San Francisco's food scene is famously varied, but a few dishes go back to the Gold Rush and the fishing fleet, and visitors rightly want to try them.

Sourdough

Sourdough bread was baked in San Francisco from the Gold Rush on, and the city's cool, damp climate is said to suit its wild yeasts and bacteria. The result is a chewy loaf with a crisp crust and a pronounced sour tang. One waterfront bakery has been baking it since 1849 and still uses its original starter, and its Fisherman's Wharf bakery has windows onto the bakers at work. Many neighborhood bakeries now make excellent versions.

Clam chowder in a bread bowl

New England-style creamy clam chowder, served in a hollowed-out sourdough loaf, is the classic waterfront lunch. It is filling, not refined, and best eaten outside with a view of the boats.

Dungeness crab

The local crab is Dungeness, sweet and meaty. Its commercial season usually opens in winter and runs into spring, though in some years it has been delayed. In season, the stands on Fisherman's Wharf steam crabs in big pots and sell them whole or as crab cocktails.

Cioppino

A tomato and wine stew of crab, clams, mussels, shrimp and fish, created by the Italian fishermen of North Beach. Order it with plenty of bread and a bib.

Where and how

The street stands are cheaper than the restaurants, and just as good for chowder and crab; see San Francisco on a budget. For bread, cheese and oysters from local producers, go to the Ferry Building and its farmers market.

The science of San Francisco sourdough

Sourdough is leavened not by commercial yeast but by a "starter": a culture of wild yeasts and lactic acid bacteria kept alive by regular feeding with flour and water. The bacteria produce lactic and acetic acids, which give the bread its tang and help it keep. One of the bacteria found in San Francisco starters was even named after the city, though it turns out to live in sourdough cultures around the world. What the city did have was a long, unbroken tradition: Gold Rush miners carried starters with them, and some of the city's bakeries have kept theirs going for more than a century.

A seafood calendar

  • Dungeness crab: in season roughly from late fall or winter into spring, depending on the year and the opening date set by the state.
  • Oysters: from bays north of the city all year, best in the cooler months.
  • Salmon: the local season is in the warmer months, when it is open; it has been closed in some recent years to protect stocks.
  • Halibut and rockfish: common on menus through much of the year.

Restaurants serve frozen or imported seafood out of season. If freshness matters to you, ask.

Other classic San Francisco foods

  • It's-It: vanilla ice cream sandwiched between oatmeal cookies and dipped in chocolate, a local treat since the 1920s.
  • Irish coffee: a bar near Fisherman's Wharf is credited with popularizing it in America in the 1950s.
  • Chocolate: Ghirardelli has been making chocolate in the city since the Gold Rush.
  • Hangtown fry: an omelet with fried oysters and bacon, from Gold Rush days.

Frequently asked questions

Where can I watch sourdough being baked?

The large bakery on Fisherman's Wharf has windows onto its bakers and a small museum about the bread's history.

Is clam chowder in a bread bowl a local dish?

Chowder came from New England, but serving it in sourdough is a San Francisco tradition.

What is cioppino?

A tomato-based seafood stew created by Italian fishermen in North Beach, now served across the city.