The Embarcadero is a long, broad, palm tree-studded boulevard bordering the San Francisco Bay. On the end just under the Bay Bridge at the base of Harrison Street, is the popular Gordon Biersch Brewery and Restaurant, and further down going toward the South Beach area are many kinds of excellent restaurants. Red's Java House is a long-time favorite for its funky, plain down-home atmosphere with picnic tables outside, great views and your basic burgers and sandwiches at prices that can't have changed for decades (or so it seems!). Down the street in the shadow of the Pac Bell Ball Park, are several upscale, contemporary restaurants such as Paragon on Second at Brannan and and Momo's at the base of Townsend Street.
Going in the other direction on the Embarcadero, towards Fisherman's Wharf, there is the Ferry Building at the base of Market Street, where you can take ferries to many destinations in the Bay Area, including Sausalito, Tiburon, Vallejo, Larkspur, Oakland and Alameda.
Pier 23 has a restaurant/club of the same name featuring live music, and there numerous other restaurants along the way as well, such as Lapis. Near the Levi Plaza, which is in the shadow of Coit Tower, two great dining destinations include the long popular Fog City Diner, with its classic diner décor, and Il Fornaio, for upscale Italian. You can make the hike up to Coit Tower via several stairways near here. The Embarcadero ends at Fisherman's Wharf.
In the area of the Financial District fringing the North Beach area, Jackson Street has the feel of Beacon Hill in Boston, with all the brick sidewalks and buildings, as well as many high-end antique stores. The Cypress Club has been a favorite for many years now with the business and advertising executives and people seeking a high-end, imaginatively decorated restaurant with a piano bar. A lively place to meet friends for a beer is Kells Irish Restaurant and Bar. Down one street to Pacific Street, you'll find more antique stores, as well as the popular Café Prague, which features live entertainment on the weekends. Bix Restaurant, tucked into Gold Street, a little alley between Jackson and Pacific, is immensely popular for dinner, but mostly for the bar scene.
The Embarcardero Center itself houses many fine restaurants, a wide variety of stores, and a movie theater.