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Food tours in San Francisco: what to eat and which tour to book
San Francisco eats from two directions at once: old immigrant neighbourhoods and the produce of Northern California. Chinatown and the Richmond District do dim sum and Cantonese roast meats, North Beach still has Italian bakeries and delis from its Little Italy days, and the Mission is where the foil-wrapped Mission burrito was born. On top of that sit sourdough bread, Dungeness crab in season and a farmers-market culture centred on the Ferry Building.
Use this page to decide what to order and where. The dishes and areas below say what each neighbourhood does well and when the markets run. The tours are real listings on GetYourGuide and Viator; prices are approximate, and only one was visible to us in a listing snippet, so confirm the current price and group size on the booking page before you pay. Expect hills: most tours involve a fair amount of walking.
What to eat in San Francisco
| Dish | What it is | Where to eat it | Typical price* |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mission burrito Mission-style burrito | An oversized flour-tortilla burrito packed with rice, beans, meat (carne asada, al pastor, carnitas), salsa and often cheese, sour cream and guacamole, steamed and wrapped in foil. | Taquerías along Mission Street and 24th Street in the Mission District. | roughly $12–18 (€11–16) |
| Dim sum dim sum / yum cha | Cantonese small plates such as har gow (shrimp dumplings), siu mai, char siu bao and egg tarts, eaten from late morning. | Chinatown (Grant Avenue and Stockton Street) and Clement Street in the Richmond District; takeaway bakeries are cheapest. | roughly $4–9 (€4–8) per plate in a restaurant, less for takeaway |
| Sourdough bread San Francisco sourdough | Tangy, chewy-crusted bread made with a natural starter; the city's best-known loaf and the base of the tourist clam-chowder bread bowl. | Neighbourhood bakeries across the city; the Ferry Building has bakery stalls. | roughly $8–14 (€7–13) a loaf |
| Dungeness crab | Local crab, steamed or roasted with garlic. The commercial season usually opens in winter (often from around November or December) but dates vary year to year. | Fish counters and seafood restaurants; Fisherman's Wharf street stands sell it cooked. | roughly $40–70 (€36–63) for a whole crab in a restaurant; varies with season |
| Cioppino | Tomato and wine seafood stew created by Italian fishermen in San Francisco, with crab, clams, mussels and fish, served with bread. | Italian and seafood restaurants in North Beach and near the Wharf. | roughly $35–55 (€32–50) a bowl |
| Focaccia and Italian deli sandwiches focaccia | North Beach's Italian bakeries have made focaccia for over a century; delis use it for sandwiches. | Bakeries and delis around Washington Square and Columbus Avenue in North Beach. | roughly $5–10 (€5–9) for focaccia, $14–18 (€13–16) for a deli sandwich |
| Pupusas | Salvadoran thick corn tortillas stuffed with cheese, beans or pork, served with curtido (pickled cabbage) and tomato salsa. Naturally gluten-free. | Salvadoran restaurants in the Mission District. | roughly $4–6 (€4–5) each |
| Irish coffee | Hot coffee with Irish whiskey, sugar and lightly whipped cream; popularised in the US by a bar near Fisherman's Wharf in the 1950s. | Bars near Fisherman's Wharf and across the city. | roughly $12–16 (€11–14) |
Where to eat: markets and neighbourhoods
Ferry Building Marketplace and Ferry Plaza Farmers Market
Indoor food hall of bakeries, cheese, oysters and coffee in the old ferry terminal, with a large farmers market outside run by the nonprofit Foodwise.
Mission District
Mexican and Central American taquerías, pupuserías and panaderías along Mission and 24th Streets, plus bakeries and ice-cream shops around Valencia Street and Dolores Park.
Chinatown
One of the oldest Chinatowns in North America; Grant Avenue is the tourist strip, while Stockton Street has the produce, fish markets, roast-meat shops and bakeries locals use.
North Beach
The old Little Italy next to Chinatown: espresso bars, focaccia bakeries, delis and Italian restaurants along Columbus Avenue and around Washington Square.
Clement Street (Inner Richmond)
Residential 'second Chinatown' with dim sum, Burmese, Korean and Russian bakeries at local prices, with far fewer visitors.
Fisherman's Wharf
Street seafood stands selling crab, shrimp cocktails and clam chowder in sourdough bowls. Very touristy and pricey, but the place to see the crab stands.
Food tours in San Francisco compared
Every tour below is a real listing on GetYourGuide or Viator, checked on 2 Oct 2026. Prices move with season and group size, so treat them as a guide and confirm on the booking page.
| Tour | Length | Price* | Group | Best for | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| San Francisco: Little Italy & Chinatown 5 Tastings Food Tour | about 3 hours | from about $85 (€77) per adult as seen in GetYourGuide search results | max 12 (per operator site) | First-timers who want both of the old central neighbourhoods in one walk. | Check dates |
| San Francisco Mission District Food Tour With Local Favorite Dishes | roughly 3 hours | roughly $80–95 (€72–86) per adult | small group (exact cap not confirmed) | Visitors who want the Mission's Mexican and Central American food with a guide; mostly flat walking. | Check dates |
| San Francisco Chinatown Small-Group Half-Day Walking Food Tour | half day (exact length not confirmed) | price not seen; check listing | small group (exact cap not confirmed) | Visitors who want to focus on Chinatown rather than split time with North Beach. | Check dates |
| San Francisco Mission District Culinary Tour | — | price not seen; check listing | — | Adults who want an evening-style tour with drinks in the Mission. | Check dates |
| San Francisco: Dumpling Cooking Class & Dinner Party | 2.5 hours | from €120 per person | max 8 | Travellers who want to cook the dishes again at home; easiest option for dietary needs, since you control the ingredients. | Check dates |
| San Francisco: Half-Day Wine Country Excursion with Tastings | 5.5 hours | from €98 per person | — | First-timers who want a broad tasting of the classics with a local guide. | Check dates |
San Francisco: Little Italy & Chinatown 5 Tastings Food Tour
On GetYourGuide · run by Secret Food Tours
- Length
- about 3 hours
- Price
- from about $85 (€77) per adult as seen in GetYourGuide search results
- Group size
- max 12 (per operator site)
- Included
- 5+ tastings across North Beach and Chinatown, such as pizza, dim sum and coffee, plus a 'secret' dish.
- Suits
- First-timers who want both of the old central neighbourhoods in one walk.
- Starts
- Outside the San Francisco Cable Car Museum
San Francisco Mission District Food Tour With Local Favorite Dishes
On Viator
- Length
- roughly 3 hours
- Price
- roughly $80–95 (€72–86) per adultapprox.
- Group size
- small group (exact cap not confirmed)
- Included
- Mission District tastings such as a Mission-style burrito, Latin American dishes and pan dulce, with the neighbourhood's history and murals.
- Suits
- Visitors who want the Mission's Mexican and Central American food with a guide; mostly flat walking.
- Starts
- Mission District (check listing)
San Francisco Chinatown Small-Group Half-Day Walking Food Tour
On Viator
- Length
- half day (exact length not confirmed)
- Price
- price not seen; check listingapprox.
- Group size
- small group (exact cap not confirmed)
- Included
- Chinatown tastings; the platform's listings for this type of tour mention dim sum, roast duck and bakery stops.
- Suits
- Visitors who want to focus on Chinatown rather than split time with North Beach.
- Starts
- Chinatown (check listing)
San Francisco Mission District Culinary Tour
On Viator
- Price
- price not seen; check listingapprox.
- Included
- Mission District food stops; the listing URL refers to a cocktail pairing, so expect drinks to be part of it (adults only likely).
- Suits
- Adults who want an evening-style tour with drinks in the Mission.
- Starts
- Mission District (check listing)
San Francisco: Dumpling Cooking Class & Dinner Party
On GetYourGuide · run by Eating with Edmund
- Length
- 2.5 hours
- Price
- from €120 per person
- Rating
- 5.0 ★ from 12 reviews (on 2 Oct 2026)
- Group size
- max 8
- Included
- All materials and ingredients Sauces 3-course meal Instructor Recipe guide
- Suits
- Travellers who want to cook the dishes again at home; easiest option for dietary needs, since you control the ingredients.
- Starts
- Chef Eddie, in an apron, will greet you in the building lobby starting 5 minutes before our start time. The building also hosts a Trader Joe's -- make sure you go to the main lobby of 555 Fulton St.
San Francisco: Half-Day Wine Country Excursion with Tastings
On GetYourGuide · run by Tower Tours - San Francisco
- Length
- 5.5 hours
- Price
- from €98 per person
- Rating
- 4.3 ★ from 435 reviews (on 2 Oct 2026)
- Included
- All wine tasting fees Tour 2 winery estates 3-5 tastings per winery 24-hour Hop-on Hop-off Tour (if option selected) 1-hour Chinatown Walking Tour (if option selected) 1-hour Panoramic Sunset Tour (if option selected)…
- Suits
- First-timers who want a broad tasting of the classics with a local guide.
- Starts
- 99 Jefferson St, San Francisco, CA 94133, USA
Some links on this page are partner links. If you book through them TonyPlan earns a small commission — the price you pay is exactly the same.
Street food, sit-down or a cooking class?
Street food
San Francisco's cheap eating is counter food rather than street stalls: taquerías in the Mission, Chinatown bakeries and takeaway dim sum, and the crab and chowder stands at Fisherman's Wharf. Food trucks gather at some weekday lunch spots and events. A burrito or a bag of takeaway dim sum is the best-value meal in the city.
Sit-down meals
This is an expensive city to sit down in: menu prices plus sales tax, often a separate health-care or 'SF mandates' surcharge, and an 18–22% tip. Book ahead for well-known restaurants, particularly Thursday to Saturday. Dinner tends to be earlier than in Europe, from about 18:00 to 21:00, and many kitchens close by 22:00.
Cooking classes
We did not find a cooking class listing on GetYourGuide or Viator that we could verify for this page. Food tours are the more common bookable format; for hands-on cooking, check the platforms for current classes and confirm the location, since many Bay Area classes are outside the city.
How much to budget for food
| Style | Per person, per day* |
|---|---|
| Budget (street food, markets) | $45–65 (€40–58) — bakery breakfast, burrito lunch, takeaway dim sum or noodles for dinner |
| Mid-range (one sit-down meal a day) | $110–160 (€100–145) — two sit-down meals with a drink, including tax, surcharge and tip |
| Splurge (tasting menus, wine) | $300+ (€270+) — a tasting menu with wine |
Vegetarian, halal and gluten-free
Vegetarian & vegan: Very easy. Menus label vegetarian and vegan dishes widely, taquerías offer bean and vegetable burritos, and the city has many fully vegan restaurants. In Chinatown, ask about pork or shrimp in dumplings and lard in some pastries.
Halal: Halal options exist but are scattered: Middle Eastern, Afghan and South Asian restaurants and some halal food trucks, with concentrations in the Tenderloin and Mission areas. Most taquerías and dim sum houses are not halal; pork is common in both.
Gluten-free: Awareness is high and many restaurants mark gluten-free dishes. Corn tortillas, pupusas and many Mexican dishes are naturally wheat-free, but check for shared fryers and flour tortillas. Soy sauce in Chinese cooking contains wheat.
Food scams and tourist traps to avoid
- Surcharges on the bill: many restaurants add a percentage for staff health care, 'SF mandates' or service, which visitors then tip on top of without noticing. Read the bottom of the menu and the bill. A surcharge is not the tip; if a service charge is already included, you do not need to add a full 20%.
- Clam chowder bread bowls and crab at Fisherman's Wharf sold at high prices, sometimes frozen or out of season. Treat the Wharf as a sight, not the best seafood meal; Dungeness crab is fresh in season (roughly winter), so ask whether it is local and fresh.
- Car break-ins while you eat, especially near Fisherman's Wharf, Alamo Square and other tourist parking spots. This is one of the city's most widely reported visitor problems. Leave nothing visible in a car, not even an empty bag, or use public transport to reach food neighbourhoods.
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Staying near the markets saves time and taxi money — most food tours start in the old centre.
Common questions
How much should I tip in San Francisco?
At table-service restaurants, 18–22% of the pre-tax bill is standard. Many restaurants also add a surcharge (often 3–6%) for staff health care or city mandates; that is not a tip. If the bill already says 'service included', you can skip or reduce the tip. On food tours, guides commonly receive $10–15 per person.
Which food tour is best on a first visit?
A North Beach and Chinatown combination tour covers the two historic neighbourhoods next to each other, starts near the cable car lines and suits most first-timers. If you want burritos, pupusas and Latin American bakeries, take a Mission District tour instead; it is flatter and reachable on BART (16th St or 24th St Mission).
When is the Ferry Building farmers market?
The Ferry Plaza Farmers Market runs year-round on Saturday 8:00–14:00 and on Tuesday and Thursday 10:00–14:00. Saturday is the large market with the most farmers and hot-food stalls. The indoor Ferry Building Marketplace shops are open daily with their own hours.
How much should I budget for food per day?
On a tight budget, about $45–65 per person covers a bakery breakfast, a Mission burrito and takeaway dim sum or noodles. A mid-range day with two sit-down meals and a drink is roughly $110–160 after tax, surcharges and tip. Tasting menus at well-known restaurants often start at $200–300 before wine.
When is Dungeness crab season?
The commercial Dungeness crab season in the Bay Area usually opens in winter, often around November or December, though the opening is sometimes delayed for whale-entanglement or quality reasons. In season you will find fresh crab at fish counters and restaurants; outside it, crab on menus may be frozen or from elsewhere.
Should I book food tours in advance?
In summer and on weekends, small-group tours with a 12-person cap can fill several days ahead, so book about a week before. Fog and wind are common even in summer, so bring a layer. Most GetYourGuide and Viator listings offer free cancellation up to 24 hours before.
* Prices are approximate, gathered on 2 Oct 2026 from menus, markets and the booking pages linked above. They change with season and exchange rates.