Our 2026 Valentine’s Day List
What we’re experiencing and gifting this February.
There’s something almost unbearable about a Valentine’s Day round-up. The forced whimsical clichés. The assumption that love is best expressed through a prix fixe with supplemental caviar (we’re still fans, though)—or that everyone in love wants the same evening.
Here at Edible San Francisco, we’d like to propose something different. This is a guide for the person who has opinions about spatial sound-art, the one who still writes thank-you notes by hand, and the one buying perfume called "Not Tonight" for their partner, and meaning it as a compliment.
Here’s what caught our eye this year.
For the Audiophile
You know the type: opinionated about playlists and what really defines “electronica” music. Valentine’s Day for them is less about the view and more about the vibe (specifically the sonic one).
Audium
1616 Bush Street
The only theater in the world set to pioneer the exploration of space in music. Each ticketed experience is 45-60 minutes long, set in complete darkness to enhance the sonic waves emitted from 176 arranged speakers. Audium’s mission: to amplify perceptual awareness and provide a performance space for spatial sound-art.
Tickets $33, audium.org
Moongate Lounge
28 Waverly Place
This listening bar—located above the iconic Mr Jiu’s in Chinatown— brings red velvet booths and a color-changing moonlight to elevate its weekly rotating vinyl sets (Slum Village to Hiatus Kaiyote, for starters). Cocktails rotate with the Chinese lunar calendar: duck fat-washed rye with lapsang tea and jujube-infused negronis are perfect to sip in this intimate setting.
Envelop
900 Marin Street
An edgy, non-profit live music venue offering immersive listening parties set to popular albums. From Bjork to Frank Ocean to Steve Reich, the musical variety is impressive in this tiny (900 square feet) but mighty venue. Set to a max capacity of 25-30 people, arrive shoeless and dress comfortably to lounge on comfy pillows—dancing is not allowed.
Tickets $22, envelop.us
For the Creative
Sometimes you just need a hidden space where you feel like you’re somewhere else, especially where people still enjoy things by hand.
Socola Chocolatier
535 Folsom Street
Wendy Lieu’s Vietnamese-inspired truffles bring the right brightness and flavors to celebrate both Valentine’s Day and Lunar New Year. This unique collection offers jujube caramel, lapsang souchong, pandan coconut, preserved kumquat, tamarind sesame, and candied ginger peanut. Complete with illustrations by artist Stacy Nguyen.
Year of the Horse Chocolate Box $49, socolachocolates.com
Letterform Archive
2325 3rd Street
A library and museum dedicated to all things typography, lettering, and graphic design. Their unprecedented collection of 30,000+ captured in-house artifacts (thanks to their state-of-the-art camera equipment and raking light) and ephemera from all over the world. Inspiration of all sorts can be found through indigenous scripts, Chinese lettering manuals, and retro luggage labels.
General admission $10, letterformarchive.org
Heath Newsstand
2900 18th Street
Tucked inside the Heath Ceramics complex, this is not your airport Hudson News. It’s a tightly curated collection of independent magazines and publications from around the world: design, architecture, photography, food, culture, and more. Browse slowly, and read it over coffee at Tartine Manufactory (located in the same building).
San Francisco Center for the Book
375 Rhode Island
A letterpress and bookbinding studio in Potrero Hill with a dozen hand-pressing machines to teach the satisfying act of pressing language into paper. Several intro workshops teach inking the cylinder press, printmaking, and bookbinding. Gift a class to someone who journals or still writes thank-you notes.
For the Sensualist
For the one who eats with their hands, smells everything twice, and has never called flowers “nice”.
Love Bites (Feb 12)
1 Ferry Building
Foodwise’s annual pre-Valentine’s tasting turns the Ferry Building into a walk-around feast: small bites from Fatted Calf, Hog Island, and more, paired with pours from local vintners. The perfect tasting ticket and permission to graze. Proceeds support the Ferry Plaza Farmer’s Market. Online tickets are sold out, but onsite tickets are available.
Love Bites General Admission $30, foodwise.org
Not for the faint of heart. These lemon ants are sourced from the Colombian Amazon, folded into 65% heirloom cacao. Due to the ants’ select biodiversity environment, they carry a citronella flavor reminiscent of lemongrass and lime zest. To’ak is a world-recognized chocolate house; they’re also hosting a Valentine’s Day chocolate and rum flight at Ritz-Carlton’s Parallel 37.
Amazonian Ant Chocolate $16, toakchocolate.com
To’ak Rum and Chocolate Flight $90, ritzcarlton.com
ZGO Perfumery
600 Castro Street
EDITOR’S PICK—This niche San Francisco fragrance boutique features 75+ perfume houses from around the world. Our EIC’s top pick: BDK’s Pas Ce Soir Extrait, featuring an opening of cocoa, black pepper, ginger, and quince. A guaranteed headturner. The cheeky name translates to “not tonight” in French, which, for a romantic gift, is either extremely honest or very clever.
Pas Ce Soir Extrait $350, zgoperfumery.com
Nigella
388 Market Street
This botanical boutique in FiDi is offering this trio of vintage vases and blooming buds. Perfect for the romantic main character, or the throuple that finally wants something on the mantle that announces their status.
Lovers Bud Vase Trio $75, nigellasf.com
