I have always been a lady who appreciates a good girl’s weekend. What lady doesn’t, am I right? They are filled with gossip and laughter and wine and friendship. You can be yourself and order that extra plate of fries, no judgment here! Want to drunkenly call your ex? Your friends will snatch your phone out of your sticky lime covered hands so fast you’ll forget exactly how many shots of cheap tequila you’ve consumed. Want to have a good cry, break out your worst dance moves and declare your undying love for your friends all within the span of an hour? A girl’s weekend can do that for you.

During my most recent girl’s weekend, two of my besties came to stay with me here in San Francisco and it was just as booze-filled and cheese-centric as we had hoped. Both friends have lived in San Francisco (that’s how we met) so we got to skip all the touristy bs I would have had to endure if it were friends who hadn’t been here before. We have our favorite spots that we use to frequent back in the day and had a strategic plan of action in place so we could ensure we’d hit every one. With the exception of one trashy dive bar we couldn’t make it to, we did pretty well!

All of these places are delicious/have a great wine selection/have awesome service/are cozy af. So for those of you who are Bay Area locals or who are looking to plan your own girl’s trip to the best city in America (not biased at all) then read on! Here is my guide to the perfect girl’s weekend in San Francisco, based on the events of last weekend! Enjoy!

WHERE TO DINE & DRINK

CASUAL

Picaro

Picaro is hands down one of my favorite restaurants in San Francisco for many reasons. 1. Delicious Spanish food 2. Delicious sangria 3. Good vibes. That’s really all I ask for in an establishment!

Carissa and I went there on last (last) Thursday night and it was a momentous occasion because she had just flown in that afternoon and I was having my first glass of wine since I had been diagnosed with a kidney infection. Gross, I’m aware. I had been on antibiotics so I was pretty sure I was good to go but I still was iffy about whether or not alcohol would be an option for me that weekend. Thankfully my body has my back and knew that it needed to get it together in time to guzzle some wine with my besties, so my first glass of rosé went over swimmingly!

Picaro has an endless array of tasty tapas as well as AMAZING paella if you’re willing to wait 30 minutes. My two personal favorites are the tortilla de patata (an eggy, potatoey omelet dream) and the grilled artichoke. No matter what you get you will be pleased, I can guarantee it. Picaro is located on 16th St. in the mission and is in a great area for bar hopping if you can possibly find that sort of energy in you after stuffing your face.

Submarine Center

I hadn’t been to Sub Center is forever but Carissa has a passion for sandwiches and as a trio, we decided that we needed something to sustain us through our many hours of drinking that wouldn’t also weigh us down. Sammies it was!

This sandwich shop has been in the city forever and everyone loves it. I personally always get the Hot Pastrami which is absolutely mouthwatering but based on the many bites I have stolen from other people’s sandwiches (friends…not strangers, just to be clear) over the years I can say with confidence everything on the menu is delish. They put Italian dressing on their sandwiches which may sound overly simple or even gross BUT in reality, it is the perfect little something that I believe every sandwich deserves.

You can find Submarine Center at the end of West Portal and I highly recommend smuggling a sammy into a baseball game, movie or bringing them along for a picnic in the park!

Fireside

After we created a sandwich foundation for all of the wine we would be drinking we moved onto a bar called Fireside in the Inner Sunset. We were the only ones there as it was 1pm on a Friday afternoon and most people have lives, but that is neither here nor there.

We ordered several glasses of wine and dished on family gossip, boy drama, and took several awkward selfies. Fireside has a cozy vibe with big leather couches and a fire place (which like, I’d hope so considering the name). If you’re in the Inner Sunset it’s a fun place to lounge and hang out with your gal pals over several glasses of wine.

Social

For dinner that night we went to our number one favorite place to eat, drink and be merry: Social Kitchen & Brewery. Oh, the many nights we use to spend getting wasted on strong beers and impossibly full off of three to many orders of mac and cheese. We seriously use to go 1-3 times a week when we all lived in the city together and we never got tired of it.

Social has a rotating menu with tons of delicious things but it is known for its creamy, cheesy, truffle-y mac and cheese that is just a total game changer. Side note: I am getting VERY hungry writing this post and I don’t know what to do about it. Send help.

We also love the crispy brussel sprout chips and I’ve been known to go ham on the fried chicken and the burger. They have a huge selection of beers that are all brewed there and are SO delicious and also SO potent. Basically, it’s our dream restaurant.

My friends were thrilled to be there since they don’t get to experience it’s majesty very often and we immediately got two orders of mac and cheese and brussel sprouts. They did not disappoint. I am literally drooling right now on my keyboard just thinking about it. Clean up on aisle me! Lol that was a terrible joke and I’d like for us all to forget about it.

Our favorite beer is called the Rapscallion but all of them are delicious. I wish I could describe the beer better than that but I am simply not sophisticated or bro-y enough. I also pick out my wine bottles based on alcohol percentage and how cute the label is. Whatever, I have never claimed to be classy.

We spent a good five hours there laughing and shoveling mac and cheese into our mouths while reminiscing about the days when we all worked together. It was a true delight.

If you love good beer, good service and life-changing mac and cheese then you will be just as obsessed with Social and I am. It’s on 9th and Irving, right by Golden Gate Park and surrounded by a ton of other great bars. Although you probably won’t want to check them out after going to Social.

LESS CASUAL

Inner Fog

Inner Fog was our second stop after Fireside and this is where things get hazy for me. I had definitely reached my peak of drunkness at this point in time and while I do remember being there and enjoying a crisp glass of sauvignon blanc, the details are a bit fuzzy.

If you’re looking for a good wine bar with rustic vibes then you’ll like this place. Typically not crowded with a solid selection and most importantly, just around the corner from Social! Okay okay, I’ll stop.

I knew at this point that if I kept drinking and didn’t get food in my belly asap I would definitely not make it through the evening so I eventually had to cut myself off. There was no way in hell I was going to get too drunk to enjoy Social.

We continued to take many awkward selfies that weren’t ever flattering for all three of us and gossiped way too loudly until we (okay, fine, I) stumbled out onto the street in search of sustenance.

The Palm House

On Saturday it was Carissa’s birthday and our all day wine drinking extravaganza. We literally planned to drink from brunch until we got home that night so we were anticipating an interesting day. I suggested we head to The Palm House in the Marina because we were going to be hitting up a wine bar we love in the same area later that day.

I had been to The Palm House a handful of times before, each time during a weekday because I get my massages and facials next door and usually pop in there for lunch after. Because I had only been there on slow weekday afternoons I had no idea that they got so lit on the weekends. It was very fitting for the day’s festivities.

The Palm House has tropical vacay vibes and tasty Caribbean inspired cuisine. Everything I’ve ordered there has been insanely delicious (the trade wind burger is my fave!) and whimsical and fun. On this day we put our name in and then took a seat at the bar to start the day off with mimosas. I got the grapefruit mimosa which was refreshing af and also a little dangerous considering how quickly I was able to finish it.

The bartender was very cute and funny and also INSANE because he gave us all shots of tequila when he heard it was Carissa’s birthday. Yikes. We do not do tequila anymore. Tequila is not our friend. Tequila has never done a single good thing for me. Tequila only brings me pain and misfortune. Tequila is not okay.

But yes, we took the shots.

We took our mimosas to our table once it was ready and proceeded to drink at least another 2-3 each while we ate. I was in the mood for something light so I got a crunchy Burma Chopped salad with grilled shrimp that was definitely delish but perhaps not the most filling option when you’re guzzling mimosas.

We then went back to the bar, ordered more mimosas and to our disdain were given ANOTHER round of free tequila shots! Was this man trying to kill us?

Yes, we took them.

We were dancing and acting a fool in no time at all because, well, tequila.

You guys, this crazy bartender gave us ANOTHER free round of shots. This time vodka, which like, thanks but the damage has already been done. Now you’re just trying to get one of us to puke in an alley.

We had to get out of there before he started having us do keg stands so we made our way down the street to a wine bar with a pep in our drunken step that can only come from getting free drinks.

The Palm House is a party on the weekends but also actually delicious and lovely so I highly recommend it if you make the trek down to the Marina.

West Coast Wine & Cheese

Again, this place is a little blurry for me due to reaching my peak of drunkness at this point in the day. What I do remember is that this is a chic little wine bar with pretty white counter tops and high bar stools that made me feel way classier than I actually was.

Our friend Erika came and joined us as we drank too much wine and I may or may not have drunk cried (just a LITTLE bit okay) and shared my life story with the cute bartenders and some poor woman sitting next to me. This is why I don’t do tequila you guys!

Despite my tears and oversharing the previously mentioned cute bartenders gave us all a free glass of champagne AND a free glass of rosé! Now that’s the kind of free alcohol I’m interested in.

I also recall a cheese board happening at some point and I do believe I quite enjoyed some sort of delectable triple cream brie situation. Dreams do come true.

All in all the service was fab and I would definitely love to go back another time when I am not three shots and 20 mimosas deep.

Nectar

Nectar was the whole reason we were in the Marina. We use to go here when we were in the mood for endless wine and cheese outside of the confines of Brooke’s living room. To be clear, they do not have a bottomless wine or cheese deal, we just have no self-control.

Nectar is a cozy wine lounge that has a huuuuge selection and offers a variety of different flights as well as a to die for food menu. Their cheese boards are just the tip of the iceberg. You can find a ton of yummy things that will pair perfectly with your 7th glass of wine.

We ordered the truffled mac and cheese (VERY good, but Social still has my heart), the Burrata and something else I cannot recall because, you know, peak drunk.

If I could eat Burrata with every meal, every day, forever and always, I would. Just wanted to throw that out there.

Thankfully at this point in the evening, my friends were also beginning to really feel the wine (still not on my level, but I’ll take it) and shared my desire for a huge bowl of pasta. While I’m sad we didn’t stay longer at Nectar, my body was READY for some creamy pesto pappardelle.

Ristorante Parma

This pasta saved my life.

I have a few things I love to eat when I’m drunk. Pizza, duh. Pupusas, a Mission classic. Carne asada fries, of course. But there is nothing that hits the spot quite like pasta.

We googled nearby restaurants and were delighted to find that just two doors down was an old school Italian restaurant. We walked the 20 feet to Ristorante Parma and after a short wait were seated. My friends got more wine but your girl was donezo. I was just thrilled to be hydrating and looking at a pasta menu.

Another friend of ours joined us and we had a mini Victoria’s Secret reunion, which was lovely. More reminiscing, more gossip. The usual.

I ordered the Pappardelle Al Pesto and it did NOT disappoint. I definitely love a good red sauce but creamy pesto is my jam. I also love pappardelle noodles and these were cooked perfectly. While I can appreciate a more elaborate pasta dish (meat, veggies, etc.) there is just something so comforting about a simple bowl of pasta where the sauce and the noodles are the stars of the show.

It was the perfect way to end the day. If you want to carb it up with some classic Italian food then I highly recommend Ristorante Parma.

Obviously, there are a ton of other places I can recommend, these are just where me and my besties found ourselves during our girl’s weekend. If you’re interested in more San Francisco guides then let me know in the comments!

Have a fabulous week,

She