A working 1898 ferry terminal with nearly 50 food makers inside it and a farmers market around it three days a week. Here's what to eat, when to turn up, and how to get there without driving.
The Ferry Building has stood at the foot of Market Street since 1898 and still does the job it was built for — ferries to Marin, Oakland, Alameda and Vallejo dock behind it every day. What changed is the inside: the nave is now a marketplace of nearly 50 local artisan food merchants, restaurants and small eateries, most of them actual Bay Area businesses rather than airport-style concessions.
That's the reason it's worth your time. It isn't a souvenir hall with a view; it's where a lot of San Francisco actually shops for bread, cheese, oysters and coffee, wrapped around a transit hub you may be passing through anyway.
The building's hours are not the shops' hours. The Marketplace building is open 6 a.m. to 10 p.m., but individual merchants set their own and many close by early evening. If you're making a special trip for one particular place, check that merchant's listing first. The Marketplace closes entirely on Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day.
Grouped by what you're actually after. Every name below is a current Ferry Building Marketplace merchant — the full directory, with each shop's own hours, is linked at the bottom of this section.
If you have one hour and no plan, this is the shortlist.
Counter service, mostly quick, mostly under a normal sit-down price.
The half of the Marketplace that is a grocer rather than a restaurant.
Merchant list from the official Ferry Building Marketplace directory, checked August 2026. Tenants change — the directory is the current list, and each entry carries that shop's own hours.
Run by the non-profit Foodwise, not by the Marketplace, and operating year round — this is a genuine California certified farmers market, not a seasonal pop-up.
| Day | Scale | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Saturday | 100+ vendors, surrounds the building | 8 am – 2 pm |
| Tuesday | About 20 vendors, produce and hot lunch | 10 am – 2 pm |
| Thursday | 10–15 vendors, street food focus | 10 am – 2 pm |
Source: Foodwise / Ferry Plaza Farmers Market, checked August 2026.
Saturday is the real event. Over 100 vendors ring the building, the crowd is substantial, and it's the version of this market people mean when they recommend it. Arrive by 9 a.m. if you want to move freely, or accept the crush.
Thursday is the underrated one. Only 10–15 vendors, but weighted toward street-food lunches rather than groceries — a good, quick, low-queue stop if you're passing through midweek.
1 Ferry Building, at the foot of Market Street on the Embarcadero — one of the best-connected spots in the city. Driving is the worst option; parking on the Embarcadero is scarce and expensive.
| Mode | Detail | Fare |
|---|---|---|
| BART | Embarcadero station, one block up Market St | from $2.55 |
| Muni Metro | Embarcadero station — J, K, L, M, N lines | $2.85 |
| F Market streetcar | Historic streetcar, stops at the door | $2.85 |
| Ferry | Golden Gate and SF Bay Ferry dock behind the building | from $5.10 |
| Walk | From Salesforce Transit Center, about three blocks | Free |
The F streetcar is the nicest approach. Regular Muni fare, restored vintage streetcars, and it runs the length of the Embarcadero from Fisherman's Wharf — so you can combine the Wharf and the Ferry Building without touching a car. Muni fares and how to pay →
Arriving by ferry makes the building make sense. Come in from Sausalito or Oakland and you land at the back door of a food hall — which is more or less how the place was designed to work. Ferry routes and fares →
Quietest: weekday mid-afternoon, roughly 2–4 p.m. Lunch rush over, market days finished, shops still open.
Busiest: Saturday 10 a.m. – 1 p.m., by a wide margin. Worth it for the market, unpleasant if you just wanted a coffee and a seat.
Early morning is a real option. The building opens at 6 a.m. and coffee and pastry counters open earliest — a good first stop if jet lag has you awake, and it's a five-minute walk from the Embarcadero BART platform.
Free walking tours run Saturdays and Tuesdays via San Francisco City Guides, the local volunteer non-profit — a decent way to get the building's history without paying for a tour.
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Hours and merchants verified against ferrybuildingmarketplace.com and Foodwise in August 2026. Something outdated? Report an error →