Sail-In Dining In San Francisco

Welcome back to On The Road Again, our new feature (on which we’re so stoked) that looks at restaurants based on the transportation used to get to them. Last week, you’ll recall, we did restaurants that could be a part of a mid-length road-bike ride. This week, we’re looking at our other favorite form of transportation: Sailing.

This is actually the perfect time to sail around these parts, with the blustery summer weather gone, and the feezing calms of winter not yet upon us. The Bay is littered with places where you can tie up the old plastic classic for a week, a night, or just a meal. Some of those little havens dot our very own coastline.

The Ramp is one of our favorite spots in town, regardless of how you travel there. They’ve got an outdoor patio, a guest dock, a great bar, and they don’t look at you askance if you order a shot of tequila on the AM. You can get a proper lunch and brunch there, and bar food in the evening. Our only complaint is that they don’t stay open very late, and you can’t tie up overnight. So make sure you designate a tiller-person for the sail home.

• One great thing to do if you own a boat, or can schmooze your way onto one, is to sail to a Giants game. South Beach Harbor, adjacent to the ballpark, has guest docks, but you’d better make a reservation pretty far in advance. Parking is no easier on the water than on the road. Once you’re ashore, Town’s End Restaurant & Bakery is a great option for a civilized meal. If you just want beers and a dog, there’s a plethora of mediocre options along Second Street, but we think your best bet is to head into the park for that.

• Here’s where we’d bring up the St. Francis Yacht Club, but seriously? If you can go to the St. Francis, you’re probably already a member, and you don’t need to read about it here. So instead, we’re going to direct you to the Bay Area’s most coveted secret guest-dock: The Presidio Yacht Club.

The club, nestled in Horseshoe Cove, just on the north end of the Golden Gate Bridge, is part of Fort Baker. You can see it as you sit in traffic, waiting to go up to Marin County. It’s only for members of the military, National Parks employees, and Coast Guard auxiliary. So you probably can’t join. But you can sail over there for an afternoon and grab some chili and a beer at their bar. We discovered this on a bike ride once when we stopped to plead with them for a bathroom. Turns out they’re all really nice, and totally welcoming, and they’d love it if you stopped by and visited. Just don’t stay.

[Photo: The guest dock at the Ramp, via oniondeath/flickr]

Sail-In Dining In San Francisco