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At Pesce, diners can pair a modern version of cioppino with classic cocktails and cicheti. Photo: Serena Renner.
San Francisco’s food scene is not a new phenomenon. The City by the Bay has been concocting interesting bites and libations for hundreds of years. Here are eight of the most popular foods and drinks invented in San Francisco:
1. Cioppino
San Francisco’s bouillabaisse or burrida, cioppino is a tomato-based seafood stew that arrived with Italian fishermen in the mid-19th century. These fishermen would combine their leftover catch with whatever ingredients they had at sea: largely canned tomatoes and wine. Some think the name comes from the Italian term ciuppin, which means “to chop” or “little stew,” while others tell a story about boatmen rounding up leftovers at Fisherman’s Wharf yelling “chip in” with their Italian accents.
Try a modern version at Pesce: 2223 Market Street, San Francisco, CA
2. Sourdough Bread
Though it’s said to have originated in Egypt, sourdough was invented locally when the owners of Boudin Bakery discovered that the salty San Francisco fog turned their French bread sour. While sourdough has experienced a recent revival by such artisan bakeries as Tartine and the Mill, Boudin has stuck to its roots, using the same sourdough starter, or “mother dough” for the past 160 years.
Taste the original at Boudin Bakery and explore the museum upstairs: 160 Jefferson Street, San Francisco, CA
3. Fortune Cookies
The question of who invented the beloved fortune cookie has been so contentious it was put before a federal judge in 1983. While at least two other men in Los Angeles claimed the title, the judge sided with Makoto Hagiwari, the landscape designer and manager of the Japanese Tea Garden in Golden Gate Park. The prophetic treat — made of flour, sugar, vanilla, oil and a paper fortune — was first introduced by Hagiwari in the late 1890s.
Buy a bag at the Golden Gate Fortune Cookie Factory during a tour of Chinatown
4. Crab Louie
Made of crabmeat, hard-boiled eggs, tomato, asparagus and cucumber on a bed of Romaine lettuce drizzled in mayonnaise and red chili dressing, the Crab Louie is credited to entrepreneur Louis Davenport, owner of the Davenport Hotel in Spokane, Washington, which served the dish. Louis hailed from San Francisco, however, and the salad has been on menus in the bay city since the early 1900s.
Try one at Swan Oyster Depot: 1517 Polk Street, San Francisco, CA
5. It’s It
Formerly a goodie sold only at the late Playland at the Beach amusement park, this delicious combination of vanilla ice cream, oatmeal cookies and dark chocolate is a childhood favorite. Made down the peninsula in Burlingame, they’re now sold in 15 states across the country. Current flavors include chocolate, cappuccino and mint in addition to the classic vanilla.
Buy one at your nearest corner store
6. Steam Beer, aka California Common
Named for the steam that emanated from an old-school fermentation process where beer was cooled on San Francisco rooftops, Anchor Steam was first created in 1896 before being resurrected after Prohibition in the 1960s. Today, the Portrero Hill–based brewery holds a trademark on the name “steam ale” but other breweries around the world produce the same style under the label “California common.”
Learn more on a tour of Anchor Brewing Company
7. Martini
The Martinez, the sweet grandfather of the classic Martini, was first mixed by a man named Jerry Thomas at the since destroyed Occidental Hotel in the late 1880s. Around the same time, the Gibson cocktail debuted at the Bohemian Club by businessman Walter Gibson. Ten years later, the bartender palette shifted from sweet to dry, and the vermouth-spiked Martini was born.
Sip the classic at Aub Zam Zam: 1633 Haight Street, San Francisco, CA
8. Pisco Punch
Concocted from Pisco, pineapple, water, lime juice, honey and gum arabic by Duncan Nicol at the Bank Exchange & Billiard Saloon (located where the Transamerica Building stands today) in 1886, the Pisco Punch was made famous by the likes of Mark Twain before fading away during Prohibition only to return more recently.
Order it at Pisco Latin Lounge: 1817 Market Street, San Francisco, CA
- Contributed by Serena Renner
8 Foods and Drinks Invented in San Francisco from San Francisco Things to Do