Eat Your Way Through San Francisco's Ferry Building | San Francisco Travel-贝博体彩

Dining outside at the Ferry Building — Outdoor dining has expanded in San Francisco. You'll find parklets dotting both sides of the street in many San Francisco neighborhoods.

Eat Your Way Through San Francisco's Ferry Building

By Ocean Malandra

This is your guide to the delicious restaurants and speciality food retailers in San Francisco's Ferry Building.

San Francisco’s Ferry Building is a majestic Beaux-Arts castle perched on the edge of the bay. While it still functions as a bustling transportation hub for ferries that connect downtown San Francisco with points around the Bay Area, it is also a food lover’s paradise.

The San Francisco Ferry Building Marketplace showcases some of the most eclectic eateries and locally produced products that San Francisco has to offer. Whether you are looking for a unique culinary adventure or simply want to stock up on some edible gifts for the folks back home, the Ferry Building Marketplace should be on your bucket list.

Here’s a complete list of restaurants and specialty food retailers you will find inside the Ferry Building:

A16 A La Pala

A16 A La Pala is a take-away version of the Marina pizza hotspot. Here, they serve panini sandwiches, pizza by the slice, pasta and salads over a bustling counter. This is a fantastic spot for a quick lunch.

Acme Bread Company

Using only organic flour and grain varieties from local farmers, Berkeley-based Acme Bread Company has been a Bay Area legend since 1983. The Ferry Building outpost has its own onsite hearth oven, making the bakery’s full selection of breads and pastries—including their famous Pain au Levain, a classic full-flavored sourdough, available daily. For those looking for a quick but delicious meal on the go, Acme Bread Company also dishes up several focaccia-style pizzas by the slice.

Boulettes Larder and Boulibar

With a front patio facing the Embarcadero and a back patio overlooking the bay, Boulettes Larder and Boulibar is one of the most picturesque places in the city to stop in for lunch. The bar and restaurant takes fresh local California ingredients and uses them to create Southern style specialties, like oxtail gumbo. They also serve wood-fired pizzas and boast an extensive wine list.

Blue Bottle Coffee

Founded in Oakland in 2002, Blue Bottle Coffee is considered one of the pioneers of the “third wave” coffee movement. With an espresso bar in the northern corner of the Marketplace and a tasting room facing the Embarcadero, there is no excuse to not try one of their drip coffee offerings or a New Orleans-style iced coffee while browsing the other shops and restaurants.

Carmel Honey

Based in the Northern California beach town Carmel-by-the-Sea, Carmel Honey produces high quality, raw meadowfoam, orange blossom, clover, and other wildflower honeys, as well as raw honeycomb. The San Francisco Ferry Building outlet also stocks bath and body products made with bees wax and a variety of boxed sets that make great gifts.

Cheesequakes

Using hormone-free dairy products and made-from-scratch graham cracker-based crusts, Cheesequakes are locally made cheesecakes that are meant to “rock” your world. Flavors like triple chocolate and strawberry swirl come in both individual and “small” and “large” party sizes.

Cholita Linda

Enjoying some Baja-style fish tacos and house-made sangria with views of the San Francisco Bay is a great way to wind down after a long day spent exploring the city. Cholita Linda, a colorful Latin American fusion restaurant offers homestyle dishes and fruit-infused drinks inspired by the cuisine of Peru, Mexico, and the Caribbean.

Dandelion Chocolate

A small batch bean-to-bar chocolate factory located in the Mission District, Dandelion Chocolate creates each single origin bar by hand and from scratch. Stop by their Ferry Building outlet to sip on a hot cup of European style drinking chocolate.

Delica

Grab a bento box or put together your own “sozai”—a meal made up of different small dishes—at this Japanese inspired delicatessen. Delica uses only local, organic ingredients to craft its ready-to-go offerings like stuffed Kobe beef croquets and Hijiki seaweed salad.

El Porteño Empanadas

Launched in 2008 as a food truck, El Porteño Empanadas now has landed two permanent locations: one in Napa Valley and one right here at the Ferry Building. Sourcing their fillings from local producers, their authentic Argentine empanadas come in both traditional and gourmet varieties, including a Malbec braised lamb-stuffed delicacy called “the Cordero”.

Far West Fungi

Northern California is a mushroom hunters’ paradise; but you don’t have to brave the redwood forests to get your hands on fresh morels, matsutakes, chantarelles, and oyster mushrooms. They are all right here at Far West Fungi! Besides fresh seasonal specimens and tons of dried varieties, the shop also sells books and equipment that show you how to hunt or grow your own.

Ferry Plaza Wine Merchant

This massive 3,000-square-foot wine shop doesn’t just hold one of the best wine selections in the city; its all-wood wine bar is also a popular after-work gathering place for sipping and sampling. Focused on California varietals, the Ferry Plaza Wine Merchant sports outside patio seating with views of the San Francisco skyline.

Gott’s Roadside

Serving American classics like hamburgers, hot dogs, onion rings and more using fresh, locally sourced ingredients, Gott’s Roadside is the remedy for an empty tummy. Their California-focused wine list matches perfectly with house specials like the crispy Ahi poke tacos.

Grande Creperie

Bay Area ingredients get stuffed and rolled into naturally leavened French-style crepes at the Grande Creperie. The menu here is evenly divided into savory, which includes items like smoked salmon and baby spinach tucked into a buckwheat crepe, and sweet, where ingredients like Nutella, California strawberries, and local honey, create matches made in heaven.

Hog Island Oyster Company

Sporting gorgeous views out over the ferry landing, Hog Island Oyster Company is the oyster bar and retail outlet of a sustainable oyster farm in Tomales Bay. Try their special chipotle bourbon grilled oysters or do a sake oyster pairing that matches a seasonally fresh Pacific oyster with chilled Japanese rice wine.

Imperial Tea Court

Featuring an ornate moon gate and a dragon sofa, the Imperial Tea Court is a traditional Chinese tea house that offers more than 100 different varieties to choose from. Order a steaming pot and enjoy the ambiance, or stock up on loose leaf teas and brewing equipment to take home with you.

Lunette Cambodia

Lunette serves delicious Cambodian food in a warm, colorful space. The menu is meant to be accessible and uncomplicated, like eating in your grandmother's kitchen. Try their creamy yellow curi, which is rich and delicious. Their loc lac shaking beef is also a huge hit, and comes with an addictive citrus-y, lime sauce. This spot can get crowded during lunch time, so ordering ahead may be your best bet to avoid a wait.

Mariposa Baking Company

Oakland-based Mariposa Bakery Company specializes in gluten-free baked goods crafted from local and organic ingredients. Raspberry almond croissants and gluten-free pizza crusts that you can take home and pile high with other ingredients from the Marketplace are found here. The bakery also ships all their products across the country.

Ocean Malasada

Once a small mom-and-pop shop, Ocean Malasada puts an on the delicious Portuguese-style malasadas. Like a donut, these are yeast-leavened fried dough balls coated in sugar. These delightful treats were brought to Hawaii by Portuguese immigrants in the 19th century and are made from a fluffy, eggy dough.

Peaches Patties

Authentic Jamaican spices combine with meat or veggie fillings to make the patties (a baked savory pastry) at Peaches Patties, a favorite quick bite at the Ferry Building Marketplace. For those craving a full meal, the Jerk Chicken plate, served with fried plantains and peas and rice, pairs perfectly with the house made Jamaican Hibiscus Sorrell drink.

Senor Sisig

Started in a food truck in 2010, Senor Sisig proved to be such a hit that it now holds down a permanent home in the Ferry Building Marketplace. Tapping into the rich history of Philippine dishes like slow roasted sweet pork and adobe rice,and packing them into a burrito or taco, Senor Sisig is a uniquely San Francisco culinary sensation.

Stonehouse California Olive Oil

Lisbon Lemon, Blood Orange, and an awarding-winning basil-infused olive oil await you at Stonehouse California Olive Oil. This small batch producer of extra virgin olive oils uses only olives grown on farms located within 90 minutes of San Francisco, and carries vinegars, spices, and gift sets based on their products.

Tsar Nicoulai Caviar Cafe

Offering small batch, hand-crafted caviars sustainably cultivated in the nation’s only Eco-Certified sturgeon farm, located in the Monterrey Bay, the Tsar Nicoulai Caviar Café is a treat for the senses. Besides caviar and roe flights presented on ice, the café also serves sharable plates, including a smoked sturgeon pate.

Ocean Malandra

Ocean Malandra was born in San Francisco and grew up in the North Beach neighborhood. A freelance journalist who covers food, travel, and the environment, he has been published in more than 30 different media outlets, including 7x7 Magazine, Vice, Mongabay, USA Today Travel, Earth Island Journal, The Culture Trip, Parabola Magazine, High Times Magazine, and Paste Magazine.