Ferry Building Marketplace

Ferry Building Marketplace is on the waterfront along The Embarcadero at the foot of Market St. Until the opening of the San Francisco Bay Bridge in 1936 and the Golden Gate Bridge a year later, this was the transportation focal point for anyone arriving by ferry from points east and north. The Ferry Building, which celebrated its 100th anniversary in 2015, was restored to its former grandeur when the Embarcadero Freeway was torn down after being heavily damaged by the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake.

The terminal's clock tower remains a San Francisco landmark, and the building hums with commuters and tourists traveling to and from Alameda, Oakland, Larkspur, Sausalito, Vallejo, Tiburon and Angel Island. It also houses two dozen or so specialty food retailers and several restaurants. Pick up fresh-made sourdough baguettes or a crusty loaf of levain walnut bread at the Acme Bread Company. Next door, Cowgirl Creamery offers an array of aromatic cheeses. For carnivores there’s Boccalone Salumeria and the Prather Ranch Meat Co. Grocers, a Sur La Table cookware store and local favorites Peet’s Coffee & Tea, Blue Bottle Coffee and ice cream maker Humphry Slocombe are here, too.

This is the place to be on Saturday morning, when the Ferry Plaza Farmers Market sets up; smaller versions operate on Tuesday and Thursday mornings.