If you’ve been to RSA – and if you’re reading this, there‘s a good chance you have – you know how valuable a few moments of quiet can be at the conference. Just being able to find a corner of a room to have a conversation with someone, even if it’s just a quick chat to schedule another meeting, can be a lesson in futility.
The halls can be just as loud as the actual show floor; a cacophony of pitches, buzzwords (Artificial intelligence! Machine learning!) and beeping badge scanners. With the constant, seemingly never-ending construction in and around the Moscone Center, it doesn’t get any better once you step outside.
If you’re looking to schedule a last minute meeting away from the conference halls or simply looking for a place to unwind amid the hustle and bustle of the show floor, we’ve got your back. We put together a list of five spots to escape the madness of RSA. One things certain: You won't find spots sure to be teeming with RSA lanyard-wearing attendees like Mel's Drive-In, the W lobby, or Thirsty Bear on this list.
While naturally the further you get from Moscone the less hectic it’s going to be, these spots are all a hop, skip, or jump away from the convention center; most are right in SOMA. Keeping in mind that the world, San Francisco particularly, is dominated by Uber, Lyft… and whatever car hailing startup you use, we made sure none are more than a 10-minute car ride away.
WISE SONS JEWISH DELI
735 Mission St.
Photo via Niall Kennedy's Flickr photostream, Creative Commons
Wise Sons, a fine place to fortify your frame with smoked fish, braided challah, pastrami on rye, and sour pickles, opened their branch at the Contemporary Jewish Museum almost five years ago. If you're looking to chat about malware, red teaming, or cybersecurity, there's a chance you'll be the only one at this delicatessen on Mission St. The museum, flanked by the Museum of the African Diaspora and the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, is probably the closest spot on this list to Moscone. One just has to traverse through the bustling Yerba Buena Gardens, cross Mission Street, and Jessie Square to get to the front entrance. From there, you'll have to go through security and take a right; diners don’t need to purchase a museum ticket. The restaurant is open seven days a week but those looking to hold a meeting there should note it only serves food via its walk-up window on Wednesday, meaning you'll have to settle on noshing on the museum's large patio.
CELLARMAKER BREWING
1150 Howard Street
Photo via Benedicto de Jesus' Flickr photostream, Creative Commons
Unlike last year, this year's RSA doesn't coincide with San Francisco Beer Week but that doesn't mean there's any shortage of excellent spots to listen to pitches over a pint. Cellarmaker, about a mile from Moscone, a straight shot down Howard, is definitely one of those spots. Barring a can release the brewery is fairly quiet when it first opens at 3 pm Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday, making it a nice option for a mid-afternoon meeting. The brewery has tall ceilings and wood slats covering a garage door, something that lets thin strips of natural light in to spill over its long, communal tables. When it comes to beverages, there’s a good deal of variety here. The brewery regularly has 12 beers on tap and while most of them are hazy, soft pale ales, expect to see the occasional roasty porter, kettle sour, or maple bourbon barrel aged stout tossed in for good measure.
THE RAMP
855 Terry at Francois Blvd (at Illinois St)
Photo via brandi666's Flickr photostream, Creative Commons
This is one of the more weather dependent spots on the list. On a sunny, warm day there aren’t many better places to enjoy a crab Benedict or quesadilla while overlooking the bay. This place isn't really a secret, nor is any place on this list, it's just an exceptional low-key brunch spot with a view. Shrubs, mini palm trees, and Corona Extra umbrellas shroud this restaurant about two miles from Moscone, close to UCSF. A converted 1950s bait shop, folks flock to this spot on the weekends for spicy bloody marys and raw shellfish. It's much less busy on weekdays however and weather providing, a fine place for a weekday lunch meeting.
SIGHTGLASS COFFEE
270 7th St
Photo via Scott Beale/Laughing Squid
If you haven’t before it’s worth setting foot into Sightglass just to behold the spot. Tall cathedral ceilings, two floors of seating, and bay windows that let natural light in, all centered around a giant vintage PROBAT coffee roaster. Sightglass’ digs on 7th Street – the chain’s SoMa flagship, is undeniably beautiful. A brisk 14-minute walk from Moscone - a four minute cab ride - Sightglass is closer than Fourbarrel, and while further away from, Blue Bottle, another quality roaster, it’s bigger and less busy. While Sightglass may not be the quietest place on this list (it can get a little noisy) it's still a great place to get work done, and an even better place to meet people and caffeinate.
FARMERBROWN
25 Mason St.
Photo via City Foodsters' Flickr photostream, Creative Commons
farmerbrown, a soul food spot on the corner of Mason, Turk, and Market, is just far enough away from the RSA buzz – six tenths of a mile – that you can actually get some thinking and/or talking done. Lunch goes until 2 pm and dinner doesn't start until 5 - those looking for food will have to schedule with that in mind. In the mid-afternoon, between the lunch and dinner rush, it’s usually pretty quiet, making it an excellent spot to record a podcast or talk business. Since the restaurant is positioned on a corner, it’s a perfect quiet spot for letting the late afternoon sun shine down Market Street and tumble through the restaurant’s shades onto your table.
