San Francisco is one of the most expensive cities in America, so it’s a good idea to get a taste of different available cuisines before you plonk yourself in a restaurant without looking at the menu. A San Francisco food tour is the perfect way of going about this; gaining first hand knowledge of where to go/not to go from a born and raised local, tasting some of the vibrant and cultural dishes at a number of establishments, and learn about the history of this iconic city.
The tour started at Dragon’s Gate, a large green archway marking the entrance to the Chinatown district. Here I met our tour guide Brian, a couple from Phoenix, Arizona, and another girl from the UK (turns out we went to the same University!) - so it was a very small group. Despite a previous tour guide telling me ‘almost no one is “from San Francisco”’, Brian claimed to have lived here his entire life, minus a short period he spent in LA working on his acting and comedy career.
| China Tea Store
The first stop on the tour was Vital Tea Leaf, a Chinese tea store in the heart of the district. I loved the concept of this store; a long bar runs through the middle where the owner pours you samples of teas the proper way, no tea bags, no kettle, and certainly no milk or sugar. The owner was probably the most frank and plain-spoken man I’ve ever met, he talked about the various health benefits of tea as he poured us Iron Goddess green tea, Ginseng Oolong, red tea, black tea, and white tea, all while hilariously mocking the way English and American people have ruined tea for good.
| Chinatown - Eastern Bakery
Up next, still in the main street of Chinatown, was Eastern Bakery. Here we had a platter of traditional Chinese dishes; pork dim sum cooked the 1800s way, rice cake, shrimp soup dumpling, a sesame roll, and savoury pork buns. We also tried their famed mooncake, that is apparently so delicious they ship them back to China! This small and authentic Chinese restaurant is usually the type of place I would overlook in favor of a more Westernised establishment, but it goes to show that stepping out of your comfort zone almost always pays off.
On the walk to our next stop Brian told us all about the history of Chinatown, how the Chinese came here during the mid 1800s in search of gold, and the original neighbourhood limits that the residents were confined to. We walked through Chinatown’s Living Room, gazed up at Corporate Goddesses, learnt why the Transamerica Pyramid building is shaped the way it is, and headed down the historic Ross Alley.
| Fortune Cookie Factory
This brought us to the first of two stops that aren’t usually included on the route; the Fortune Cookie Factory. There was something a little sad about finally discovering how fortune cookies are made (it’s surprisingly simple), but getting to write our own fortune and have it sealed inside a freshly made cookie made it all worth it. We also got a little freebie bag of cookies to take home!
Pot & Noodle on Jackson St was the second ‘surprise’ stop on the tour, still within the Chinatown district. Even though is was barely 6:30 in the evening, the place was completely packed, and we had to wait to be seated while the waitresses rushed around with steaming plates of meat and noodles. To keep us entertained Brian gave us a chopsticks lesson, and explained the history of potstickers, a traditional Chinese dish. We were then served up green onion pancakes, Shanghai wine chicken, spicy pork belly, and a basket of potstickers (my favorites).
| Sweet Treat
Heading out of Chinatown, it was time to get our dessert caps on. Brian first gave us a pep talk on how to order cannolis (ask how long they’ve been sat out, if it’s longer than 30 minutes, ask for a fresh one), before we tucked into a fresh chocolate chip cannoli at Stella Pastry & Cafe. This lead us nicely into Z Cioccolato where the owner himself chatted to us about the history of the store, and the very unique (and delicious) way they make fudge. We were treated to a goodie bag with a piece of dark chocolate and orange fudge, nutty turtle fudge, and Heath English Toffee flavor.
| Mona Lisa Italian Restaurant
Traditionally, once you’ve had your dessert there’s no more eating, but not on this tour. Our seventh and final stop was Mona Lisa, a large Italian restaurant known for its homemade pasta and pizza. The owner (we met a lot of owners on this tour!) personally served us their classic margarita pizza, accompanied by a large glass of red wine that finished off the evening nicely. I don’t think I could have eaten another bite, but I also knew I was going to demolish that fudge when I got back to the hotel…
| Thanks for reading!
As my penultimate food tour during my trip to the USA, I have to say this one is up there with the best. Brian was an incredibly knowledgeable guide, and was more than happy to give us endless recommendations on where to eat, drink, and sight-see like a local. If you want to experience the best of San Francisco but are unsure where to start, then this is definitely the way to go - I can’t wait to spend my last few days here!
