Posted by First time visitors to San Francisco will certainly want to tick off the well-photographed postcard attractions like Fisherman’s Wharf, Alcatraz and the Golden Gate Bridge. But if you’re a repeat visitor or a first-timer just looking for a more localised taste of San Fran, the Mission District is well worth focusing some of your time and attention on.
This once down-at-heel part of town has taken on an edgier and more vibrant personality over the past decade, and whilst it’s still far from completely gentrified, you’ll love experiencing the intoxicating blend of diverse architecture, graffiti-art, dive bars, tattoo parlours, live music, fancy restaurants, both vintage and chic lifestyle stores, artisan bakeries, coffee hangouts and the ever popular Mission Dolores Park.
Much of the eating, drinking and entertaining happens around Mission and Valencia St’s, though there are some gems sprinkled amongst the residential streets, and the popular Mission Dolores Park sits neatly between the heart of the Mission and The Castro, San Fran’s historic heart of gay culture. If you’re a fan of the TV series ‘Looking’, you’ll recognise more than a few locations where the show was filmed on your explorations, and if you’re really lucky you might even find your own Paddy to explore with 🙂
Whilst there’s plenty to keep you busy in this fun district, this guide also contains a handful of highlights in neighbouring districts, these are what we call ‘not quite The Mission’ recommendations, but they are close enough that you really should add them to your ‘to do’ list.
Just Coffee..
Sightglass Coffee | 3014 20th St
A small family owned coffee roaster, this is one of three Sightglass outlets in the city. The spacious warehouse has been converted into a comfortable café with a vintage spin and a very laid back vibe. Apart from the excellent coffee, there’s pastries and muffins to snack on. Sightglass Coffee
Ritual Coffee Roasters | 1026 Valencia St
A flourishing local chain with six cafes across San Fran, The Mission outlet offers an earthy and chilled space with lots of greenery and eclectic artworks on the walls, making it an ideal place to hang out in over a coffee. Ritual Coffee Roasters
Linea Caffe | 3417 18th St
Sustainability and organic beans are key to the ethos of this small SF based coffee roaster. The Mission outlet is a tiny grab & go storefront, but the coffee is excellent so grab your cup of choice and take it for a stroll around Mission Dolores Park. Linea Caffe
Four Barrel Coffee | 375 Valencia St
A large warehouse style space housing a roastery and retail outlet. It’s a busy operation with two coffee machines working at once, there’s good coffee and plenty of seating to be found here. Four Barrel Coffee
Breakfast & Brunch…
Tartine Bakery & Cafe | 600 Guerrero St
This rustic style bakery has been around for many years and has such a solid reputation that there are often lines at peak times. They serve pressed sandwhiches and delectable quiche, plus the usual bakery staples such as bread, pastries and sweet treats. Tartine Bakery & Cafe
Tartine Manufactory | 595 Alabama St
The Manufactory is a great example of what could happen when your ideas and creativity outgrow your compact home, in this case the original Tartine Bakery & Cafe, which is still going strong, but is confined by space. The Manufactory is housed in a soaring warehouse that’s been stylishly and minimally decorated, with plenty of space for dining in. Whilst bread is the star and is highlighted in the wonderfully rustic sandwiches, there’s a broader offering including all-day breakfasts, soups and salads. It’s understandably popular so expect lines to get in during peak meal times. Tartine Manufactory
Craftsman & Wolves | 746 Valencia St
A French inspired patisserie set in a funky warehouse style shopfront, serving elevated pastries and croissants, impressive sandwiches on milk bread or their house sourdough, and some neat treats like a frittata sandwich. The crowd here is young and suitably hip. Craftsman & Wolves
Dinner…
Lolo | 974 Valencia St,
Loud, colourful and just a little kooky, this busy Mexican bar and diner has just about every surface covered with something wonderfully kitsch, but don’t get distracted by the décor, for the food is sensational. Serving ‘non-traditional Mexican’ fare, the vast menu features plenty of showstoppers, it’s zingy and moorish food that will leave you with a happy glow and sticky fingers. The Latin inspired cocktails are as good as the food and they make them at pace, plus there’s an extensive mezcal and agave offering, and a small wine list. Lolo
Foreign Cinema | 2534 Mission St
This huge place has an indoor dining room and bar that’s warmly decorated and lowly lit, plus a large courtyard with vintage and art-house films projected onto the walls. The food is Californian with Mediterranean influences, the menu changes regularly and just about every dish is sensational – there’s a large oyster selection. Foreign Cinema has been around since 1999 and still pack the crowds in, so they clearly know what works here. Foreign Cinema
Pizzeria Delfina | 3621 18th St
Next door to big sister restaurant Delfina, this place serves fabulous pizza. The pizza has a super thin base with a puffy crust, beautiful toppings and stringy cheese, and it hits the table still bubbling from the oven. It’s a busy operation, but they turn out the pizzas pretty quickly so you generally won’t wait all that long to be seated. Pizzeria Delfina
Chisai Sushi Club | 3369 Mission St, Bernal Heights
You’d best reserve your spot at this compact 22-seater sushi star in the Bernal Heights neighbourhood (on the southern outskirts of the Mission), for its popularity exceeds its relatively low profile. Sit at the chef’s counter and watch the preparation in play, the 13 course omakase menu features a hit parade of fresh, succulent sushi, sashimi and nigiri. The eager sushi masters will explain each piece in intricate detail as it’s proudly placed in front of you, and if 13 courses isn’t enough, there’s a 17 course option too. Chisai Sushi Club
Anchor Oyster Bar | 579 Castro St, The Castro
This nautical themed seafood place was been ‘shucking since 1977’. It’s very popular and fairly small – there’s just 7 seats at the bar and 4 small tables, plus some alfresco seating – so expect to wait for your turn. Whilst oysters are the headline act here, and there’s usually around three varieties on offer, there’s other delicious morsels to work your way through, such as salads, prawns and clams. But the specialty dish is hard to go by, a big generous serve of Cioppino, an Italian style fish stew that originates in San Francisco – trust me, it’s just fabulous! Anchor Oyster Bar
State Bird Provisions | 1529 Fillmore St, Fillmore District
SPB should be on every foodie’s hit list when visiting SF. The contemporary American fare is just so right, an alluring combination of rustic, elegant and a little avant-garde. Served ‘dim sum’ style, the wait staff circulate through the room offering up an ever changing menu of plates of goodness that are hard to resist – though they will do half serves if you really must try it all. An interesting (and a touch fancy) wine list spans the world, though European wines feature most prominently. It’s busy, loud but still a very relaxed dining experience – the flair here is all in the food. State Bird Provisions
Zuni | 1658 Market St, Civic Center
A local institution, Zuni opened in 1979 and has been ever-popular since. On a prominent corner on Market St, the restaurant is spread over several shop fronts, with the different dining spaces giving it a more intimate feel than it should have. It’s a light and airy space, with rustic tones such as exposed timber beams and a copper bar top. Service is flawless, with attentive experienced waiters in bow ties and crisp aprons. The menu changes daily, the day I was there we started with over 20 oyster varieties to choose from, then moved into both traditional and inventive salads and a range of elevated comfort style food. They make good use of the brick oven with their specialty dish; roast chicken for two. Even the crusty bread with creamy butter is worth a mention! Zuni
Drinks…
Buddy | 3115 22nd St
This welcoming wine bar has a vintage-chic decor, bar seating and well spaced tables where you can romance your date, or just as easily strike up a conversation with the next table. The wines on offer change daily, so you never quite know what delightful drop might land in your glass, their handful of cocktails all feature wine or vermouth, and there’s also a small, well thought out share plates menu to snack on. Buddy
Wildhawk | 3464 19th St
A grown up’s drinking establishment, Wildhawk’s vintage décor is comfortably elegant with a few signs of ageing gracefully. Whilst there’s snacks in the form of a butcher’s board, the drinks are what this neighbourhood lounge bar is all about – a cracking martini menu, vermouth cocktails, and a small but interesting wine list including fortified wines. They also offer cocktail classes if you want to replicate the magic at home. Wildhawk
Doc’s Clock | 2417 Mission St
This legendary Mission dive bar dates back to the 1950’s, though in 2017 it moved to new premises a block away from the original location. You’ll find Doc’s easily with it’s prominent neon sign proclaiming ‘Cocktail Time’, inside is a narrow room which is dominated by the long bar. The dimly lit space is filled with kitschy years worth of memorabilia, offering the perfect late night drinking den. If beer and hard liquor don’t interest you, be warned that the wine comes in cans here, and it’s strictly a cash only affair. Doc’s Clock
Trick Dog | 3010 20th St
This fun neighbourhood bar is a pleasant discovery, as there’s no signage, just an unmarked door into a converted two-level warehouse that’s been nicely converted into a late night hangout where the fun and the music amps up the later it gets. There’s a kicking cocktail list, it’s not overly long but they do have a creative streak here, so you’ll enjoy the special concoctions they whip up. There’s also beer, and a small wine list, but Trick Dog is the kind of place that no matter what you are drinking, you’ll feel like part of a secret club of Mission funsters. Trick Dog
Bear Vs. Bull | 2550 Mission St
Situated inside the New Mission Theatre complex, this lovely art deco bar has a faint red glow, leather swivel stools and sixties era music playing. The drinks menu is broad, with cocktails, a range of boilermakers, craft beers, and relatively cheap beers in the can like Bud and Tecote. It’s a sophisticated yet homely concept and seems to attract a broad type of clientele. Bear Vs. Bull
Twin Peaks Tavern | 401 Castro St, The Castro
The Castro’s friendliest drinking spot, Twin Peaks has been around since the 70’s and whilst it’s showing a few signs of its age, it’s enduringly comfortable and welcoming. The bar tenders work at pace but with a smile on their face, there’s an eclectic crowd of local and visitors alike and dogs are very welcome. The prime corner position at the gateway to the Castro provides an unrivalled vantage point to watch the ever-colourful parade of characters from the large windows whilst comfortably perched at the bar with your drink.
Bourbon & Branch | 501 Jones St, Tenderloin
They take themselves seriously at this veteran bar that’s been going strong for 18 years; reservations are essential, your are told firmly on arrival that there’s no phone use and absolutely no photos – you are here to simply drink and enjoy the theatre of the mixology. The cocktail list runs to 49 pages, so you surely should be able to find something that takes your fancy, even their favourites list was enough to satisfy me. The old world charm comes not just from the art of cocktail making, but the soft jazz, dim lighting and booths you can slink into. If you can’t score a reservation, sister venue The Library is just next door and welcomes walk-ins. Bourbon & Branch
Where to Stay…
There are no traditional hotels in the The Mission, so your best option to stay local is to seek out an apartment on Airbnb or stay nearby in The Castro at the intimate twelve-room The Hotel Castro.
If you are more of a mainstream hotel traveler, the closest area to base yourself is in the SoMa district, where there are a range of good quality options including Canopy by Hilton San Francisco SoMa, the chic and cheerful San Francisco Proper Hotel or the LUMA Hotel San Francisco in Mission Bay.
Must Do…
Mission Dolores Park | Dolores St
Mission Dolores Park is best experienced on a sunny weekend, when hundreds of groups flock to this very urban park to catchup over picnics and ballgames. The park is almost 16 acres in size and slopes from the north (18th St) upwards to the south (20th St) – from the southwest section there’s lovely views of the city skyline. The crowd is fun and interesting, there’s usually vendors selling all sorts of snacks and other supplies weaving their way between the picnic goers, and there’s also tennis and basketball courts if you’re feeling active. Mission Dolores Park
Featured Photo: ‘Picnic in the Park’ – Mission Dolores Park
Travis. 