Go to a hotel. It's the only reliable way to catch a cab in SF. Choose nicer hotels and if the pickings are still slim, $5 to the doorman will resolve the pro

Go to a hotel. It's the only reliable way to catch a cab in SF. Choose nicer hotels and if the pickings are still slim, $5 to the doorman will resolve the problem pretty quickly. Even less-nice hotels are good for cabs if they have a notable bar. E.g., the W usually has very quick service, but it's a hike from anywhere good. After your first few months in SF, you develop a skill for sniffing out cabs. Good luck outside FiDi, Union Square, Market Street, Fisherman's Wharf and the feeder streets through North Beach, and the top of Nob Hill. There are a lot of cabs in the Castro, the Mission, and Cow Hollow, but you need to be ruthless in leapfrogging other parties. That said, just use Uber. Don't bother with Cabulous and the like, because the inbound driver will flake if he's hailed and can drop the meter sooner.