Since some of you are traveling to the Bay Area for our Holiday Pop-Up Shop, we thought we'd put together a brief guide to the Bay for kawaii/J-fashion enthusiasts! Most of our recommendations are in San Francisco, but we've thrown in a few other options in East Bay and South Bay in case you are willing to travel a bit further.
Let us know if you think we've missed anything or if you are looking for other recommendations!
J-Fashion Shops
Angelic Pretty/Harajuku Hearts (SF, Union Square)
Angelic Pretty is located inside Harajuku Hearts, which is a J-fashion retailer that carries other brands as well, such as Atelier Pierrot, Emily Temple Cute, Enchantlic Enchantilly, Melody BasKet, and Listen Flavor, among others!
Photo Credit: Angelic Pretty USA
Baby, the Stars Shine Bright & Alice and the Pirates (SF, Japantown)
Baby, the Stars Shine Bright/Alice and the Pirates is located inside the New People building on the second floor - take the elevator or stairs up, it should be easy to spot!
Photo Credit: BTSSB USA
We recommend making an appointment before visiting either Angelic Pretty or Baby! While they have walk-in hours, making an appointment is the best way to ensure that you can visit the shop - you wouldn't want to travel to your favorite J-fashion store only to realize that they're not open!
Food/Drink
Since December is a pretty busy time of year, you may want to make reservations at restaurants that you want to eat at. Weekends are especially busy, so if you are staying for longer than just the weekend, try getting a reservation on a weekday!
Tea Salons
Lovejoy’s Tea Room (SF, Noe Valley)
Lovejoy's is a staple of SF lolita meets for good reason! Their food is delicious and filling, and the staff are extremely kind and friendly. Don't forget to take a pic in front of the giant heart outside!
Son & Garden (SF & Peninsula)
Son & Garden has two locations - one in San Francisco, and one in Menlo Park (on the Peninsula). You can order their set tea service for two, but they also have great brunch options! Visit this location if you want beautiful images for your Instagram - their interior decor & food presentation is divine.
Crown & Crumpet (SF, Japantown)
Crown & Crumpet is an adorable tea salon located conveniently in the New People Building on the first floor!
Sip Tea Room (SF, Sunset)
A modern take on traditional tea service - Sip Tea Room has all the options of a full tea service with the option to dine outside on their back patio.
Dartealing Lounge (SF, SoMa, pickup only)
A common SF comm tea meet spot, Dartealing is currently only doing tea through pickup. If you want to enjoy tea from the comfort of your own space, consider supporting them by grabbing on of their pickup options!
Maison Danel (SF)
Afternoon Tea, but make it French! Maison Danel specializes in pastries and baked goods, and has a tea service option that includes sparkling wine.
Malaya Tea Room (East Bay)
Located in Alameda in the East Bay, Malaya Tea Room combines traditional English tea with Malayan flavors!
Lisa’s Tea Treasures (South Bay)
Serving traditional English tea, Lisa's Tea Treasures has locations in both Los Altos and Campbell.
Food
Ippudo (SF, Downtown)
Excellent ramen
Little Lamb Hot Pot (SF, Downtown)
Kui Shin Bo (SF, Japantown)
State Bird Provisions (SF, Japantown)
On The Bridge (SF, Japantown)
Beloved family-owned restaurant located in the Japantown mall, serves Japanese-style Western cuisine
Hikari Bullet Train Sushi & Bar (SF, Japantown)
Shizen Vegan Sushi Bar and Izakaya (SF, Mission)
Entirely vegan sushi, noodle, and curry options
Limón (SF, Valencia, S Van Ness)
Peruvian restaurant specializing in rotisserie chicken, w/ small plates & cocktails
El Farolito (SF, Mission)
Mission-style burritos
Panchita's PupuserÃa & Restaurant (SF, Mission)
Pupusas are an El Salvadorian flatbread filled with cheese, beans, meat, or other savory fillings. Great if you are in need of vegetarian/vegan options!
Ferry Building (SF)
A marketplace filled with amazing food & drink options
ACME bread
Hog's Island Oyster Co
Miette
Daily Driver
El Porteno Empanadas
Gott's Roadside
and more!
Din Tai Fung (South Bay)
Famous Taiwanese XLB chain
Sweets/Snacks
Daydream Cake Shop (SF, Sunset)
B. Patisserie (SF, Lower Pac Heights)
U: Dessert Story (SF, Castro)
Dandelion Chocolate (SF, Mission)
Ice cream w/ unique flavors
Uji Time (SF, Japantown)
Ice cream taiyaki
Mochill Mochidonuts (SF, Japantown)
Matcha Cafe Maiko (SF, Japantown)
Sophie's Crepes (SF, Japantown)
Belly Good Crepes (SF, Japantown)
Japanese-style crepes with cute animal faces
Benkyodo Co (SF, Japantown)
115 year old shop serving handmade mochi
Gram Cafe (SF, Stonestown)
Fluffy soufflé pancakes
Stonemill Matcha (SF, Mission)
The Ice Cream Bar (SF, Cole Valley/Haight Ashbury)
1930s ice cream & soda bar (has alcoholic milkshakes)
Boba
Many of the shops on this list are chains or franchises, and have multiple locations all over the Bay. We've mostly listed just the SF locations.
Gong Cha (SF, Union Square)
Teaspoon (SF, Russian Hill)
Sharetea (SF, Union Square)
Brew Cha (SF, Mission)
Plentea (SF, Union Square)
Tiger Sugar (South Bay, Cupertino/San Jose)
Original brown sugar milk tea
Urban Ritual (SF, Hayes Valley)
Happy Lemon (SF, Embarcadero, Mission Bay)
Known for cheese tea (a layer of salty foam on top of the tea)
Asha Tea House (East Bay)
Sightseeing
Museums
Legion of Honor (SF, Golden Gate Park)
de Young Museum (SF, Golden Gate Park)
Lacis Museum of Lace and Textiles (East Bay)
Lace & trim embellishment shop. Museum exhibition tours available by appointment.
Shopping
Besides the Japantown mall, here are a few other options for shopping:
Vintage shopping in the Haight (SF)
Kitschy shops on Valencia in the Mission (SF)
Union Square high end stores (SF)
Activities
Japantown Mini Art Mart (SF, Japantown, Dec 11th & 12th)
The Box Holiday Makers and Artists Fair Sale (SF, SoMa, Dec 10-12)
Winchester Mystery House (South Bay)
Pier 39 (SF)
The Shop & Dine 49 Holy Jolly Trolley (Dec 10th in Japantown)
Photo Ops
Sutro Baths/Lands End (SF)
The Painted Ladies/Alamo Square (SF)
Conservatory of Flowers/Golden Gate Park (SF)
Palace of Fine Arts (SF)
Nightlife
DNA Lounge (SF, SoMa)
Monday night Death Guild
Cat Club (SF, SOMA)
Goth Club
Smuggler’s Cove (SF, Hayes Valley)
Pirate-themed tiki bar specializing in rum-based cocktails
Whitechapel (SF, Tenderloin)
Gin bar w/ Victorian decor
Bourbon & Branch (SF, Tenderloin)
1920s-themed speakeasy
Novela (SF, Financial District/SoMa)
Library-themed cocktail bar
Comments