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San Francisco is my mother's favorite city. It feels like she visits at least once a year (or once every other year) and case in point: she flew with my dad on a Thursday morning in September to see the (San Francisco) 49ers (her favorite NFL team) play the New York Giants (my dad's favorite NFL team) play each other at Levi's Stadium and came back on Sunday. They were able to get close to the field, said hi to Jerry Rice, and even received a commemorative pin from the team's GM as he walked by. It was an experience that she'll never forget (and one that my dad would probably like to).
This is all to say that San Francisco has been on my list of cities to visit for a long time, mostly because of the high praises my mother sings. Fortunately, the stars aligned this year and I was able to visit in November with one of my best friends and found a plethora of things to do, things to see, and delicious vegan food to eat.
It truly lived up to the hype.
Here's a rundown of everything I ate over four/five days and what I recommend as a must-visit:
Kin Khao Thai Eatery
Kin Khao ("Let's Eat") is a Michelin-starred Thai restaurant located on the corner of Mason and Ellis Streets in the Parc 55 Hilton. It's a cute, bustling space with excellent food. My friend and I shared the Roasted Delicata Squash, and I chose the Yaowaraj Noodle (vegetarian/vegan version) for the entree, both are which were superb. The squash dish was well-balanced and flavorful, and the noodles were perfectly spiced and out of this world. If I didn't have so many other spots to try, I would have come back here at least once more. Reservations are recommended.
Lapisara Eatery
Lapisara is a chic brunch destination on the corner of Post and Jones Streets that serves Thai-American fusion dishes. There wasn't much in terms of vegan options here but I was able to get the tofu scramble with mushroom, basil, and other veggies that was served with a small salad, breakfast potatoes, and toasted sourdough bread with butter (obviously not vegan-friendly). I also got an iced matcha latte with oat milk ($1 extra) and no whip. Personally, I never ate eggs growing up so I don't care for tofu scrambles or other egg substitutes. It was fine as an option but I wouldn't get it again. If you do like tofu scrambles, then check it out.
I didn't ask about the avocado toast or the plant-based burger because it seemed like those weren't vegan-friendly options, given that they're both served on brioche. If you visit, feel free to ask if those can be modified at all.
Ghirardelli Square/Chocolate Experience
This came as a recommendation from my parents who visited in September and excitedly told me that Ghirardelli now offered a non-dairy hot fudge sundae. So, of course I had to visit and try it for myself (and ended up being my lunch that day). It was a blissful experience. The sundae itself is massive and comes with hot fudge (made with their new non-dairy chocolate chips that you can also buy in the store and almond milk), non-dairy Vanilla Coconut ice cream, almond milk whipped cream, chopped almonds, a dark chocolate square, and a cherry on top.
In terms of chocolate, the iconic shop does sell the 72% dark chocolate squares which are vegan-friendly, in addition to the non-dairy chocolate baking chips mentioned above (which I got two bags of and used to bake holiday cookies this year).
Boudin Bakery
Vegans rejoice! You don't need to skip this must-visit San Francisco experience. The sourdough bread at the legendary Boudin Bakery is vegan-friendly. There are, in fact, very few other vegan options but the sourdough is the most important one. If you're down by the wharf, order the California Veggie Sandwich without cheese and any mayo, and swap the multigrain bread it comes with for the sourdough. It was almost a perfect bite but I've had worse sandwiches before. This is a great option if you're planning to visit anyway.
The Old Siam Thai Restaurant
This restaurant is a cozy little hole-in-the-wall gem of a Thai place on Ellis Street and has plenty of vegetarian and vegan-friendly options. They have a pretty expansive menu and a dedicated page just for vegetarian options, which can be modified. We got here late while walking in the rain but the staff was helpful and willing to answer all my questions. I tend to avoid Thai red curry because most places include fish sauce in their pastes but they were able to make it vegan for me. It was hot and spicy and satisfying, and the portion sizes were huge. I couldn't finish and had to drink the curry like a soup to even make a dent.
Philz Coffee (Embacadero)
When in San Francisco... coffee chain Philz Coffee came as a recommendation from a friend who used to live in the city and boy, did he come through. Formerly Palestinian-owned, the chain oversees the entire coffee process from bean to cup and doesn't use any syrups, which makes ordering dairy-free that much easier. All of their drinks can be made vegan (they offer soy, almond, and oat milk at no extra cost) but their most popular drink (and what came recommended) is the iced mint mojito. You may also need to specify no whip.
They have a few vegan-friendly food items but these vary by location. This shop happened to have the vegan pumpkin slice that they warmed up for me and was the perfect fall treat.
CyBelle’s Front Room
I've dreamed of visiting this restaurant for a long time because I saw their vegan mozzarella sticks on my Instagram Explore page. A short walk away from the San Francisco Botanical Garden, CyBelle's Front Room presents itself as a NY-style pizza restaurant (which is debatable) but they are a vegan's paradise. Immediately after being seated, the waitress asked if we wanted the vegan menu. A vegan menu! An entire vegan menu! It was a separately printed menu that was front and back, and I grew dizzy from the amount of options. I got the mozzarella sticks of course (one of their vegan specials that are also gluten-free) and they were delicious (and have a cheese pull).
Then I had to get pizza so I tried a monster slice of the vegan touchdown pizza with BBQ and ranch sauce, soy buffalo chicken, jalapenos, vegan mozz, garlic potatoes, tomato, green and red onion. It was not spicy enough for me but it was so good and worth the tummy ache after. Didn't like that the cheese wasn't melted fully but vegan cheese is tricky like that. I couldn't stomach anything else after but if I were to ever return, I'd try the wings, a sandwich, beignets... and maybe sample some of the other pizza options. I can't say that it's New York-style pizza (at least not what I'm accustomed to) but it was decent vegan pizza. I would come back for sure.
Mr. Charlie’s
I wanted this to be my first stop in San Francisco but it turned out to be my last on this trip. The wait (and the hype) was certainly worth it. I have heard such amazing things about this copycat chain that I had to try the food for myself. I got the Not a Chicken Sandwich Frowny Meal with green sauce and chuck sauce. It comes with the Not a Chicken Sandwich, 4 Not Chicken Nuggets, fries, and a drink for $18. The plant-based sandwich (with vegan mayo and shredded lettuce) was very close to a McChicken but better. The sauces were good and the fries were my favorite; I didn't care for the nuggets too much nor did I think they were similar to McNuggets. They were tender but not as crispy and you couldn't peel the fried "skin" off. Mind you, I haven't eaten at McDonald's since early 2016 so I couldn't tell you if the other sandwiches taste similar or better than the original sandwiches but this was a pretty epic meal and a must-visit for anyone, whether you're vegan or not.
Other spots that I had on my list but didn't have the chance to visit:
Wildseed
BAIA
Beach'n
VeganBurg
Next Level Burger
Rad Radish
Shizen
Golden Era Vegan
Ike's Sandwiches
Anything I missed that I need to visit next time I'm in the city? Comment down below!