Southeast San Francisco is made up of several mostly residential neighborhoods of San Francisco bounded on the north and west by I-280, the 101 highway, and 16th Street, the east by the San Francisco Bay, and on the south by the city limits.
Understand
Bayview-Hunter's Point is bounded roughly by Cesar Chavez to the north, the 101 freeway to the west, and the San Francisco Bay to the east. When the Navy closed the Naval Shipyard (the site of the first dry-dock on the West Coast and a major population draw), it also cut the jobs that the Shipyard provided. As jobs left, crime rose, and Hunters Point is now one of the worst neighborhoods of the city. It is however turning around slowly, and people who live there say it's not as bad as it was 10 years ago. New apartments are being built and the Muni Metro (public transit) has been extended.
Dogpatch is a diverse neighborhood on the eastern edge of Potrero Hill, recognized as a historic district by the city in 2003.
The Excelsior is part of the area known as the Outer Mission. The district is a mostly residential and filled with working-class neighborhoods. Mission and connecting streets have a variety of Asian and Latinx eateries, bakeries, and markets.
Portolá is a mostly residential district bounded by 101, 280, University Ave and Mansell St. San Bruno Avenue has many Asian and a few Latinx eateries, bakeries, and markets.
Potrero Hill is a district located east of the Mission District and south of SoMa. It is bordered on the north by 16th Street, on the west by Potrero Avenue (U.S. Route 101), and on the south by Cesar Chavez Street.
Visitacion Valley is a district bordered roughly by John McLaren Park to the west, Mansell Boulevard to the north, Bayview Hill and Candlestick Cove to the east, and the San Francisco/San Mateo County line to the south.
Get in
Printable Maps
Southeast San Francisco Map
The MUNI Metro serves several neighborhoods of Southeast San Francisco. The [T]-Third line light rail runs the length of 3rd Street from Downtown through Potrero Hill and Bayview-Hunters Point to its southern terminus at Bay Shore Blvd and Sunnydale Avenue in Visitacion Valley. On the other side of Southeast San Francisco, the [J], [K] and [M] lines meet up at the Balboa Park BART station near Ingleside. The [M] and [K] lines run west through Ingleside, while the [J] line runs north through Noe Valley and the Castro.
BART, the regional metro system, stops at the Balboa Park station as well as the Glen Park station (also serviced by MUNI Metro J line) just to the north, before continuing on through the Mission district to Downtown and across the bay. Caltrain, a commuter rail running south from Downtown to San Jose, has two stops in Southeast San Francisco: the 22nd Street station on Pennsylvania and 22nd Streets, and the Bayshore station on Tunnel Avenue south of Bayshore Blvd, near the end of the MUNI Metro [T] line.
The area is also serviced by the 9-San Bruno, 14-Mission, 19-Polk, 22-Fillmore, 23-Monterey, 24-Divisadero, 29-Sunset, 43-Masonic, 44-O'Shaughnessy, 48-Quintara/24th Street, 49-Mission/Van Ness, 52-Excelsior, 54-Felton and 56-Rutland MUNI bus lines.
By car, I-280 and the 101 Highway provide easy freeway access to the area.
See
- Anchor Steam Brewery, 1705 Mariposa St (at De Haro), 37.7632°, -122.4008°, +1-415-863-8350. Tours by reservation only.
- Bayview Opera House, 4705 Third St (between Newcomb and Oakdale), 37.7352°, -122.3902°, +1-415-824-0386. A wooden structure built in 1888 and now used as a community meeting center.
- Bayview Hill Park, 37.7152°, -122.3927°. Overlooking Candlestick Park, this park has great panoramic views of the bay, however it's not one of San Francisco's better maintained parks.
- Candlestick Point State Recreation Area, 1150 Carroll Ave (east of Ingalls), 37.7161°, -122.3784°, +1-415-671-0145. Right on the Bay is this actually very nice and undervisited park. It's very green, actually has functioning benches and BBQ pits, and a small fishing pier. You are also likely to spot windsurfers who come to this windy spot on the Bay.
- Heron's Head Park, Pier 98 (off Jennings St), 37.7377°, -122.3722°. A 24-acre restored wetland at the base of the Hunters Point Power Plant.
- The EcoCenter at Heron's Head Park, Pier 98, 37.7397°, -122.3754°, peggy.lopipero@mail.ccsf.edu. W F Sa 9:30AM-3:30PM. A house built to demonstrate cutting-edge environmentally sustainable design. Come see a real implementation of a solar electricity system, a rain collection system, a black(toilet) water treatment system, and more.
- Hunter's Point Springs-Albion Brewery, 881 Innes Ave (at India Basin Shoreline Park), 37.7316°, -122.3755°. Historic brewery, built in 1870, now used as a private residence.
- McLaren Park, 37.7185°, -122.4193°. At 317 acres, this is the second largest park in San Francisco, and is located smack dab in Visitacion Valley. It has been cleaned up, but this park is still under used. With rolling hills and views galore, this is the best place in the city to get away from it. If you have a dog, bring it to the reservoir on Shelley Drive where there is a large off-leash area where your pet can romp in the fields or swim in the water. There is an amphitheater, a duck pond, multiple playgrounds, some great hiking trails, and a few tennis courts.
- San Francisco Naval Shipyard, 37.7219°, -122.3672°. If you are feeling adventurous, try visiting the abandoned shipyard at Hunter's Point.
- Speakeasy Ales & Lagers Brewery, 1195 Evans Ave, 37.7381°, -122.3806°, +1-415-642-3371. Tours of the brewery are available on Friday evenings.
- Vermont Street, 37.7587°, -122.4039°. The (nearly) twistiest street in America, a less known version of Lombard Street between Leavenworth and Hyde in Russian Hill.
- Cayuga Playground (Cayuga Park), 37.7138°, -122.4505°. A park with many delightful, ideosyncratic hand-carved sculptures by a long-time park gardener. A good place to bring and enjoy take-out from eateries in the vicinity of Geneva Avenue and Mission Street. Well off the typical tourist path but quite moving. free
Do
Buy
Eat
- Old Clam House, 299 Bayshore Blvd (at Oakdale), 37.7431°, -122.4048°, +1-415-826-4880. Established in 1861. Start your meal with clam broth and sourdough bread.
- Roadhouse Coffee Company, 5114 3rd St (between Shafter Ave & Thomas Ave). Coffee, and a variety of sandwiches.
- Hard Knox Cafe, 2526 3rd St (at 22nd), 37.7575°, -122.3885°, +1-415-648-3770. M-Sa 11AM-9PM, Su 11AM-5PM. Casual soul food; oxtail, ribs, fried chicken, etc.
- 7-Mile House, 2800 Bayshore Blvd (at Geneva), 37.7044°, -122.4074°, +1-415-467-2343. M-Th 11:30AM-10PM, F Sa 11:30AM-2AM. The 7-Mile House is a historic landmark and a great place to get some food. During the days of the gold rush, the 7-mile house served as a resting post for horse coaches travelling from San Francisco (Embarcadero) to San Jose. This was a place to rest your horses, get some beer and share stories of finding gold. Today, the place boasts an authentic gold rush decor, great beer and burgers and live music most days of the week.
- Goat Hill Pizza, 300 Connecticut St (between 18th St & 19th St), 37.7624°, -122.3977°, +1-415-641-1440. Su–Th 11:30AM-10PM, F Sa 11:30AM-10:30PM. Great family pizza place. $14-26
- Plow, 1299 18th St, 37.762548°, -122.395386°, +1-415-821-7569. popular place for brunch 2015-08-04
- Marcella's Lasagneria, 1099 Tennessee St (KT light rail to the stop at Third and 20th St), 37.74445°, -122.40174°, +1-415-920-2225. Tu–Sa 10AM–2PM. Seven kinds of lasagna, plus salads and other pasta dishes. Lunch only. Daily special includes smaller serving with either a small green salad or a cup of soup. Takeout option is available hot or cold, in case you want to pick up now and heat up later. Call a day or two in advance if you want to order a whole pan of lasagna for take out (about $80 for 8 people). $25 2022-01-18
Drink
- Bottom of the Hill, 1233 17th St (at Missouri), 37.7650°, -122.3965°, +1-415-621-4455. Sa-Th 8:30PM-2AM, F 4PM-2AM. Chosen by Rolling Stone magazine (RS 813) as "the best place to hear live music in San Francisco", the Bottom of the Hill presents some of the finest original artists, seven nights a week. It has a full bar and a kitchen and also features a nice patio area to escape the crowd and have a smoke.
- Farley's Coffee and Newsstand, 1315 18th St (at Texas), 37.7624°, -122.3960°, +1-415-648-1545, info@farleyscoffee.com. M-F 6:30AM-10PM, Sa 7:30AM-10PM, Su 8AM-10PM. An institution in Potrero Hill since 1989. Roger (the owner) is a conscientious-objector to cafe wi-fi, so don't expect any. But do expect sociable strangers, shelves-full of community sketchbooks, a pile of tattered old board-games, the best newsstand outside of Civic Center, old Hell's Angels guys socializing with Armani clad architects, delicious coffee drinks, a toy bin for the kids, and dog-friendly folks outside to pet your dog while you're inside.
- Blooms Saloon, 1318 18th St (between Missouri and Texas), 37.7627°, -122.3960°, +1-415-552-6707. M-Sa 11:30AM-1:30AM, Su 10AM-1:30AM. One of the few remaining true blue-collar watering holes around, this is very much a neighborhood bar and a great place to go to watch baseball and football games. No around-the-shoulder cuffed-sweaters, khaki pants, or tassle-loafer wearin' folks in this joint, but lots of friendly folks, and during Giants or 49ers games, cheers and boos can be heard from a good block away. One of the best views in the city is from out the back porch, which regrettably is now only open during the day. Not a quiet bar, but the back seating area is a good place to meet friends for a 'mellow' beer and chit-chat after dinner or work. All of the sports watching and local gossip takes place up towards the front. Friendly staff; no airheads allowed.
Sleep
There are few lodging opportunities in this area, and those that are here are often run-down motels along the main streets which unfortunately have a reputation for attracting drug dealers, crime, and general uncleanliness of the motels themselves; not to mention that they are far from the city's main attractions. There are some very affordable and generally nicer accommodations closer to the tourist neighborhoods and just south in Daly City.
Connect
- San Francisco Public Library - Excelsior Branch, 4400 Mission St (at Cotter), 37.7271°, -122.4333°, +1-415-355-2868. Su 1-5PM, M 1-6PM, Tu-Th 10AM-9PM, F 1-6PM, Sa 10AM-6PM. 2015-04-03
- San Francisco Public Library - Glen Park Branch, 2825 Diamond St (at Wilder, north of Bosworth), 37.7340°, -122.4335°, +1-415-355-2858. Su 1-5PM, M Tu 10AM-6PM, W noon-8PM, Th noon-7PM, F Sa 1-6PM. 2015-04-03
- San Francisco Public Library - Portolá Branch, 380 Bacon St (at Goettingen, on the corner of the MLK middle school playground), 37.7271°, -122.4064°, +1-415-355-5660. Su 1-5PM, M Tu 10AM-6PM, W noon-8PM, Th noon-7PM, F Sa 1-6PM. 2015-04-03
- San Francisco Public Library - Potrero Branch, 1616 20th St (at Connecticut), 37.7601°, -122.3977°, +1-415-355-2822. Su 1-5PM, M closed, Tu 10AM-8PM, W noon-8PM, Th 10AM-8PM, F 1-6PM, Sa 10AM-6PM. 2015-04-03
- San Francisco Public Library - Visitacion Valley Branch, 201 Leland Ave (at Rutland, four blocks west of Bay Shore), 37.7125°, -122.4079°, +1-415-355-2848. Su 1-5PM, M Tu 10AM-6PM, W noon-7PM, Th noon-7PM, F Sa 1-6PM. 2015-04-03
- San Francisco Public Library - Bayview Branch, 5075 3rd St (between Quesada and Revere), 37.7325°, -122.3911°, +1-415-355-5757. Su 1-5PM, M Tu 10AM-6PM, W 1-8PM, Th 10AM-8PM, F 1-6PM, Sa 10AM-6PM. 2015-04-03
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