The Ferry Building market remains the anchor — about 100 vendors, strong citrus in winter, stone fruit in summer, and a reliable mushroom guy near the south end of the building. Alemany is the working-market alternative: less scene, lower prices, more volume. If you're stocking a kitchen rather than photographing a cheese board, Alemany is the call. Grand Lake has the best prepared-food row if you're eating on-site rather than shopping to cook.

Practical notes: the Ferry Building garage fills fast by 9:30am on Saturdays — take BART or budget 15 minutes to circle. Alemany has a dedicated lot that actually works. Most vendors are cash-preferred but card-capable; a few smaller stands are cash only. No age restrictions anywhere, dogs welcome at most locations on leash.

If you have two hours on a Saturday morning: Ferry Building at 8am, walk the full row before it crowds, buy whatever looks best from the produce stalls near the north entrance, then grab a coffee from Blue Bottle inside and you're out before the tourist wave hits around 10.