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Ethnic Enclaves of the San Francisco Bay Area
A culinary adventure through the Bay Area.
By The promotions departments of Bon Appetit and Gourmet.
The San Francisco Bay Area represents a balance of soaring ambition and cozy familiarity, perhaps best reflected in its food—known for its diversity and excellence. Follow this roadmap to the SF Bay Area’s best ethnic eateries and get a true taste of this great American city.
Trip Length: 4 days
Day 1 – San Francisco Taste Tour
San Francisco’s old European quarter of North Beach is a great place to plan your day while enjoying an espresso or cappuccino. Café Trieste, where Francis Ford Coppola is said to have worked on the script for The
Godfather, and Café Roma, which roasts its beans on-site, are two local favorites.
The City’s famed Chinatown, especially the exotic food shops lining Stockton Street, are bustling by mid-morning, and. Cantonese lunch spots like R&G Lounge and Great Easterndo a brisk business. Make your way to the lively Mission District for Indian food at Bollywood Café. Before energetic crowds arrive for late night reggae and samba parties down the street at West Africa’s Bissap Baobab, tables dance with Senegalese stews and hibiscus margaritas.
You can also head to one of the Mission’s famed taco truck spots – there’s the “al pastor” (bbq pork) with black beans at La Cumbra, or the no-rice, mas-carnitas variety at the highly praised La Taqueria.
Venture to the Van Ness corridor and sample menu selections from Helmand Palace, specializing in dishes from Afghanistan. For a late night bite, try the Grubstake and enjoy Portuguese-influenced dishes like caldo verde and linguica with eggs are the perfect before-bed indulgence.
Visit TasteSF for everything you need to know about San Francisco's food scene - discover the City's hottest restaurants, neighborhoods to explore, and cultures to experience.
The City’s famed Chinatown, especially the exotic food shops lining Stockton Street, are bustling by mid-morning, and. Cantonese lunch spots like R&G Lounge and Great Easterndo a brisk business. Make your way to the lively Mission District for Indian food at Bollywood Café. Before energetic crowds arrive for late night reggae and samba parties down the street at West Africa’s Bissap Baobab, tables dance with Senegalese stews and hibiscus margaritas.
You can also head to one of the Mission’s famed taco truck spots – there’s the “al pastor” (bbq pork) with black beans at La Cumbra, or the no-rice, mas-carnitas variety at the highly praised La Taqueria.
Venture to the Van Ness corridor and sample menu selections from Helmand Palace, specializing in dishes from Afghanistan. For a late night bite, try the Grubstake and enjoy Portuguese-influenced dishes like caldo verde and linguica with eggs are the perfect before-bed indulgence.
Visit TasteSF for everything you need to know about San Francisco's food scene - discover the City's hottest restaurants, neighborhoods to explore, and cultures to experience.
Day 2 – Venturing South
Explore out-of-the-way towns south of San Francisco to sample some of the area’s best outposts of ethnic cuisine, but first make a morning stop at the Saturday Alemany Farmers Market for exotic herbs and flowers, fish caught that morning, and great prices on the area’s freshest produce. Sample specialties from Mexico City’s Districto Federal (DF) at the El Huarache Loco stand, including authentic huaraches with cactus salad and eggs
Explore out-of-the-way towns south of San Francisco to sample some of the area’s best outposts of ethnic cuisine, but first make a morning stop at the Saturday Alemany Farmers Market for exotic herbs and flowers, fish caught that morning, and great prices on the area’s freshest produce. Sample specialties from Mexico City’s Districto Federal (DF) at the El Huarache Loco stand, including authentic huaraches with cactus salad and eggs
with green chiles, served with sweet Mexico City coffee.
In Daly City, Koi Palace offers the best dim sum anywhere, and Vietnamese and Cambodian fare is at its finest farther south in San Jose. Don’t miss he bun cha and poached pork belly at Nha Toi and Chez Sovan’s Cambodian spring rolls and heavenly curry.
In Silicon Valley’s Cupertino and Milpitas, enjoy Taiwanese treats like oyster pancakes and steamed meatballs, standard fare at Shinbala and Tainan Restaurant.
Treat yourself at David Kinch’s revered Manresa in Los Gatos, serving up inventive, high-end French and Northern Spanish cuisine using the best of California’s local bounty, much of which is harvested from the restaurant’s own garden.
In Silicon Valley’s Cupertino and Milpitas, enjoy Taiwanese treats like oyster pancakes and steamed meatballs, standard fare at Shinbala and Tainan Restaurant.
Treat yourself at David Kinch’s revered Manresa in Los Gatos, serving up inventive, high-end French and Northern Spanish cuisine using the best of California’s local bounty, much of which is harvested from the restaurant’s own garden.
Day 3 – Far East Bay Sampler
On the border of Old Oakland, a unique Friday Farmers’ Market hosts vendors selling such delicacies as salted duck eggs and Afghan baklavas. Or, stroll down to the Delicious Food Company, offering exotic delicacies such as shark fin dumplings. The nearby Sun Hing Meat Market also boasts lovingly prepared roasted pork and duck win raves.
Authentic Singaporean comfort food can be found in Lafayette at Kopitiam, with chef Thian Boon Leong’s famous chicken rice recipe.
The Koreatown stretch of Telegraph Avenue in Oakland specializes in classic Seoul food. Culinary fans flock to Sahn Maru for its famed rendition of goat stew. And not to be outdone, Seoul Gom Tang’s beef and oxtail soups and kimchi draw equally enthusiastic patrons.
In Berkeley, the Turkish Kitchen offers East Mediterranean-flavored teas, dolmas and grilled lamb skewers.
On the border of Old Oakland, a unique Friday Farmers’ Market hosts vendors selling such delicacies as salted duck eggs and Afghan baklavas. Or, stroll down to the Delicious Food Company, offering exotic delicacies such as shark fin dumplings. The nearby Sun Hing Meat Market also boasts lovingly prepared roasted pork and duck win raves.
Authentic Singaporean comfort food can be found in Lafayette at Kopitiam, with chef Thian Boon Leong’s famous chicken rice recipe.
The Koreatown stretch of Telegraph Avenue in Oakland specializes in classic Seoul food. Culinary fans flock to Sahn Maru for its famed rendition of goat stew. And not to be outdone, Seoul Gom Tang’s beef and oxtail soups and kimchi draw equally enthusiastic patrons.
In Berkeley, the Turkish Kitchen offers East Mediterranean-flavored teas, dolmas and grilled lamb skewers.
Day 4 – Osaka to Me
San Francisco’s Japantown is a thriving district, with Japanese malls and markets selling crepes and tapioca ball bubble teas – sample a deliciously sweet rice confection likeManju or Mochi at Benkyodo.
For lunch, there’s a rich helping of shabu shabu restaurants and hole-in-the wall sushi joints like Kiss. Take in a game at the Japanese sports bar OIzakaya and enjoy inspired bar fare like soy-marinated chicken thighs on skewers and burgers with maitake mushrooms and shisito peppers.
Head to Sebo in Hayes Valley for the best of the day’s catch. At this intimate, tucked-away spot, chefs base the daily menu on what’s best at market. The detailed sake menu was designed by Beau Timken—a guru of rice wine who owns True Sake, one of the nation’s only shops dedicated to the sale of traditional sake.
For the last night of your taste tour, head to Richmond for a coveted, no-reservations table at Burma Superstar, and head across the road to the Plough and Stars for a pint and live Irish music while you wait. Or try B Star, Burma Superstar’s trendy offshoot, which offers many of the restaurant’s famed dishes, such as the tea-leaf salad.
San Francisco’s Japantown is a thriving district, with Japanese malls and markets selling crepes and tapioca ball bubble teas – sample a deliciously sweet rice confection likeManju or Mochi at Benkyodo.
For lunch, there’s a rich helping of shabu shabu restaurants and hole-in-the wall sushi joints like Kiss. Take in a game at the Japanese sports bar OIzakaya and enjoy inspired bar fare like soy-marinated chicken thighs on skewers and burgers with maitake mushrooms and shisito peppers.
Head to Sebo in Hayes Valley for the best of the day’s catch. At this intimate, tucked-away spot, chefs base the daily menu on what’s best at market. The detailed sake menu was designed by Beau Timken—a guru of rice wine who owns True Sake, one of the nation’s only shops dedicated to the sale of traditional sake.
For the last night of your taste tour, head to Richmond for a coveted, no-reservations table at Burma Superstar, and head across the road to the Plough and Stars for a pint and live Irish music while you wait. Or try B Star, Burma Superstar’s trendy offshoot, which offers many of the restaurant’s famed dishes, such as the tea-leaf salad.
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