Spend a DayIn the Mission District
Get to know one of San Francisco's trendiest neighborhoods with a day of dining, shopping and local culture.
Explore one of San Francisco's trendiest neighborhoods by dining at popular local restaurants, shopping at unique stores, and immersing yourself in the local culture. Spend a day getting to know the area and all it has to offer.
Ritual Coffee
San Francisco has several temples of third-wave coffee, but Ritual might be the most iconic. When it’s impossible to find a free table in this laptop farm, taking your cup of single-origin drip for a stroll down Valencia.
Grab a cup of JoeBalmy & Clarion Alleys/Precita Eyes
Although massive, building-size murals are nearly everywhere, two narrow lanes stand out. Balmy Alley (off 24th Street, near Harrison) and Clarion Alley (south of 17th Street, between Mission and Valencia) contain dozens of political or graphically advanced murals, some permanent, others routinely painted over. Precita Eyes, the de facto custodian of the Mission’s Latino heritage, maintains many of them and gives guided tours.
Check out the Mission District MuralsHumpry Slocombe
A disproportionate amount of San Francisco’s premier ice cream parlors are in the Mission, but Humpry Slocombe stands out for its unusual flavors (as well as the two-headed calf mounted on the wall.) Lines can be long, but signature flavors like Balsamic Caramel and Secret Breakfast (bourbon and corn flakes) are bound to be unlike anything you’ve ever tried.
Harrington Galleries
The surprisingly enormous Harrington Galleries has staying power in a neighborhood that only keeps the best of the best. This emporium’s stock is eclectic even by Mission standards, and always worth a poke around.
Shop in the MissionCreativity Explored
The Mission is a powerhouse when it comes to galleries and public art. The globally renown and long-lasting Creativity Explored, a nonprofit that celebrates people with developmental disabilities, combines entrepreneurial altruism with a winning aesthetic. Visit the Gallery on 16th near Guerrero St and pick up a piece of original art you could not find anywhere else.
Explore our Museums & GalleriesDolores Park
Dolores Park is wonderful with or without lax enforcement of open container laws which make for a communal picnic vibe on sunny afternoons, as virtually every tribe of Missionite is represented. With its open view of downtown, the southwest corner is arguably the neighborhood’s best spot for panoramic pics.
Check out all of San Francisco's ParksUrban Putt
A gastropub and 14-hole mini-golf course housed in a former mortuary, Urban Putt distills everything about contemporary San Francisco nightlife into a single uproariously fun experience. Just watch out for the giant octopus at the last hole!
Explore more things to doForeign Cinema
While upscale dining is now ubiquitous in the Mission, Foreign Cinema was there first. A beautiful indoor-outdoor space for brunch or dinner, the classic movies projected onto the back wall create the perfect accompaniment to its California-Mediterranean cuisine. Don’t skip digestifs at László, the cocktail lounge next door.
Get Romantic in San FranciscoThe Chapel
The Chapel is a gem in the heart of the Mission, an intimate live music venue in an increasingly club-free neighborhood. After the show, mosey across the foyer to the Vestry for a nightcap or a late-night bar snack.
Check out the Music Lover's GuideTacolicious
This delicious Mission restaurant offers one of the best happy hour deals in town. Tacolicious serves up incredible guacamole, margaritas and of course, tacos. But they also offer much, much more. Swing by for snacks or a full meal and pet some of the sweet furry friends that sit out on the patio with their people.
Explore Vegetarian Dining in San Francisco
Heart of the City: The Mission
Learn from the residents and business owners of the Mission about why this neighborhood is the heart of the city.
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Brenda Tucker is the Director of Arts Marketing at San Francisco Travel. She has lived in San Francisco since 1998, after driving cross-country to a home she secured sight unseen. Brenda enjoys swimming out-of-doors year-round, being inspired by the incredible art scene in the City, and living in the best place on earth.
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