Hayes Valley

There's something of a down-the-rabbit-hole effect when you walk into this magical antiques store. Everywhere you look you'll see collectible curiosities that owners Rod Hipsund and Kelly Ishikawa plucked from antique sales and vintage markets. Particularly impressive are the old-school typewriters and stacks of pre-owned books. Even the contemporary stuff, like the Bonny Doon hand balms and pottery, has a turn-of-the-century vibe.

Focusing primarily on Belgian and Japanese designers (Engineered Garments, Dries Van Noten, Comme des Garçons), the long-standing MAC is one of the city's primary destinations for edgier labels. It's enduring power probably has something to do with the owners, a brother-and-sister team with a seemingly bottomless well of design knowledge, which they pass onto their employees and customers.

Packed to the rafters with books, gifts, stationery, and things for the home from all over the world, Rare Device is a time suck, in the best possible way. There's also a gallery space in the back, home to monthly art shows, workshops, and kid-friendly events. There's also an outpost in Hayes Valley.

So at three doors strong, Lers Ros is technically a chain, but don't let that stop you from giving their simple, authentic Thai food a shot. Menu items vary slightly from location to location and everything is consistently perfectly prepared and delicious. There's also a location in the Mission and Tenderloin.

With a line-up that includes everything from The Nightmare Before Christmas to Peter and the Wolf, this series of family-friendly concerts are intended to both appeal to younger tastes and also inspire kiddos to pick up instruments, too. Peter and the Wolf, for example, is performed by the San Francisco Youth Symphony.

Many credit Ritual with being the first truly gourmet coffee shop in the city. Now, 11 years and five bustling S.F. locations later, they still brew arguably the best cup in town. Because people have been known to get hooked on their meticulously sourced blends, a coffee club was launched to make sure out-of-towners can get their hands on the good stuff.

Many credit Ritual with being the first truly gourmet coffee shop in the city. Now, 10 years and four bustling S.F. locations later, they still brew arguably the best cup in town. Because people have been known to get hooked on their meticulously sourced blends, a coffee club was launched to make sure out-of-towners can get their hands on the good stuff.

This is an exceptionally well-stocked wine shop specializing in hard-to-find local and international spirits across all price points. Being that its something of a local secret, not many people are aware of the magical community garden out back, where you can drink any wine from the shop by the glass for a small corkage fee. There’s also a sweet little café right next door where you can snag a quick soup-and-salad lunch or pick up a to-go order.

This is an exceptionally well-stocked wine shop specializing in hard-to-find local and international spirits across all price points. Being that its something of a local secret, not many people are aware of the magical community garden out back, where you can drink any wine from the shop by the glass for a small corkage fee. There’s also a sweet little café right next door where you can snag a quick soup-and-salad lunch or pick up a to-go order.

There are now ten locations strong in the bay area, with cafés in the Ferry Building, Hayes Valley, Heath Ceramics, Market Square, Mint Plaza, and on Sansome. There are two locations in Oakland, on Broadway and Webster St. Perhaps the most groundbreaking of their brews is the chicory-spiked New Orleans cold brew, which comes in a handy single-serving carton. They also make a pretty great granola in-house while the SFMOMA rooftop location is home to Chef Caitlin Freeman's modern art desserts. Think: a loaf cake made to look like a Mondrian painting and cookies inspired by Richard Serra’s sculptures.