Embarcadero

Chef Michael Chiarello does traditional tapas in a totally new way. For one thing, the portions are hearty and filling, not the miniscule bites you might be used to; the ingredients lean heavily on what's in season rather than what's expected. For dessert, get the churros—served with drinking chocolate and a sci-fi-looking berry powder. While you wait for a table (call ahead for reservations), the outdoor bar is a fun scene to grab a drink.

Fresh off a major expansion, which doubled capacity and added outdoor seating, this Ferry Building mainstay draws a consistently big crowd for its oysters. The cooked food menu is pretty enticing as well: The clam chowder is creamy but doesn’t weigh you down after just a few bites and the shrimp and grits is the ideal share plate. But back to the oysters. There are three different variations of grilled oysters in addition to an oyster po’ boy that actually rivals the original.

A true mid-century American icon, Heath has been producing beautiful modern and minimal tableware (with a brief break) and tiles since 1948. In fact, it's part of the permanent collections in New York's MoMA—and graces many a table across the Los Angeles restaurant scape. The store, like the products, is modern and minimal, with wooden shelves, concrete floors and a lot of space to browse. Besides the Heath line, they've selected a handful of designers to showcase. There are multiple locations in the SF area, including a bigger showroom in the Mission and a factory store in Sausalito offering seconds (i.e., subtly imperfect plates and bowls) at big discounts.

The first thing you notice about this San Francisco standby are the views. Ever since The Slanted Door moved into the Ferry Building from its original Valencia street location, the bay has become a welcome addition to the minimalist interior (same goes for the sleek private dining rooms upstairs). But one thing hasn’t changed: this is still the place for Vietnamese. The emphasis is on fresh and organic ingredients. If you’re wanting a quick fix, you can also pick up food to-go at their Out the Door counter in the Ferry Building marketplace. Slanted Door also has a few sister restaurants including Out The Door on Bush Street, which is where the crowds are flocking these days.

This is the best place to go for authentic Dim Sum as the offering is vast, including every dumpling choice you can imagine. The dining room doubles in capacity on the weekends in order to accommodate the crowds while the menu decreases in size, meaning weekdays are definitely the best time for a meal. There's a nearby location on Stevenson Street, too.

This gorgeous building right on the Embarcadero houses some of San Francisco's most notable food merchants including Hog Island Oyster Company, Cowgirl Creamery's Artisan Cheese Shop, and Blue Bottle Coffee. It's the ideal place to bum around on a rainy day and the outdoor farmers market (they set up on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays) is not to be missed.

This gorgeous building right on the Embarcadero houses some of San Francisco's most notable food merchants including Hog Island Oyster Company, Cowgirl Creamery's Artisan Cheese Shop, and Blue Bottle Coffee. It's the ideal place to bum around on rainy day and the outdoor farmers market (they set up on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays) is not to be missed.

Situated right across the street from the Ferry Building, this super-holistic hotel has a full menu of spa treatments for both vacationing and business travelers in addition to plush amenities like rooftop soaking tubs and a bamboo garden. Guest rooms are kept purposely neutral to give all five sense a break at the end of the day.

Situated right across the street from the Ferry Building, this super-holistic hotel has a full menu of spa treatments for both vacationing and business travelers in addition to plush amenities like rooftop soaking tubs and a bamboo garden. Guest rooms are kept purposely neutral to give all five sense a break at the end of the day.

Two years ago, the Exploratorium left from its long-time home next to the Palace of Fine Arts to occupy Pier 15 on the waterfront, a move that more than tripled their exhibition space and also put them in a building with LEED Platinum certification. The science museum features an incredible Tactile Dome, which is a maze of tunnels and slides that you go through completely in the dark using only your sense of touch—needless to say, kids love it.