Things To Do

Thanksgiving in San Francisco: Dinner, Giving Back, Lights

Date Published

Illustration of a Thanksgiving table with cable car and bay view for Thanksgiving in San Francisco

At a glance

  • When: Fourth Thursday of November; see This year's dates in the guide
  • Where: Across San Francisco: Nob Hill, SoMa, Union Square, the Tenderloin and the Embarcadero
  • Book ahead: Dinner seatings and take-home kits usually need reservations or pre-orders; check each official site
  • Getting around: Muni has run a Sunday schedule on past Thanksgivings; confirm at sfmta.com/travel-updates

Thanksgiving in San Francisco is a Thursday-dinner city that opens the holiday season by the weekend. Restaurants such as Tommy's Joynt near Van Ness, The Cavalier in SoMa and the Fairmont San Francisco on Nob Hill post Thanksgiving menus on their own sites, while the Tenderloin's Glide and St. Anthony's and the San Francisco-Marin Food Bank organize ways to give back. By the weekend, Union Square's ice rink, Embarcadero Center's lights and PIER 39's tree are carrying the season.

The whole holiday is easier if you plan it in three parts: the morning, the meal and the long weekend. Every place below was checked against its own official website. Dates, prices and times for this year are collected in one section near the end, because they change every year.

How we chose

We kept only places inside San Francisco whose own official site was reachable and showed them operating. For restaurants, the site had to mention Thanksgiving dining, take-home meals or a Thanksgiving closure. We dropped anything that rested on third-party articles alone. That cut several well-known names: a few official sites did not mention Thanksgiving at all, or could not be read.

One gap to know about: we could not confirm a Thanksgiving Day race or parade on an official organizer page, so we do not list one as a pick. If a morning run is your plan, find the race on its organizer's own site before you register.

Thursday morning: give first, eat later

Thursday morning is a good time to give back in San Francisco, and two of the three charities below are in the Tenderloin.

Glide, Tenderloin

Glide, at 330 Ellis Street, is a long-running community organization in the Tenderloin with a volunteer sign-up form on its official site at glide.org. That form is the dependable route to a holiday shift, so sign up well before the week itself.

St. Anthony's, Tenderloin

St. Anthony's, at 150 Golden Gate Avenue, runs a Thanksgiving-season campaign called A Week of Thanks on its official events page, and its homepage promotes a Thanksgiving donation drive. Volunteer shifts there are booked month by month through its volunteer sign-up page, so look at the month that includes Thanksgiving rather than waiting for a holiday-specific notice.

San Francisco-Marin Food Bank, Pennsylvania Avenue

The San Francisco-Marin Food Bank's main site is at 900 Pennsylvania Avenue. Its volunteer page says shifts are posted quarterly, with a minimum age of 10 on weekdays and 8 on Saturdays at that site. Its homepage runs a Thanksgiving-season giving appeal. If you cannot get a shift, a donation does the same job.

The meal: dine in, take home, or skip the cooking

The San Francisco places below say, on their own sites, how they handle the day. Reservations and pre-orders are the norm, so book before the week itself.

Tommy's Joynt, near Van Ness

Tommy's Joynt, at 1101 Geary Boulevard, is a hofbrau that posts a full Thanksgiving menu on its official site, with dine-in, a to-go window and a pre-order dinner for four. Order the carved turkey dinner. It is the cheapest sit-down plate on this list, and the to-go window is the easiest route if you are carrying dinner to a friend's table.

The Cavalier, SoMa

The Cavalier, at 360 Jessie Street at Hotel Zetta, publishes a Thanksgiving lunch and two dinner seatings on its holiday page. Children's menus are offered, and reservations go through OpenTable or the restaurant's phone line. It is a good choice for a table of mixed ages.

Fairmont San Francisco, Nob Hill

The Fairmont San Francisco, at 950 Mason Street, serves a Thanksgiving buffet in its Laurel Court Restaurant & Bar, per its festive holidays page. Reservations are required. Go here when you want a hotel dining room and a long afternoon.

Brenda's French Soul Food, Polk Street

Brenda's French Soul Food, at 652 Polk Street at Eddy, sells a Thanksgiving Turkey Dinner Kit for two to five people, per its official site. Brenda's on Polk Street also opens for daytime hours on Thanksgiving Day itself (see this year's dates below), which makes it a breakfast-or-lunch option when most kitchens run dinner only.

Zuni Café, Market Street

Zuni Café, at 1658 Market Street, is closed on Thanksgiving Day and serves no Thanksgiving dinner, according to its official site. It does sell Thanksgiving desserts for pre-order pickup on the weekends before the holiday, including a French apple cake, a Musician's Tart and quarts of ice cream. If you are the guest who is told to bring dessert, this is the answer. The Hayes Valley neighborhood is a few minutes away.

The long weekend: when the season starts

By Friday the city starts to light up. These are the traditions that carry through the weekend and the weeks after.

Union Square Ice Rink, Union Square

The Union Square Ice Rink, at 333 Post Street, runs through the holiday season in the plaza, and its official site lists daily hours for the season. The rink opens before Thanksgiving, so it is usually already running that Thursday. It is the simplest family outing for Friday or Saturday. See also our Union Square page.

Embarcadero Center Building Lighting and Holiday Market, Embarcadero

Embarcadero Center advertises a Building Lighting & Holiday Market with local shops, live music and a finale of 17,000 lights on its official site. The site did not post a 2026 date when we checked, and it does not mark the event as a Thanksgiving-weekend one, so confirm it before you plan around it.

PIER 39 Christmas Tree Lighting, Fisherman's Wharf

PIER 39 lights a 60-foot tree in its Entrance Plaza, per its official events page. Its holiday season starts during Thanksgiving week, but on this year's calendar the lighting night falls the week after the holiday, not on the long weekend. The Fisherman's Wharf area is the right base for it.

Ferry Building Marketplace, Embarcadero

The Ferry Building Marketplace, at One Ferry Building, states on its visit page that it is closed on Thanksgiving Day, then returns to its normal daily schedule. The Friday after is a good day to shop for edible gifts when other places feel crowded.

What is open or closed on Thanksgiving Day?

Most visitor attractions have reduced hours or close, so check before you go. The Ferry Building Marketplace is closed on Thanksgiving Day, and Zuni Café is closed, while Brenda's and Tommy's Joynt are open with special hours. On past Thanksgivings, the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA) has run Muni on a Sunday schedule; confirm this year's service on its Travel & Transit Updates page. Several museum sites did not publish a clear holiday notice that we could read, so call or check each attraction directly.

This year's dates

Thanksgiving falls on Thursday, November 26, 2026. From official sites:

  • Tommy's Joynt: dine-in $36 from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m.; to-go window $36 from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.; a pre-order dinner for four is $168 with pickup from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
  • The Cavalier: lunch from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at $130 per guest; dinner seatings at 3:30 p.m. and 7:15 p.m. at $150 per guest; children 12 and under pay $50 for a two-course menu.
  • Fairmont San Francisco: buffet from noon to 7 p.m. in Laurel Court Restaurant & Bar; the site lists prices as estimates.
  • Brenda's French Soul Food: open 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
  • Zuni Café: closed; dessert pickup on November 13-15 and 20-22, from 2 to 7 p.m.
  • St. Anthony's: A Week of Thanks, November 19-26.
  • Union Square Ice Rink: season runs November 4, 2026 to January 18, 2027, daily from 10 a.m. to 11 p.m.
  • PIER 39: holiday season November 23 to January 10; tree lighting on Thursday, December 3.

Save this: the Thanksgiving checklist

  1. Book dinner or pre-order a take-home kit in early November, before the week itself.
  2. Sign up to volunteer with Glide, St. Anthony's or the food bank before the week begins.
  3. Order Zuni's dessert for a pickup weekend, not the day.
  4. Check Muni service before Thursday.
  5. Plan Friday at Union Square, then keep the Embarcadero and PIER 39 for the following days.

For more tables, see our food and dining listings, and our events page for the rest of the season.

Last verified: November 2026.

Frequently asked questions

Where can I eat Thanksgiving dinner in San Francisco?

Tommy's Joynt, The Cavalier and the Fairmont San Francisco each post Thanksgiving dining on their official sites. Book ahead; seatings and pre-orders fill up.

Can I get a take-home Thanksgiving meal in San Francisco?

Yes. Tommy's Joynt offers a to-go window and a pre-order dinner for four, and Brenda's French Soul Food sells a turkey dinner kit for two to five people. Check each site for ordering details.

How can I volunteer on Thanksgiving in San Francisco?

Start with Glide's volunteer sign-up, St. Anthony's volunteer shifts and the San Francisco-Marin Food Bank's volunteer page. Shifts fill early, so sign up well before the holiday.

Is Muni running on Thanksgiving?

On past Thanksgivings the SFMTA has run Muni on a Sunday schedule. Confirm this year's service on the SFMTA Travel & Transit Updates page before you travel.

Is the Ferry Building open on Thanksgiving?

No. The Ferry Building Marketplace says on its official visit page that it is closed on Thanksgiving Day.