Since the late 19th century, when San Francisco got its cable cars and pastel-hued Victorians, Levi Strauss and Ghirardelli Chocolate, it has been the envy of other cities. So the schadenfreude that has erupted recently over home prices and homelessness, street crime and empty office towers, is nothing new. Yes, this city has real problems, but the line at Powell and Market for the cable car,
which turns 150 this year, is still long, and world-class restaurants still seem to open nightly. Boom-and-bust cycles have afflicted the City by the Bay since the Gold Rush, but as surely as the fog will roll through the spans of the Golden Gate Bridge this afternoon, San Francisco will rise again.
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Eat here now
Relying on the region's legendary produce and purveyors, a diverse group of the city's chefs and restaurateurs is redefining California cuisine.
Copra is a new upscale Indian stunner in the Fillmore that riffs on the dishes chef Srijith Gopinathan grew up eating in Kerala. For the table, get a chutney sampler, which includes a wild gooseberry option; the piquant Konkan crab curry with a lacy, wafer-thin appam is too delicious to share. Open for lunch and dinner, but come at aperitivo hour, when the exquisite Martin Brudnizki–designed Bar Sprezzatura downtown glows golden. The amaro-heavy cocktail menu and long list of cicchetti (bar snacks), like white anchovy deviled eggs, will have you lingering Italian style.
As the name implies, Good Good Culture Club chef-owner Ravi Kapur (also behind popular Liholiho Yacht Club) believes that a respected, fairly compensated team is the key to success. The recipe works at this Mission joint, where the vibe—along with dishes like rib eye slicked with a five-spice glaze—is terrific. For elevated Korean barbecue spot San Ho Won in the Mission, chefs Corey Lee (behind three-Michelin-starred Benu) and Jeong-In Hwang dug deep into their heritage. The precision of the flavors, technique, and service (ask for a soju primer) makes it one of the toughest reservations in town.
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The city's bagel-and-pizza game got a lot stronger with a single opening of The Laundromat. Mornings, the lines for chewy everythings with smoked-salmon cream cheese are long at this former coin-operated launderette in the Richmond. Evenings, it's Sicilian-style pies and glasses of zippy Lambrusco. A tenderloin addition to the city's Korean fine-dining scene is Suragan, where chef Jongmoon Choi relies on historical cookbooks to create seasonal tasting menus. This summer, he's consulting the Eumsik Dimibang, a text from the 1670s, to prepare dishes like fish dumplings and baby corn kimchi.
Beyond the bay
With scores of fine-dining restaurants, world-class wineries, and luxury resorts, Napa and Sonoma have undeniable appeal. But if you want to keep it closer to the city, head instead to West Marin and its trio of tiny villages–Olema, Point Reyes Station, and Inverness. To reach this magical part of the county, surrounded by Tomales Bay and Point Reyes National Seashore (100 square miles of pure Pacific wilderness), your GPS will doubtless send you up Highway 101. Instead, take the long way and commit to 30 windy miles on Highway 1; the drive across the Golden Gate Bridge and through the Marin Headlands is majestic. In addition to easy access to excellent hiking along the Pacific and kayaking on Tomales Bay, each of the villages has something sweet to see and do: in Point Reyes, an eponymous indie bookstore; Due West Tavern in Olema; Inverness's cove-facing Saltwater Oyster Depot. There's a scattering of cute B&Bs and plenty of rental homes in the area. When Mankas, a 1917 hunting lodge that's been a treasured NorCal hideaway for decades, reopens early next year after a thorough reimagining by its new co-owner, heavyweight designer Ken Fulk, the secret will be out on this corner of Marin.
Stay true
Not all great cities are great hotel cities. San Francisco is known for a handful of atavistic grandes dames that climb Nob Hill above Union Square, most famously the stately Fairmont hotel, with its tiki-themed Tonga Room and bragging rights as the place where Tony Bennett first sang “I Left My Heart in San Francisco.” There are unimpeachably excellent luxury players, mostly downtown and in South of Market, that cater to business travelers, and a few solid stealth options, like the Inn and Lodge at the Presidio, near the Golden Gate Bridge. But the city has long been short on stars. Two newcomers are shaking up the hotel landscape, however, each offering something that feels right for this city in this moment.
With the arrival of 1 Hotel San Francisco, the first city in the nation to mandate composting finally gets an eco-focused stay. In keeping with the brand's ethos of sustainable luxury, materials are ethically sourced (including repurposed redwood partly salvaged from the old Oakland span of the Bay Bridge), and single-use plastics are forbidden. Every floor has a water-filling station and a riot of plants. Plus, the hotel's location, across the street from the Ferry Building and overlooking the Bay, cannot be beat.
Meanwhile, a new outpost of The LINE, centrally located in the Mid-Market area, seeks to honor and embrace its surroundings, much like the brand's previous locations in neighborhoods like LA's Koreatown and DC's Adams Morgan. There are expansive city views from the rooftop bar and all 236 guest rooms, which have headboards embellished with graffiti tags. Works by local artists are everywhere, from the found-object mural in the lobby to the framed poems in the rooms, the product of a partnership with the beloved 826 Valencia, a nearby nonprofit writing program for kids. Even the hallway carpet evokes the city: It's dark gray with white streaks like Karl the Fog, locals' nickname for San Francisco's most reliable guest.
Take a hike
A stroll along the mostly flat Lands End Trail in the northwest corner of the city, with its scenic lookout points and landmarks (like the ruins of the Sutro Baths, a Victorian-era pool complex), is an essential part of any San Francisco visit. But with protected open spaces making up more than 20 percent of the city's total land area, there are miles of less-trodden trails to explore—many in the center of town, which often has sunshine when the coast is socked in. For the ambitious, there's nothing better than the Crosstown Trail, a 17-mile-long highlight reel of San Francisco's many flavors of urban hiking. It connects the city's southeastern and northwestern corners, wends its way through parks (including Golden Gate), green spaces, and gardens before ending in the Presidio, a 1,491-acre former military site partly administered by the National Park Service, with its own trail system, beaches, museums, and hotels.
The two-mile, out-and-back main trail up to Twin Peaks can get crowded—not surprising, since the 360-degree views from the summit are phenomenal. For an under-the-radar alternative, start in Glen Canyon and hike its 1.8-mile loop through stands of eucalyptus and willow before crossing Portola Avenue and climbing Twin Peaks via a side trail. For a more locals-only scene with panoramic vistas, visit Mount Davidson, named after a founding member of the Sierra Club. It's the highest natural point in the city.
The insider
What inspires Ali Gass, founding director of the free-to-all Institute of Contemporary Art, which opened last October in the Dogpatch area.
The Dogpatch
“The Dogpatch has turned into one of the most vibrant neighborhoods in the city. There are so many great spots right around the ICA. No one in town does a better cappuccino than Piccino. Ungrafted pours a huge selection of small-production wines, and for sneakerheads like me, Stashed sells limited-edition kicks.”
Patrick Martinez
“I'm so into LA-based artist Patrick Martinez. He's a rising star, with a current installation at the Whitney. His exhibition opens at the ICA in September, but before that, the ICA along with the Golden State Warriors' foundation and Glad Tidings are renovating a public basketball court in the Dogpatch, and Patrick is doing a mural for it.”
Art, up and coming
“San Francisco is becoming a serious contemporary-art hub. Going to see great art reminds me how important artists are for telling us what's going on in the world. My go-tos are Jessica Silverman Gallery, which moved into a beautiful new space in Chinatown, and Micki Meng, just around the corner, an up-and-coming gallery with a focus on AAPI artists.”
Vitalize
“To recharge, I make for the ocean. The beaches on the north side of town get a lot of love, but I like to walk along the bluffs at Fort Funston, south of the Sunset area. A visit to Kabuki Springs & Spa, a throwback bathhouse in Japantown, also does the trick.”
This article appeared in the July/August 2023 issue of Condé Nast Traveler. Subscribe to the magazine here.
