Walking San Francisco

Cooperative bakeries, artisanal ice cream, and fresh-from-the-sea sushi are just some of the culinary delights you’ll find along Ninth Avenue.

While it lacks iconic landmarks like a golden bridge or a soaring tower, the Inner Sunset District has an appeal that lies in its unassuming charm. At one point, this area was covered by vast sand dunes and was known as the Outside Lands; considered inaccessible and uninhabitable, it was a relative no-man’s-land until the late 1800s. Shortly after World War II, developers changed all that when they started throwing up the stucco row houses that we see today to house working families and immigrants who called, and still call, the area home.

There is some disagreement on how this fog-swathed neighborhood came to be known as the Sunset. It appears to have been a marketing term first coined by real estate developer Wendell Easton, who waxed poetic in an 1889 edition of the Alta California, one of the newspapers of the time: “The golden hued sun, as it bids good day to this western slope and dips itself gracefully into its evening bath in the placid Pacific, throws its last kisses prior to its final dip upon these, the truly Sunset Heights.” While this description may be a bit over the top for an area that’s frequently enveloped in thick coastal mist, the restaurants are amazing, the community vibe is robust, and there are great parks with tremendous views not mobbed by tourists.

Our adventure begins and ends around the commercial hub of Ninth and Irving, where coffee shops, breweries, bakeries, and all manner of restaurants reflect the multicultural makeup of the neighborhood. Strolling past pastel-hued homes, we’ll gradually make our way up, up, up along mosaic-graced stairs to a nearly 360-degree view of the city before descending to the flatlands again. Pack a windbreaker, grab a cup of coffee, and prepare to enjoy the quiet allure of one of San Francisco’s hidden gems.

Walk Description

We begin our journey at the epicenter of Inner Sunset gastronomic glory: the corner of Ninth and Irving. You’d be well advised to fuel yourself with a cup of java from

The Beanery Inc., where beans are roasted on-site and neighbors stop to have a chat. You’d be well advised to pair it with a savory cheese roll from

Arizmendi Bakery. A worker-owned cooperative, Arizmendi has been delighting the neighborhood since 2000 with fresh-baked goods and pizzas. If you begin your walk on a Sunday morning, head to the community gathering spot of the

Inner Sunset Farmers’ Market, around the corner on Eighth Avenue. Here you’ll find fresh fruits, produce, and local artisanal wares from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Head west toward the ocean on Irving Street, the main commercial heart of the Inner Sunset. Mom-and-pop stores outnumber chains here, and there’s a gentle hum to the neighborhood. That hum gets louder when you approach seemingly nondescript

San Tung, a restaurant whose dry-fried chicken wings have achieved a near cult following: they made Food & Wine magazine’s list of best chicken wings, and they are absolutely worth the inevitable wait for a table.

Make a left on Funston Avenue to admire the Romanesque revival architecture of

St. Anne of the Sunset, a Catholic church completed in 1931. The elaborate frieze above the front entrance was created by Sister Justina Niemierski, who spoke infrequently and preferred to express herself through art. Originally from East Prussia, Sister Justina graduated from the Academy of Art in Berlin before moving to the Bay Area in 1912 to aid German immigrants.

These beautiful tiled stairs are a resplendent display of community action at work.

Turn right on Judah Street and then left on 16th Avenue to begin our climb. Crossing Kirkham Street, you’ll see a colorful tile sign welcoming you to the

Hidden Garden Steps, the newer of two spectacular sets of mosaic stairways in the neighborhood. Local artist Colette Crutcher and Irish ceramicist Aileen Barr were commissioned after a vigorous grassroots fundraising effort in 2013 to help design and complete this 148-step mosaic staircase, replete with butterflies and flowers plus a giant salamander artfully winding up the stairs. This is the second set of stairs completed by the duo and a whole host of generous neighbors who volunteered tirelessly to make the project come to fruition. The first project, the

16th Avenue Tiled Steps, was completed in 2005—we’ll reach it shortly.

When you crest the top of the stairs, turn right on Lawton Street, which eventually becomes 16th Avenue. The brightly colored homes here help combat the frequent gray fog that often shrouds this part of the city. Follow 16th to reach the intersection with Moraga Avenue and the original 163 tiled steps. More than 300 community members contributed to this inaugural neighborhood beautification project, and you can see their names reflected in many of the tiles. The motif here is from sea to sky. Be sure to stop frequently so you can turn around and enjoy increasingly expansive views of Ocean Beach behind you.

Once you reach the top of the stairs, your journey isn’t over. Cross the street to reach the wooden stairs beckoning farther upward to reach aptly named

Grandview Park. Many locals refer to this spot as Turtle Hill, and from afar, the mound does, indeed, resemble the shell of a wayward turtle heading back to the ocean. The park itself isn’t much to look at, consisting mostly of coastal scrub on top of chert that was once part of the sea floor, but the view is arguably one of the city’s best. Plant yourself on a bench—we hope you brought a jacket!—and drink in the vista. Depending on fog levels, you should be able to pick out a Golden Gate Park windmill, Seal Rock, the Golden Gate Bridge, the downtown skyline, and more.

When you’re ready to descend, follow the trail that skirts the top and then head down the stairs in the opposite direction from which you climbed. Cross 14th Avenue and keep descending the sets of stairs along Moraga Avenue, which we’ll follow until we reach Ninth Avenue again.

As you turn left on Ninth Avenue, pass between the brick pillars denoting Windsor. This short stretch of both Eighth and Ninth Avenues between Moraga and Lawton, called

Windsor Terrace, features the grandest homes in the neighborhood. Note that you don’t see any garages; this is because they’re all tucked behind the homes and accessed by Auto Drive, a narrow road between the two avenues. Not much is known about the Windsor Terrace designation, which has likely been a real estate ploy from the get-go, but photo archives date the pillars at least back to 1910. Those who grew up in the Sunset claim it’s always the best area for trick-or-treating.

As we return to our Ninth-and-Irving starting point, we suspect that you’ve worked up an appetite for some local grub. Always topping lists of best Bay Area sushi restaurants,

Ebisu has been slicing up the region’s freshest fish for more than three decades. Across the street, relative newcomer

San Francisco’s Hometown Creamery has quickly amassed a loyal following for its small-batch ice cream in flavors ranging from strawberry-balsamic to peanut butter–chocolate fudge. Brothers Adar and Saadi Halil went so far as to obtain a pasteurizer’s license to ensure that they could make everything completely from scratch.

Also notable on this block is one of the last remaining magic stores in the city,

Misdirections Magic Shop. Catering to professionals and amateurs alike, founder and magician Joe Pon prides himself on creating a community that includes lectures and workshops from visiting magicians and other sleights of hand. Across the street is the Inner Sunset outpost of the beloved

Green Apple Books. Author events and readings are frequent at this location.

Our walk ends with a step back into history at

The Little Shamrock, the city’s second-oldest bar (after the Saloon, which is featured in our North Beach Bars jaunt; see Walk 8). Originally opened in 1893 to cater to the workers creating the California Midwinter exposition in Golden Gate Park, the “Sham” has somehow survived two earthquakes and Prohibition without closing its door or losing its license. Look for the wooden clock that stopped ticking after the ’06 quake as you belly up to the bar. Recent additions include backgammon, board games, and darts. Vintage couches, a fireplace, and stained glass chandeliers add to the cozy, unpretentious charm of this historic watering hole.

Points of Interest

The Beanery Inc. 1307 Ninth Ave.; 415-661-1255, facebook.com/thebeaneryinc

Arizmendi Bakery 1331 Ninth Ave.; 415-566-3117, arizmendibakery.com

Inner Sunset Farmers’ Market 1315 Eighth Ave.; 925-825-9090, tinyurl.com/innersunsetfm

San Tung 1031 Irving St.; 415-242-0828, santung.net

St. Anne of the Sunset 850 Judah St.; 415-665-1600, stanne-sf.org

Hidden Garden Steps 16th Ave. between Kirkham and Lawton Sts.; hiddengardensteps.org, hiddengardensteps@gmail.com (no published phone number)

16th Avenue Tiled Steps Moraga St. between 15th and 16th Aves.; 16thavenuetiledsteps.com, 16thavenuetiledsteps@gmail.com (no published phone number)

Grandview Park Moraga St. and 14th Ave.; 415-831-5500, sfrecpark.org/destination/grand-view-park

Windsor Terrace Eighth and Ninth Aves. between Moraga and Lawton Sts.

Ebisu 1283 Ninth Ave.; 415-566-1770, ebisusushi.com

San Francisco’s Hometown Creamery 1290 Ninth Ave.; 415-682-4977, sfhometowncreamery.com

Misdirections Magic Shop 1236 Ninth Ave.; 415-566-2180, shop.misdirections.com

Green Apple Books on the Park 1231 Ninth Ave.; 415-742-5833, greenapplebooks.com

The Little Shamrock 807 Lincoln Way; 415-661-0060, facebook.com/thelittleshamrock1893