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Neighborhood in San Francisco
Photo: Tim Bartel from Cologne, Germany, CC BY-SA 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons
The Mission District is a district of San Francisco noted for its ethnic diversity, in particular the neighborhood's large Hispanic community. Though the district has gentrified and is among the more expensive areas for real estate in the city, many urban artisans and immigrants still make their home here, and the restaurant and nightlife scene here is among the best in the city and perhaps the most locally oriented one. The district is bounded roughly by the 101 freeway on the east and north, Dolores/Church Streets on the west, and Cesar Chavez Street on the south.
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Mission San Francisco de Asis
The oldest building in San Francisco, commissioned in 1776 by Father Serra and members of the De Anza Expedition as the 6th of the 21 missions in California. The original mission is a small building adjacent to the parish church, a large building with intricately decorated towers that was, also, the first Catholic church west of the Mississippi River to be deemed a basilica. The attached cemetery is one of the few in San Francisco that were not relocated to Colma during the first half of the 20th century.
One of the city's most popular parks, this is one of the main neighborhood hangouts, with people regularly partying or partaking in some recreational marijuana on its grassy slopes, as well as a sunny retreat for many San Franciscans when the rest of the city gets foggy. There are plenty of recreational facilities as well as a fantastic playground built into the hillside, and the top of the park (at the corner of 20th and Dolores) offers an excellent view of the San Francisco skyline. Playground is wheelchair accessible.
Houses women's nonprofits groups and has a beautiful mural, the MaestraPeace Mural, on the front.
Can be found all around the Mission neighborhood, especially on 24th Street, east of Mission Street.
An alley full of incredible murals. There are some really beautiful works here, and it's always changing.
Another alley full of murals, between 17th and 18th and Mission and Valencia.
Opened in 1970, the non-profit gallery specializes in Chicano/Latino art.
Late May. A Mardi Gras-like event which features a parade with colorful costumes, choreographed dancers, and scantily clad women.
Every Thursday starting sometime between 9PM and 10PM and ending around midnight on the southwest street corner at 16th and Mission. No mike (so you have to shout...), and no sign-up. Completely free to all. Open to poets, MCs, musicians, comedians and all manner of performers, newcomers are encouraged to perform. Bag your beer and see what the fuss is about!
San Francisco's only cat café. Customers can play with cats while eating/drinking. Usually has 10-15 cats at a time, all of which are rescue cats.
An independent art-film theater, with some of the best features shown in the country. If it's showing here, it's usually worth seeing.
A breeding ground for new performance, playwriting workshops, performances, a youth program, and classes. Some excellent one-person shows have been hatched out in the Marsh.
A nonprofit educational group and screening venue for independent film and video. This center often shows genuinely strange art films and videos, particularly during their frequent "open screenings" (you bring it, they'll show it). Don't miss the intriguing window displays.
A theater with current popular movies, reserved seating and food and drink service.
A Senegalese restaurant with roots in West African Senegalese culture. Also functions as something of a community for the Senegalese expat community.
Hipster-ed up diner, only open for lunch & breakfast. Long lines on the weekends, but surprisingly it moves quickly. Much better vegan breakfast option than Herbivore. Try the plantain cake and the mimosas.
Excellent tapas in a brick-walled dining room with a bar dominating the center of the room. Expect a loud, party atmosphere, not a quiet, romantic setting. The Cajun Shrimp and the Fried Platanos Maduros are heavenly.
Dinner and a movie. The Laszlo Bar. A little splurgy and quite fine. Reservations recommended.
Niman Ranch beef, or seitan veggie/vegan sandwich options. Great garlic fries!
For a deep dish that can't be beat here, in Chicago, or anywhere else.
If you like authentic tapas, the way they were before "small plates" were all the rage, then you'll definitely love the reasonably priced, authentic and generously portioned Spanish dishes here. Don't forget to try their Sangria.
Local favorite, Puerto Alegre churns out inexpensive, delicious Mexican food & margaritas in a fun, festive environment. Divey atmosphere, but that's what you come to the Mission for. Very long wait on the weekends, but absolutely worth it. Host rules the restaurant with an iron fist, so don't try to sneak in!
Among the best coffee in the city. Organic beans roasted locally, each cup made fresh individually. A large seating area with free wi-fi.
Buy a "slice" for under $3 or add toppings for a few cents more, and they'll make a fresh-to-your order triangular slice-shaped pizza that overlaps a dinner plate at three points. Free delivery. Cash or credit, no checks.
Commonly touted as having the best vegetarian burrito in SF. If you're a meat-eater, try the Alambres (beef, peppers, onions, and bacon sauteed together, served with beans, rice, tortillas and (optional) avocado.
While everyone has their favorite Mission taqueria, this one may legitimately have a claim to the 'best salsa verde' throne, which is filled with serious avocado chunks. Also, they grill (rather than steam) their tortillas, a key burrito preparation issue.
Gigantic super burritos. Grilled chicken and steak are really great. Super steak quesadilla is the highlight of the menu. Open till 3AM on Friday and Saturday, 1AM the rest of the week. Nachos are enormous. Expect a line of drunks after midnight.
One of the Bay Area's best bakeries; rich, decadent, and pricey.
The best of a handful of locations of this restaurant, truly "sushi like mom used to make". Try the early bird special.
How do they get that much good produce and that incredible deli counter into that storefront? Essential neighborhood and picnic-in-the-park resource. Dolores Park is handily enough a block away, and you're likely to find festivals, rallies, or the SF Mime Troupe at the start and close of their summer touring season there along with kids, dogs and tennis players.
Organic produce and groceries, good bulk foods, and a deli with organic salads, Middle Eastern foods, and sandwiches to order. A neighborhood essential.
Great neighborhood alterna-hipster bar, but in a good way. Formerly an old man dive bar that's been taken over by the thick black rimmed glasses youngster.
Relatively new bar with a great selection of beer, wine, and spirits. Awesome tapas. The "Queso Fundido" is wicked and it packs enough calories to keep you dancing until 4AM. Audio and video feeds of live DJs are streamed in to work around current license restrictions. This place is fun when it's packed and when it's empty.
Excellent cocktail bar with food until midnight, popular with industry types. No TVs and no Santas.
One the few real dance clubs in the Mission, Beauty Bar used to be popular with hipsters but is now mainly populated with a more ghetto crowd.
Retro 1980s style cocktail bar.
Drinks are not cheap (several dollars more than every other bar on the block, but also twice as large), although to be fair the drinks are well made and strong. Truly good martinis, admittedly. Live music with older crowds M-W, DJs for the younger weekend crowds.
An awesome cross between a stylish lounge and hipster joint with the best ambiance of any Mission bar. DJs spin a wide variety of music nightly. Enjoy the 1970s era velvet paintings of topless women, some posing with wild animals, and the black Burt Reynolds.
It's very dimly lit but cool decor. Excellent jukebox, though after 9PM they tend to turn it up just a touch too loud. Frequently has great DJs playing funk and R&B but varies; clientele leans toward the gentrification crowd. Lots of smoke from the VIP room in the back filters out into the main bar. Excellent happy hour!
The Albion was truly a vaguely scary dive bar. Delirium was another great neighborhood bar, but it's shockingly turned into a bit of a bridge and tunnel 20-something meatmarket these days. They have a place to dance in the back, with good 1960s rock and soul on Wednesdays.
A truly great dive bar with a shuffleboard table and Connect Four, if that's your passion.
One of the oldest bars in San Francisco, since 1858. Rock music, Pub quiz, charity events, great drink specials and a warm vibe. One of the largest whiskey selections in the city, especially scotch.
Beer bar with a large tap list, some sausages, and a bunch of pinball machines.
Fun yet intimate bar. Great music on the jukebox (if you like speed metal) and a decent place to play pool or darts or just get a drink. Outstanding bartenders. Live music several nights a week.
Decorated in dusty kitsch, the LAC also has large paintings for sale by local artists. They can offer up some of the best, strongest margaritas in town. Just one, that's all it takes.
Irish Pub. Excellent late weekend brunch no one knows about.
Another competitor for the definitive dive bar. Appropriately named given its size. Allows smoking. Free popcorn.
A longstanding neighborhood dive bar with live music every night. No cover, mostly locals.
The definition of a neighborhood bar. Still smoky despite the smoking ban.
A bit of a meatmarket 'club' scene. Mostly hip-hop style and "gangster" wannabe crowd, mostly not from the city. Lots of dancing. Clientele is usually very friendly and outgoing and the bartenders handle the busy crowds with aplomb.
Pretty good beer selection, popular back patio, brunch on weekends.
Very popular bar with unique cocktails and rotating themed menus. Bring a friend to help eat a kale salad.
Cool motorcycle/bike courier punk rock-ish alterna-crowd. The bartenders can (and almost always do) often drip with attitude. They, and the regulars, can be fiercely protective of their little hideaway. Awesome and huge backyard (i.e. beer garden). Rowdy on weekend nights and they bbq too.
A low-key, unpretentious gay bar with plenty of room inside.
An old Victorian house converted into a bed and breakfast.
A hostel/B&B with private double and queen bedrooms, all with shared bathrooms. Very clean and quiet. The bathrooms feel positively luxurious with piles of fresh towels, toiletries and wooden finishes. Breakfast included.
An urban Anglican convent with a guest apartment on the street level which opens onto a surprisingly quiet flower and vegetable garden. Separate entrance, kitchen, bathroom, living room, and a double bed and a single bed in the bedroom. Free internet access and TV with basic cable. Limited on-street parking is available in the neighborhood. Open for guests for short periods of time (normally 2 weeks or less). Kitchen is equipped for self-catering with breakfast items furnished in the apartment.
The Pirate Store
The majority of this space is dedicated to children's writing workshops. The front, however, is an emporium for all your piracy related needs. Not to be missed. Founded by McSweeney's Dave Eggers.
A design-minded shop with a wide array of lifestyle accessories, bed and bath products and dining accouterments. It's also a shop that caters to all of your baby needs, with stylish clothing, hand-picked toys, and unique, modern furnishings.
A great selection of used books and readings by authors.
From other parts of San Francisco and the Bay Area, BART serves the Mission neighborhood with stations at 16th Street and Mission (served by the MUNI 14, 22, 33, 49 and 55 bus lines) and 24th Street and Mission (served…
Read in the guideThe Inner Mission is only about 20 blocks by 10 blocks, and is easily navigated by foot. The Mission is generally safe for walking (even though 16th and Mission remains a major drug dealing corner).
Read in the guideChoose an airport to see hotels, stations, taxi ranks and car rental desks around it.
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