How to Spend a Perfect Restaurant Weekend in San Francisco

Your first move is chilaquiles with a view at the Primavera stand at the Ferry Plaza Market. Sure, 8 a.m. is a bit early, but you’ve only got a weekend so better make the most of it. Head to the Ferry Building, watch the chefs race their carts through stands of pristine produce, and beeline to the back to grab a plate of chilaquiles from Primavera.

The sauce, the crunch, the bright green avocado, and buttery scrambled eggs make it perfect. Take it to the bench and chow down as you stare at the Bay Bridge. Pro tip: A half-order may serve to save stomach space, but may also give you the option or to order an additional half order of fish tacos. YOLO.

You’ll want to get to Swan no later than 10:30am, otherwise you’ll have to wait in line. But if you do, that’s fine; you can grab a beer while you wait (#PROTIP). If you were to order just one thing, grab the crabsanthemum off the “secret menu” — there’s nothing quite like those plump Dungeness crab claws. But a combination salad is as essential.

Geoff Davis’s patty melt is so spectacular. It’s a rich, funky, beefy delight. Though you could share, you won’t want to, so order liberally off the menu, and ask them to pair with any of bar director Nicolas Torres’ expertly constructed cocktails.

For reservations and more info, call (415) 341-0020.

Keep dinner one on the lighter, more snack-size situation before diving in. Mister Jiu’s is a nice place to do so. Grab a couple seasonally crafted cocktails, and some of their modern takes on Chinese classics: sourdough scallion pancake, tingly spicy cumin lamb skewers, sea urchin cheong fun, and potstickers with pork, rainbow chard, and beets. That’s a really good start.

Ernest is the new restaurant from Brandon Rice, former chef at Rich Table. Here, you’ll want to order a few things à la carte to fill up the rest of your evening: live scallop sashimi with wasabi oil, uni carbonara lo mein, crispy “Nashville hot” pork tonkatsu. Just don’t miss the soft serve for dessert.

Start your day off right at the Buena Vista with the city’s most famous Irish coffee. At the bar, you’ll get the full ASMR of whiskey being stirred together with coffee and sugar cubes, or grab one to go for the road. Or do both.

Everyone knows about the morning buns at Tartine. But if you’ve been there and done that, try all kinds of one-of-a-kind pastries at Breadbelly in the Richmond, starting with their croissant-tart mashup. It’s often filled with different fruits — sometimes with citrus honey and sesame, other times with macadamia and pineapple. But it’s always crispy, flakey, and chewy. There’s really nothing like it.

You can’t come to San Francisco without eating Burmese food, from big bowls of mohinga (a sour spicy seafood breakfast noodle soup) to funky umami tea leaf salad for the health. At one point in time, there were more Burmese immigrants in the Bay than any other area in the country. And you’ll find restaurants all over. The first was Mandalay; Burmese Kitchen nearby on Geary is great; but the one that really propelled the cuisine into mainstream was the original Burma Superstar on Clement.

You also can’t come to San Francisco without grabbing a burrito in the Mission. Everyone knows about La Taqueria and their dorado burrito, but if you want something closer to Dolores Park, the ones at Taqueria Cancun and El Castillito further down Mission Street do just the trick.

Taste Thai in a way that you’ve never before with Nari, Pim Techamuanvivit’s contemporary Thai restaurant. Vegetables take on new dimensions like crispy eggplant, and layers upon layers of flavor are delivered in complex curries. Grab a cocktail or two to pair and go to town.