Heart of the City
Take it from the people who live here: San Francisco’s diverse neighborhoods are thriving, inviting, and raising the pulse of the city.
San Francisco is a place where you never step outside without an appetite, a sense of adventure, or an extra layer. It’s a place, as Tony Bennett famously sang, where you'll leave your heart; but in exploring our city through the eyes, the work, and the experiences of our locals, you just might find your heart, too.
Take a closer look at some San Francisco neighborhoods and learn why each lays a claim to being the Heart of the City.
VO Credit: Dear San Francisco
Bayview
Among the wetlands, shipyards, and warehouses, strong artistic vibes and community empowerment have flourished throughout San Francisco’s Bayview.
The businesses, by design, create togetherness and soothe the soul. Restaurant Gumbo Social is owned and run by Dontaye Ball, who grew up in Bayview. “I had a thesis that gumbo could bring humans together,” he says. “We’re going to take care of you. We’re going to give you true San Francisco hospitality, the way it should be done.”
That hospitality can sometimes come from the places you least expect. “When you step into the door, you’re transported into a dream. You'd never know that what you see in these walls exists here,” says Teresa Goines, Founder and President of Old Skool Cafe, a youth-run supper club. “Everything that you see that’s happening in the restaurant, the young people are executing.”
“This community has had a history of activation,” says Martin Luther McCoy, a local musician. “It's a rebellious spirit that thrives here. A pioneering energy has always been part of the soil. We have to start thinking outside the box to how we can be a power center as opposed to a pawn, so that we can rebuild, repair, and keep on growing."
Castro
The Castro has a long history of LGBTQ+ activism. Pride continues to be showcased everywhere, from rainbow flags flying atop buildings to the rainbow crosswalks on Castro Street.
Josh Decolongon, Castro resident and avowed food and wine enthusiast, says the Castro “represents the past, present and the future of queer culture and queer history. Everybody that I see visiting finds something that they really connect to, no matter who they are.”
“What I love most about the Castro is the community,” says Terry Asten Bennett, co-owner of Cliff’s Variety, a neighborhood staple since 1936. “You walk down the block and everybody knows your name. You care about what's happening to your neighbors. You matter.”
"The neighborhood has always been accepting,” says Bill Pung, who bought classic diner Orphan Andy's with his partner, Dennis Zieball, in 1977. “It’s just a comfortable feeling to come to a location where everybody's welcomed and accepted."
Chinatown
SF's Chinatown is the first and largest in North America, instantly recognizable by its hanging red lanterns, distinct architecture, and ornate Dragon Gate. But there's something deeper to this famous corner of San Francisco.
"There's a real sense of nostalgia” says Cynthia Huie, co-owner of neighborhood shop On Waverly. “The life that's been here for so long—seven generations now—feels very present whenever you come into Chinatown."
“Chinatown is about the people who made Chinatown,” says Steven Lee, who is part of the ownership team at the legendary Sam Wo. “They’re the ones that helped build America.” One of Chinatown’s oldest restaurants, Sam Wo is still serving the same recipes from 100 years ago. The continuity it provides for the neighborhood can’t be underestimated.‘
Huie echoes that sentiment.
“There’s something really special when you walk into a space that is centered around your experience. It feels like a layer of yourself doesn’t have to be explained.”
Japantown
San Francisco’s Japantown is one of only three Japantowns left in the U.S., and the largest. In the middle of Japantown is the Japan Center Mall, which celebrates traditional and modern culture and cuisine through dozens of shops and restaurants.
Other historic businesses include Soko Hardware, founded in 1925 by current owner Phil Ashizawa’s grandparents, who were forced to move to the Topaz Relocation Camp in Utah during World War II. When they returned, they reopened the store to help serve other Japanese Americans. Today, the store is still a mix of authentic wares that visitors come to Japantown seeking, and home necessities for the residents.
Masao Kuribara, owner of Hinodeya Ramen, is restaurant royalty in his native Japan; but when it came to making it big in America, he knew there was only one place to go. "San Francisco is a city of innovation. So, I took up the challenge and I opened the first dashi ramen restaurant in the United States."
Hinodeya’s light and flavorful broth is often imitated, but never duplicated. As with the best dining experiences, Hinodeya is about so much more than food. “Food is not only food; food is the culture,” says Kuribara. “We are all about sharing the beauty and charm of Japanese food.”
Meanwhile, Pa'ina Restaurant & Lounge, with its Hawaiian-Polynesian food and drinks, brings additional diversity to the neighborhood. The restaurant has a full bar and private and public karaoke rooms. It attracts a younger generation as one of the few nightlife spots in Japantown.
“We try to bring the aloha to the neighborhood,” says owner Jeremy Jong. “I’m really proud to have a business in the city that I grew up in, in a neighborhood where I’m honestly excited for the future.”
The Mission
The Mission District has historically been a center for San Francisco’s Latino community, and continues to have a dynamic atmosphere with packed taquerias, street murals, trendy bars, and boutique stores.
“As soon as you step foot on Mission Street, the energy picks up, the music changes,” says Nabeel Silmi, owner of Grand Coffee. “It's salsa music. It's reggaeton. You can smell the carne asada coming from the taquerias, the pupusa vendors on the sidewalk.”
The murals found throughout the Mission are a distinctive feature of the neighborhood and serve as an open-air museum created by and for the community. “We’re always on top of any business or building that has a mural on it—or any other kind of artwork that has been done by the community—to preserve it," says Susan Cervantes, founder and director of the Precita Eyes Muralists.
On Valencia Street, Puerto Alegre reflects the neighborhood’s enduring spirit. It’s been around for more than 50 years, founded by a family of Mexican immigrants. Despite changes that have happened in the Mission District, “Latinos continue to thrive here,” says Amparo Vigil, one of the family members behind Puerto Alegre. “You will always have a Carnaval; you will always have Puerto Alegre—as long as we can hold out. And you will always have wonderful people and families working together.”
North Beach
You won’t find any sand or sea in North Beach anymore; but this is where the city began for those coming to San Francisco during the Gold Rush, hoping to find their fortunes. Over the years, it became a hub for nightlife, beatniks, and Italian culture.
“North Beach is very special,” says Lidia Valledor, manager of Cafe Zoetrope. The cafe and wine bar sit inside the iconic copper-green Sentinel building, which also houses film director Francis Ford Coppola’s production company. Coppola bought the building in the 1970s and wrote most of the screenplay for The Godfather down the street at Caffe Trieste.
“I think Caffe Trieste is the single most important business in San Francisco,” says local artist Jeremy Fish. “It is the oldest espresso bar on the West Coast. It's still owned by the same family. You could be sitting in Caffe Trieste and have no idea if it's 1950 or 1980 or 2010. It just has a very timeless quality to it.”
“There's so much density” in North Beach, says Nadia Giusti, whose family owns beloved neighborhood restaurant Firenze by Night. “There's beautiful parks, there's beautiful churches, there's great restaurants, there's great shops, wine bars, regular bars, dive bars—just a lot to see!”
Soma
Tech behemoths, startups, luxury condo buildings, and The Moscone Center all share the streets of SoMa, where the main currency is innovation. Behind the corporate facade, SoMa hosts numerous art galleries and museums, a Filipino Cultural Heritage District, and restaurants, bars, and open spaces with enviable waterfront views.
One of those waterfront establishments is Red’s Java House, which once served sailors in the 1930s and has remained a constant, even as the neighborhood around it has grown and changed. “The best thing about Red’s,” says owner and San Francisco native Tiffany Pisoni, “is that everybody feels welcome, and everybody feels that this is their place.”
For a touch of something more modern, visit the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, the largest contemporary museum west of the Mississippi. The seven floors of paintings, photography, living walls, and sculptures are immersive and reflective of San Francisco’s history as a center for artistic experimentation.
“The city and photography are roughly the same age,” says Erin O'Toole, SFMOMA’s Curator and Head of Photography. “There's been this openness to new technologies here in the Bay Area since very early on. Part of that comes from the fact that there weren’t things to let go of, to abandon. It was all new.”
SoMa also has a strong Filipino history. “The story of Filipinos in San Francisco—and, in particular, SoMa—is a story of resilience, resourcefulness, and community,” says Deanna Sison, owner of the restaurant Mestiza. When the City of San Francisco officially recognized SoMa Pilipinas as SF’s Filipino Cultural Heritage District in 2016, the designation honored the journey for those early Filipino residents and “galvanized so many people around the idea of having a home.” As a result, support for artists, businesses, and educational programs has created a sense of connection. “It's been really heartwarming to have that community,” says Sison, “and it just gets stronger all the time.”
Like every large city, San Francisco is not without its challenges or critics; but after earthquakes, a pandemic, and allegations of a “doom loop,” the city has survived and thrived through it all. It has evolved by choice and necessity, with its past, present, and future all coexisting in harmony. This juxtaposition guarantees that San Francisco is always fresh, surprising, and delightful to both lifelong locals and visitors who have embraced the city as their own; and it’s proof that the heart of the city beats on.