Bowl’d Acai, but I haven’t had a chance try it out yet. Update 2: I had a chance to check it out and was not impressed, they use frozen fruits instead of fresh ones like their precedessor.
• 🔗 Bob's Donuts: An SF institution! 24-hour donut spot, and they make fresh donuts throughout the day/night. Has a second location (but it’s not 24-hour!)
• 🔗 Cheese Plus: Cute cheese shop (has other breads, crackers, snacks, etc) with a window for its Sidewalk Cafe that has great sandos, and they serve Equator Coffee (including their hibiscus iced tea!).
• 🔗 The Cinch: The last gay bar on Polk St. and I believe one of the oldest gay bars in town now. It’s got a kitschy feel.
• 🔗 Encore: Karaoke bar a few doors down from Soda Popinski’s. Update: this has closed.
• 🔗 Fiorella: Solid pizza restaurant, has great arancini, as well as a few other locations in the city.
• 🔗 Polk Cha: Cute neighborhoody cocktail bar themed with like an east-asian street style Added Sep 22nd, 2026
• 🔗 Rouge: Bar/club that also has tacos “Nick’s Way”. Update: this is closed now. Update 2: It seems to have reopened as Taco Rouge but I haven’t been yet.
• 🔗 Soda Popinski's: Fun, loud bar with classic Nintendo games. You can play MarioKart! Update: this has closed.
• 🔗 Taqueria Bonita: Solid taqueria, I really like their burritos, they have a great balance of sauce/salsa flavors. Has other locations throughout the city.

Portola

• 🔗 Imperial Garden Seafood Restaurant: Dim sum restaurant that—unlike the name suggests—has an entire vegan dim sum menu. All the items we had were amazing and we were shocked at how low the bill was afterwards. Added Sep 22nd, 2026

SoMa

• 🔗 Driftwood: When I’ve been (usually pretty early in the night), it’s been a pretty mellow gay bar in SoMa quiet enough to hear people and talk.
• 🔗 SFMoMA: I’m a member, so give me a heads up, pick a time slot, and I can get you 2 tickets for free and email them to you.
• 🔗 Zero Zero: SF-style pizza, nearby SFMoMA. Update: This is closed

The Tenderloin

• 🔗 Mensho Tokyo: Probably my favorite ramen in the city, I really like their vegan ramen. Does not do reservations, so you’ll likely need to wait outside.
• 🔗 Zombie Village: Really fun tiki bar with little booths and a fun “night sky” of lights on the ceiling. I love the Coco Pandan, a coconut drink with a full coconut popsicle as garnish.

Union Square

• 🔗 Benjamin Cooper: A bar that’s a literal hidden gem. It’s inside of a hotel, but has its own entrance through an unmarked door on the side. Has great cocktails and a dark, fun, cozy, speakeasy-ish atmosphere. Update: This is closed now

Berkeley

• 🔗 Addis: Really good Ethiopian food in Berkeley!
• 🔗 Butcher's Son: Amazing all-vegan deli. Love their fried “chikin” sandwiches and pies!

Oakland

• 🔗 Homeroom: Has a million kinds of mac-n-cheese and they are all glorious.
• 🔗 The Port Bar: Small-ish spot in Oakland, has really fun trivia on Tuesdays. Update: They’ve closed, supposedly temporarily? They have a sister bar, Fluid510 that is still open.

Sausalito

• 🔗 Bar Bocce: If you make it across the bridge, this is a great stop! I haven’t actually been there myself yet, but people seem to love the rec. Update: I finally made it here, and it’s alright. I liked the vibe at Joinery in the same area better.
• 🔗 Joinery: Cute bar/food place also on the waterfront in Sausalito, has bike parking (hint hint). Has a great fried chicken sando.