#367 of 1,116 things to do in San Francisco

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Top ways to experience Justin Herman Plaza and nearby attractions

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The area

Address

Neighbourhood: Embarcadero

How to get there

Embarcadero • 2 min walk
Embarcadero • 3 min walk

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Best nearby

We rank these restaurants and attractions by balancing reviews from our members with how close they are to this location.

Restaurants

3,624 within 5 kms

Acme Bread

308

0.2 km$ • Bakeries • Vegetarian friendly • Vegan options

Hog Island Oyster Co.

2,336

0.2 km$$ - $$$ • American • Seafood • Soups

Boulevard

1,881

0.2 km$$$$ • American • Contemporary • Vegetarian friendly

Blue Bottle Coffee

608

0.2 km$ • Quick Bites • Cafe

Perbacco

847

0.4 km$$$$ • Italian • Vegetarian friendly • Vegan options

La Mar Cebicheria Peruana

1,402

0.3 km$$$$ • Peruvian • Vegetarian friendly • Vegan options

Yank Sing

924

0.3 km$$ - $$$ • Chinese • Asian • Cantonese

Kokkari Estiatorio

2,771

0.5 km$$$$ • Greek • Contemporary • Vegetarian friendly

Humphry Slocombe

301

0.2 km$ • Dessert • American

Tadich Grill

2,216

0.4 km$$ - $$$ • American • Seafood • Vegetarian friendly

See all

Attractions

1,038 within 10 kms

Autodesk Gallery

31

39 mPoints of Interest & Landmarks

Ferry Plaza Farmer's Market

514

0.2 kmFlea & Street Markets

San Francisco Railway Museum

114

0.2 kmSpeciality Museums

Ferry Building Marketplace

7,442

0.2 kmPoints of Interest & Landmarks • Shopping Malls

Liz Boeder Gallery

4

0.1 kmArt Galleries

California Welcome Center

40

0.2 kmVisitor Centres

Fireboat House (Pier 22 1/2)

4

93 mHistoric Sites • Points of Interest & Landmarks

0.2 kmFlea & Street Markets

Vaillancourt Fountain

15

0.1 kmFountains

See all

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Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.

Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as waiting time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.

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3.5

13 reviews

Excellent

2

Very good

2

Average

9

Poor

0

Terrible

0

Thomas V

Oakland, CA17,533 contributions

Replace the Fountain Please

Oct 2020

Well the good news is that the Embarcadero Plaza is right there and you can wander among the interesting 70s architecture, shopping and eating in the midst of offices and a big hotel. The bad news is that outside is that awful fountain which takes over the plaza Replace the fountain and this would be a marvelous outdoor space.

Written 17 November 2020

This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Thomas V

Oakland, CA17,533 contributions

Not the Prettiest Part of Town

Sept 2019

This is sort of an unrealized public plaza between the Embarcadero Center and the Ferry Building. Part of the problem is the ugly fountain that no one has ever liked. I do like the Dubuffet sculpture, but on the whole it's not a pretty place. And there should be more outdoor cafes.

Written 11 September 2019

This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

StephenCross

Dublin, Ireland30,650 contributions

Restaurants & bars and boreing buildings

Oct 2023 • Couples

This plaza is better on the inside than the outside. It’s very monotonous in terms of visuals. There are some plantings that liven it up.

Written 7 October 2023

This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

mini

Fremont, CA212,260 contributions

Often Visit Justin Herman Plaza, San Franicsco

Jan 2020

Since I often ride BART to San Francisco, I walk across Justin Herman Plaza to the Ferry Building and also to the other trolleys to take me to the Pier 39 and Fisherman Wharf area. There are some statues in this area. There is also a bocci ball court.
There are some vendors. There are some street people, but in general during the day, its a safe place to be. Its in the Embarcadero Area of San Francisco.

Written 30 January 2020

This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Prawet J

Washington DC, DC12,789 contributions

Nice open space near water

Oct 2019

The Justin Herman Plaza is also known as Embarcadero Plaza. It was built in 1972 and is located across the street from the Ferry terminal building. A nice open space with some green in front of Embarcadeo Center. There are section near the Embarcadero street needs some clean up and too many homeless people are taking refuge as sitting and sleeping spaces. An interesting water fountain is in the plaza. Look at it and enjoy it when you are in the area, otherwise, it is an open space for public.

Written 24 October 2019

This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Scott

San Francisco, CA6,582 contributions

In need of revamping

Apr 2018 • Solo

This place hasn't changed in 30 years. And sometimes that's not a good thing. They need to tear down the ugly old 1980s Fountain and clean the place off of it.

Written 29 April 2018

This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Hoben01

Long Beach, CA3,138 contributions

strip of land between the ferry building and market street

May 2017 • Solo

This strip of concrete is something you cross when walking from market street to the ferry building. On weekends its notable for alot of local artists selling anything from photos of SF to compressed wine bottles, jewelry, etc. Also, if you like skateboarding always a good number of kids gather here to do tricks and typically alot of bmx bikers doing wheelies. Off to one corner is a concrete i guess erector set with fountains that you can wander into. Its not a bad place to get something to eat and sit outside the embarcadero center on a sunny day.

Written 8 January 2018

This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

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