The Ferry Building becomes San Francisco's prime food destination during Saturday morning farmers' market, which brings more than 100 farmers and purveyors to the plaza surrounding the building, selling everything from rare citrus to small-batch miso and Lebanese street food. There are also smaller markets on Tuesday and Thursday morning. The marketplace has a variety of eateries including a bakery, roadside food such as cheese burgers and hot dogs, coffee, tea, beer, wine, donuts, pastries and other confections. There are also other specialty shops selling everything from olive oil to heath ceramics and body lotion. There are also some good restaurants and cafes such as the Slanted Door, Company and Red Bay Coffee.
The Ferry Building is often packed, especially during lunch and after work. Because of its central location, there are locals who come here to grab lunch, buy some produce, enjoy happy hour with friends, or just to kill time, in addition to visitors from out of town and people enjoying dining al fresco in the plaza with a view of the bay and the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge in the background.
Guests coming for a meal have much to choose from. The famed Cowgirl Creamery offers fizzy egg creams and decadent grilled cheese sandwiches, as well as their famous Mt. Tam cheese. The ever-popular Hog Island Oyster Company serves briny oysters pulled from Tomales Bay and has waterfront seating. Also in the building are sister restaurants Boulette’s Larder and Boulibar, known for seasonal cuisine and wood-fired flatbread. And Blue Bottle's location here brews some of San Francisco's favorite coffee. You can also sample from the stalls and stock up on food to take home, like a loaf of Acme Bread's renowned, tangy sourdough, a bar of Dandelion chocolate, or some incredible mushrooms from Far West Fungi.
The Ferry Building has a large outdoor area where patio seating was added to serve the hundreds of visitors the plaza gets daily. The company that manages the plaza, Hudson Pacific Properties needed quality commercial patio furniture that would be durable and able to withstand the elements and also fit in with the upscale, San Francisco scene. They needed comfortable seating. It was important that the outdoor seating be attractive to blend in with the history of the building.
For comfortable, outdoor seating they chose heavy duty patio plastic teak patio chairs with gray finish. These patio chairs are perfect for outdoor weather since they are waterproof and come with a rustproof frame. The faux teak slats look and feel just like real teak, but hardly require any maintenance and are resistant to UV fading. The plastic teak is also stain resistant so if food or drink is spilled it can be easily cleaned. The chair’s gray finish also blends in with the plaza’s concrete slab foundation and the surrounding buildings.
To go with the patio chairs, natural plastic teak aluminum patio tables were chosen. The table’s faux teak slats match the patio chairs perfectly and have the similar characteristics of being waterproof, UV resistant and stain resistant. They are also heat resistant so hot plates and mugs can be placed on the table top without burning it. The table’s strong aluminum frame is also rustproof which makes it a great outdoor table. The tables also come with umbrella holes.
One Ferry Plaza chose black and white striped umbrellas to provide shade for customers to relax. These, high quality umbrellas which are fully weather-proof and UV resistant come in a number of sizes, colors, pole choices and base options, ensuring every business will find what they are looking for.
Available in 3 fabric types and countless colors and patterns the commercial patio umbrellas are a must have for any un-shaded patio. Not only do they provide customers with much needed shade they can also add some color to your space and provide the patio with an attractive focal point and a way to stand out in your surroundings.
You can’t have a patio umbrella without an umbrella base. While bases come in a number of shapes, weights and sizes they are, all of them, made for one purpose, keeping your umbrella in place especially on windy days. For patio setups that require shuffling and rearranging of your seating arrangement we recommend bases with casters as their weight can make them hard to move around.