San Francisco’s newest park may have split the city before it debuted, but now that Sunset Dunes is open for strolling and skating, even haters can’t resist the allure. The beachfront stretch of what used to be the Great Highway now has a giant octopus, a skateboard track and bike ramp, colorful murals, and stadium-style benches — which is to say, plenty to explore beyond the beach and attractions at nearby Golden Gate Park. 

What it doesn’t have is on-site food and drink. Fortunately, there’s a wealth of places to fuel up with a jolt of caffeine before your Sunset Dunes adventure or relax over a meal after jogging the two-mile promenade, no matter what you’re craving. 

Fish-and-chips straight from a fish market
It’s all flip-flops-and-a-beanie casual at this fish market and restaurant. Though there’s no indoor seating, it has one the city’s prettiest parklets, built of wood and plush with native plants. Order at the counter, and your meal will be served on an aluminum tray. The menu is simple: your choice of fish from the market in simple, healthy preparations, including tacos, burritos, salads, sandwiches, or grilled plus rice and beans. Well, mostly healthy — there’s also a heap of fish and chips. The straightforward food definitely needs some spicing up. Luckily, a neon-orange house-made carrot-habañero salsa awaits. 4542 Irving St.

Speciality coffee and some of SF’s best babka 
Before you head to the park, stop at Blackbird Bookstore and Cafe’s walk-up window to order coffee or espresso — both currently made with Four Barrel beans, though next on rotation is the highly experimental Hydrangea Coffee Roasters — as well as smooth and just-sweet-enough Rocky’s Matcha drinks. In the pastry case, you’ll find Hayes Valley bakery Loquat’s olive oil spelt cake and walnut poppyseed babka, plus Florecita Panadería’s sugar-topped conchas. If the weather gets chilly, peruse the bookshelves for a reprieve from the elements. 4541 Irving St.

An al fresco beer or glass of wine
The Outer Sunset outpost of this SF-based family of beer and wine bars is an ideal pre- or post-park drink destination. It has a spacious wooden parklet out front — yes, there are ocean views — and a back patio with a cozy firepit, and both outdoor spaces are dog-friendly. The handful of beers on tap behind the 12-seat bar rotate regularly, but you can expect options like the clean and crisp Retro Pilsner or Local Honey, an herbal ale made with eucalyptus and yarrow. Natural wines and canned beers are available to go. 4045 Judah St.

The best carbonated coffee drink named for a shorebird
There is nothing quite like a Snowy Plover, Andytown’s affogato-adjacent house drink, made with espresso, sparkling water, and thick homemade whipped cream over ice. (Can somebody turn this into a cocktail? Asking for literally every friend.) Having opened on Lawton Street in 2014 and expanded to half a dozen locations — two of which are by the beach — this Northern Irish cafe also serves bites from breakfast-loving Belfast, like soda farl with raspberry jam. But for real, though: Get a Snowy Plover. 3655 Lawton St.

The only gelateria near the beach
Considering its proximity to the ocean, the Outer Sunset is curiously light on scoop shops. (Yes, yes, it’s frequently foggy. But we still want a cone once in a while!) The exception? Marco Polo Italian Ice Cream, a 30-year-old gelato shop with inventive flavors, many of which take their inspiration from East Asian cuisine. Pandan leaf, Thai tea, red bean, and mangosteen gelatos share the stage with mint chocolate chip and pistachio. Root beer floats are only $6.50. Marco Polo stays open until 10 p.m., every night of the week. 3886 Noriega St.

Great bites, great whites
The only shark you’ll ever want to encounter up close will be in the form of a shortbread cookie at Devil’s Teeth Baking Company, whose Outer Sunset location is one of three citywide. Lines for buttermilk biscuit breakfast sandwiches form early in the morning, so this spot is best visited en route to — not from — Sunset Dunes. And while you can get multigrain bread and homemade coconut cranberry granola, we’re partial to the more decadent options, like ube blondies or bacon cheddar beer muffins. On Sundays, there are even beignets. 3876 Noriega St.

A chill vintage dive a block from the ocean
The Outer Sunset has quite a few dive bars, but none can match the mermaids-and-mayhem vibes at The Riptide, a beachy, 84-year-old honky-tonk that even a devastating 2015 fire couldn’t dethrone. The floor is brick, the fireplace is decorated with sand dollars, and karaoke nights tend to become sing-alongs. Comfy, casual, and cash-only, the Riptide is the definition of a neighborhood institution — and nobody will mind if you’re a little sandy when you roll up to the parklet for a Moscow mule or a PBR. 3639 Taraval St.

Cheesy chicken tikka masala slices
Though not as famous as, say, a Mission burrito, Indian pizza is a San Francisco speciality, and Brothers Pizza does a solid version just a few blocks from the park. Best of all, you can order by the slice. Consider yourself warned: They’re massive and smothered in a thick blanket of melted mozzarella — a two-hands-required meal you won’t want to enjoy on the move. The chicken tikka masala doesn’t deliver any heat, but the earthy spices make it warming nonetheless. 3627 Taraval St.

A coffee shop with unusual treats
A cute coffee shop with a beautiful parklet and an impressively large selection of Spam musubi? Yes, please. Avenues is a quiet daytime spot for matcha lemonades and horchata cold brew, but also satisfying bites, like a breakfast banh mi. And don’t sleep on the grab-and-go musubi, a parade of umami-forward snacks ranging from ginger shoyu chicken to baked tamago and Spam. Even better, Avenues will open a backyard patio in the weeks to come, providing a bit of shelter from the occasionally fierce winds. 3606 Taraval St.

Craft cocktails within spitting distance of actual white caps
Sometimes, after a day at the park (or beach), you need a professional-grade margarita. The craft cocktail tsunami of the 2010s largely passed by SF’s western edge, but White Cap is a notable exception. The service may not be as warm as at nearby Riptide, but this spot on outer Taraval Street is the Sunset’s best place for Manhattans and martinis. Putting a Surfer on Acid on the menu was practically obligatory, but at White Cap, Falernum, coffee liqueur, and fresh coconut shavings give this ’90s-era drink a serious glow-up. (No cap, as it were.) 3608 Taraval St.

A sit-down meal that feels like the South of France 
For a full-service, sit-down meal in the Avenues, you can’t beat this less-than-a-year-old bistro. Situated on the corner of Taraval and 46th, it oozes a laissez-faire attitude, with windows thrown open to the salty air and petite two-tops scattered on the sidewalk outside. It’s open all day (though the breakfast options are limited), with a menu that spans simple sandwiches and salads, plus more traditional bistro fare, like mussels mariniere and steak frites. The signature dish, a rustic seafood stew similar to bouillabaisse, will have you feeling like you’re dining beachside in Nice. 3554-3560 Taraval St.

Made-to-order sandwiches perfect for taking to the park 
Despite the name, there are no animals to be found at George’s Zoo — just hefty sandwiches, bags of chips, and shelves upon shelves of snacks. Somehow, a made-to-order deli sandwich sets you back just $8.99, and there are dozens of selections for both meat-eaters and vegetarians. The Little Puffer, a hot sandwich stacked with turkey, bacon, and smoked gouda, is one of the most popular picks, though you can always opt to build your own. Bread options run the gamut, but you can’t go wrong with Dutch crunch. 2560 Sloat Blvd.

Correction: This story has been updated to clarify what type of cafe Avenues is.