The Most Convenient Place To Get Food Near California's Golden Gate Bridge Is A Unique Café

If you are in San Francisco's Presidio district and need a quick place to refuel before popping across the Golden Gate Bridge, there's only one option for a quick, convenient, and caffeinated bite. When the Round House Café, a one-of-a-kind Art Deco structure, was opened in 1938, there was little doubt that it delivered everything promised by its name: a window-flooded, circular piece of architecture, serving café and diner fare to Golden Gate gazers. Today, the focus has shifted to third-wave coffee, with Equator Coffee serving up its namesake blends at the new Round House Café, which maintains its iconic structure on the Golden Gate Bridge Plaza. The streamlined menu might not be full-on greasy diner fare, but it's complete with well-chosen coffee, baked goods, breakfast sandwiches, lunch, and donuts. And it still has the best view of the Bay Area's biggest infrastructure attraction.

If you've searched for elusive views from the San Francisco Bay's beautiful secret swings or taken one of the world's most scenic ferry rides from San Francisco to Sausalito, you'll find locating the Round House much easier. Just take the last exit from the 101 Freeway before getting onto the bridge, or take the municipal bus 28 or Golden Gate Transit buses 101, 130, or 150 for access. You can also access the eatery from the bike and pedestrian routes that cross the bridge, making it a perfect stop-off before or after your bridge crossing. The café is open daily for breakfast and lunch from 8:30 a.m. until 4 p.m.

The northwestern tip of the San Francisco peninsula, the Presidio, is the Spanish name of the military fort that was built there when colonizers from Spain set up forts along the West Coast in the 1700s. Since 1994, though, it has been part of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area, a nature preserve and park hugging both sides of the Golden Gate Bridge. Reserved for hiking trails, animal habitats, art installations, and historic remnants of the fort that once was, it offers a peaceful respite from the city at any time of day.

While exploring the park, take a walk through the land art by naturalist artist Andy Goldsworthy. His eucalyptus branch sculpture, called Wood Line, forms a giant, winding braid of reclaimed fallen branches on the forest floor that stretches an incredible 1,200 feet. It's located on the southeast corner of the park, at Presidio Boulevard and West Pacific Avenue trail.

To work up an appetite before heading to Round House, start with a hike from Baker Beach (it's accessible from Lincoln Boulevard, on the western edge of the peninsula). The Batteries to Bluffs Trail will take you from the beach onto the bluffs above them heading north toward the historic gun battery, and finally to the epic Golden Gate views. While the trail is less than a mile long, you can continue along the California Coastal trail to walk underneath the highway to the Round House Café for a recharge. Or, if you're more suited for a gentle tea instead, check out a hidden tea garden in Golden Gate Park.