Mission

Anthony’s is the holy grail of cookies in San Francisco. People who love it—which is to say people who know it—talk about it with such reverence and awe, you’ll think they’re a little out of their minds…until you try a cookie yourself.

The Civic Kitchen is an entirely purpose-built (meaning every amenity is built to spec) cookery school in San Francisco’s Mission district. More than just a kitchen, this space is a fully immersive culinary experience for the gourmand with floor-to-ceiling shelves packed with cookbooks for inspiration, a large communal table for meal sharing, and the cook space itself, which feels like the cozy, well-designed kitchen of a friend. The classes are intended to be practical—themed around building meals and menus rather than zoning in on individual, complicated dishes. Choose to learn how to pull together a full Sunday brunch, how to cook a chicken and assorted grains ahead of time for easier meal-making during the week, or, if the mood strikes you, how to prepare a full celebratory Chinese new year dinner (dumplings, noodles, steamed fish, the works). The school has over a dozen chefs on staff (each one with their own particular area of expertise) and classes never go above fourteen students.

The team at Heath, one of our long-time favorite SF and LA destinations for gorgeous mid-century-inspired minimal tableware, has nailed the aspect of creating a true community by opening a neighborhood newsstand.

Opened a year ago, Tartine's light-filled, warehouse-like offshoot is a foodie paradise with lines out the door to prove it. There are the same amazing breakfast and lunch options you can find at the original location, but here you'll also find beer and wine, a soft-serve machine, and (blessedly) a full-on dinner menu. There's a separate, and semi-secret, line for people who are just buying bread and jam, but if you want to wait for something from the full breakfast menu, or a gem from their pastry case, there's a Blue Bottle next door offering sustenance and caffeine in the meantime.

Founded by two friends, Todd Masonis and Cameron Ring—who got their start roasting up cocoa beans just for fun in a garage—Dandelion Chocolate sources the highest-quality beans, and, in small batches, crafts incredible chocolate that really draws on the complex flavors of every bean. At their Valencia Street café, you can grab a hot chocolate (or an espresso drink and a pastry made in-house by Executive Pastry Chef Lisa Vega) and watch the entire bean-to-bar process from start to finish. And, of course, you can get your hands on their amazing chocolate offerings. In addition to their Mission District location, they also have a spot in the nearby Ferry Building (as well as a factory and café in Tokyo).

Ice cream sandwiches steal the show at Cream, from waffle-based to cookie, brownie, mini-sized, gluten-free, and vegan. There are locations in a few states now, and in addition to this SF shop, there's also a second outpost in Stonestown Galleria. Also, note: Cream caters—and what's more awesome than an ice cream sandwich bar?

For a less typical catered meal in the Bay Area, we recommend Rintaro, which serves excellent Japanese-style food at private parties. They also have a restaurant in the Mission, which is worth checking out, too.

Reiki and spiritual healing are definitely not for everyone, but if it's not your first alternative therapy rodeo, Tanya Corona is kind of a one-stop-shop. She's trained in Reiki, chakra clearing, and crystal and sound healing, and her healing activation sessions combine a little bit of everything.

YTTP's mission is to make yoga available to everyone—meaning their classes are donation-based, and you only contribute the suggested $10 (or other dollar amount of your choice) if you can. Their particular yoga brand is power vinyasa flow. The YTTP studio has a changing room, bathroom, spot for your belongings, but no showers. There's also a location in Berkeley.

Founder and designer Matt Dick has roots in traditional Japanese design, and it shows: Whether it’s the heavy canvas aprons, linen smocks, or wool blankets, everything has a distinct utilitarian simplicity to it that makes for the best kind of workwear (clients include Mast Brothers and Blue Bottle coffee). The Small Trade Co. space above Heath Ceramics (also a client) serves as both workshop and showroom.