Ferry Building
San Francisco's greatest food market inside a working waterfront landmark.
The Ferry Building is a grand Beaux-Arts marketplace and transit terminal that sits right on the edge of San Francisco Bay, at the foot of Market Street. Built in 1898, it survived the 1906 earthquake and fire, and for decades its 245-foot clock tower was one of the most recognizable sights on the city's waterfront. After a long stretch of decline — including years when an elevated freeway blocked it from the city — a major renovation in 2003 transformed it into one of the most celebrated food halls in the United States, while keeping it fully operational as a ferry terminal.
Today the building is home to around 30 permanent tenants, most of them local and artisan producers. You'll find Acme Bread selling loaves out of a wooden counter, Cowgirl Creamery offering tastes of their famous Mt Tam cheese, Blue Bottle Coffee drawing long lines at its original kiosk, Hog Island Oyster Co shucking bivalves by the bay, and the Slanted Door (or its successor concept) representing the best of California-Vietnamese cooking. The building's long interior arcade runs the length of the ground floor and opens at both ends onto the waterfront promenade, where you can eat outside with views of the bay, the Bay Bridge, and the ferries coming and going from Oakland, Marin, and the East Bay.
The Saturday Farmers Market — one of the best in California — takes over the outdoor plaza from 8am to 2pm and draws serious Bay Area chefs shopping alongside regular people. Tuesday and Thursday markets are smaller but less crowded. Come hungry, arrive early on Saturdays if you want the best produce before it sells out, and plan to graze your way through rather than sitting down for a single meal. The building also functions as a genuine commuter hub, which means it has real energy at commute hours — not just a tourist experience.