Downtown San Francisco is back, baby.
It doesn’t look exactly like it did pre-pandemic but no matter: A slew of recent art, food, and drinks arrivals have once again made it fun to spend the whole day exploring the neighborhood.
Here’s how to spend the perfect Saturday in downtown SF right now.
11:30am: Breakfast at Grand Opening
(Courtesy of @grandopening___)
Start the morning off right, with a pastry from Chinatown bakery pop-up Grand Opening. You’ll find a weekly assortment of Asian-influenced sweets like black sesame eclairs, passion fruit caramel cashew cookies, and Parisian egg tarts crafted by the twice-nominated James Beard Outstanding Pastry Chef finalist Melissa Chou.
// Bake sales are Saturday from 11am to 2pm and Sunday from 10am to 2pm; 28 Waverly Place @ Mister Jiu’s (Chinatown), grandopeningbakery.com
Noon: A Bit of Magic at Madame Theodore’s Floral Academy for Wayward Travelers
(Courtesy of Floral Academy for Wayward Travelers/Beacon Grand)
Enter a whimsical world of botanical beauty at Madame Theodore’s Floral Academy for Wayward Travelers. The public art installation, a partnership between the iconic Beacon Grand hotel and artists Nicole Whitten and Carina Garciga Meyers, walks the boundary between reality and imagination, filling a once vacant storefront on Powell Street with a dizzying array of plants, flowers, and surprises. Take a spin through the “shop” and reinvigorate your sense of discovery and wonder.
// Free to enter; 450 Powell St. (Union Square)
1pm: Lunch at Miller & Lux Provisions
(Courtesy of @eatwith_tracy)
Chef Tyler Florence’s pair of Union Square cafes are the best spot for lunch with a generous side of people watching (especially during the holiday season when the ice rink is rolled out). If you’ve got an appetite, it’s the Rotisserie you want, which features Mary’s spit-roasted organic chicken, as well as tasty salads, sides, and brunchy eats like black truffle potato salad and smoked salmon benedicts (plus beer and wine). If you’re still full from Grand Opening, grab a seat at the Patisserie instead where you can sip Postscript coffee or a chai latte and attempt to resist the soft serve ice cream croissant sandwich.
// Miller & Lux Provisions Rotisserie is ope from 11:30am to 5pm daily at 225 Stockton St. The Patisserie is open from 7:30am to 5pm daily at 350 Powell St. (Union Square), millerandluxrestaurant.com
3pm: Culture at Institute of Contemporary Art (ICA) SF
(Courtesy of ICA SF)
This fall, San Francisco’s Institute of Contemporary Art got a serious upgrade, moving from its small Dogpatch gallery to a cavernous space in the Financial District. The nimble museum now has ample space to show off cutting-edge local and international artists whose work is a response to the current political and social moment. The inaugural show includes a group exhibition that turns everyday materials into artistic statements, the bejeweled rotting fruit of Kathleen Ryan, and the ceramic reliefs of Maryam Yousif—and entrance to the museum is always free.
// Open Wednesday through Sunday; 345 Montgomery St. (FiDi), icasf.org
5pm: A Forested Happy Hour at Heartwood + Transamerica
(Courtesy of @gaelen)
Transition from day to night with a highball or boozy seasonal slushie at Heartwood. The redwood forest–inspired bar in a century-old brick-and-timber building hails from the team behind Third Rail, The Treasury, and The Beehive. Cocktails brim with the creativity of the natural world, ranging from the spice-forward Pulp Fiction (house-spiced rum, mango pulp, cinnamon, makrut lime) to the herbaceous Apple Propaganda (gin, green apple, juniper, pisco, bay leaf, elderflower tonic). Stick with the forest theme with a slight detour through the Transamerica Redwood Park (600 Montgomery St.) on the way to dinner. The refreshed oasis, which is currently decked out with the fantastical faunal sculptures of French duo Les Lalanne, will change up its art twice a year.
// Heartwood is open Monday through Saturday; 531 Commercial St. (FiDi), heartwoodsf.com.
6:30pm: Dinner at Four Kings
(Courtesy of @fourkings__)
Arguably SF’s hottest restaurant of the year—and, according to Esquire, the hottest new restaurant in the entire country—Four Kings is an intimate Hong Kong–style resto-bar with serious main character energy. Chefs Franky Ho and Michael Long whip up the dishes that fortified them through childhood, from black pepper steak and fried squab to Chinese sausage and bacon claypot rice and salted egg squash croquettes, to the soundtrack of ‘90s Cantopop. The wee space and undeniable charisma of Four Kings makes advance reservations an absolute must.
// Four Kings is open Thur to Mon from 6pm to 11pm; 710 Commercial St. (Chinatown), itsfourkings.com
8:30pm: Nightcaps at Verjus
(Will Brinkerhoff)
End your perfect day downtown with a visit to Verjus, the celebrated wine bar from the team behind Quince and Cotogna that reopened with a bang last month after several quiet years. Channeling French bistro style, the revamped space is as lively as ever with a new DJ booth, vinyl collection, and ephemeral dance floor that pops up whenever the mood strikes.
// Verjus is open Tuesday through Saturday; 550 Washington St. (Jackson Square), verjuscave.com
