You never forget about the water in San Francisco. From the windswept Pacific coast, running along the city’s western flank, to the shimmering blue waters of the San Francisco Bay, sea breezes can be felt from the top of its steep hills and in the sailor-tinged spirit of its history.

It may have started life as a port town, but San Francisco has since become an international destination for art, culture, and cuisine. You’ll find fresh seafood aplenty, of course, plucked from the bay and surrounding waters, echoed by a bounty of gorgeous local produce, straight from area farms. The farm-to-table movement, so widespread around the U.S. now, has long been synonymous with the “California cuisine” of this city, where top dining destinations and sandwich shops alike take a hyperlocal approach to their food. History runs deep in food culture here, too: Hearty, indulgent classics like Hangtown fry have stuck around since Gold Rush days, when San Francisco’s lawless heart was known as the Barbary Coast and easy-flowing liquor and delightfully loose morals were the name of the game.

Read More