Downtown San Francisco isn’t all the way back — but it sure is feeling itself again.

Barely two years ago, the Financial District was the vortex of the alleged doom loop, and nearby Union Square was an expanding retail sinkhole.

While activity isn’t quite at pre-2020 levels, the difference with the post-pandemic doldrums couldn’t be more stark, with both neighborhoods offering new restaurants, public art projects, exciting pop-up retail, and massive outdoor street parties. There’s a palpable buzz in the air.

As fall approaches and the warmest part of the year arrives in San Francisco, here are 16 of the best things to do in San Francisco’s newly exciting downtown.

A spinoff of Michelin-starred omakase restaurant The Shota, cocktail den Bar Shoji opened in a beautiful high-ceilinged space this spring. This Japanese watering hole and restaurant offers cocktails, oysters, and a $50 fondue burger that’s served on beef tallow brioche and comes in a baking dish full of gooey cheese. Decadent? Absolutely — and every bite is worth the splurge.

Nothing speaks to the Financial District’s reversal of fortune quite like the massive outdoor parties thrown by Into the Streets. The most popular events include Downtown First Thursdays (next event, Sept. 4) along with its same-day offshoot Downtown Hoedown, and the South Asian-themed night market Bhangra & Beats (Oct. 24). As two blocks of Front Street go car-free, live music, outdoor bars, and the occasional mechanical bull routinely draw thousands.

It’s not a speakeasy. It’s not some generic hotel bar. Rather, the Valley Club is home to San Francisco’s sexiest cocktails, which are stirred and shaken in a glamorous, tucked-away setting perfect for flirting over Negronis. There’s even a cocktail called Phone Sex — although, confusingly, that one happens to be zero-proof.

A mainstay for curated fashion, both casual and formal, eclectic boutique Ambiance is rolling into the Embarcadero Center in September as part of SF’s Vacant to Vibrant program. From shirt dresses to poncho cardigans and rompers to blazers, this is downtown’s new spot for spiffing up your look.

Italian gelato and the Japanese shaved ice dessert known as kakigori collide at MadLab, an afternoon-only sweet shop inside Cafe Sebastian, the all-day restaurant in the shadow of the Transamerica Pyramid. This is no mere ice cream parlor: The treats are both infinitely customizable and practically architectural. There are milkshakes, too.

Billed as the “Disneyland of escape rooms,” Union Square’s The Escape Game offers themed, timed scenarios like Prison Break, Gold Rush, and The Heist — all designed to test your group’s wits and camaraderie. Use clues to solve the puzzle before the timer hits zero, and you’ll make it out alive.

After 34 years on Polk Street, the acclaimed restaurant Crustacean relocated to a stunning 6,000-square-foot space on Pine. There, chef Helene An and family have created a veritable temple to modern Vietnamese food, where whole roasted Dungeness crab and springy garlic noodles — the house specialty, and An’s own invention — play starring roles.

Unveiled this spring to polarizing responses, Marco Cochrane’s 45-foot steel mesh sculpture of a naked woman, “R-Evolution,” has been attracting gawkers ever since. Once you take it in, the Embarcadero’s three padel courts — open to the public but available by reservation only, at $100 per hour — are right there to burn off lunch.

On a pedestrianized section of Commercial Street, 2-year-old restaurant Heartwood offers a tantalizing deal that no other restaurant in the city comes close to matching: a free martini for anyone who orders a salad or sandwich during weekday lunch. There are five options for a high-octane midday cocktail, the standout being the tequila-and-shiso Leaf Water.

An engineering marvel and an urban oasis, the city’s elevated greenspace is an anchor of downtown’s post-pandemic comeback. Beyond the unparalleled views, Salesforce Park’s five plant-filled acres contain plenty of public art and amenities. Not to be missed is Modí, a Mexican-Italian restaurant on ground level with excellent cocktails and pizzas.

Bon Délire, at less than a year old, is already among the splashiest restaurants on the waterfront. It’s a Parisian-style bistro with everything from croque madame to quiche lorraine and a seafood-centric selection that includes smoked salmon and a squid-and-rock-shrimp oeufs mayonnaise.

At Craftivity Cafe, another Vacant to Vibrant pop-up with two downtown locations, you can take classes in candle making and wood burning, or learn how to hammer flowers and encase objects in transparent resin. This hands-on workshop — not, despite the name, a cafe offering food service — offers team-building events and parties, with some classes capped at 15 attendees.

Sometimes, low-decibel happy hours are the best ones. At RM 212, a brick-lined drinking den on the border of Chinatown and the FiDi, classic cocktails and soft jazz combine for an elegant after-work outing. Don’t snooze on the Vesper, a gin-and-vodka mixture that feels like a martini ordered a martini.

Amid the Transamerica Pyramid’s ongoing renovation, the adjacent redwood grove’s 50 mature trees have gotten an upgrade. That means plenty of new seating, statues, ping-pong tables, and even live concerts. One of the loveliest places downtown to eat lunch — brown-bag it or pick up something from nearby Venga Empanadas or the Bonito Poke food truck — it’s open from 7 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. daily.

As part of the city’s Vacant to Vibrant program, Mission boutique Nooworks now has a Union Square pop-up, selling floral jumpsuits and psychedelic dresses through the end of the year. Known for unisex styles and body-positive sizing, Nooworks pieces remain some of the city’s most instantly recognizable.

Having served freshly boiled and baked plain, sesame, and everything bagels in NoPa since 2021, Schlok’s opened a second location in the FiDi this summer. At the new spot, enjoy a brisket sandwich, some Saint Frank Coffee, or a classic poppy seed bagel — Schlok’s recommends they go untoasted — with a chopped smoked lox schmear. And unlike the mothership, it’s got indoor seating.