The San Francisco Embarcadero area is a beautiful part of the City.
Last weekend I had a wonderful time on a quick overnight trip there. There is so much to do all over San Francisco, but here are my highlights on where to stay, play, eat, and run in this little corner of the City by the Bay.
Where to Stay
The Hyatt Regency San Francisco is in the heart of the Embarcadero. It’s a beautiful hotel and was recently remodeled. I’ve stayed at this hotel many times over the years and always liked it, but the updated lobby makes it an even better place to hang out.
The new space is beautiful, open, and modern. The bar area is a perfect place to enjoy drinks- or in my case- food. I highly recommend getting an order of the sautéed Brussel sprouts and kettle chips for your table. Sooo good.
The guest rooms have also recently been remodeled and they are far more spacious than the average hotel room you would get in many San Francisco hotels.
Where to Play
In my opinion, you can spend a crazy amount of time in the Ferry Building.
It’s a whole building dedicated to handcrafted foods. It’s filled with local farmers, artisan producers, and independently owned and operated food businesses.
Walking around, tasting, and of course picking a place for a sit down for a meal is a complete experience. And on Saturday mornings they have a farmers’ market. If you can, make plans to head over.
Of course, you’re also minutes from AT&T park where the San Francisco Giants play.
This stadium is really something else. It’s located right on the Bay, the food options are endless, and it’s a major league stadium that doesn’t feel big or overwhelming.
If you aren’t into baseball, the stadium also hosts concerts, and it’s the perfect outdoor venue.
Another bonus about staying in the San Francisco Embarcadero area is that you are literally near everything.
You can walk to Union Square and Fisherman’s Wharf. You are also take a short Uber ride to Ghirardelli Square, Golden Gate Park, and Coit Tower.
Where to Eat
As I said earlier, the Ferry Building is a must for the food experience. While we were there we went to my new favorite oyster house – Hog Island Oyster Company. Of course, the Oysters were amazing. But so was everything else on the menu. We enjoyed their sliders and grilled cheese, too. All of it was ridiculously good.
We also ate at Palomino. This beautiful restaurant features pizza, pasta, and countless entrees. It’s a great place to go with a big group (we were a party of seven) because everybody can find something they like.
My husband and I split the fresh roma & mozzarella pizza, which was amazing. I also had a taste of my stepdaughter’s chicken dish, which was one of their specials that evening and it was super flavorful.
And for brunch the next day, we went just a few blocks away (read, within walking distance) to Café de la Presse. I can’t recommend it enough. The food was amazing. I’m still thinking about my Smoked Salmon Eggs Benedict and my husband’s Croque Madame!
Where to Run
No write up about travel to a fun place would be complete without a run review!
I was lucky because I was able to wake up earlier than my family and get in a long run. This for me is heaven. Everyone is still asleep and I can run at an easy pace around the City.
My route was perfect and I highly recommend it if you’re staying in the San Francisco Embarcadero area.
Just head out on Embarcadero and run towards the Golden Gate (so away from the Bay Bridge). If you start at the Ferry Building and head down Embarcadero you get to run through Fisherman’s Wharf, Ghirardelli Square, and all the way to the Golden Gate Bridge, if you want.
I got in a total of 15 miles and had beautiful weather. Perfection.
So, while not everyone thinks to stay in the San Francisco Embarcadero area, I have to say, it’s a pretty perfect spot.
Plenty to do, eat, and a perfect running path right outside your hotel door. What more could you ask for??
