A designer's guide to San Francisco

A guide to San Francisco by product designers who live or have lived there. Add it to your home screen to use it around town during Config.

Events

Food

La Palma Mexicatessen

My favorite taco spot in SF. Plus the sign outside is beautiful.

sffoghorn.com

Garden Creamery

One of my favorite places to get ice cream in SF. Really interesting and unique flavors like salty kaya, ube pandan, and black sesame

Pink Onion

if you can manage to get in on wednesday, you get an appetizer, a pizza, a pasta, a dessert, and a full bottle of wine for $55. cannot be beaten!

La Mar Cocina Peruana

eat creative peruvian seafood on the waterfront. perfect

Taste of Old Street

skip the pancakes and noodles and get straight to the skewers. either barbecued or served in Chengdu-style spicy pot, which always reminds me of home 💌

Hog Island Oyster Co.

some of the best oysters ive found in sf yet, right at the ferry building!

Very cool experimental space that hosts events at the intersection of art, technology, and social commentary. I've been here to participate in experimental plays, play immersive games, and listen to strange otherworldly music, They also offer classes in creative coding and other artistic/scientific subjects.

Hot Sauce and Panko To Go

Suppenküche

Le Central

don't miss their cassoulet (which has been cooking for 17836 days as of today!)

Local Edition

Mr. Digby's Bar & Restaurant

The Bird

Natoma Cabana

Norden Living

Piccino

yummy fancy pizza

Swensen's

Biergarten

Z & Y Restaurant

Cordon Bleu Vietnamese Restaurant

Incredible hole-in-the wall. Great chicken. Cash only.

Shops

BAGGU San Francisco

Daiso

my... california adventure park (cause muji is my disneyland)

Dog Eared Books

Adobe Books & Arts Cooperative

Design Within Reach

I go here to pretend I can afford a living room fully curated by Herman Miller. In walking distance from many other boutique furniture spots

Green Apple Books

lil independent book store (they have multiple floors!)

Veo Optics

very fashionable glasses so you can look the part of the designer. always book it with a personal styling appointment!

William Stout Architectural Books

it's jony ive's favorite bookstore, need I say more? get your coffee table game up

SF76

Japantown homeware store with stunning handmade pottery, elegant furniture, and more.

instagram.com sf-76.com

Heath Ceramics

Things to do

Sanchez St.

great to pace up and down on a sunny day, it's closed off to through traffic so many pedestrians, strollers, and dog walkers! steps away from like, 5 cafes and bakeries

Conservatory of Flowers

Beautiful historical spot, and the street beside it is car-less and wonderful for a stroll or bike ride. I got married here, so it's especially meaningful place for me :)

Dolores Park

Famous giant park with some nice views of the city. Somehow it always feels a little warmer to me here than it does in other parts of the city.

San Francisco Botanical Garden

Beautiful botanical garden!

Grandview Park

My fave view of the city. You get both the bay/Golden Gate and the ocean.

Saturn Street Steps Park

A little oasis overlooking san francisco. If you’re lucky you might see a flock of parrots :)

Sutro Baths

Take a look at the history of this place and be amazed at what feels like much more ancient ruins than they are.

Grace Cathedral

An escape at the top of nob hill. Take a peek inside. Look down the steep streets on the south, east, and north sides.

Ina Coolbrith Park

The Walt Disney Family Museum

If you're into animation, the history of animation, or museum design, this is an excellent museum to visit! Bonus: It's a super pretty view of the bay from here.

Golden Gate Overlook

SFMoMa

Misalignment Museum

Small new museum with very fun art pieces that utilize AI. Cool art exhibits I saw there include... - cans of spam that are typing out the entire text of "Brave New World" - a telephone that lets you speak to Mr. Rogers - a confession booth for the "Church of GPT" where you confess your sins to an AI voice Really creative and thought-provoking!

misalignmentmuseum.com instagram.com

West Coast Craft Fair

A classic SF arts and crafts fair that happens every month. Come here prepared to lose at least $100 on a small useless object that looks pretty on your desk.