San Francisco / The city guides

A little local direction.

Coffee before the fog lifts. A bookshop that changes your afternoon. A band in a room with some history. Our San Francisco edit connects neighbourhood institutions, independent culture and places to eat, from the Mission to North Beach and the western edge of the city.

This weekend.

The weekend editThis WeekendFive reasons to leave the scroll behind: Friday at Rickshaw Stop, Saturday music and stand-up, then a Sunday matinee or a concert beneath Great American Music Hall’s ornate balconies.

Start with a neighbourhood.

Neighbourhood guideA Little Time in the MissionThe Mission rewards a plan with room for a detour. Start with bread or coffee, follow it into a working ceramics complex, then choose independent cinema, media art or a concert. Leave a little space between stops and let the neighbourhood set the pace.Neighbourhood guideBooks, Coffee, North BeachNorth Beach makes a good case for letting one address lead to another. Espresso at Caffe Trieste, pizza on Green Street and a proper browse at City Lights give the day a backbone. For the evening, choose a concert or a stand-up bill from the neighbourhood’s established rooms and book accordingly.

Find your kind of plan.

CollectionUnder $25A few San Francisco dates with tickets listed from less than US$25. Save the splurge for another evening and start here for a lower-priced night out. Check the ticket seller’s final total, including fees and taxes, before booking.CollectionDinner Before the ShowChoose the meal and the room in the same neighbourhood. North Beach offers a pizza-and-concert pairing; the Fillmore District puts cart-served small plates and a historic music venue on the same local shortlist. Confirm service hours and tickets separately.CollectionA Good Rainy DayBooks, contemporary art, hands-on science, a film and a chocolate factory café: a wet-weather plan with enough variety to last the afternoon. Choose one place to settle into or build a few stops around the day’s programme.CollectionSmall Rooms. Loud Bands.Clubs and concert rooms where the setting is part of the evening. Start with these live-music addresses, then choose a date from their current listings; age limits, ticket availability and room configurations vary by show.

Something good on the table.

Food & DrinkCoffee, Bread, Something Made HereFive food stops where the making is part of the address: a bakery, a chocolate factory, an open roastery, a coffee-and-bread collaboration and a North Beach espresso institution. Follow the craft, stay for another cup, and build the rest of the day nearby.