📍 A San Francisco Guide For Designers By Designers

📻 Press play: Read this while vibin’ to Blue Bottle’s Hello World playlist — pretty fitting for the city that runs on code, chaos, and caffeine.

It took me way too long to properly visit San Francisco for the first time. The Bay is the real deal. Sure, other cities like Austin or Miami like to cosplay as tech hubs — but SF? Still the Meca. Still where deals get done and dreams get pitched.

Right now, I’m writing this newsletter at a Blue Bottle. Full circle moment. I remember when the specialty coffee scene was blowing up (along with green juices 🧃 🤣) and Google Ventures dropped 💰 bags 💰 into Blue Bottle back in 2012. Did I understand the investment thesis? Nope. But it felt like one of those “Jeff Bezos accidentally asked Alexa to buy Whole Foods” moments. Billionaire logic, you know?

Coming to San Francisco is always a bucket list thing for anyone in tech. When I first came here, it was with my girlfriend — now my amazing wife ❤️. We scored an epic upgrade in a cute boutique hotel, and it was one of those core memories you just keep replaying.

I met a lot of people, made some good connections, and even visited Evernote HQ (yeah, yeah, that sounds ancient now). But hey — Evernote was the Notion of its time. Back in Brazil, I had a startup called LookBook, and we were featured by them for how we used Evernote to run our content operations. Real ones know.

We had tacos with the Evernote crew in Castro at La Taqueria — 🔥 spot back then. (I’ve since gone vegan, so my taco game has changed.)

🪦 And then there was The Creamery. If you were around in the early 2010s, you know. It was the place where founders and VCs “accidentally” met. I went there with a dear friend… who’s sadly no longer with us. I miss that place, but I miss him more.

A mix of go-to favorites, lowkey gems, and places I’ve been meaning to try — curated by cravings, caffeine needs, and curiosity.

Listen, this spot is tiny. Like “don’t even think about showing up with a group” tiny. It’s one of those ramen places where you either go solo or bring one person max — and even then, you’re probably waiting outside. No reservations, no problem.

But the ramen? Next level. I went for the plant-based one and it was unreal. Deep flavor, not too salty, just enough heat — the kind of bowl that resets your soul after 12 slides of dark-mode UI components. Oh, and it’s approved by folks on the Figma team, which means you may spot a designer slurping next to you while reviewing their speaker notes. SF magic.

📍 672 Geary St, San Francisco, CA 94102
🌐 mensho.tokyo
📲 @mensho.usa

Every now and then you walk into a place and think, “Wow, I wish I could teleport my wife here.” That’s Wildseed. She’s a phenomenal cook and appreciates every detail in a good dish — and this spot nails it. Not in a trying-too-hard way, but in a confident, plant-powered kind of way.

I wanted everything on the menu. Literally. But I settled on the Wildseed Burger — a housemade patty that tastes like a chef actually thought about balance and not just branding. The space is beautiful, the vibes are right, and you leave feeling like you actually did your body a favor. If you’re looking for a meal where your gut and brain both say “thank you,” this is it.

📍 2000 Union St, San Francisco, CA 94123
🌐 wildseedsf.com
📲 @wildseedsf

Imagine this: A 100% plant-based fast food joint that looks suspiciously like a McDonald’s, sitting directly across from an actual McDonald’s. This is Mr. Charlie’s. Their Frowny Meal is a hilarious 🖕 middle finger to Big Burger — and it somehow tastes amazing too.

The whole vibe is rebellious and tongue-in-cheek. I’m not sure how they haven’t been sued into oblivion by now, but I’m glad they haven’t. It’s fun. It’s absurd. It’s tasty. And Mike Tyson is an investor. If you want to post an ironic photo on your Stories while also eating guilt-free fast food — this is the place.

📍 432 Sutter St, San Francisco, CA 94108
🌐 mrcharlies.co
📲 @mrcharlies

Sure, Blue Bottle is everywhere. It’s convenient. But if you want the anti-chain coffee experience — a place where the beans matter more than the branding — go to Graffeo. They’ve been roasting since 1935, and they don’t do gimmicks.

No latte art. No Wi-Fi. Just beans, stories, and the kind of aroma that makes you want to write a manifesto. I came here looking for coffee and left thinking about legacy. Come here when you’re feeling thoughtful, or just need a caffeine reset.

📍 735 Columbus Ave, San Francisco, CA 94133
🌐 graffeo.com
📲 @graffeocoffee

This place made me slow down — which, if you know me, is saying something. You sit at the tea bar, and they just… start pouring. Oolong, pu-erh, jasmine — and while you’re sipping, they tell you about the regions, the rituals, the energy. It’s part education, part meditation.

As someone who’s always been in a committed relationship with coffee, this experience really opened me up. If tea is the quiet friend in the back of the room, Vital Tea Leaf helps you hear what they’ve been saying all along.

📍 1044 Grant Ave, San Francisco, CA 94133
🌐 vitaltealeaf.net
📲 @vitaltealeaf

It’s touristy. Yes. But also timeless. Walk slowly, breathe deeply, and enjoy the design of nature. Bonsais. Bridges. Koi. Bamboo. The whole place feels like someone turned a poem into a park.

Bonus: If you go Mon/Wed/Fri between 9–10am, it’s free. And worth it. Bring your notebook or sketchpad. Leave your Slack notifications behind.

📍 75 Hagiwara Tea Garden Dr, San Francisco, CA 94118
🌐 japaneseteagardensf.com
📲 @japaneseteagardensf

Everyone says content is king — but curation is the real queen 👑. This place is pure curation. Zines, design books, fiction that isn’t trying to sell you a framework. It’s like someone built a bookstore based on your Pinterest mood board — but real.

Sit in the back with a cortado, grab something off the Staff Picks shelf, and let your brain wander. If you’re feeling fried from too many product talks, this place will bring your creative energy back without trying too hard.

📍 4541 Irving St, San Francisco, CA 94122
🌐 blackbirdsf.com
📲 @blackbirdbooksf

The travel hack for Config attends that need to pick a flight and you don’t have any place to leave your bags is to check-in the bags here and have a great time without the heavy load of luggage 🧳

SFMOMA offers a free admission on the First Thursdays of each month, unfortunately if you didn’t came early you missed like me this day. But last week I ran a solo hackathon — and out came Free Museum, a lightweight guide to free museums in San Francisco 🗺️ where I could explore Wix CMS, data manipulation, no-code tools, data analytics, and automation.

As requested for many people I will be adding next the Free Museums in London soon.

📍 151 3rd St, San Francisco, CA 94103
🌐 sfmoma.org
📲 @sfmoma

It’s a park… on a rooftop… above a bus terminal. Classic SF. I ran laps here at 6am, still jet-lagged, watching early-bird designers line up for Config like it was Black Friday at Supreme. It’s walking distance from Moscone Center and place to have a walk and grab a coffee at Andytown Coffee Roasters. Great views, clean air, good latte. This place feels futuristic and weird — just like the city.

📍 425 Mission St, San Francisco, CA 94105
🌐 salesforcetransitcenter.com
📲 @salesforceparksf

Let’s be honest — my real first sport is eating 🍔. That’s why I run. That’s why I roll. Gotta balance the Wildseed burger, Mr. Charlie’s, and all those oat lattes somehow. Jiu-jitsu keeps me grounded when my brain is spinning between Figma files and pitch decks.

If you’re anything like me, Config week can turn into a culinary sprint. So I highly recommend jumping into some of the community sports activities to balance things out. Last year, we had an epic time playing hoops at Studio Hoops, hosted by Dan Mall and Wix Studio. Designers dunking and talking systems thinking? Unreal.

This year, I’m bringing my other passion to the mat — I’ll be hosting a Jiu-Jitsu Open Class in partnership with the crew at Alliance SF Bay. It’s going down Friday morning, after Config wraps up. Perfect timing to sweat out the last panels and start heading back into your routine. Total beginners are welcome — no ego, just movement.

There’s also hikes, 5Ks, and other cool activities happening during the week. Check out the Config SF Community Events list and sign up for a few. Sometimes the best conversations happen after mile 3 — or after someone accidentally elbows you during guard passing.

Okay, hear me out:

What if Config 2026 happened in Rio de Janeiro — the week before Carnival?

I’m not saying it’s official (yet), but let’s just say the FoF chapters in Brazil + Portugal crew — affectionately known as the FoFis — are manifesting this idea hard. Like, tropical-banner-designs-and-axe-samba-breaks-between-talks level hard.

The timing is perfect: Config on February 11–12. Carnival kicks off February 14.

Imagine it — two days of workshops, keynotes, and late-night figjams… followed by parades, bloco parties, trio elétricos, and caipirinhas with fellow designers under the Rio sun (or Salvador).

Energy. Color. Chaos. Joy.

And honestly? The world could use a little more of Rio’s spirit right now — creative, chaotic, warm, and wildly welcoming.

So yeah — we’re just planting the seed. ✨

#ConfigInRio2026 — let’s make it a Xwitter trend.

Maybe you found a new ramen spot, a tea ritual to try, or just realized someone else also treats eating like a competitive sport 😅 — either way, if this guide brought you anything good, share it with a friend.

It costs nothing. But it means the world to me.

And hey, if you spot me wandering around SF during Config — probably wearing a hoodie, sipping oat latte, and carrying a tote full of books I told myself I wouldn’t buy — come say hi. I’d love to meet you, swap stories, or even roll on the mat if you’re showing up to Jiu-Jitsu Friday.

Thanks for reading.

See you out there.

— Juno

Originally published in https://www.juno.pro