Nowitz Photography/Apa Publications
Mission and Castro
Nowitz Photography/Apa Publications
Chow down on a burrito at a Mission taqueria
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For a quick, cheap, and delicious meal that will keep you sated for hours, duck into one of the many taquerias in the Mission. Stand in line, cafeteria-style, and customize your own tortilla-wrapped meal.
Tortillas are warmed, then filled with your choice of carnitas (pork), carne asada (steak), pollo (chicken), or camarones (shrimp), plus cheese, Spanish rice, beans, and salsa. You might opt to upgrade to a ‘super’ with sour cream and guacamole. Meatless versions are also very satisfying. At most places, you get a handful of homemade tortilla chips on the side. Completing the experience is a cold glass of horchata, a sweet, milky beverage made with rice and cinnamon, ladled from big jar behind the counter, or an agua fresca, a refreshing, fruity drink.
Ask any local and they will send you to their favorite joint, but some of the most popular are La Taqueria (2889 Mission Street; tel: 415-285-7117; [map] F1), Le Cumbre (515 Valencia; tel: 415-863-8205; [map] E4), El Toro (598 Valencia Street; tel: 415-431-3351; [map] E4), Cancun (2288 Mission Street; tel: 415-252-9560), Pancho Villa (3071 16th Street; tel: 415-864-8840), and Papalote (3409 24th Street; tel: 415-970-8815).
A tip: silverware is unnecessary. Keep your burrito wrapped in foil to hold it together and peel the foil back as you munch.
Mobile food phenomenon
While some of the Mission’s roving food carts like the Tamale Lady (twitter: @tamalelady) are still around, they spawned a larger food truck phenomenon that is going strong around the city. Off the Grid and SoMa StrEat Food Park are lively pop-up events where trucks converge offering everything from Filipino burritos to Korean noodles to Neapolitan pizza. There is also music, beer, wine, and tables. For locations and vendors, visit http://offthegrid.com and www.somastreatfoodpark.com.
Shop for peg-legs and spy glasses at a writing center disguised as a pirate shop
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The Mission has its share of unusual and compelling shops. For all of your sea-marauding needs, look no further than the Pirate Store at 826 Valencia.
Here you will find eye patches, compasses, skull flags, and mermaid bait. The clever little shop has rotating art installations in its storefront window, and built-in cabinets and drawers to browse through for all things buccaneer-related.
The Pirate Store is more than just a safe haven for picaroons. It is the brainchild of San Francisco’s literary darling Dave Eggers, author of A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius and publisher of McSweeney’s. 826 Valencia is a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting students aged 6–18 to develop their writing skills. Opening the kitschy pirate store was a necessity, since a city ordinance dictated that the space be used for retail.
The writing center offers free programs including tutoring, field trips, workshops, and student publishing. Eggers’s literary journals and the students’ work are on sale in the Pirate Store.
If the Pirate Store has got you primed for quirky retail, try Paxton Gate (824 Valencia Street; [map] E3) for the perfect fossil or butterfly engraving. Or for fresh fashions, accessories, books and gifts, Density (593 Valencia Street; [map] E4) is a lovingly curated boutique that supports local artists.
Pirate Store at 826 Valencia Street; tel: 415-642-5905; www.826valencia.org; daily noon–6pm; [map] E3
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What Union Square is to mainstream, the Mission has long been to alternative theater. From one-woman shows to ensemble sketch groups, a few small, unique theaters have pushed the envelope, taking risks and reaping rewards.
One such risk-taker, The Marsh (1062 Valencia Street; tel: 415-282-3055; [map] E2), has been a breeding ground for new performance for more than 25 years. Check out intimate local plays, works in progress, and youth performances here.
Stand-up comic and media personality Brian Copeland workshopped his autobiographical Not a Genuine Black Man at The Marsh before taking it to LA and off-Broadway
Another niche theater, Brava! for Women in the Arts (2781 24th Street; tel: 415-641-7657; [map] G1) offers thought-provoking theater, music, and educational programs intended to celebrate feminism and multiculturalism – though not all of their productions ascribe to that agenda. Productions range from a one-man show probing questions of race, ethnicity, and homosexuality in hip-hop culture to a dark musical spoof on beauty, superficiality, and a youth-obsessed world.
Z Space (450 Florida Street; tel: 415-626-0453) has been around for more than 20 years producing a full season of work from a variety of disciplines including theater, dance, music, performance art, and new media but it wasn’t until 2009 that they nailed down their own theater space.
Established in 2011, Stage Werx (446 Valencia Street; tel: 415-517-3581) has nurtured and produced eclectic and daring performance from circus acts and rock operas to stand-up and storytelling. If you’re looking for something a little different, you found it.
Support a grassroots culinary movement while learning to make Mexican mole
Blair Sneddon
In a small space in the Mission, a community comes together through a common interest in food, wine, cooking and sustainability. 18 Reasons is the vision of a grocer who wanted more from his food. Sam Mogannam and his staff at Bi-Rite Market (for more information, click here) founded the grass-roots organization in 2008 as an extension of the market’s philosophy. The gist is to engage with the people who feed us – organic farmers, biodynamic vintners, chefs, bakers, cheesemakers, and fishermen.
18 Reasons hosts a wide variety of classes, events and “pop-ups” ranging from classes like French Countryside Classics and Flavors of Azerbaijan to DIY Fresh Ricotta or a Knife Skills Clinic.
Pop-ups are special dinners with different themes, menus and chefs. Past examples have included a four-course Latin American dinner and classic homecooked Jamaican food.
The center also hosts community dinners and classes, inexpensive ways to gather likeminded foodies together to share a table and a meal.
With outreach as part of their mission, 18 Reasons also shares their culinary skills and creativity with low-income communities through a program that offers classes on cooking and nutrition.
18 Reasons; 3674 18th Street; tel: 415-568-2710; www.18reasons.org; see website for calendar; [map] E3
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After a busy day pounding the Mission streets, you’ll be ready for a drink. Luckily there is no shortage of watering holes in this part of town.
Start at Zeitgeist (199 Valencia Street; 415-255-7505; [map] E5), a rough-and-tumble beer garden with an enormous outdoor patio, a favorite with the biker crowd. Order a pitcher of beer, put some classic rock on the jukebox, and chill in the back.
Keeping with the outdoor theme, taxi over to El Techo (2518 Mission Street; tel: 415-550-6970; [map] E2) for a vastly different scene at one of San Francisco’s few rooftop lounges. Sample Latin American street food, tapas, sangria and cocktails like the Cuba Libre made with rum, lime and Mexican coca-cola while basking in the 360-degree panoramic view. Arrive early to secure a coveted al fresco spot.
Next stop, Beauty Bar (2299 Mission Street; tel: 415-285-0323; [map] E3) for Martinis and manicures, kitschy fun, and hot DJs in a retro-fitted beauty parlor that lures both Mission hipsters and Marina dwellers (two highly different breeds).
Next, head to the Makeout Room (3225 22nd Street; tel: 415-647-2888; [map] E2), a favorite spot with locals looking for a laidback venue with dark corners, a decent Happy Hour, live music, DJs, and moderate (if any) cover charges. Stop by to absorb authentic Mission-flavored nightlife.
Properly lubricated, wind down for the finale: a torchy sing-a-long at Martuni’s (4 Valencia Street; tel: 415-241-0205; [map] E5). This velvet-draped piano bar attracts a mixed crowd of gay and straight crooners to belt out the words to show tunes and pop-music classics.
Tuck into a California-style brunch with a movie at Foreign Cinema
Nowitz Photography/Apa Publications
A meal at Foreign Cinema is a quintessential San Francisco experience. It combines culinary excellence, a cool industrial-chic space, an eclectic clientele, and an art-house cinema, all hidden away down a candlelit corridor in the middle of the grungy-hip Mission.
The ambience is unforgettable. The narrow corridor opens to a spacious covered outdoor courtyard, where at dusk films are projected onto the far wall. Concrete and exposed brick create a distinctly urban vibe outside, while indoors, the spare dining room is hung with clusters of bare bulbs suspended chandelier-like from 20ft ceilings.
A daily changing California/Mediterranean-inspired menu is offered seven nights a week, as well as a Saturday and Sunday brunch. While dinner is romantic, and you can enjoy Fellini or Antonioni with your curry-roast chicken and kale, brunch is legendary. Omelets are made with seasonal ingredients like sweet white corn and heirloom tomatoes, and the house-made ‘pop tarts’ are filled with that morning’s fresh fruit. The raw bar has a selection of oysters, as well as clams, cooked shrimp, and Dungeness crab. A three-course children’s tasting menu courts the wee ones.
Husband and wife chefs and owners Gayle Pirie and John Clark honed their culinary chops with longstanding tenures at Zuni Café, one of the city’s groundbreaking restaurants embracing market-fresh California cuisine.
Foreign Cinema; 2534 Mission Street; tel: 415-648-7600; www.foreigncinema.com; D Nightly, Sun Br & D; [map] E2
Experience edgy artwork at time-honored Mission galleries
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The Mission is a hotbed of creativity, and a few galleries have been providing outlets for art – from political to experimental – for decades.
Since 1970, the tiny shopfront Galería de la Raza has fostered awareness and appreciation of Chicano and Latino art, mounting exhibitions and hosting poetry and spoken word readings and workshops. The Digital Mural Project created by GDLR’s Youth Media is a collage of images with references to the war in Iraq and local gang unrest.
Edgy Mission gallery and performance space The Lab has favored experimental boundary-crossing art by emerging artists since 1984. Events have included performances from sex educator and artist Annie Sprinkle and Squart (Spontaneous Queer Art). Check to see if your visit coincides with their annual art auction for great prices on original works.
Nearby, in a cavernous space beneath a grungy freeway in SoMa, is SoMarts, born in 1979 and a supporter of art for and by the people outside the circles of high culture. Today the Main Gallery exhibits the work of more than 1,000 Bay Area artists annually.
Galería de la Raza; 2857 24th Street; tel: 415-826-8009; www.galeriadelaraza.org; Tue–Sat noon–6pm; [map] G1
The Lab; 2948 16th Street; tel: 415-864-8855; www.thelab.org; check website for hours; [map] F4
SoMarts Cultural Center; 934 Brannan Street; tel 415-863-1414; www.somarts.org, Tue–Fri noon–7pm, Sat noon–5pm; [map] H5
Open studios
A unique way to experience San Francisco’s art scene is by participating in Open Studios, which takes place every October. Studio doors all over the city are flung open and the public is invited inside to view work, sip wine, interact with artists, and buy art straight from the source. The heaviest concentration of studios is in the Hunter’s Point Shipyard. Pick up the free guide and make a day of it – hopping around the shipyard and tapping into the creative pulse (www.artspan.org).
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Head to 24th Street to immerse yourself in the Latino-dominated heart of the Mission, where eye-catching murals cover buildings as far as the eye can see.
Stop first at the Precita Eyes Mural Arts and Visitors Center. Here you can pick up a pamphlet on the guided mural walks they offer, or purchase a $5 map showing 92 murals in the vicinity, with artists and titles on the back, and venture out on your own.
Weave in and out of side streets as you traverse 24th from Mission Street to York Street to be treated to vivid eye candy like Sí Se Puede, part of a stunning mural environment that covers César Chávez Elementary School on Shotwell Street.
Two blocks west from Precita Eyes, between Harrison and Folsom streets, is Balmy Alley ([map] G1), the mother lode of Mission mural art. Nearly every surface is painted with images, from the Virgin of Guadalupe to Social Realist depictions of immigration to an AIDS memorial.
Precita Eyes Mural Arts and Visitors Center; 2981 24th Street; tel: 415-285-2287; www.precitaeyes.org; Mon–Fri 10am–5pm Sat 10am–4pm, Sun noon–4pm; [map] G1
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Built in 1791, the Mission San Francisco de Asís is the oldest standing structure in the city. It still remains intact after withstanding the test of time and two major earthquakes. A visit to the birthplace of the city is a fascinating journey through time.
The mission was founded by Father Juniperro Serra, a Franciscan monk, and later became known as Mission Dolores due to the proximity of a nearby lake, Arroyo de Nuestra Señora de los Dolores (Lake of our Lady of Sorrows). It is the sixth in a chain of missions that dot the California coastline.
Friar Font, a member of the original missionary expedition, wrote descriptively about the chosen spot:
We rode about one league to the east [from the Presidio], one to the east-southeast, and one to the southeast, going over hills covered with bushes, and over valleys of good land. We thus came upon two lagoons and several springs of good water, meanwhile encountering much grass, fennel, and other good herbs. When we arrived at a lovely creek, which because it was the Friday of Sorrows [the Friday before Palm Sunday], we called the Arroyo de los Dolores. . . On the banks of the Arroyo… we discovered many fragrant chamomiles and other herbs, and many wild violets. Near the streamlet the lieutenant planted a little corn and some garbanzos in order to try out the soil, which to us appeared good.
The humble mission included a simple chapel with solid 4ft (1.2m) thick walls built by Native Americans in a mixture of Spanish-colonial style and native construction methods. A gilded Baroque altarpiece was imported from Mexico.
Adorning the ceiling are paintings created by the natives based on Ohlone tribal designs using vegetable dye. The Ohlone were among the Costanoan tribes recruited by the missionaries in their quest to convert them to Catholicism. They were offered food and protection, and they entertained the padres by dancing cloaked in traditional garb, with shells, feathers, and body paint. Sadly, some historical reports indicate that the natives were mistreated by the padres, and many ran away.
Further tragedy ensued for the natives. Two measles epidemics in the early 19th century took the lives of thousands.
Masses are still held here, and a small museum displays historical photos and documents. Outside in the grounds, a pensive statue of Father Serra stands in the mission garden, and a ceramic mural graces an interior wall.
But most fascinating is the white-walled mission cemetery where the remains of the city’s earliest padres are buried. Small and serene, with light slanting over the mission walls illuminating the headstones, the cemetery is hauntingly beautiful. It is no wonder that it was chosen as a film location by Alfred Hitchcock for the movie Vertigo. Look for a pedestal that reads “In Prayerful Memory of our Faithful Indians,” acknowledging the Native Americans who died here.
Mission Dolores; 3321 16th Street; tel: 415-621-8203; www.missiondolores.org; daily 9am–4pm except Thanksgiving, Christmas, Easter, and New Year’s Day; [map] D4
Hit Tartine Bakery for goodies and catch some rays at Dolores “Beach”
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When the rest of the city is blanketed with fog, locals head to Dolores Park in the sun-drenched Mission. Affectionately referred to as Dolores ‘Beach,’ the park comprises 13 sloping acres of green space with six tennis courts, a basketball court, soccer fields, and a playground, all bounded by Dolores, 20th, Church, and 18th streets.
Gorgeous views of downtown notwithstanding, Dolores might not be the city’s prettiest park. But it has an allure that goes beyond physical beauty. Here, the city’s communities gather in a feat of effortless self-segregation. Dog-walkers claim space among Latino family revelers; gay men in Speedos sun themselves in one area, lesbians in another; Mission hipsters tend to collect in pockets near Dolores Park Café. There is a homeless area, a place for children, and a section where pot-smokers are virtually undisturbed.
Chilling at Dolores Beach is best with proper provisions. For mouthwatering treats both sweet and savory, stop first at the esteemed Tartine Bakery (no sign, just look for a line that stretches around the corner). Bi-Rite Market has everything else you need for a picnic, including organic fruits, cheeses, and alcohol. They also have a creamery across the street (3692 18th Street), selling ice cream, sorbet, and confections.
Dolores Park; [map] D3
Tartine Bakery; 600 Guerrero Street; tel: 415-487-2600; www.tartinebakery.com; [map] E3
Bi-Rite Market; 3639 18th Street; tel: 415-241-9760; www.biritemarket.com; [map] D3
Movies in the park
From June through October, free movies are screened in Dolores Park on a monthly basis. Bring a blanket, buy some popcorn, and scope out Virginia the Tamale Lady, selling her homemade husk-wrapped pork, chile, and black bean tamales. www.doloresparkworks.org.
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There are lots of opportunities to get your groove on in San Francisco. In the Mission and Castro neighborhoods, the lines between club, bar, restaurant, and lounge tend to blur. Boogie down on intimate dance floors, each with its own flavor.
El Rio (3158 Mission; tel: 415-282-3325; [map] F1) is a culturally, racially, and sexually mixed bar, with Salsa Sundays and global, rock, punk, and hip-hop dance parties other nights. Stop in for the BBQ on the back deck, then dance to the rhythm of diversity.
Castro hotspot Q Bar (456 Castro Street; tel: 415-864-2877; [map] B3) features high-energy DJ dance music every night, including Throwback Thursdays (’80s and ’90s pop) and Tuesday Grrlz Nite. They also offer generous drink specials.
Elbo Room (647 Valencia Street; tel: 415-552-7788; [map] E3; pictured) has two levels – a relaxed downstairs bar scene with pool tables and an instant-photo booth, and a rocking upstairs lounge with live music and dancing, from punk and funk to rockabilly and salsa.
One of the grooviest dance parties in town is at Little Baobab (3372 19th Street; tel: 415-643-3558; [map] E3), a tiny Senegalese shoebox restaurant where DJs spin dancehall, Brazilian, Afrobeats, and reggaeton, and ginger-infused cocktails are strong and tasty.
Further afield, many of the bigger dance clubs – 1015 Folsom (1015 Folsom Street; tel: 415-991-1015), El Toro Night Club (2470 San Bruno; tel: 415-468-0670), Mezzanine (444 Jessie Street; tel: 415-625-8880),Cat Club (1190 Folsom Street; tel: 415-703-8965), and Club OMG! (43 Sixth Street; tel: 415-896-6473; for more information, click here) are found in SoMA.
Catch a film or a Mary Poppins sing-a-long at a single-screen movie palace
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As flamboyant and festive as the neighborhood it embodies, the single-screen Castro Theatre is a true old-time movie palace. Built in 1922, the lavish Spanish Baroque building has two dramatic staircases, Art Deco flourishes, and a Wurlitzer pipe organ on an ascending platform. For a quintessential Castro experience, enjoy the frivolity of a camp sing-a-long to The Sound of Music, Mary Poppins, or Grease.
In the Mission, intellectuals can get their fill of political documentaries, film noir, and flicks about artists and musicians at The Roxie Film Center, the oldest continually running theater in San Francisco.
Or kick back with cocktails and appetizers and watch a first-run film in luxury and comfort at the glamorous Kabuki Sundance Cinema in Japantown. Check out the art gallery, too.
You’ll find a few other single-screen cinemas left in San Francisco. Two of the remaining are in Pacific Heights – the Vogue (3290 Sacramento Street; tel: 415-346-2228) and the Clay (2261 Fillmore Street; tel: 415-561-9921) as well as the Art Deco Presidio Theatre (2340 Chestnut Street; tel: 415-776-2388) located in the Marina.
Castro Theatre; 429 Castro Street; tel: 415-621-6120; www.castrotheatre.com; [map] C3
The Roxie Film Center; 3117 16th Street; tel: 415-863-1087; www.roxie.com; [map] E4
Kabuki Sundance Cinema; 1881 Post Street; tel: 415-346-3243; www.sundancecinemas.com; [map] D5
Immerse yourself in the heart of the Castro gay scene at Café Flore
torbakhopper
San Francisco is often referred to as the gay capital of the world, a title its residents wear with pride. The active LGBT (lesbian/gay/bisexual/transgender) community that has made its home in the Castro has contributed significantly to every area of San Francisco’s culture: economic, artistic, and political.
Established in 1973, funky Café Flore has long been the pulsing heart of the Castro, morning, noon, and night. A colorful and eclectic mix of gay, straight, buff, skinny, locals, and travelers converge at the busy intersection of Market, Noe, and 16th streets for strong coffee, boozy brunches, outdoor dining, nightly drink specials, mingling, and cruising. Order the decadent mac ’n’ cheese or a shrimp and avocado salad, kick back, and enjoy the parade of phenomenal people-watching.
East on Market is another epicenter of LGBT culture. The SF LGBT Center opened at the height of the AIDS pandemic and celebrates the history, culture, and diversity of the community. There is a gallery and cafe on the premises of the modern, solar-powered, 35,000sq-ft facility as well as community bulletin boards, free WiFi, and a general information desk with a wide gamut of resources for the community. They also offer support groups, youth programs, yoga classes, writing workshops, and even Weight Watchers and 12-step meetings.
Café Flore; 2298 Market Street; tel: 415-621-8579; www.cafeflore.com; Mon–Fri 10am–midnight, Sat–Sun 8am–midnight; [map] B4
The SF LGBT Center; 1800 Market Street; tel: 415-865-5555; www.sfcenter.org; Mon–Thu noon–10pm, Fri noon–6pm, Sat 9am–6pm; [map] E5
