For me, one of the best things about a trip to San Francisco is the food. I like to walk everywhere here, even up all of those hills. I have to in order to burn off some of the excess calories I have either just consumed or am about to consume. San Francisco has just about every type of cuisine on offer and restaurants at every price point so finding a good place to eat is very much a case of personal preference.

In terms of some of my favourites, my all time favourite restaurant ever, Gary Danko is in San Francisco. If you are looking for a fabulous meal then in my view this is the pick of the bunch. You will need to make a reservation.

I am also fond of Gitane restaurant and bar. I like the atmosphere and the cocktails are brilliant. Again, reservations are a good idea.

For brunch I love Mama’s on Washington Square. Just thinking about the French toast is making me very hungry. There are no reservations and you will almost certainly have to queue (try and avoid the weekend of possible) so don’t arrive with starving hungry travelling companions. I tend to go armed with a newspaper.

For lunch and / or picnic supplies I head straight for the Ferry Building Marketplace . I feel hungry when I walk around here even if I have just eaten. You are spoiled for choice for interesting food.

If you want a very casual dining experience, my last pick is The Codmother, a food truck with outside seating near to Pier 45 on Fisherman’s Wharf. I really do like their fish tacos.

For many, many more choices my review site of choice is yelp. You can search by area, price level and various features, e.g. good for kids, takes reservations etc so it is a good way to narrow down the choices. OpenTable is also a useful resource as you can search for restaurants that have availability in your area (obviously this only works for restaurants that use OpenTable for booking, but it can be very handy).

If you want a good place just to go and wander around and look for restaurants, the Mission District is a good bet. San Francisco also has a big street food scene. There is the SOMA street food park , a street food festival if you are around during August and the Roaming Hunger directory covers San Francisco.

Union Square is a good place to head for if you are looking for some of the more familiar chain restaurants – the Cheesecake factory has a branch just off the Square.

If you are looking for places to go for a drink, Upper Grant Street is a good place to head for general bar availability. We are always fans of brew pubs. The San Francisco Brew Pub Club maintains a useful list to help you find them. Again, the Mission District is a good spot for beer lovers to head to, with Southern Pacific Brewing and Monks Kettle to name two sound options.

Finally, San Francisco is a great place to go wine tasting. If you are looking for a nice environment to sample a couple of glasses, we like The Hidden Vine and Amelie.