The Argonaut Hotel is no more than 0.2-mile bike ride or stroll away from Ghiradelli Square in San Francisco. While the area is known for its chocolate (see the special Calling All Chocaholics package that the Argonaut is offering), thanks to the Ghirardelli Chocolate Company’s 100+ year presence, it’s rich with nearby shops, breweries, and restaurants, too. Here, we highlight a few of the best.
GiGi & Rose
Catering primarily to women and girls, this boutique shop certainly looks the part, with ceilings dripping with parasols and a grand spiral staircase that sets the stage for modeling fashion finds from featured independent designers. Simple but elegant clothing, “dreamy” jewelry (as their Instagram puts it), beauty products, and other unique home wares fill the shelves.
Yap
Love your dog? Yap does too. With stylish products, including carriers, cold weather coats, leashes and harnesses, waterproof raincoats, and wraps (to keep your pup warm), your four-legged friend will be the envy of all the other dogs in the neighborhood after a visit here.
Wattle Creek Winery
This lavish tasting room brings a little bit of Sonoma Wine Country to Ghirardelli Square. The boutique wines – most produced in batches of 250 cases or less – are made from grapes in the Alexander Valley, and feature a wide range of options, from viognier and petit verdot to pinot noir rose and sparling shiraz. Open seven days a week, the tasting room requires no advance appointment in to enjoy their new releases, wine flights, or options by the glass.
Lori’s Diner
Proudly serving diners since 1986, Lori’s conjures a ‘50s rock-around-the-clock diner aesthetic (think: black and white checkered floor, shiny red leather booths, and Elvis and Marilyn Monroe memorabilia) in their Ghiradelli Square location, but does so in a very San Franciscan way, with emphasis on fresh food, environmentally friendly business practices, and community involvement. Yes, there are still burgers and milkshakes, among other nostalgic diner staples.
Original Ghirardelli Ice Cream & Chocolate Shop
What would a visit to Ghirardelli Square be without a stroll through the chocolate shop that started it all? The large brick-walled space features several counters, where you can purchase various chocolates or instruct the soda jerk as he compiles your sundae. The cherry on top, however, is seeing how Ghirardelli chocolate is made – on the original machinery they used when they first opened in 1852 no less! When in Rome.
Argonaut Hotel
