Yvette M
Yelp
I went to San Francisco with my boyfriend and he booked the ghost and crime tour for the Saturday night. It was a really interesting blend of true crime, history and some seriously scary ghost stories. In other words perfect entertainment for the night. The tour stopped in a historical bar midway through the tour for a quick cocktail and then ended at the oldest pub in the city. It was our first night in SF and the guide was really helpful with recommendations for the rest of our stay. We’d definitely give it 5 out of 5!
John Julien
This was a great tour and Jamie was a fantastic guide! We were able to see so many parts of the city, learn its history, and feel comfortable navigating its many neighborhoods. Whether you’re visiting for a day or a week, I can’t recommend this tour enough. Thanks Jamie!
Gina Ziegler
TripAdvisor
What an awesome way to see San Francisco. Jamie our tour guide was born and raised in the city and was an amazing, interesting source of knowledge and made the tour so fun from riding the trolley car, easy walking, beautiful sites and excellent food and treats. I highly recommend this tour. And I must say, a great value. THANK YOU JAMIE, you made San Francisco so memorable!
Sightsee780139
TripAdvisor
Such an interesting deep dive into the Castro and Mission neighborhoods, for which we had an incredibly sunny warm summer day. Our guide was extremely knowledgeable, having grown up in the area, and pointed out not only historical places, but beautiful murals, homes and fun nooks and crannies (like hidden stairways to streets) that we never would have seen on our own. We definitely came away with much more of an appreciation for Castro and the Mission (love Dolores Park!) and will seek out other neighborhoods on our next trip!
Gillian_D
Viator
I had the most amazing time, as a solo traveller doing a small group tour is perfect. My tour guide was very knowledgeable and friendly. He gave us lots of fun facts along the way and the whole experience was very interesting. Bring your walking shoes we started at 10 am and finished at 6 pm, I highly recommend you do this tour. We went to places tourist didn’t go.
Jamie Sarkozi
My Boyfriend and I booked an all Day SF tour with Christofer and had an amazing time! He knew a ton of history which we loved and we were able to see a ton. We loved it as it had been our first time visiting. Would highly recommend to anyone wanting to be shown around the city.
Edgar Wallace
Did a wonderful tour with these guys while I was in San Francisco on business. I’d also done a tour with the sister company in Los Angeles several years ago. Kevin, who was the guide, was great and it was so nice to be outside. We learnt tons about SF. Definitely recommended!
juju1961
TripAdvisor
Our guide Damien was so very knowledgeable about the area and history of SF. We experienced different methods of transport (avoiding those big hills!) and areas we would not otherwise have known about.
Margie S
Viator
Damien was the best! Friendly & very informative. He took into consideration our interests & made it very enjoyable. Great exercise- best way to see SF. Liked Haight Ashbury the most.
Campanilla2014
TripAdvisor
We had a two day layover in San Francisco, so we wanted to make the most of our time there. It’s always been somewhere we wanted to visit and on this tour we got to all the places we most dreamed of going – downtown, Nob hill, Castro, Haight Ashbury, painted ladies, Lombard St, North beach and Chinatown. It was only a small group and the guide was amazing. It wasn’t tiring at all and we had a great time jumping from trains to buses to cable cars. AWESOME DAY!!!
SF: Food + History + Art Tour
PRICE
$90 / pp
Includes food
WALKING
2 miles
An easy walking distance
TIME
12pm - 3pm (3 hours)
Saturday & Sunday
SF: Food + History + Art Tour Description
What makes the SF: Food + History + Art tour different from other SF food tours? There are no cupcakes or amuse bouches – we give you "real" food that's authentic to San Francisco and California, and tell you real history.
Food: The Mission District is renowned for having some of the best food in San Francisco. Although the Mission District is known for being at the epicenter of Latino culture here (and birthplace of the Mission Burrito), its food scene is in fact very varied - and very good. We take you on a tour of the best spots in the neighborhood, so you can have authentic SF food, such as Salvadorian pupusas, street tacos and Mexican tamales. As well as some of the most delicious chocolate you're ever tasted.
History: San Francisco has a fascinating story too. The neighborhood's Misión San Francisco de Asís is the birthplace of modern SF. We'll give you an overview of the city's history, from the dog days of the Spanish Empire, to being part of Mexico, to the Gold Rush era, through the Great Fire and up to today, as the city transforms once again. You'll have a chance to learn all about this fascinating city.
Art: We have some amazing art in the city (especially if you think of the world class museums in the Bay Area), but the Mission District is arguably the best neighborhood for public murals. We'll visit the Balmy Alley Mural Project, as well as enjoying amazing street art like the Women's Building. It's also a great way to get a better understanding of this often complicated - and sometimes misunderstood - city.
Join us on our SF food history and art tour and TRULY experience the best of San Francisco.
Our tours can sell out. If you can't make a booking email [email protected], telling us when you want to go and how many guests are in your party. If we can squeeze you in we’ll let you know.
Logistics & Details
*Cost: $90 pp.
*Walking distance: 2 miles.
*Tour starts 12 pm Saturday & Sunday, Elsy's Restaurant(opens in new tab), Mission Street (meeting point photo(opens in new tab)).
*Tour finishes 3 pm, corner 18th and Church St(opens in new tab).
*There are 3-4 food tastings included, each about 20 minutes, for the equivalent of a 3 course meal.
*There’s a big range of food options and all types of diet can be accommodated (vegetarian, vegan etc). Be sure to leave a note in the designated field ("Anything else we need to know?") when making a booking, if you have any dietary restrictions.
*We donate $1 for every guest to Climate Cents, a climate change organization.
book a private SF: Food + History + Art tour from $550 for up to 6 guests
Private tours can be booked for any day and any time between 9am-6pm
Disclaimers
This tour is in English. If your English isn’t fluent this may not be the best option for you. We do not offer this tour in any other language at this time.
Drinks are not included.
This is a walking tour and we move at a reasonable pace. If you have mobility issues please book a private tour.
We never cancel tours in advance due to the weather conditions. Be sure to wear layered clothing, we can get four seasons in a day in SF.
Aim to get to the meeting point 10-15 minutes early. If you’re late you may miss the tour.
Contactless payment for gratuities available, please allow 15-20%.
Full refund or exchange available up to 48 hours before tour. Please check dates/times carefully BEFORE booking though.
You must book in advance.
Itinerary
Subject to change at our discretion.
Dining Locations
Pupusas: Thick corn tortillas stuffed with a range of different fillings. The national dish of El Salvador and a favorite food across Central America. We’ll visit one of our favorite Salvadoran restaurants: La Santaneca, popular with Salvadorans who want a taste of home, or Elsy’s, where they've been making pupusas since 1978.
Street tacos: Two or three bites of grilled meat with diced onions, cilantro, salsa and a squeeze of lime, all wrapped in corn or flour tortillas. Smaller, simpler and more intensely flavorful than a typical restaurant taco. We’ve never had better ones in the Mission than Taqueria Vallarta’s.
Tamales: Soft corn-based dough filled with meats and/or cheeses and steamed after being wrapped in corn husks. So time-consuming to prepare it's reserved for special occasions. Many restaurants in the Mission don’t, but they’re the house specialty at La Espiga de Oro and Café de Oro.
Hot Chocolate: Part of Mexican cuisine for thousands of years and, according to ancient legend, a gift of the Mayan rain god, Chuah. We definitely think Dandelion’s, with its small-batch, single-source chocolates, is a heavenly delight.
*We do not accept incentives from any restaurant in order to take you there. All locations that we visit on this SF food tour are chosen to fit the experience, not get us a commission.*