It took over 10 years for the SF Noodle Fest to return. Amazing experience tasting noodles from…read morerestaurants in Chinatown and North Beach. Lots of noodles and lots of vendors. Great atmosphere and it was a good value. I hope they keep the tradition alive.

I don't know why it was gone for so long, but the Noodle Fest is back and the samples on display…read moreshow almost every noodle North Beach and Chinatown have to offer. Big names like Tony's Pizza with their fresh pesto pasta, historic Sam Wo's BBQ pork noodle rolls, and 27 other restaurants come to offer their noodles either with forks or chopsticks at every tent. There's something for everyone, but the kick is that you're limited to only 5 samples to choose from. The event was a perfect balance of organized and relaxed. The lines were manageable and volunteers help sort trash appropriately; yet they never checked my list to see if I passed the limit of 5. I was able to sample almost half of every pasta! A surprise for me was the spicy wontons from Bund Shanghai. It was big and perfectly cooked because it arrived fresh just as I went to their tent. Another experience was Golden King who had their dish in several parts-- their fish sauce and imperial roll were great. Each dish was good enough to stand on its own, and while the portion sizes are small, I still managed to feel satisfied after 5 and definitely full after 10. However, I hope next year will bring along some improvements such as having better access to water or drinks; as far as I was aware nobody offered or sold water directly from the festival itself. Trash cans got full quickly, but it can't be helped based on the amount that accumulated. And while I loved sampling as much as I liked, I expect it won't be as easy next year to break the limits. There will always be things to improve on the first attempt. Overall, this was a great start to what I hope to be a staple for SF for years to come. More places to try, more accessibility, and more noodles please!

Last nights event was amazing!! I don't know how I didn't know about this event last year, but only…read morethis yr. So, my friend and I got free VIP tickets to go check out Eat Drink SF. I didn't expect much, it's just food and drinks, unlimited. However, the food was exceptional with amazing chefs on hand and the drinks, well, it was an open bar of wine and all types of liquors. They had so many types of food to taste from: fresh oysters, duck liver, pizza, ceviche, roasted beef, chicken pot pie, salmon hand rolls, caviar, ice cream to handcrafted chocolates, and anything you were craving. I was so stuff from all the delicious foods and drinks! The vendors were really organized and did amazing setting up so many awesome booths. I hope next yr the chefs can step aside to talk to customers and have their staff prep the foods. I am definitely signing into this event next yr.

This was so fun but crowded, met a lot of coffee connoisseurs, was high after tasting so many…read morecoffees. It was very interesting to learn of the recipes n their magic brewing techniques. Looking forward to it next year hopefully.

Parking will be tough and the traffic on brotherhood way is fast! First and foremost be safe! Park…read morefarther if you need to and walk to the church. Don't turn INTO their lot because those are handicap spots and please save for people who need it Friday- Food was SO good! Loved learning about the diff food items/ingredients and everyone was friendly and welcoming! Food line was about 15-20 mins long around 8:30pm. After 9:30pm there was no line if you want to eat dinner that late. Still serving food! Tried Armenian beer to go with the meal. Favorites: Chicken kebab, stuffed eggplant, meatball. For 2 people, spent ~$75 on food/beer. $5 entry on Friday and Saturday. Free Sunday but that may also mean busiest day and longer lines. Pay with money or pay with your time, you choose Tons of to go pastries offered. Vendors to browse. Picked up Armenian chocolate to try and it was great!

Easy parking, a ton of food choices, music, wine and beer, friendly hosts... what's not to like. A…read moregreat way to sample another culture

Came out for the 39th annual Downtown Alameda Art & Wine Festival. Free event!…read moreThe weather was amazing, the crowd was intense. Lots of people, strollers, dogs. The festival is about 8 blocks long. There were several food vendors and while some of the lines were long, they seemed to move along reasonably quickly. This year I checked out several of the bands that performed including Zebop, the Spazmatics, Swampers CCR tribute, Long Train Runnin', Soul Essence and Life in the Fast Lane & School of Rock Alameda show band. If you want to drink beer or wine you need to purchase a glass and buy drink tickets. If you have a beer or wine glass from the previous years, you can bring it and use it instead of buying a new one. But they will not serve you in a non festival glass. It was a nice day and I hope to see more artist perform next year!

For a FREE event, this is great! Get out the house, enjoy the sun, live music, and support local…read morevendors! The only thing I would say is the name of the festival is misleading. You feel like you would expect more art and wine booths, but really it's just a street festival/fair. It felt like there were more booths this year than the many years ago, which was nice. More things to see. We like to come early to avoid the crowds. This year (2025) we came on Sunday around 10:30 and parking was a breeze. By the time we left at noon, it definitely got really crowed.

First and foremost, thanks to my friend Jason F. for inviting/introducing me to this year's amazing…read moreLuckyRice Festival. This event is a MECCA for Asian food lovers!!! Who would have thunk? Ironically, I worked in the FiDi many moons ago at One Maritime Plaza and used to see events take place in the iconic Bentley Reserve. I was super jealous of all the liveliness/attendees, as I had no life working late...stuck like Rapunzel. I finally had the opportunity to see the lavish interior for myself, jaw-dropping! How fitting to have this event here. Onto the food and ambiance, my friend had VIP tickets, which allowed us entry an hour before the general public. The VIP lounge offered seating, a nice bar, classy photobooth with black & white prints as keepsakes, prize wheel (my friend won the cookbook), and MY China served mouthwatering dumplings. I ran into a colleague and her husband in the VIP section. We wanted to hangout in the banking hall, where all the action was, and my friend did a stellar job navigating his way around the vendors and lines. While securing a table, my colleague and her husband joined us and other foodie friends we made that night. We all shared a fun-filled evening of endless libations, savory bites, conversation, and laughter. The music was loud and energetic. We couldn't get over the adorable miniature boba drinks from Boba Guys, ingenious! I enjoyed seeing E&O at this festival, as it brought back fond memories of when they had a restaurant in Larkspur. The pork belly was succulent, and my favorite was Hakkasan's delightful dumplings. An outstanding night, what a blast! Please keep in mind, there are no chairs in the main hall during this event. Those who got tired standing on their feet would sit on the foyer staircase. The staff working the event were friendly, efficient, attentive, and clearing tables throughout the night. I can't wait for next year's festival to come around; I'm definitely buying my tickets ASAP, totally worth it and highly recommended! P.S. May I suggest some fortune cookies next year (wink, wink). I won the chopsticks on the prize wheel btw =)

Been wanting to attend this for several years, actually remember reading about the one held at the…read moreFerry Building. Whether due to scheduling or other engagements, I never found the opportunity to attend... until this year. There were two ticket categories, general admission and VIP. Since the latter was almost double, I bought general admission tickets at $88.00 each; this entitled the attendee to entrance at 8 pm to 10 pm (VIP starts at 6 pm). After grabbing a light bite since we aren't used to eating so late, we still arrived early at around 7:40 pm. Upon entering, we noticed two check in tables, general on the left and American Express to the right. Apparently, American Express cardholders enjoy the added perk of early entry. Upon entering, I was impressed at the size of the Bently Reserve and how nicely decorated it was for this event. There were probably twenty to twenty-five restaurants, sake makers, and food related retailers who gave samples of their signature dish(es). The list included MY China, China Live, Hakkasan, Anzu, Pabu, and Boba Guys. Fortunately, it wasn't overly crowded like the first day of the Fancy Food Show in Moscone Center so there was no craziness; there were isolated incidents of rudeness where two young women at one table beside six or seven other patient customers took two samples and stood there waiting for more as they gloated, "Isn't that wonderful? Isn't that the best?", screening off customers from getting samples to try. After doing one walk around the main hall, we showed our bracelet and were invited into the American Express Lounge. There was a spin-the-wheel game where partygoers were given prizes from a pair of chopsticks to a cookbook authored by Danielle Chang, the hostess of the PBS television show Lucky Chow (yes, chopsticks for me). There was also a photo booth with food related props at the other side of the room which we partook. After leaving this lounge, we were near the Cathay Pacific booth and I noticed Ms. Chang speaking with a couple of young fans. After taking selfies with her, I struck a conversation with her, telling her how much I enjoy watching her show and asking about the event's history. Apparently, my memory is bad as the Ferry Building venue for this event was five years ago, not as recent as I'd thought. She was friendly and appreciative of the people who supported this event, both attendees and vendors. If you are a foodie and would like to try a variety of the area's offerings and a fan of the show, you will probably enjoy this. Also, if you are a fan of sake or Japanese whiskey, you will probably get your money's worth here. 3.5 stars with a half star upgrade for being well organized.

Believe it or not, this is their 7th annual. It's only 3 blocks long with a mix of community…read moreChinese bilingual outreach programs and local retail booths with a couple of food booths too. There's a stage on Irving & 25th Av. for the stage performers and the MC and several rows of folding chairs where spectators can sit, listen, and observe. You'll learn the significance of the festival and what moon cakes symbolizes. We were there early and got to see the lion dance performance. Dress warm cuz you're in the Sunset where there's always fog. Attendance comprised mostly of local residents.

Amazing ! So many vendors with so much to show. The weather was another thing it was pretty cold…read morebut that is July in San Francisco. Music everywhere delightful place to be. The food was everywhere and the lines were long . The crowd was pretty calm no ruckus. A nice day I came out both days . First day was colder . Luckily I ducked in to a venue to warm up . I would definitely recommend it as I go most every year. Just another nice fair and we as San Franciscans are very lucky to have.

This year festival on July 4th weekend. Bring so many people come to this event, First I feel safe…read moreMany police around, 4 different location with music stage , many small shops and lots of food , this is one of the best festivals people must come !

I was able to see Kim's Convenience on the second to last day of its run and really enjoyed the…read moreshow. There were no interruptions during the performance, and even though my orchestra seats were toward the back, I still had a great view of the stage. I arrived right before the show started, so I did not get much time to look around beforehand. After the performance, I went downstairs and saw that refreshments and snacks were available. The staff was friendly and helpful. I highly recommend taking public transportation if you can. If you decide to drive, you may get lucky and find street parking. We used the nine floor parking garage on Mason Street, which worked out well for us.

Recently saw "Hamnet" here and enjoyed myself. The play itself was great, but I couldn't hear or…read moreunderstand some of the dialogue. This is not a criticism of the theater; I think I'm losing some of my hearing! It's a good thing I read the book only a couple of weeks before seeing the play, so I didn't miss anything. The set up of theater itself was a bit inconvenient. I was seated in the mezzanine on the far left and had there been people in all the rows when I arrived, I would've had to squeeze through everyone in a row to get to my seat; there's no walking aisle going down to the seats on the far ends. I guess I'd never noticed this before; I usually sit in the orchestra. Also, in the upstairs lobby, there was only seating on one side, so if you were seated on the opposite side and got there early, you'd have to sit outside the opposite door to where your seat is. The seats themselves were pretty much standard for theaters. Some people have complained about the neighborhood, but I find that part of the city to be fine. I've never had any problems there and it's not sketchy at all. Just don't stray too far!