Heritage Food Court Finder: Hayes Valley to Ferry Building

Hayes Valley is full of design shops, wine bars and walk-up windows, but it has no historic market hall of its own. For a heritage food court finder search that starts on Hayes Street, the best answer is a short trip east: walk down to Market Street, board one of the vintage F-line streetcars and ride it all the way to the Ferry Building on the Embarcadero. Under that long skylit roof, a working ferry terminal doubles as San Francisco's most loved food hall, with bakers, cheesemakers, oyster shuckers and coffee roasters sharing one restored corridor.

Part of what makes Hayes Valley feel the way it does is a road that is no longer there. An elevated freeway once cut through the neighborhood, and after the Loma Prieta earthquake damaged it, the city tore it down and replaced it with Octavia Boulevard and the small park at Patricia's Green. Shops, cafés and shipping-container kiosks filled the space that opened up. That makes Hayes Valley a good starting point for a food outing, but it also explains why there was never room for a big public market here. The neighborhood is made of small storefronts, so the market hall you want sits a streetcar ride away.

Before the bridges, almost everyone arriving in San Francisco from the East Bay or the North Bay came through the Ferry Building. Its clock tower was the first thing travelers saw from the water, and the building survived the great earthquake that flattened much of the city around it. When the bridges opened and ferry traffic fell, the grand hall was carved into offices and largely forgotten. A careful restoration later reopened the central nave, cleared the skylight and turned the ground floor into a marketplace devoted to Northern California producers.

The result is a heritage food court in the truest sense: a historic public building where you can still catch a ferry, eat at a dozen different counters and buy groceries from the farms and creameries that supply the city's restaurants. It is not a mall food court with chain outlets, and that is the whole point of the trip.

From Hayes Street, walk south a few blocks to Market Street and wait for an F-line car heading toward the waterfront. The line runs restored streetcars from cities around the world, so the car that pulls up might be painted in the colors of Milan, Philadelphia or old San Francisco. The ride along Market passes the Civic Center, the theater district and the downtown towers before ending almost at the Ferry Building's front door. It is slower than the underground trains, which is exactly why it suits a heritage outing. Sit by a window and treat it as part of lunch.

If the streetcar is crowded, the Muni Metro and BART stations under Market Street get you to Embarcadero quickly, and you can walk the last block to the waterfront. On a clear day the full walk is pleasant too, roughly an hour on foot, which builds an appetite for the counters ahead.

Walk the entire nave once before you buy anything. The hall is long and narrow, and the best combinations come from mixing counters: a dozen oysters from one stall, a wedge of local cheese from another, a crusty loaf of sourdough, and a cup of coffee to finish. The tenants are mostly independent Bay Area food businesses, so tasting across several of them gives you a real sense of how the region eats.

Seating inside is limited, so plan to carry your picks outside. The benches along the back of the building face the bay, and on a sunny afternoon there is no better dining room in the city. On farmers market days the plaza in front fills with stalls, which roughly doubles the choice and the crowds. If you prefer a calmer visit, pick a non-market weekday and arrive before the office lunch rush.

One of the pleasures of this route is shopping for dinner on the way back. Pick up cheese, cured meat, olive oil, mushrooms or fresh pasta at the marketplace, ride the streetcar back up Market Street, and you have the makings of a picnic on Patricia's Green or a simple supper at home. Many Hayes Valley residents use the Ferry Building exactly this way, as a weekly grocery stop that happens to sit inside one of the most beautiful buildings in town.

Give yourself half an hour in the neighborhood before you leave. Walk the blocks of Hayes Street between Octavia and Laguna, where boutiques, a few shoe and homeware shops and small galleries line both sides, then cut over to Linden Street, a narrow alley with coffee windows and murals. Patricia's Green usually has a rotating public art piece on the lawn, and it is a good place to sit for a minute and decide how hungry you really are. Starting the day this way gives the outing a gentle rhythm: neighborhood browsing first, a scenic ride in the middle, and the market hall as the reward at the end of the line.

This outing works best for visitors staying near Civic Center or Hayes Valley who want one memorable food stop, for locals entertaining out-of-town guests, and for anyone who likes to taste many small things rather than sit through a long restaurant meal. It is less suited to a quick weekday lunch break, since the round trip and the grazing easily take two hours. If time is tight, stay in Hayes Valley and save the Ferry Building for a slower day.

Pay your streetcar fare with a Clipper card or a phone wallet, and carry a tote bag plus a small insulated bag if you plan to buy cheese or seafood. Dress in layers, because the waterfront is often windier and cooler than Hayes Valley. Save the Ferry Building and two or three favorite counters in the Karpo APP as a Hayes Valley market shortlist, and the next time friends ask where to eat something truly local, the whole route is ready to share.