When it comes to Valentine’s Day, I’m pretty much over the traditional way of celebrating. I say “see ya” to the overpriced cards and expensive dinners and say hello to some good old fashioned quality time. And luckily, I have some pretty phenomenal ladies in my life that I can GAL-ivant (see what I did there?!) with. One of those ladies is my friend Shikha who I’ve known since I moved to San Francisco almost 8 years ago!
“Shiks” as I so affectionately call her is a fellow blogger but dominates the food and recipe space. Seriously, she’s wildly talented. And while we used to spend Valentine’s Day roaming bars and staying up till 2 a.m., we now prefer a slower pace (hey, we’re getting older!!) that usually results in coffee and brunch.
So with that, we’re sharing some of our favorite spots in the Lower Haight (where I used to live!) that’s perfect for a fun and easy afternoon:
Cafe Reveille
If you’re not familiar with Cafe Reveille, well have you even been LIVING?! All jokes aside, this place is awesome. It’s cute, has badass coffee, and is conveniently located a block away from one of my favorite places in SF – Duboce Park.
BLACK SANDS
I don’t know about y’all, but I’m a sucker for a good neighborhood spot. And while I don’t exactly live in the Lower Haight anymore, I still come to Black Sands at least a few times a month. It’s light and airy – the total opposite of a typical bar – and they serve up some of the best food and beer on tap. Literally, their cheeseburger is OUT OF THIS WORLD.
Groove Merchant Records
Shops like this in San Francisco are fairly limited these days, but I love that Groove has been able to keep up with the times and stay true to themselves. Also, their record collection is BANANAS. They have so many artists and at badass prices.
Duboce Park
If you live in SF, you know that Duboce Park is THE dog park. I’ve always loved this park because it’s not massive (like Dolores) and still has that neighborhood vibe that I can’t get enough of. More often than not, Shikha and I just post up on a bench and watch all the dogs play for a bit.