Best in Show

San Francisco, United States

3.8

Closed now

21 reviews

Contacts

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Telephone:
+1 415-864-7387
Website:
www.bestinshowsf.com
Address:
545 Castro St, San Francisco, CA, 94114
b/t 19th St & 18th St
Castro
Nearby public transportation stops & stations:
790 ftCastro St & 17th St
900 ftMarket St & 17th St
910 ftCastro Muni
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Today

Today 11:00 am – 7:00 pm
Closed now
Local time (San Francisco) 10:00 Saturday, 28 June 2025

Business hours

Monday 11:00 am – 8:00 pm
Tuesday 11:00 am – 8:00 pm
Wednesday 11:00 am – 8:00 pm
Thursday 11:00 am – 8:00 pm
Friday 11:00 am – 8:00 pm
Saturday 11:00 am – 7:00 pm
Sunday 11:00 am – 6:00 pm

Description

Specialties

Best in Show specializes in all things dogs and cats, including super premium dog and cat food and treats, private-​label designer dog apparel, designer dog and cat collars and leashes, orthopedic pet beds, airline-​approved in-​cabin pet carriers, fun and interactive dog and cat toys, and more. In addition, we have private-​label BiS DOG products for dog and cat owners like our t-​shirts with slogans like «Dogs Are the New Kids» and «Cats Are the New Kids» and ball caps that say «Sleeps with Dogs» and «Woof». Stop by and see why we’ve been in business for more than 10 years!

History

Established in 2002.

We are ADA accessible, compliant and friendly. We started our original store at the corner of 16th and Sanchez streets and became an immediate neighborhood gathering place for dogs and their owners. We hosted countless rescue events right outside our doorstep and helped to adopt hundreds of dogs and cats to good homes throughout the bay area. In 2007, we moved to our current location at 545 Castro Street, between 18th and 19th. We love being a part of this this vibrant and diverse neighborhood, and we see visitors from all over the globe who come to our store specifically so they can take home souvenirs for their dogs and cats, and themselves.

Best in Show also recommends

Mudpuppy’s Tub & Scrub

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reviews

Pet Groomers

Best in Show says,

«This place is a wonderful complement to our business. They offer dog washing and grooming. And they’re awfully nice!»

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21 reviews of Best in Show

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Place rating: 5
San Francisco, CA
I recently got a new puppy French Bulldog after moving to SF this year from Austin TX. My girlfriend and I have never been dog owners, but we wanted to try. Wow! We weren’t expecting so much work! The people at Best in Show set us up with a lot of quality stuff (bed, bowls, toys, etc.) But the main thing they did was spend a lot of time explaining all the different foods! With their help we settled on a brand and Plato is doing great. Best of all I can always pop by if I have questions or need help. I love supporting local stores — because they support me! I would never get this kind of knowledgeable friendly and attentive service at Pet Food Express. And a thing about cameras since i see some posts about that: Just because we own phones doesn’t mean we have the right to take pictures of anything we want. If I tried to take pictures in a store in France, or at Macey’s? They would show me the door. These little stores are fading from our lives. They are not showrooms. We should all have more respect. Just my opinion. But try this store out! It really is the best!
Place rating: 1
Emeryville, CA
The rudest and most pretentious place ever. For being a pet store in the Castro you would expect friendlier service. We tried on a hat for our dog that we were interested in buying and took a picture of her in it. We had all intentions in purchasing the hat if 1) it was cute 2) fit her well 3) she was ok wearing it. Within a minute of her having it on a man Comes over gives us the stare down walks around the store and continues to watch us from where he stands. He rudely makes some comments and continues to act like a pompous a hole. Stay far away from this place unless you want to support a place like this. I recommend pet food express where all their staff is required to go through intensive training. They are always kind and helpful and have the best return policy. Best in show in is definitely not that. Good luck with that attitude. Bye boy bye!
Place rating: 1
San Francisco, CA
Wish I could give them a zero star.
Overpriced Dishonest and Shady
I go in for cat litter. They have my brand in a medium size. No price on it but I know what it usually goes for.
Get to the counter, give my card and I get billed for the large size bag. Politely inform employee that the price is for the large bag and I got the medium. She says no, that’s the price. I show her the prices on my phone from the pet store down the road and she just shrugs.
Fine — I don’t want it then, give me my card back and refund me.
But no, they don’t do refunds. Only store credits!
Are you kidding me? You don’t put prices on your products, charge almost double than everyone else, and refuse to refund customers?
So a big F U to this store, its employees and owners. I will NEVER shop there again and now tell every pet owner I know not to ever go there.
Place rating: 4
San Francisco, CA
The people here are super super nice. They’re all about community here. My dogs and I have been going here for about 10 years now. The only negative I have is that their prices are a little high. But then, it’s the Castro. Everything is expensive here.
Place rating: 5
San Francisco, CA
As a dog walker I feel it’s part of my job to know all about the city’s parks and of course, pet shops. I frequent Best in Show at least three times a week and the minute the staff found out I was a walker they immediately signed me up for their 5% Walker discount! They’re friendly, helpful but also approachable and not uptight at all which I’ve found has occasionally been the case at other shops. I mean, dogs are messy and they have accidents and I don’t mean poop or pee. Once, a dog I walk had an excited little barf fest as a result of eating his treat too fast and they were so understanding about it. Of course, I helped clean up. All part of the job.
Place rating: 2
San Francisco, CA
Stopped by Sunday before six to get the little guys some bones. Ya’ll were closed. Maybe update the hours on your listing…
Place rating: 5
San Francisco, CA
Awesome little place. It was my first time in here and my dog accidentally broke a mug with her tail. Luckily the worker was super chill about it and didn’t charge me! Excellent customer service and I’ll be sure to stop in again and buy a few more cookies.
Place rating: 3
San Francisco, CA
The lady who works there is extreemely nice and helpful. The only complaint is that their prices are too high. I wish they carried the football jerseys that I used to buy for my 3 scottish terriers. They only have Giants jerseys. I do like the quality of the collars and the ability to special order some products.
Place rating: 5
San Francisco, CA
The staff at Best in Show are wonderful! The understand Customer Service and how to make their customer’s happy! Thank you!
Place rating: 5
San Francisco, CA
Wow this place is filled to the brim with everything you could need for your pets! It’s a gem in the Castro. The staff really knows what they’re doing and they are all super sweet. I highly encourage you to stop by and treat your pets and treat yourself to this wonderful store!
Place rating: 4
San Francisco, CA
Such a cute boutique pet store with friendly staff. Came here a couple weeks ago from an afternoon in Dolores Park with my dog and found the cutest tie! It was on the pricier side but well worth it as he just looks adorable (I’ll attach a photo). The moment we stepped outside the store, he got compliments right and left. He loves the dog biscuits here, too.
Place rating: 4
Austin, TX
I wanted to take a moment to thank the owners of this cool pet store for many years of affordable, friendly service. We met them when they opened on Sanchez (?) and the owner was our apartment manager. Both owners loved our Schnauzer and our little Yorkie and we loved the way they treated us when we would visit the store. Otto, my Schnauzer, was not used to waking into stores and loved the treats he would get.
The toys, the fresh bones and chew hides, and the organic food made this place a no-​brainer for us. They have a killer «membership» service that awarded us with points for every purchase we made. The «tough toys» lasted so much longer than most of the other toys Otto would destroy. We are sorry to be away from this great little pet store and hope that we can find something like it in Austin. Thanks for the memories!
Place rating: 4
San Francisco, CA
Best in Show has some really great accessories for your dog. They’ve got jackets, shirts, and even cute bow ties for you pup. The food selection is good too. What I like is that they have a few samples so your dog can try them out before you buy.
I felt bad for not having cash the time I was there. I wasn’t sure if my parents’ dog would like clothing, so I decided not go get any. I did get a biscuit which was under $ 2. They were kind enough to let me use a card.
I will definitely come back to get more treats for my parents’ dog, and will be sure to bring cash next time.
Place rating: 4
San Francisco, CA
We’ve lived in the Castro for several years and have frequented Best in Show for many of our pet needs. They have a good selection of products and we’re glad to support this local business. We’ve also relied heavily on their affordable cat-​sitting service. Richard often watches our cats while we’re out of town. He’s incredibly responsive, flexible and dependable, and our cats are always happy when we come home!
Place rating: 4
New York, NY
Great shop with fantastic dog toy selection, and super helpful and friendly staff! Just one star off for not having larger dog sizes in the sweater and shirt collections.
Place rating: 4
San Francisco, CA
I came here specifically looking for a flea/​tick shampoo and I found some name brand shampoo and it was cheaper than their competitors. They have some cute dog clothes and some other nice item like collars. I’ve only ever come here for the shampoo but I’ll probably come back for a birthday cake for my dog.
Place rating: 5
Spring, États-Unis
Si vous avez des animaux et que vous passez par San Francisco, arrêtez-​vous dans cette boutique ! Un royaume pour les chiens, les chats et…, leurs maîtres ! On y trouve de tout et pas plus cher qu’à Paris ;-)
Je suis très étonné des mauvais retours concernant le personnel de cette boutique, car à chaque fois que je m’y suis rendu j’ai toujours été très bien accueilli et renseigné ! Merci pour tes bons et précieux conseils Daniel :-)
Place rating: 4
Paris, France
If I’m within a block of this store, my dog is on high alert: It becomes extraordinarily important to go visit RIGHT NOW. Unfortunately some times they’re closed (at 8pm on weekdays!) which is very confusing for my dog! But I think he’s learned to accept it.
I have had nothing but good experiences with the staff here. They’re always friendly and accommodating, and they always give my dog a treat or two. I have bought a number of things here, mostly treats, some toys, and 1 jacket. They’re all expensive but since my dog brought me there anyway, hey, it’s convenient! :)
BTW I’m not gay and I’ve never flirted with anyone here, and I’ve NEVER felt unwelcomed! So all you 1-​star reviewers who think you’re not flirty enough — That’s not it! :)
Place rating: 5
Los Angeles, CA
Pretty stoked on how awesome this shop was. Things were pricey, but it’s SF and really, dog toys aren’t cheap anyway. They had some great novelty items and other cool stuff, including a cable car chew toy, scarfs, etc reading «I have 2 daddies/​mommies,» bags reading «dogs are the new kids,» and a barrage of dog treats I’ve never seen before.
The owner (I assume) was friendly and the shop was great. Highly recommended.
Place rating: 3
San Francisco, CA
Wow. such low reviews… but this place is quite stocked and there was one guy there… very nice…
The stuff was a tad pricey for my wallet but still bought a bone for my dog… at 3.95…very good bargain…
Next time I will invest in some of those homemade cookies…
Place rating: 3
Modesto, CA
This place has been a favorite since my Maggie was just a wee pup. Sure they have some astronomical prices but always treated her, myself and my former husband with utmost respect.
Fast forward a few years, I walk in after a brief hiatus and was literally ignored like I had never been in there before. Perhaps they only know me by my dog but regardless they should also know me too, one would think.
C’est la vie and au revoir, I can take my business elsewhere perhaps where everybody knows my name.
Cheers!