California eating: Travel through the Bay Area’s food scene

The region’s history and geography make it one of the most exciting food hotspots in the world

The Z&Y Peking Duck restaurant in San Francisco. Photo: Visit California / Max Whittaker

From the Beat Generation of authors and poets to the counterculture movements of the 1960s, San Francisco has always been brimming with creative spirit, and the city has long been at the forefront of artistic and literary movements. More recently, the American city has become synonymous with technological innovation, with today’s global giants – Apple, Google and Meta – all born in the Bay Area.

It’s an entrepreneurial and daring zest that has also permeated the city’s captivating food scene. San Francisco recently received accolades in a nationwide study by Datassential, which looked at 1.4 million restaurants in the US, with San Francisco coming out on top across the country for emerging food trends, diversity of cuisines and gastro novelty. “San Francisco does not shy away from ‘new’ and ‘different’,” explains Aaron Friedman, who has worked as a food expert and tour guide at Dylan’s Tours in the city for more than six years. “We encourage restaurants to try something new and take that risk. Particularly through pop-ups, we are seeing more restaurants being given the opportunity to try unique dishes at a lower overhead cost. San Francisco has always embraced the dreamer and the high flier when it comes to new ideas and that also includes our food scene.”

According to Michele McQueen, head chef and owner of Town Fare restaurant in the Bay Area, cultural diversity has also contributed to the rich food scene in the region. “The Bay Area has such a diverse population with people from all over the world, so we end up with cuisines that represent these areas,” she says. “We also have a strong sense of community that appreciates and celebrates those cuisines.”

San Francisco certainly offers up more culinary diversity than your average American city. It is home to one of only three remaining Japantowns in the US, which is also the largest and oldest in the country. The city can also claim one of the biggest Chinatowns in the US, alongside a number of other districts that cover (but are by no means limited to) South Korean, Vietnamese, Mexican, Italian, Peruvian and Guatemalan cuisines and cultures.

Touring the city’s diverse food scene

Travelling through the city’s many neighbourhoods, the first must-visit place while visiting San Francisco is the Mission District. The area gets its name from the Spanish missionaries that arrived in the area in the 18th century and is now a predominantly Hispanic neighbourhood known for its unique boutiques, outdoor murals and diverse cuisines. Mexican restaurant La Taqueria is a must-visit when you’re in this part of town. “While some may argue that Southern California has better Mexican cuisine, I would beg to differ and choose a taco in the Mission District over anything else in the State,” says Friedman. La Taqueria is owned by Miguel Jara, who moved to the US from Mexico when he was only 16 years old. Now in his eighties, Jara and his team are known for serving up some of the best tacos and burritos in the city.

The menu is kept simple, the setting casual and the place has been busy since it opened its doors more than 50 years ago. Further north is the historic Chinatown, which houses the aptly named House of Dim Sum that is worth a visit to try its freshly made hot savoury dumplings. Nearby is the city’s famous Chinese Cookie Factory, which has been hand-making cookies in the district for more than 60 years. Here, you can embark on a foodie tour, or pick up your own batch with diverse flavours, including green tea, chocolate and strawberry.

Along with Chinatown, Little Italy remains one of the most prominent districts in the city, with Italian flags painted along the sidewalks reminding visitors of the area’s cultural heritage. Not that they’d easily forget where they are, with must-try spots such as Tony’s Pizza around. The menu can compete with the best pizzerias in Italy and includes a unique range spanning American and Italian traditional pizzas. Of course, with the most expansive Japantown in the country, it would be a shame to leave the city without trying one of the many excellent restaurants in the neighbourhood. Kusakabe, named after the restaurant’s acclaimed chef, Mitsunori Kusakabe, leads the way in the city’s Japanese food scene. The sushi specialist offers several different menus, including a la carte and a highly recommended omakase, or chef’s tasting menu.

Venturing out into the Bay

An anecdote that local chefs and foodies like to share is that the city’s famous Golden Gate Bridge was built to satisfy the need to get food produced quickly – and in bulk – into the city from the farms in the north. “We are spoiled rotten with fresh, high-quality vegetables,” explains Sam Levy, the co-owner of Fern Bar and Shady Creek Flower Farm in Sonoma County. “There are so many farms producing amazing produce. The fruit, veggies and meat are unlike what 99% of the world’s population gets to enjoy,” Levy adds.

California alone produces enough food to feed the entire US, which explains the early popularity of farm-to-table cuisine in the region. Plenty of restaurants in the Bay Area champion local, seasonal produce. The rich seafood options from the coastal area are also popular, as Friedman explains, “The Dungeness crab in the Bay is known as some of the best crab you can get, and our local oysters are world famous.” To experience it, make the day trip from San Francisco to Bodega Bay, where you can find popular local eateries such as the Fishetarian Fish Market, a seafood restaurant serving local dishes with panoramic Pacific Ocean views.

For those who are interested in the farm-to-table movement, it is worth visiting Sonoma County. Unlike some of the bigger neighbouring counties, many of the producers in Sonoma are still smaller, family-owned and many focus on bio-organic farming. Local producers also offer visitors cheese tours and also cover other ingredients.

Another day trip worth making while in San Francisco is across the Bay Bridge, where you will find yourself in the heart of Oakland’s up-and-coming food scene. “In Oakland, we have an amazing cultural food scene and even more amazing fusion food scene,” explains McQueen, whose restaurant Town Fare champions southern fusion cuisine. “The Bay Area is very focused on local, sustainable and fresh foods, and we really champion the ‘fresh is best’ movement. We strive to offer our guests the best quality foods that are truly full of incredible flavour,” says the chef.