Delicious and Authentic Food Finds in San Francisco Bay Area
Our last trip to California was full of adventures. We spent a few days hiking and exploring national parks such as Yosemite and Sequoia National Parks. Surely we felt like we had earned ourselves some delicious treats. San Francisco is a culinary haven for foodies like us and we always look forward to the tasty food whenever we visit here.
There are so many good restaurants in San Francisco bay area that it was impossible to try them all in one visit. While we enjoyed going back to our favorite places, we tried to find new ones too. Keep reading to see some of our favorite finds from our last trip.
The best ramen we’ve ever had is still Ichiran Ramen that we had in Tokyo. We have not found any place that makes ramen with such a perfect texture and rich broth. However, Ramen Nagi might be the best ramen we’ve ever had in the USA so far. There was a line in front of the restaurant, but we did not wait long. We were able to customize our ramen, from the spice level, thickness of the noodles, and more. They offer 5 ramen flavors: Original, Black King, Red King, Green King, and Veggie King. There were four of us so we decided to order one of each to share, except for Veggie King. All of them were delicious in their own way.
We walked from our hotel in Fisherman’s Wharf to Sotto Mare, a place specializing in Italian-style seafood. The restaurant was so cute and cozy, the service was superb, and the food was amazing. We made a reservation and did not have to wait at all. To start, we ordered a couple some oysters, which were fresh and delicious. The “Best Damn Crab Cioppino” was huge and very tasty. We also ordered the Lobster Ravioli and Seafood Linguine with pomodoro sauce. Both pasta dishes were authentically delicious.
Chinatown San Francisco has so many good food to choose from, and this time we tried R&G Lounge Cantonese Restaurant. Their signature Salt & Pepper Dungeness Crab was to die for. We also loved the R&G Special Beef and Deep Fried Bean Curds Stuffed With Shrimp.
There are plenty of dim sum restaurants to choose from in San Francisco bay area. We accidentally found Ming’s Tasty when we were driving around Oakland area. The place looked small but the food turned out to be amazing. The Thousand Fried Shrimp Balls were so good that we devoured the entire dish before getting a chance to take a picture. Other favorites from this place were the Frog Clay Pot Rice and the Sticky Rice Minced Pork Wrapped in Lotus Leaf. We also tried their classic dim sum dishes such as Steamed Pork Buns, Chicken Feet, Pork & Shrimp Dumplings, and more. Yum!
We had brunch at Boudin’s Bakery at Fisherman’s Wharf, and although the staff was not friendly, the food was surprisingly lovely. The Clam Chowder was rich and creamy and served in delicious sourdough bread. We also had the Crab Benedict, which was fantastic, and so was the Strawberry Banana Waffle.
Another new find was the family-owned Dumpling House in Richmond area. We had never tried Mongolian cuisine before and as always, we were eager to try something new. When we asked questions about the dishes, the wait staff answered patiently and made some great recommendation. Our favorite dish was the Beef Khuushuur, a meat pastry filled with beef, onion, and cabbage. The Momo Soup was flavorful, and it came with some steamed buns on the side. Although the meat could have been softer, the Gulyash rice dish was deliciously seasoned. The Lamb Dumplings were juicy and the portion was huge. There was a complimentary self-served milk tea station. The milk tea was a perfect companion to all of these dishes. We are new fans of Mongolian cuisines.
The first night after we landed in Oakland, the rain was pouring for hours. We were craving something warm and decided to try this Korean restaurant called Seoul Gom Tang. We ordered the Gamjatang, a pork and potato soup with incredibly rich, spicy broth. The Yuggaejang, a spicy beef soup with flavorful broth, was delicious and comforting as well. We also ordered Chadolbaegigomtang, a brisket soup with thick but milder beef broth, which balanced off the spiciness of the other soups. Lastly, we had the Bibimbap, a classic Korean rice dish topped with meat and vegetables, served in a stone bowl. This was probably the best Bibimbap we’ve had yet. It had a generous amount of toppings, and the stone bowl was hot enough to create a perfect amount of rice crunch at the bottom of the bowl. We left the restaurant with very happy tummies.
By the end of our trip, we were already making a list of restaurants to try the next time we visit. Looking forward to next time!
You may also like:
I'm a happily-married mom of two. Our family enjoys an active lifestyle and spending quality time together. We love creating memories through travel, learning about different cultures around the world.