If you haven’t been documenting your life to anyone who looks up the #foodporn hashtag, are you even a millennial? For a city of seven modest square miles, San Francisco is proudly holding its own where food and decor meet Instagram.
In a nutshell, opening a millennial-friendly eatery sounds simple: pick a buzzworthy neighborhood, learn to sculpt avocadoes into rosebuds, insert trendy wallpaper, and plug in a neon sign of a relevant catchphrase.
The reality is that a lot of thought goes into the Bay Area’s trendy restaurants, both food and design-wise. Take Madelyn Markoe and Jessie Barker’s superstar Cuban spot Media Noche for example. You may know it as the place where every fashion blogger ever has taken a casual snap by the flamingo mural. As expected, the mural contains a gentle reminder – #medianochesf – in its lower righthand corner.
“We wanted it to be Instagrammable,” Markoe told The Verge. She estimates that on average, customers spend 10 minutes taking pictures before they order. Even Starbucks let the world know that they got the hint when they flooded your Instagram feed with Unicorn frapps earlier this year.
But the Bay Area, never to be outdone, boasts a wealth of social media friendly restaurant options. If you can believe it, research by Zizzi indicates that the under-35 crowd spends 5 entire days per year browsing food images on Instagram. The hashtag #eatingfortheinsta is 1.2 million strong at the moment.
Ambiance
If you’re a fan of rad wallpapers, Wrecking Ball in the Marina and Fiorella in the Outer Richmond have your back. The former flaunts a fun summer vibe with its pineapple wallpaper, while Fiorella takes it a step further. Its wallpaper features Bay Area legends including Mac Dre, Joe Montana and Angela Davis.
If a happy hour spot is more your jam, head to Leo’s Oyster Bar on Sacramento Street. Former SF-based fashion blogger Julia Engel and Tory Burch have both raved about its mother-of-pearl chandeliers, fern wallpaper and ode to glamour. Because happy hour deserves a beautiful setting.
For an added splash of #adorable, head to Palm House for a rubber ducky in your punch bowl or shell out $50 to feel like you’ve been transported to the front row of Pirates of the Carribean at Smuggler’s Cove.
Heading to the floor, Liholiho Yacht Club joins Media Noche as a perfect opportunity to show off those brand new peep-toe summer sandals. Its tiled floors read “Aloha,” while Media Noche boasts turquoise tiling that’s a work of art in itself. Similarly, the word “Bonjour” is written into the tile at Le Marais.
And if you just want to show off a well-embellished motto, Mr. Holmes’ Bakehouse has been copied many times over with its pink “I Got Baked in San Francisco” neon sign. At Succulence, you can ‘gram their “U Sexy” sign – written in succulents. Perfect for the thirsty Instagram account.
Food you can’t ignore
Everyday you can party like it’s your birthday at Home Cafe in the Sunset, where the birthday cake latte is sure to earn you a minimum of 20 Insta-likes. Its rainbow swirls are beyond the grind of your average self-proclaimed latte artist, which is precisely why it’s so popular. Their menu also features its popular cousins, the red velvet latte and the cookie monster latte.
Home is the brainchild of a couple, Annie Cheng and In Ho, who wanted to spend more time together. The concept is well represented in the cafe’s presentation, which boasts sayings like “Welcome home” and “All because two people fell in love.”
Moving onto Japantown, Uji Time Dessert steals the spotlight with its fish-shaped ice cream cones. The cone is based on a dessert known as Taiyaki. Uji Time’s soft serve comes in flavors that include matcha, tofu and sesame.
“Talk about peer pressure and social media. Since Uji time opened in Japantown that has literally been in my daily feed. OKAY, I GET IT! Time to get one myself,” reads a Yelp review for Uji Time.
Finally – if none of these options seem over-the-top enough to pull the attention you’re craving on Instagram, it may be time to go for gold: there’s always Kittea. We hear cats and cruffins pair very nicely together.
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