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🌉 San Francisco Food Guide

San Francisco's food culture punches above its weight in every category — Mission burritos, Dungeness crab, sourdough bread, Dim sum in Chinatown, and Michelin-starred restaurants that defined California cuisine for the world.

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Must-Try Dishes
What to Eat in San Francisco

The essential San Francisco dishes — from street food to signature plates.

🌯

Mission Burrito

$10-14
🦀

Dungeness Crab

$25-45
🍞

Clam Chowder (Sourdough Bowl)

$14-20
🥟

Dim Sum

$4-8/dish
🍞

Sourdough Bread

$6-10/loaf
🍖

Char Siu Pork

$12-18
🐟

Cioppino

$22-38
🥑

Avocado Toast

$12-18
Food Neighborhoods
Where to Eat in San Francisco

The neighborhoods with the most interesting food scenes — ranked by Otto.

🌮

Mission District

The best burritos in America. Mission-style burritos (foil-wrapped, enormous) are a distinct food form. La Taqueria, El Farolito, Taqueria Cancún — all legitimate.

🥟

Chinatown

The oldest Chinatown in North America (1848). Fresh dim sum, BBQ pork, egg tarts, and medicinal herbs. Eat at Gold Mountain or City View for proper dim sum.

🦀

Fisherman's Wharf

Touristy but the Dungeness crab is real and good. Anchor Oyster Bar and Swan Oyster Depot are the serious spots.

🍜

Inner Richmond

The best under-the-radar food neighborhood — Burmese, Russian, Taiwanese, Korean, Dim Sum.

🛒

Ferry Building Marketplace

Saturday farmers market (the best in California) + Acme Bread, Cowgirl Creamery, and Hog Island Oysters inside.

Food Guides
Otto's San Francisco Articles

Deep dives into the food culture, street food scenes, and local secrets.

🌯

Mission Burrito: The San Francisco Original

Foil-wrapped, enormous, Mission-style — why SF's burrito is different from everywhere else.

HeritageMission
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🦀

Dungeness Crab Season: The Bay Area's Great Food Event

November to June. Fisherman's Wharf, Swan Oyster Depot, and eating it on the docks.

SeafoodSeasonal
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🥟

SF Chinatown Dim Sum Guide

The oldest Chinatown in America and where to eat in it.

Dim SumChinatown
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🛒

Ferry Building Saturday Market: The Best Farmers Market in California

What to buy, what to eat, who the vendors are.

MarketSaturday
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Local Knowledge
Things to Know Before You Eat

The insider context that changes how you experience San Francisco's food culture.

🌯 The Mission Burrito

A Mission burrito is not a Tex-Mex burrito. It's steamed (to make the tortilla pliable), enormous, foil-wrapped, and contains rice, beans, meat, salsa, sour cream, and guacamole — all inside. Eat standing up.

🦞 Dungeness Crab

The Dungeness crab season (November-June) is a Bay Area event. The crabs are sold cooked from the docks at Fisherman's Wharf. Crack them open with your hands, eat the sweet white meat with sourdough bread and a glass of Chardonnay.

🍞 Sourdough Lore

SF sourdough has a unique flavor from local Lactobacillus sanfranciscensis bacteria in the starter. Tartine Bakery's country loaf has a 2-hour queue on weekends. It is worth it.

📖 San Francisco Food Travel Guide

Everything in one place — dishes, neighborhoods, ordering tips, prices, and Otto's personal picks for San Francisco.

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