If there is one thing San Francisco does exceptionally well, it is food. Between the four days my friend and I spent there, we ate our way across the city: hotpot on arrival night, clam chowder by the waterfront, seafood that tasted like it came straight out of the Bay. I took photos of almost everything. This one has been a long time coming.
Thursday, March 5 — The Pots Hotpot
We landed in San Francisco around 4 PM, hungry and ready to eat. After settling in at the hotel, we found a hotpot restaurant called The Pots, and that became our very first meal in the city. There is something so right about sharing a hot, steaming pot with someone on the first night of a trip.
The setup was beautiful: a marble table, brass burners, a trio of dipping sauces lined up in the center, and Sprite cans, because Sprite just felt right for this hotpot. We loaded up the broth with everything on the plate and spent the next hour eating and talking about what the next few days would bring.
Friday, March 6 — Brenda’s French Soul Food
Our first full morning in the city, we went to Brenda’s French Soul Food. I had heard great things, and it absolutely did not disappoint.
We both ordered the Eggs Benedict. I ordered with ham and friend ordered with crispy chicken. Mine came with a spicy style hash/fries…it was so good! The hollandaise was rich and silky. The smoked ham underneath had a beautiful char to it. A really solid start to the day.
We also shared some pastries. These were called Beignets. The one above wasn’t stuffed, but the ones below were.
These ones were stuffed with Ghirardelli chocoloate and apple. They were all so delicious.
After breakfast, we made our way out to the tech campuses, which I wrote about in Part 2. For lunch, we stopped at the deli next to the Google shop. I was not expecting much from a campus café, but the sandwiches were genuinely good (in the photo is friend’s club, I ordered the turkey). The matcha tiramisu was excellent.
That evening, the first night of Dream State, we had dinner at Kushi Tsuru in Japan Town before heading to the concert.
We ordered way too much sushi, which is exactly the right amount of sushi. Three beautiful rolls: tobiko scattered across the top, avocado draped over each piece, sauces drizzled just so. It was the kind of meal that sets the tone for a great night, and the concert that followed definitely delivered.
Saturday, March 7 — Boudin, Ghirardelli, and Thai
On the second day of Dream State, we headed to Fisherman’s Wharf. Since the music didn’t start until the evening, we had the whole day and spent it at Fisherman’s Wharf.
Our first stop was Boudin Bakery. San Francisco sourdough has a reputation for a reason, and Boudin is about as iconic as it gets.
Boudin is more than just a bakery, it’s almost a destination in itself. The space was busy and lively, with breads, pastries, and wine everywhere you looked.
The restaurant upstairs was closed, but we could look down through the glass at the bread-making equipment below. It was a nice little behind-the-scenes moment in the middle of a busy morning.
We shared a clam chowder bread bowl. It was a thick, creamy chowder served inside a freshly baked sourdough boule (see first photo in post). We shared one because they are enormous. The bread had that perfect tang you only seem to get with true San Francisco sourdough, and the chowder was warm and hearty and exactly right.
After we ate, we made our way over to Ghirardelli Square. I wrote about the square itself in Part 4, but the real draw for us was the chocolate shop.
We stumbled into the Ghirardelli shop and I don’t even remember how we landed on this one, but it turned out to have a Dubai chocolate layer, that rich, pistachio-filled chocolate that is having a serious moment right now. Add matcha, whipped cream, a caramel drizzle, and a Ghirardelli chocolate square on top, and it was over the top in the very best way. Btw, the caramel was amazing. I could eat a whole bowl of it…of course, I wouldn’t, but it’s that good.
We headed back from Fisherman’s Wharf and found a Thai restaurant for a late lunch. The table filled up fast.
There was larb—that bold, herby, spicy minced chicken salad—papaya salad piled with peanuts and tomatoes, and satay skewers with peanut dipping sauce. Everything was bright and fresh and hit exactly right after a long morning of walking by the water.
Sunday, March 8 — Sam’s Chowder House
Our final day. Our flight wasn’t until 9 PM, so we had the whole day, and we decided to drive down to Half Moon Bay, which I also covered in Part 4. After a late Mexican breakfast to start the morning (totally forgot to take photos, but was one of the best taco and burrito place I’ve had), we made our way to Sam’s Chowder House, tucked right along the coast.
I ordered the lobster roll (we shared all the food). It came piled generously high with fresh lobster on a toasted roll, with fries and coleslaw on the side. It was the kind of meal you linger over, not because you have to, but because you are not quite ready for the trip to be over.
My friend ordered the cioppino. If you have never had San Francisco cioppino, it is a rich, tomato-based seafood stew, and this one was loaded. Crab claws, mussels, clams, and shrimp in a broth that was deep and complex and made with obvious care.
And then came the key lime pie. Tall and creamy, with a bright, tangy custard, a cloud of toasted meringue on top, and a fresh lime slice tucked beside a sprig of mint. A perfect final bite of a very good trip.
San Francisco gave us so much over those four days: concerts, robot cars, beaches, tech campuses, and sunsets. But the food might honestly be what I remember most. There is something about sharing a meal in a city you are a little bit in love with that makes everything taste better.
Missed the rest of the San Francisco Series? Catch up here:
Part 1 – Sunsets and City Lights
Part 2 – Google, Apple, Meta, and Microsoft Campuses
Part 3 – Dream State EDM Concert Day 1 and Day 2
Part 4 – Fisherman’s Wharf, Ghirardelli, and Half Moon Bay Beach
From My Corner of the Universe 
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