The Shops At Tanforan, San Bruno Treasure

August 22, 2021,

Malls still have their place. Even in 2021.

We’re glad of that. Ecstatic actually.

The San Francisco Bay Area is rich with incredible shopping malls and plazas and you don’t have to be rich to shop there. If you do your homework, there are some incredible bargains to be had.

Then there is the ambiance and people watching. That is just some of the allure of the modern day mall. Yes we know many people are shopping online. Sometimes exclusively but look what they miss out on.

You had to be there.

You need to be there.

Relax, dine, sip and enjoy.

Tanforan Mall is such a mall that you need to visit to appreciate its magic.

The Shops at Tanforan is a regional shopping mall in San Bruno.

It is located on the San Francisco Peninsula, 10 miles south of San Francisco city limits.

It is served by the adjacent San Bruno Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) station, as well as several local SamTrans bus lines and the Brisbane Shuttle. The complex is located minutes away from San Francisco International Airport.

If you are visiting the San Francisco Bay Area, the Tanforan Mall places you in the heart of everything exciting.

Great news.

The mall underwent a 3-year renovation, and reopened in 2005. It continues to be anchored by one of its original major retailers JCPenney, as well as a Century Theatres that opened in 2008.

Okay, we’ll modify our original description. You can shop, dine, people watch and watch famous people in a movie. What a day.

We want to know more about the new Tanforan. Some in our circle used to visit the historical Tanforan when they were teenagers. Loved the beautiful people watching.

Time for a visit. At theshopsattanforan.com, they welcome, “Shop and dine at your favorite The Shops at Tanforan stores and restaurants to earn points toward exclusive rewards.”

Sounds like a great plan.

Here are some of the amenities available.

• ATM
• Copy/Fax Service
• Family Restroom
• Free Wi-Fi in Food Court
• INsider Program
• Gift Cards
• Local Attractions Visitor Info
• Lost and Found
• Mall Gift Cards
• Safety Escorts
• Store Directory

Sounds all inclusive.

You might be tempted to just stay there but have you ever visited the city that Tanforan calls home?

San Bruno is a city in San Mateo County.

The population was 41,114 at the 2010 United States Census. The city is between South San Francisco and Millbrae, adjacent to San Francisco International Airport and Golden Gate National Cemetery, and is approximately 12 miles south of downtown San Francisco.

Portions of Mills Park, Crestmoor, and Rollingwood are very hilly, featuring canyons and ravines. Creeks, many of them now in culverts, flow from springs in the hills toward San Francisco Bay.

Just west of Skyline Boulevard and outside of city limits is San Andreas Lake, which got its name from the San Andreas Fault. The lake is one of several reservoirs used by the San Francisco Water Department, providing water to San Francisco and several communities in San Mateo County, including San Bruno west of I-280.

There is your geography lesson.

Now for some fun. Do you love pizza?

Sure, we all scream for ice cream but when the pizza is as delicious as Toto’s Pizzeria in San Bruno, sometimes we get real quiet, get down to business and eat.

Childhood memories are flooding back to us. Yes, we have actually eaten at Toto’s quite a lot. So many Bay Area residents have. It seems like it has been around forever.

Here is their story as told by Robert Spadarella, found at totos.com, “Toto’s Pizzeria & Restaurant was first opened by my grandparents, Caroline and Antonio (Toto) Spadarella, in 1932 on Coney Island Avenue in Brooklyn, New York. Both were from Naples, the region in Italy where pizza originated. Using a huge brick oven, they began baking pizza according to the traditional recipe, the same recipe we use today.”

That is great news.

One of our associates used to frequently dine at the Toto’s that used to be in Daly City by the Bart station. The pizza was incredible. Really glad the taste has not changed.

They continue, “Today, the 5th generation of the Spadarella family own and operate the San Bruno, Belmont, San Francisco and San Mateo locations. As more and more people come to discover and appreciate traditional Italian cooking, they are also discovering the Italian pizza our grandfather Toto taught us to make.”

Still very impressive. Wouldn’t you agree?

Now look, don’t just take our word for it. Here are two reviews found at restaurantji.com:

“This pizzeria has been a long time favorite since I was a kid, which was many moons ago. But there are freshness of the ingredients there savory sauce which is magical is incredibly great now that I can enjoy a glass of wine with it. A great marriage between pizza and a good red wine is always a plus with Totos. Any version of the pizzas are incredibly great especially the vegetarian and the full on meat lovers. It's always a pleasure to order as they reach you and have your order ready for you within the timeframe given. Can't speak enough about this wonderful place. You'll always enjoy it. Thank you.”

And another.

“Tonight was the first time I order from Totos pizza. The pizza is always fresh, tastes and smells how nostalgic Italian American pizza should. And their sausage is quality. I like to order a large because the thickness of their dough is tastiest when it's thinner versus their smaller sizes which are usually thicker, and more chewy. Every time I order a pizza I also order a salad. I can count on their salads to be fresh. Never watery and days old like some other pizzerias. Plus, they come loaded with hella veggies like cucumber, onions and tomato.”

There you have it.

Admit it. Does sound like a completely wonderful day in the cool Bay Area.

Shop at Tanforan Mall and have some incredible delicious pizza.

What are you waiting for?

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OPENING PHOTO fciwomenswrestling.com femcompetitor.com, fcielitecompetitor.com fciwomenswrestling2.com Rodnae-Productions-pexels.com-photo-credit.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Shops_at_Tanforan

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/San_Bruno,_California

https://totos.com/

https://www.restaurantji.com/ca/san-bruno/totos-pizzeria-and-restaurant-/

https://femcompetitor.com/

https://grapplingstars.com/

https://www.fcielitecompetitor.com/

https://fciwomenswrestling.com/