Discovering a Cornucopia of Delicious and Artisan Crafted Things at San Francisco’s Ferry Building
During a recent cruise on the Ruby Princess, we had a day stop in the beautiful port of San Francisco. I couldn’t wait to disembark and start my quest for distinctive local arts, crafts and foods from this Golden Gate City. This time I discovered a menu of delicious Things at San Francisco’s Ferry Building Marketplace. This beloved, historic space is brimming with culinary artisans, gourmet shops, local crafts and regionally sourced goods, so visitors can easily take home a taste of California.
San Francisco’s Ferry Building (Simonkr)
The Ferry Building has a rich historic past. It opened in 1898 as a train depot. During the Gold Rush days, arrival to San Francisco by ferry became the primary way to reach the city, with over 50,000 people per day arriving and departing. The Ferry Building greeted travelers with an elegant two-story public area, beautiful interior arches and overhead skylights.
As the automobile became popular and the Bay Bridge and Golden Gate Bridge were constructed and opened, the Ferry Building welcomed fewer travelers. By 1955, much of the building was converted to office space. After the 1989 earthquake, San Francisco leaders created a plan for the city’s waterfront, which included the redevelopment of the Ferry Building.
The Ferry Building reopened to the public after an extensive four-year restoration. Many of its original architectural attributes were restored and now the space functions as a vibrant marketplace, where locals and visitors meet to enjoy many of the region’s artisanal food purveyors. In 2023, the Ferry Building celebrated its 125th anniversary. It was here that I began my quest to explore San Francisco’s dynamic food and craft cultures for myself.
The Ferry Building’s Marketplace (ronniechua)
FOOD & BEVERAGES
Far West Fungi
Established in 1982, Far West Fungi is a premier provider of gourmet mushrooms and culinary experiences. They offer a wide range of premium mushrooms, mushroom-based products and educational resources. In addition to freshly cultivated mushrooms, they offer dried mushrooms and powders, truffle products, teas, medicinal tinctures and even kits where you can grow your own mushrooms at home.
Carmel Honey Company
This Company began as a homework assignment for a young man named Jake in 5th grade and developed into a thriving business for this young entrepreneur. Now in College, he tends to his bees in Monterey County, supplying natural honey to his retail pop up in the Ferry Building and several other California locations.
Carmel Honey Company offers a variety of honeys from Wildflower to Orange Blossom and Sage. In addition, Real Raw Honeycomb is available alongside a variety of honey-kissed products including Honey Macadamia Nut Caramel Corn, Beeswax Bath & Beauty Products, and even Sweet Honey Dog Treats.
Village Market
Village Market is filled with gourmet products from around the world and showcases a collection of products sourced exclusively from local purveyors. Shelves are packed with everything today’s chef needs in a kitchen from condiments to spice blends, canned fish to jams, and teas to towels, all produced locally in the Bay Area.
Dandelion Chocolate
Renowned as a bean-to-bar chocolate factory, the team at Dandelion Chocolate roasts, cracks, sorts, grinds and prepares small-batch chocolate products by hand. They pride themselves on making chocolate with just cocoa beans and organic cane sugar. Products range from traditional chocolate confections, bars and truffles to syrups, drinking chocolates and chocolate pastries. Tours of their chocolate factory located in San Francisco’s Mission District are also available!
Ferry Plaza Wine Merchant
If you are looking to taste local California wines, then the Ferry Plaza Wine Merchant is your place. Visitors enjoy sitting at the dark wood wine bar and selecting which wines are best to take home to friends and family, or for themselves! Whether you love whites or reds, sparkling or still, you’ll find them all and more at this delightful shop. I enjoyed a tasting of wines from the Northern California region, all of which were delicious!
Tsar Nicoulai Caviar
What’s better with some sparkling wines or champagne than fresh caviar? For most people. I unfortunately do not enjoy sushi, cavier or any type of raw fish. (Crazy, I know.) But for those who do appreciate a fresh California caviar, this is your place!
The team at Tsar Nicoulai Caviar takes pride in their fish, which are farmed sustainably in pristine conditions and fed a natural diet. They are the nation’s only Eco-Certified Sturgeon farm. Take a look at their amazing story below.
The Tsar Nicoulai Caviar Cafe at the Ferry Building is a boutique caviar house offering a seasonal farm to table menu for all caviar enthusiasts. They also offer pate, spreads, gourmet crackers and more. You can even order caviar to go!
Stonehouse California Olive Oil
This woman-owned and operated business grows their olives on several farms in Northern California, all within an hour and a half drive from San Franciso. Many of the groves are certified Organic and packaged sustainably. Stonehouse California Olive Oil has won many awards and are certified Extra Virgin by Modern Olives, a third-party lab. Visitors are offered tastings and can select from traditional or flavored oils and vinegars. Spices, salts, and herbs to complement the oils are also available, including one named Ferry Building. Perfect for remembering your visit to this culinary hotspot!
Red Bay Coffee
Founded in 2014 by renowned San Francisco artist and food entrepreneur Keba Konte, this busy coffee bistro specializes in fresh roasted coffees and innovative specialty drinks. Red Bay Coffee is conveniently located next to Passages Book Store, with outdoor table seating by the Bay. Visitors can take home a bag of fresh roasted coffee or enjoy one of their signature drinks such as Charcoal Vanilla Latte, Candied Yam Latte and a new line of ready-to-drink Black Coffee Spritzers.
Miette Patisserie
Meg Ray, a lifelong baker, founded Miette in 2001 to bring a taste of Parisian life to the San Francisco Bay. Visitors to Miette Patisserie can choose from a variety of sweet treats including Parisian macaroons, chocolate eclairs, gingerbread cupcakes, handmade confections and cookies including lavender, lemon and brown butter shortbread. Be sure to try the Turkish Delights candies flavored with passionfruit, pomegranate, blackberry and more. Meg also offers a Miette Cookbook and Tomboy Cake Baking Kit so you can recreate these Parisian delicacies at home.
CRAFTS & COLLECTIBLES
Fog City Flea Trading Post
This is a 5,000 sq. ft. market featuring makers and artists from the Bay Area and beyond. It is a MUST SEE stop for all visitors to San Francisco. Fog City Flea Trading Post features the region’s absolute best in handcrafted jewelry, apothecary, apparel, accessories, art, décor and more. Be sure to check out the vintage collection of fashion and home decor by LaliSimone when visiting this unique marketplace filled with local crafts.
Maison Verbena
Offering a curated collection of luxury scented candles and soaps, Maison Verbena’s mantra is “The Basics of Beautiful Living”. They feature three simple candle collections, Signature, Vinyard and Reserve, as well as Signature and Vineyard soaps. Select from garden-fresh Verbena, Lemongrass, French Lavender or Mimosa, in addition to many other scents. It’s seriously hard to pick just one. For those visitors, they offer a Reserve Collection Sampler.
Book Passage
This charming indie bookstore offers visitors an array of regional maps and guidebooks, in addition to beautiful stationery and postcards crafted by local artists and photographers. Book Passage showcases a selection of titles written by local authors as well. This bayside shop offers visitors an amazing view while browsing their shelves. Book Passage hosts author events and even offers writing classes to future authors dreaming of publishing their own stories.
Heath Ceramics
Heath Ceramics is one of the few remaining mid-century American potteries. In California since 1948, the current owners place a strong emphasis on design and handcrafted techniques. Their dinnerware is used in many of the country’s top restaurants, and its tiles adorn several renowned buildings. Heath Ceramics offers a beautiful collection of dinnerware, tabletop items, glassware, tiles, accessories, and décor, all certain to be heirlooms for generations to come.
They pack everything so it is “travel ready” and certain to make it home with you safely. Best of all, Heath Ceramics offers tours in their Mission District factory and showroom, where you’ll also discover the Heath Clay Studio alongside a collection of designer maker studios.
This is only a sample of the fabulous foods, fashion and crafts I discovered at San Francisco’s Ferry Building Marketplace. I look forward to returning soon to experience more local culinary and cultural treasures crafted by talented artisans in this dynamic city.
Join me on my next shopping journey as I visit one of Canada’s most breathtaking ports, Vancouver, British Columbia. We’ll discover a vast array of talented artists, designers and craftsmen at the city’s popular Granville Island.
Till then, keep cruisin’ through life, discovering your own special Things!
CHEERS!
