The ultimate San Francisco birthday guide

Plan the best day ever (!) with our tips on where to shop, what to eat, where to party and how to say “happy birthday” just the right way. Start with the card, and it all flows from there.

Time Out in association with Hallmark and CVS/pharmacyMonday August 8 2016

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We love birthdays here at Time Out. The parties. The people. The gifts. The cards. And we’re here to share that love with our ultimate guide for making the most of yours or your loved one’s special day in San Francisco. Together with Hallmark and CVS, we’ve scoured the city to find the perfect gifts, activities and places to celebrate the big day, and we’re tailoring them specifically to the people in your life. Got a laugh-loving best friend? A chic mom who demands only the very best? A creative brother with an appreciation for the quirkier side of life? We’ve got you covered. Start with the perfect card—the perfect sentiment, expressed the perfect way—and follow us all the way until the candles are blown out.

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Find the right card

For the BFF who likes a joke—especially one that goes too far

Sometimes edgy, sometimes irreverent, often inappropriate and always hilarious, Shoebox cards offer a unique view on all the occasions that life throws your way. From cats that harness the power of lightning to unicorn poop, you’ll find the funniest selection of oddities you can cram into an envelope. To find out where to get the perfect, or perfectly weird, Shoebox birthday card, click here.

For the showstopper

Hallmark Signature cards make an immediate impression and express your personal style. Each is handcrafted (some are dotted with little gems, others have bows, linen or dimensional paper flowers) and designed for maximum wow factor. To find out where to get the perfect Signature birthday card, click here.

For the true original who likes their roads less traveled

Unexpected. Uninhibited. And oh-so unforgettable. These cards totally get you. They even speak the way you do. Except they can’t talk. Because that would be super weird. So if you’re looking to give someone the realest of the real, the cutest of the cute, or the fanciest of the schmanciest, Studio Ink cards are the perfect way to express yourself to those who know you best. To find out where to get the perfect Studio Ink card, click here.

For the family guy or girl who tells it straight from the heart

Find love, tradition and celebration of family in Hallmark’s VIDA collection. These touching, fun and powerful Spanish-language cards are here for all birthdays, from baby’s first to her quinceañera to mom’s 50th. To find where to get the perfect VIDA card, click here.

For the soulful friend

Got a friend whose perfect birthday involves spending it with good food, fascinating cultural experiences and family? Hallmark’s Mahogany collection has a card for them. Featuring life-affirming and spiritual messages, these cards resonate with big, bold declarations of love and designs that pop right off the shelf. To find where to get the perfect Mahogany card, click here.

Get the right gift

Photograph courtesy of the Pirate Supply Store

For the BFF who likes a joke—especially one that goes too far

Need to track down a bottle of Scurvy Begone or a tin of Mermaid Bait for that perfect gag gift? Thank goodness for the Pirate Supply Store (826 Valencia St). The wood-paneled interior is fashioned after the belly of a ship, and ropes and flags dangle from the ceiling. There are treasures hidden behind every door and within every drawer, and the shop is designed for curious, gut-busting exploring. You'll find a wealth of tongue-in-cheek pirate gear and paraphernalia, including skull-and-crossbones die, peg-leg sizing charts (plus, peg-leg oil, for conditioning said prosthetic), eye patches, hooks, jailer keys and gold coins. Don't miss the “fish theater,” two plush theater seats and a glowing tank filled with colorful aquatic creatures that's hidden behind a red velvet curtain.

Photograph: Courtesy Rand + Statler

For the showstopper

In a city where the fashion sensibility can seem to swing between schlubby fleece zip-ups and unabashed label flaunting, Rand + Statler (425 Hayes St, Oakland) finds middle ground. The shelves are laden with womenswear and menswear by New York designers like Phillip Lim and Alexander Wang, complemented by an influx of French and Japanese labels. The focus is on quality staples: little black dresses, leather jackets, dark denim and oversized leather bags. The curated accessories cases bear jewelry both dainty and bold, and a gift-ready table near the entrance is stacked with products by culty Aussie skincare line Aesop. No matter how much you want to spend on your friend, a gift from R+S will wow, and look like a million bucks.

Photograph courtesy Crimson Horticultural Rarities

For the true original who likes their roads less traveled

A diverse, well curated collection of unique and locally owned specialty shops has sprung up along two pedestrian alleys in North Oakland's Temescal District (49th St between Telegraph Ave and Clarke St), making it one of the city's hippest destinations. Peruse hand-made and vintage clothing, jewelry, books and home goods, or savor some freshly brewed coffee while getting a shave. The alleys are pet-friendly and full of amicable artisans, some of whom open up their workspaces to visitors—so you can find a gift and be able to tell the unique story behind it.

For the family guy or girl who tells it straight from the heart

In existence since 1981, Cookin' (339 Divisadero St) is the holy grail of vintage cookware, catering to esteemed Bay Area chefs as well as budget-conscious home cooks. In other words: It's stocked with the perfect gift ideas for someone who values at-home family meals. Owner Judy Kaminsky collects much of her store's stash in the flea markets of France and supplements the Parisian wares at thrift stores and estate sales around the Bay Area. The assortment includes cast-iron pots and pans (including colorful enameled pots and Dutch ovens by Le Creuset), kitschy cake stands and baking accessories, barware, servers and dishes. You'd be hard-pressed to name a kitchen tool that you can't find here, though you may need to do some delicate digging to find it.

For the soulful friend

Since 1953, City Lights (261 Columbus Ave) has been a San Francisco institution. The Beats are the shop's patron saints, and quotes and photos of Burroughs, Kerouac and Ginsberg are displayed throughout the store. (Quotes also gleam underfoot in the adjacent alleyway, like a counterculture yellow brick road). It's a beautiful space, with arched doorways, vintage art and light filtering in through large east-facing windows. It's not uncommon for regulars to settle into a sunny corner with a book. Beat literature and poetry is housed upstairs, while current literature, fiction and nonfiction is shelved on the main floor. Many of the staff picks have progressive political or historical leanings (as you might expect from a shop where posters read “Eat, sleep, read, provoke,” and “A literary Habitat for Humanity”), which means you can find a tome perfectly tailored to anyone's background or passion. It's not just a bookstore—it's a legacy.

Pick an activity

Photograph: Courtesy Creative Commons/Flickr/Dave Patten

For the BFF who likes a joke—especially one that goes too far

Part museum, part old-fashioned arcade, the Musée Mécanique (Pier 45, the Embarcadero) houses Ed Zelinsky's collection of more than 200 coin-operated games and amusements dating back to the 1880s. The result is a love letter to the era before video games, as well as to turn-of-the-century San Francisco. Gypsy fortune tellers, giant mechanical-circus dioramas, can-can girl stereoscopes, carnival strength testers, player pianos, and a looming Laughing Sal (a cackling mechanical relic salvaged from a local, defunct amusement park) are among the games that delight kids and kids at heart—and the person who loves a laugh. Along the walls, photos of early San Francisco and earthquake memorabilia set the mood for a time when the city was still something of a western outpost on the edge of the Pacific.

Photograph: Tom OConnor

For the showstopper

One of the best places in the country to see contemporary photography, Pier 24 (Pier 24, the Embarcadero) provides a quiet, contemplative environment for viewing photographic works—the massive space is free but open by appointment only, which keeps attendance small at any given time. For a birthday, it's a premium-art-viewing experience. The giant venue houses the permanent collection of the Pilara Foundation, and offers exhibitions, publications and public programs, as well as self-guided two-hour tours that last up to two hours. Call to set up your appointment in advance, and prepare to awe your friend or loved one with 4,000 works spanning the history and international breadth of photographic art.

Photograph courtesy of Aimee Bruckner

For the true original who likes their roads less traveled

Find your "rolligion" here: Founder David Miles, Jr., otherwise known as the Godfather of Skate, has converted a former Catholic church into the modern-day roller disco, Curch of 8 Wheels (554 Fillmore St). Strap on some skates and totter around the rink's perimeter while the Holy Rollers, a groovy, costume-wearing group of regulars, twirl beneath the mirror ball. The spot hosts open skates four nights a week: the gay-frequented Rainbow Night on Tuesdays, old-school funk on Wednesdays and date night on Thursdays. Perfect for a gathering for the friend or loved with with a penchant for ironic, kitscy nostalgia.

Photograph: Matt Markovich

For the family guy or girl who tells it straight from the heart

Chockablock with billboards, business signage and the detritus of a bustling, hardworking neighborhood, the streets and alleyways surrounding the Precita Eyes Mural Arts and Visitors Center (24th St, between Alabama and Harrison Sts constitute nothing less than an open-air museum where world-class painters have created staggeringly complex pieces at a scale (sometimes covering entire three-story buildings) that makes them ready to be both examined in detail and admired from afar. For almost four decades Precita Eyes has been both the caretaker and instigator of the Mission’s mural movement, and many of the murals celebrate family and immigrant heritage. An eye-popping birthday wonder.

Photograph: Henrik Kam

For the soulful friend

The SFJazz Center (201 Franklin St) is the first standalone venue in America built with the musical genre in mind—so a birthday night spent here comes with history. The jazz hub comes complete with state-of-the-art sound designed by Meyer Sound Laboratories and a rustic Mexican restaurant from acclaimed chef/restaurateur Charles Phan, perfect for a family dinner. And now SFJAZZ has an appropriately majestic headquarters for the annual music festival it has produced since 1983, as well as a home for world-class performances not only in the jazz realm, but also for global music in its many forms. For a jazzy, soulful night, there is no better venue.

Time to eat

Photograph: Courtesy Yelp/Chau V.

For the BFF who likes a joke—especially one that goes too far

Warn your friend now: Red Door Café (1608 Bush St) is not for the faint of heart. The eatery is pretty raunchy, offering breakfast and brunch dishes that would make even your most foul-mouthed friend giggle and blush. Amidst tables scattered with sex toys (we told you) and dolls, pairs of diners (groups larger than two are not allowed in the small space) are entertained by Ahmed, the owner and scantily clad server, between bites of French toast and truffle oil-doused omelets. Be sure to read the rules before you enter: no sunglasses, no egg white orders and no pushy, er, jerks (we toned down the language here), among others.

Photograph: Courtesy Lazy bear

For the showstopper

Lazy Bear (3416 19th St) might offer one of the most unusual and special dining experiences in San Francisco. At this modern American restaurant, there are only two seatings a night. You must buy tickets in advance. You'll be seated at a table with strangers. In fact, Lazy Bear calls itself a dinner party, not a restaurant, which might be a more accurate description of the experience. Tickets first go on sale in the middle of the previous month—so, for example, June 15 for all July dinners—and will get you a seat for either a 6pm or 8:30pm tasting menu, which includes at least 14 courses. Chef David Barzelay is cooking some incredibly inventive food here, from charred onion broth with country ham and egg yolk to rabbit with snails and stinging nettles to beets with dark chocolate and burnt vanilla. Looking to seriously impress? Birthday brownie points abound if you score a booking.

Photograph Courtesy Al's Place/Molly DeCoudreaux Photography

For the true original who likes their roads less traveled

Al's Pace (1499 Valencia St) is a new but quintessential San Francisco restaurant—take a friend there who loves everything new and interesting, and you're onto a birthday winner. The lines out the door continue, but the outdoor seating for walk-ins helps to alleviate some of the crowds. The atmosphere is casual and very lively, and even though it has a Michelin star, you won’t find tablecloths here. The food blazes with creativity, uber-fresh ingredients and a focus on vegetables. Radishes and salads taste like you have never had them. Check out their clever low-ABV cocktails, plus a wine list full of food-friendly wines.

Photograph: Christina Bartel

For the family guy or girl who tells it straight from the heart

Looking for a birthday restaurant for a big family with lots of different types of eaters? We've found it. Mexican and vegan are not terms you would expect to sidle up against each other in a restaurant concept, but Gracias Madre (2211 Mission St) has not only married the ideas, it's done so with spectacular success. Antojitos (street food-inspired starter snacks) such as sweet potato and caramelized onion quesadillas topped with cashew cheese and pumpkin-seed salsa are full of piquant flavor and meaty textures, and don't suffer in the least from their lack of animal ingredients. Main plates such as nopales (prickly pear cactus) topped with pico de gallo and cashew cheese, accompanied by black beans, rice and handmade tortillas will leave you satisfied and possibly rethinking your preconceived notions of vegan food.

Photograph: Courtesy 1300 on Fillmore

For the soulful friend

Part of the long-overdue and much-anticipated revitalisation of the historic Fillmore Jazz District, soul-food eatery 1300 on Fillmore (1300 Fillmore St) is a welcome addition to the area, and a hearty, but high-end and delicious birthday-dinner option. The Southern-influenced fare is anchored in classics: barbecued shrimp with grits, and mac and cheese. The room has a lounge-club atmosphere, with big leather chairs and endless classic jazz streaming through the air. Don't miss the Heritage Wall in the lounge, with a collection of historic photos and TV screens scrolling through images of jazz greats who once played in the area.

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