My San Francisco List

old school haunts and some secret vintage spots

I spend quite a bit of time in the Bay Area—Yolanda is from there, plus she has a consulting job in the Napa Valley, so we are out there 3-4 times a year, which means I’ve accumulated some favorites. Many of you send me DMs asking me to share my list, and rather than have these suggestions live in a private chat, I thought it would better to share them here. As you probably know, I’m a creature of habit, so my list may not be extensive—but it is what I do every single time, as long as Yolanda doesn’t drag me to some new place. If you want a deeper dive, plus NorCal itineraries, check out Yolanda’s list here.

LUNCH

El Farolito is my favorite taqueria. Yolanda and I fight about this every time we are driving into the city from the airport. We always try to land around lunchtime so we’re on time for a taco for lunch. She prefers La Taqueria, but I think it’s too cleaned up, and prefer a beef tongue taco at El Farolito. She’s written about her love for La Taqueria here.

Molinari’s in North Beach (the Little Italy of SF) is a caught in time sub sandwich deli. You pick out your own bread, and it’s a classic tk and tk.

Swan’s Oyster Depot is a counter-only or takeout spot with incredible crab salad, oysters, and shrimp cocktail.