I travel to San Francisco two or three times a year for work and I have to admit I don’t hate it. My best friend Haylee moved out to the Bay Area 2 years ago, and it’s always a treat to hang out with her. Also, the food scene in the Bay Area is insane. Every time I travel to SF, I get so excited to eat. So this time, I decided to keep track of my favorite meals and places. Here they are below, enjoy!

Farm:Table
754 Post St, San Francisco, CA 94109
Lower Nob Hill

I got brunch with Haylee and Shelley in lower nob hill near my hotel. Farm:Table is a cute little cafe that specialized in local, sustainable, and homemade ingredients. The staff is super friendly and helpful, and the food was exactly what my jet-lagged self needed. I got the lavender latte and the egg on a croissant. Check them out on Yelp here.

Mel’s Diner 801 Mission Street, San Francisco, CA 94103

So, I stumbled upon Mel’s Diner by complete happenstance. I was wandering around one morning before RSA Conference looking for something to eat when I turned the corner and was completely surprised to see a diner. In the West Coast. In San Francisco. Now, my husband is from New Jersey also-known-as the “land of the diners”. When I think about the SF breakfast scene, I think avocado toast…aaaand as I was opening the menu, the first thing on the menu? Avocado toast. SO San Francisco of you, SF! While you’d never see that on a diner menu in New Jersey, it was exactly what I wanted. And. It. Was. DELICIOUS. Does that make me #basic? I own up to my apparent basic-ness.

Suzu Noodle House
1825 Post St A, San Fran, CA 94115
Japantown

It was really chilly during my stay in San Francisco. I don’t know what you reach for when it’s cold out, but one of the things I crave is a steamy hot bowl of ramen. Mmmmmm. Makes my belly warm and happy just thinking about it. My awesome friend Heidi introduced me to Japantown, also known as Nihonmachi, and I can’t wait to come back!

The Bird 
115 New Montgomery St, San Francisco, CA 94105

It was halfway through my week in San Francisco at the RSA Conference and I had so many early mornings and late nights that I had been unintentionally starving myself. I distinctly remember walking out of the conference center around 3pm, half dead, starved, and turned to Yelp for a meal that could carry me through the rest of my day. The Bird came up, offering fried chicken sandwiches and beer. Hallu-fricken-lulljah. I needed all the calories I could get. This fried chicken sandwich brought me back to life!

 Beanstalk Cafe
724 Bush St
San Francisco, CA 94108

Okay, I’m not going to lie. I got sucked into reading Yelp review drama for about an hour before I actually went to Beanstalk Cafe. Read for yourself. It’s hysterical. Anyway, I had a perfectly great experience at Beanstalk Cafe. I tried their famous “cragel” sandwich. I was underwhelmed by the cragel itself. I decided that I’m a purist when it comes to my bread products. I love croissants. I love bagels. They should not mate. They should just be themselves. LOVE YO’SELF. It was still worth the experience of having a cragel. I still recommend you try one – and let me know what you think when you do! I’d love to trade notes.

Sessions at the Presidio 1 Letterman Drive, Presidio, San Francisco

We had our team dinner at Sessions at the Presidio and it was by far my FAVORITE place that I ate the whole week. If you are going to San Francisco, I highly recommend you make a reservation to eat here. The location of the restaurant is in the Presidio, and is worth exploring itself. It’s a gorgeous area of SF that a lot of people miss. So plan to walk around here, and then grab a delicious dinner at Sessions. You will NOT be disappointed! Check out the menu here.

It got dark and I was starving (per usual) so by the time my real food came, it was dark (and I still haven’t figured out night-time photography…) so I didn’t take any pictures of my food. Pictured below is brewed bread with goat butter and maldon sea salt. This was so incredible that I am still dreaming of the goat butter. For an entree, I ordered the sessions burger with skywalker wagyu smoked beef and red onion marmalade. This burger was worth crying for. I might be crying now thinking about it…

Thank you to my friend Ben for recommending such a great place!

Where should I eat in San Francisco on my next trip? Let me know in the comments below!