Famous for its tourist areas such as the Golden Gate Bridge, Fisherman's Wharf and beautiful Sausalito, San Francisco is a city known for its diversity. As the second most densely populated major American city after New York, the city is known for diverse cultures coexisting in harmony. Some cultures actually have their own district in the city so you can feel the country far away from their own roots, here in San Francisco.
One day if I go to heaven... I'll look around and say, 'It ain't bad, but it ain't San Francisco.' - Herb Caen
Chinatown
Chinatown in San Francisco, hugely scattered in the city center, is known as the largest Chinatown outside of Asia. If you are fascinated by Asian culture, you can find everything you need there, from a renowned Chinese restaurant where President Obama visited, to small Asian snacks that will fascinate your taste buds. You will rarely hear English words in the Chinatown. Chinese words will be shouted everywhere by merchants in grocery stores trying to sell fruits, fish and meats while they are fresh. The smell of Chinese herbs and exotic fruits hangs in the air while you walk throughout the district. With Chinese-style buildings, the smell of herbs and Chinese words buzzing everywhere, you will feel like you just walked into a city in China.
Must visit:
- Z&Y Restaurant
- Golden Gate Bakery
- Dragon's Gate
Little Italy
Adjacent to Chinatown, near North Beach, you can find the district called ‘Little Italy.’ Streets are filled with Italian restaurants with outdoor seating, pizza places with long queues of waiting customers and dessert shops that serves Lavazza coffee with amazing desserts. Roaming around little Italy, you can find people enjoying an aperitif and lively chatting with each other on the street during sunny days.
Must visit:
- Stella Pastry & Cafe
- Molinari Delicatessen
- Golden boy (cash only)
Japantown
Another big part of San Francisco is Japantown. With a huge Asian population residing in San Francisco, Japantown has a mixture of Japanese and Korean shops. Japantown has a wide range of offers including all sorts of Asian goods from delicious Asian desserts, small souvenirs, K-beauty cosmetics, Korean style spas to huge Japanese Samurai swords. With clean streets, a calm ambiance and temples, Japantown offers drastically different experience than Chinatown and has several phenomenal restaurants.
Must visit:
- YakiniQ BBQ (Korean unlimited BBQ)
- Marufuku Ramen
- Japantown Peace Plaza
Why don't you spend time in San Francisco exploring diverse cultures during your trip?
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