From what to see to where to eat and more, here are the best activities in San Francisco for the K-pop-obsessed.
San Francisco may not be known as a hub of K - daddy activity , but there is so much to do if you ’re a yard - pop stan live in or chaffer the Bay Area . Not only is the kB - pop fan biotic community alive and well in the central metropolitan area , but the Oakland Arena is becominga popular stopfor K - daddy idol and group tour the United States . Factor in some of the local restaurants , K - beauty shops , karaoke bar , and coffee shop class run by phallus of the Asiatic diaspora community of interests , and K - soda fans visiting San Francisco can fill their intact itinerary with activeness that gratify their fannish view . Here are some of our top recommendations for K - pop fans look to adventure the good afternoon or week forth in or by the urban center by the bay .
Food & Commerce
SarangHello
Compared to Los Angeles , there are n’t as many K - pop - specific shop in the Bay Area , but that makesSarangHellothat much more special . Sarangmeans “ sexual love ” in Korean , and there is so much to jazz aboutthis Sunset District shop , which sells KB - pop albums , accessories , and merchandise . For K - pop fans who care about aim their fave ’s latest individual , EP , or LP on the charts , which , let ’s be dependable , is most jet - pop fans . Albums bought at SarangHello count toward Korea’sHanteo Charts .
In addition to having a encompassing potpourri of kB - pop album , SarangHello also hosts the occasional K - pop group sign language case . Be sure to checktheir Instagram accountfor details on which lightsticks and album are in pedigree and what events might be happening while you are in town . Even when there is n’t an prescribed consequence , the K - daddy stock , which moved into a bigger space last year , has a seating country with chair and board where guests can unbox their purchased items , take selfies , and swap photocards , should the humour come across .
Japantown
San Francisco does n’t have a Koreatown , but that does n’t mean there are n’t air hole of Korean businesses throughout the city . San Fran ’s Japantown has several Korean clientele pucker into the neighborhood ’s corners , elongate across six city blocks in the Western Addition district .
Japan Center houses three freestanding shopping centre — Kinokuniya Mall , Japan Center West , and Japan Center East — and the connected quickness make for a great afternoon or even resort for super acid - popping fans visiting the city . If you ’re looking for Korean composition or cheek masks , check outThe Face ShoporFanloli Beauty . The Japan Center malls also domiciliate the old US ramification of Nipponese bookstore Kikokuniya , located in , as you may have guessed , the Kinokuniya construction of the shopping mall . The locationopened in 1969 , and while it focus on Nipponese books , magazine , and stationary , eagle - eyed K - pop stans will be capable to find some merch . Nearby , Mai Doshelves some Korean letter paper items , from speciality pens to the slashed of notebook . After you ’re done shopping , take a walk toYakiniQ Cafefor a honey tea or a sweet potato latte .
If you ’re athirst , check outSeoul Garden , which offers Korean BBQ with traditional tabernacle decor , orBeque Korean Grill , which has grills at the table and soju cocktails . If you have a small radical looking for something cozy and abject - key , end byDoobufor mekju andtofu soup . Outside the mall , the trendy fusion restaurantBangsangoffers Korean - inspire tapas and originative drink and has a lot of space for larger groups . If you ’re famished and have some money to burn , orderkalbijjim , a large red-hot stone bowl of braised short ribs , atDaeho .
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Arts & Culture
Asian Art Museum
If you ’re a super acid - pop devotee looking for a broader ethnical context around Korean pop music , consider visiting theAsian Art Museum . Located in the Civic Center and home to more than 18,000 pieces of art , San Francisco ’s Asian Art Museum swash one of the largest collections of Asian art in the world . The museum has three floor of exhibition halls that you may explore in two or three hours if you ’re looking for a sunup or afternoon natural process .
The museum displays divers examples ofKorean arts traditions — from mulberry paper craft tobojagi . On the construction ’s second floor , the Koret Korean Galleries includes two sketch pad and one painting from twentieth - century Korean nonobjective artist Whanki Kim — one of BTS member RM’sfavorite artists . The museum ’s first floor houses temporary showing , often highlighting contemporary oeuvre or work around a broad , approachable motif . At the time of this penning , the museum is hostinga impermanent exhibitionon representations of “ the underworld ” in Asian artistic creation , include in the Korean cultural imagination . Previous exhibit have include the commonwealth ’s first majorexhibition of Korean portrait .
General entree to the museum costs $ 20 ( with discounts for seniors and student ) , and the museum is well approachable via BART . The museum is fill up on Tuesdays and Wednesdays , so plan accordingly . Pro peak : Asian Box , the museum ’s Vietnamese cuisine - inspired cafe , has boba .
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K-pop shows
OK , so you ’ve buy your lightstick at SarangHello . Now , it ’s time for a concert . The Roaracle , as it ’s have it away topically , is the Bay Area venue where the biggest chiliad - soda groups , including BTS , Blackpink , and Stray Kids , follow to play . While ticket often sell out quickly via Ticketmaster , resale options on sites like StubHub or SeatGeek are usually available . If you ’re visiting San Francisco for a K - pop concert at the Oakland Arena , public transportation is an selection between the two cities ; a pedestrian bridge link the locus to BART’sColiseum Station .
Other locus in the Bay Area that regularly legion super acid - pa acts let in theBill Graham Civic Auditorium , the Orpheum Theatre , andGolden Gate Park . To browse upcoming K - pop concert option , insure outK - Play ! Fest ’s calendar ofupcoming K - popping concerts in the US , including in San Francisco and Oakland .
More Fun Things to Do
Cupsleeve events
There ’s a unique delectation in attending a fan - organize KB - pop meetup , and the Bay Area has many on offer . Cupsleeves are theme coffeehouse organized by sports fan around a specific kB - pa idol or group . Sometimes , they coincide with an idol ’s birthday . Sometimes , they keep the anniversary of a radical ’s debut . Sometimes , they ’re just for the joy of it . If you ’re in San Francisco right , ensure out1011 Sip TeaandMy Cup of Teafor cupsleeve event . Burlingame’sCafe Sieteand Fremont’sMr . Sun Teaoften host K - pop - themed events outside of the city .
If you ’re a K - pa fan , it ’s worth move to San Jose , which has a thriving Korean American universe and plays server to many cupsleeve result . Caffe Bene , A release of Potatoes , R&B Tea , Guildhouse , andTeaspoon Campbellare all go - to venue for K - popping buff gatherings . Check outCali K - Pop Weekly , an Instagram account that cut across KB - soda water happenings across the State Department , for an updated schedule of K - soda pop - centrical activities in the Bay Area this calendar week .
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