Happy Women’s History Month! We asked our Instagram followers for their favorite women-owned businesses that they love to support around San Francisco. The result was a wonderful collection of recommendations ranging from restaurants to florists and everything in between! Read on for some essential women-owned businesses to visit in SF and scroll down to the bottom for a map to point you in the right direction.
Table Of Contents
Women-owned restaurants, bars, and food shops
1. Cafe de Casa
Cafe de Casa is a small, cozy cafe in San Francisco with one of the highest ratings on Google reviews. They’re known for serving delicious sweet and savory Brazilian pastries, fresh açaí bowls, gluten-free crepes, cheese bread sandwiches, and so much more. Owner Lucimar Canedo manages Cafe de Casa’s 3 locations with her daughters Thais and Amanda Moreira.
Locations:
- 1165 Airport Blvd, South San Francisco
- 2701 Leavenworth St, Russian Hill
- 3985 17th St, Castro
2. Atelier Crenn
Culinary legend Dominique Crenn heads this three-Michelin-star French restaurant in San Francisco. Crenn was the first female chef in the U.S. to receive two Michelin stars in 2012 and then beat her own record for a third star in 2018. The menu and restaurant reflect Crenn’s personal journey over the years, with ties to both French and Californian cuisine.
Location: 3127 Fillmore St, Cow Hollow
3. Damansara
Tracy Goh opened this excellent Malaysian restaurant in Noe Valley in October 2022. Guests can order a variety of small plates to make the most of Goh’s meticulous menu, which is intended to be paired with beverages and shared amongst friends.
Location: 1781 Church St, Noe Valley
4. La Cocina Municipal Marketplace
La Cocina Municipal Marketplace is a spacious women-led multicultural food market opened by local nonprofit La Cocina in 2021. They work to foster connections and opportunities for working class food entrepreneurs that often face barriers to success; namely women, immigrants, and people of color. Here are some of the women-owned businesses that you’ll find at the marketplace:
- Boug Cali (Creole bodega) by Chef Tiffany Carter. Menu items include gumbo, smoked sausage and jerk tacos.
- Estrellita’s Snacks (Salvadoran) by Chef Estrella Gonzalez. Menu items include pupusas, tamales, fried plantains, and agua fresca.
- Kayma (Algerian) by Chefs Wafa and Mounir Bahloul. Menu items include delicious soups, sandwiches, grilled chicken, and baklawa.
- Los Cilantros (Mexican) by Chef Dilsa Lugo. Menu items include tostadas, chiles rellenos, and enchiladas.
- Mi Morena (Mexican) by Chef Guadalupe Moreno. Menu items include handmade corn tortillas, stews, rice, and grilled meats.
- Teranga (Senegalese) by Chef Nafy Ba Flafley. Menu items include peanut and bean stews, muffallettas, fresh juices, and spice blends.
Location: 101 Hyde Street, Tenderloin
5. Bottle Bacchanal
Beth Hughes is the owner of Bottle Bacchanal, is a boutique bottle shop in the Castro that specializes in natural wine and small-batch artisanal spirits. The shop is known for its exceptional selection and gorgeous interior, but also its mission to highlight women, BIPOC, and LGBTQ+ producers.
Location: 4126 18th Street
6. Dumpling Club
Get your dumpling fix at this excellent dumpling shop headed by Cathay Bi. Their team cultivates a rotating menu of delicious frozen dumplings and wontons for customers to pick up and enjoy at home. Look for their special events and cooking classes on weekends.
Location: 3233 22nd St, Mission District
7. Local Brewing Co.
Temporarily closed due to fire damage — visit their website to learn how you can help.
This brewery is a favorite among craft beer aficionados, and for good reason. They create approachable small batch beers with high-quality, local ingredients. Co-founder and head brewer Regan Long has brought excellent creations to the Bay Area for years, and you’d be remiss not to try one of her hazy IPAs. Don’t forget the full house menu featuring rotating snacks, sandwiches and comfort food.
Location: 69 Bluxome St, South Beach
Women-owned bakeries and coffee shops
8. Whole Cakes
Sonya Kim opened Whole Bakes’ SoMa location back in 2014 and continues to produce a delicious menu of gorgeous cakes and other baked goods to her loyal clientele. In addition to cakes you’ll find a lovely assortment of pies, tarts, sourdough bread, and seasonal items in both savory and sweet varieties.
Locations:
- 1000 16th St, Potrero Hill
- 100 1st St GB01, SoMa
9. Butter & Crumble
Butter & Crumble is helmed by Sophie Smith, who creates glorious specialty handmade cakes with a distinct layering technique. What’s great about Smith’s menu is that it also offers delicious gluten-free and vegan options. Smith works to prioritize flavor above all else, choosing to showcase the ingredients themselves rather than covering things up with fondant. Flavors include vanilla caramel bourbon, caramelized white chocolate carrot, and chocolate ganache toffee.
Location: 3318 Fillmore St, Marina
10. Bernie’s Coffee
Bernadette Melvin’s quaint coffee shop in Noe Valley is a popular neighborhood spot. Grab a strong coffee made from Spinelli beans and a breakfast burrito to go, or take a seat in their cozy dining area and look out the bay window.
Location: 3966 24th St, Noe Valley
11. Sisters Coffee Shop
Young business owners and sisters Karen and Melody Ruelas opened this colorful coffee shop in 2021. Pick up a breakfast bagel or breakfast burrito, and don’t skimp on their delicious Mexican hot chocolate. The adorable packaging is the icing on the cake.
Location: 920 Valencia St, Mission District
12. Lady Falcon Coffee Club
This vintage coffee truck hangs out at Alamo Square on the weekends, serving delicious drinks alongside the Painted Ladies for a unique and totally aesthetic cafe experience. Owner Buffy Maguire was inspired by the Falcon Ladies Bicycling Club of the 1880s, which broke boundaries back before women could even vote. The devil is really in the details, from their beautiful packaging, to the bright teal espresso machine, to the hand-painted logo on the side of the truck. While you’re at it, consider joining their subscription program for amazing monthly brews.
Location: Coffee truck in Alamo Square
13. Yvonne’s Southern Sweets
Yvonne Hines has been creating delicious southern sweets since 2003 in memory of her late grandmother Vermell. Her creations include pralines, old school butter cookies, sweet potato pies, peach cobblers, and cakes.
Location: 5128 3rd St, Bayview
Women-owned florists
14. Iris + Emerson
This florist and home goods shop is owned by first-generation Assyrian-American Tanya Odisho. You’ll find a great selection of curated home goods in this fun and inviting space decorated with plenty of plants. Odisho’s florals are seriously beautiful, and you can even join a workshop to learn how to design your own arrangements.
Location: 790 Arguello Blvd, Lone Mountain
15. Marbled Mint
SF natives Becky Tran and Virginia Leong are the creative design team behind Marbled Mint, which specializes in designing floral arrangements for special events and weddings. They also host team building and workshops for guests to bond while collaborating on theier own designs.
Location: 1155 Valencia St, Mission District
16. Flowers by Sonia
Sonia Garcia Gonzalez runs this freelance floral design business with the utmost care and attention to detail. Look into her custom designs for weddings, special events, gazebo decor, and holidays. Call her up for a free consultation about the arrangement you’re looking for.
Women-owned retail stores, artisans, and more
17. 428 Metal
Abby Paytas has been making jewelry since high school, but only recently opened her new online business 428 Metal in 2022. She works to prioritize self-expression in her gorgeous jewelry pieces while keeping in mind inclusivity, sustainability, and low-waste techniques. What’s more, she donates 3% of sales to the nonprofit environmental law organization Earthjustice.
18. Foggy Notion
Foggy Notion is unique gift shop owned and curated by Alissa Anderson. Anderson stocks her own handmade wallets, bags, and jewelry made from recycled materials while also showcasing other local designers. She works to choose eco-friendly creators in a range of items from apothecary and beauty products to home goods.
Location: 124 Clement St, Inner Richmond
19. Ayla Beauty
This boutique beauty and wellness store was founded by Dara Kennedy and continues to run via a women-led team. They strive to provide personalized guidance for a highly-curated selection of non-toxic products. Guests can order online, stop into the business in person, or make an appointment for a facial in their cozy treatment room.
Location: 1825 Bush St, Lower Pac Heights
20. Harmonic Bliss Wellness
Ashley Mikell opened Harmonic Bliss Wellness in 2020 after seeing the lack of access to mental health services that Black and Brown communities endured during the pandemic. She curates a selection of products meant to reduce stress and anxiety, ranging from amulets and crystals to diffusers and candles. Mikell also offers reiki healings and tarot readings for customers to consult her about everything from personal development to dream interpretation.
21. Current
Nancy Rooney founded this women’s boutique clothing store in 2014 with the goal of curating an affordable yet fashionable selection. This is your go-to place for memorable looks that are always on-trend and always changing, although they have a nice amount of basics to choose from as well.
Location: 3108 Fillmore St, Cow Hollow
22. Mudpie
This boutique children’s clothing store is run by mother-and-daughter duo Cheryl and Sarah Perliss. The business dates back to 1976 as a retailer for domestic and European clothing for children, but has since been expanded to stock home goods, beauty products, and more for adults as well.
Location: 2185 Fillmore St, Pacific Heights
23. Folio Books
Paula Foley opened this independent bookshop in Noe Valley in 2013. As a queer- and woman-owned neighborhood bookstore, Folio Books is dedicated to serving the community with about 10,000 books from a huge spectrum of genres. They also host events with community speakers and local authors.
Location: 3957 24th St, Noe Valley
24. Sour Cherry Comics
Leah Morrett opened this punchy and vibrant comic book store in March of 2022. As a queer woman business owner she wanted to create a welcoming space for queer and femme-presenting comic book lovers to shop, join workshops, and attend book signings and events. Most importantly, Morrett works to reject the notion that comics are only meant for men.
Location: 3187 16th St, Mission District
25. Mel Rice Ceramica
Professional production potter Melissa Rice operates this fun neighborhood pottery studio in the Outer Richmond. She offers a variety of pottery classes including hand building and wheel throwing. Rice poured her heart and soul into creating this welcoming studio, DIYing just about everything from the floors to the tabletops and counters. Mel Rice Ceramica is the only studio in SF run by a Latina production potter.
Location: 6138 Geary Blvd, Central Richmond