"French bakers brought sourdough to Northern California during the gold rush and it’s become an essential part of the city ever since (our beloved Niners mascot is named Sourdough Sam). You need to eat some while you’re here, and there’s one place you should get it: Tartine. This Mission bakery has been around since 2002, and its loaves are golden brown and crispy on the outside and pillowy to the point of stickiness on the inside. It’s tough to eat a whole loaf without a bread knife, so unless you’re carrying one around town, just get any one of the breakfast sandwiches instead. " - julia chen 1, lani conway, ricky rodriguez