Lady’s Secret San Francisco

Today I want to share my secret San Francisco guide with you. This city in California has some great hidden neighborhoods and local spots if you know where to find them.

Secret San Francisco

One of the great things about living in a city is that there’s no shortage of neighborhoods to explore. So why is it that I always end up in the same ones?

In London I sometimes get stuck in a routine of going out around where I live and work, and it’s no different back home in California.

But I’ve had such a good time exploring new neighborhoods in London over the past few years that I’ve decided to do the same in San Francisco. And I’ve found a few secret San Francisco places.

You won’t see sightseeing buses or GoCars here. These neighborhoods are local, and that’s what’s so special about them.

Secret San Francisco: Balboa

Out in The Richmond, Balboa Street is within easy walking distance of Land’s End and Golden Gate Park, but is completely unknown to me.

Just inland from the beaches along the Pacific Ocean, the stretch of Balboa between 30th and 40th Avenue is packed with colorful cafes, accoladed restaurants, and one of the city’s last neighborhood theaters.

The street has great landscaping along the sidewalks, making Balboa as pretty to walk down as it is to eat and drink on.

Add to that the parklet outside the chilled out Simple Pleasures Cafe, and being outside here is just as exciting as being inside.

But this being San Francisco, the unpredictable weather means it’s always good to keep an indoor option open.

Balboa has plenty, too. I pop into a cafe and the proprietress tells me about the neighborhood. “It’s just the perfect place,” she says as she offers me a cup of coffee.

Across the street, the trendy Cassava restaurant and mix of yoga and Pilates studios make me feel like I’m back in the Marina, the yuppie neighborhood where I used to live in San Francisco.

But they’re the outliers here. Chino’s Taqueria brings me back to Balboa, as do the delicious dumplings from the famous no-frills Shanghai Dumpling King restaurant. They alone are worth a trip to this secret San Francisco neighborhood.

As I continue my walk down Balboa, I’m struck by the smell of roasting coffee. I duck my head into Simple Pleasures Cafe and find myself nose-to-bean in front of a giant grinder.

Equally exciting is coming across the Balboa Theater, a historic 1926 landmark that remains one of the last of its kind in San Francisco.

But the best discovery of all is the secret San Francisco neighborhood itself. How did I live in this city for three years without ever knowing it was here?

Secret San Francisco: Potrero Hill

Way over on the other side of San Francisco, Potrero Hill is another great secret San Francisco area.

The neighborhood sits close to the Mission, SoMa, and the baseball stadium. Not far from downtown, it’s somehow managed to maintain its neighborhood feel despite the big city growing up around it.

I used to come down to 18th Street with friends when I lived in San Francisco, and today I’m back for coffee with my cousin.

Farley’s is one of my favorite coffee shops in the city, what with its great wall of magazines and abundance of board games to keep us all entertained on lazy Sundays.

There’s now a parklet outside, too, so there’s plenty of space to sit outdoors and soak up this secret San Francisco spot on warm days.

Down the street past some vibrant murals—the trendy Mission doesn’t have a monopoly on color in this city—are a few of the other best places in Potrero Hill.

The charming Chez Maman restaurant is the perfect little French bistro, and the beloved Goat Hill Pizza makes delicious use of San Francisco’s famous sourdough in its crusts.

At the bottom of the hill is the celebrated music venue of the same name. On my last trip to San Francisco, I saw my cousin’s husband play a gig at Bottom of the Hill, but even without a family tie it’s a great place to spend an evening.

Secret San Francisco: West Portal

Somewhere in the middle of Potrero Hill and Balboa is the West Portal, another great secret San Francisco neighborhood.

Despite having easy access to downtown on Muni streetcars, the neighborhood is one that I still spent surprisingly little time in when I lived in San Francisco.

But the West Portal deserves more attention, and today I’m walking around with my cousin to see what’s here. We pop our heads into a little curiosity shop and walk past places like Shaw’s, the oldest candy store in the city.

We go by fragrant flower shops selling all kinds of pretty blooms, and bookstores and record shops offering non-digital versions of our favorite novels and songs.

The pretty terrace at Trattoria da Vittorio tempts us to soak up the sun over some Italian food, and the sleek interior of Calibur tempts us to head in for a burger.

Secret Places in San Francisco, California

But my time in secret San Francisco is up, and as much as I would like to stay, eat, and tease out more of the city’s hidden spots, I have to head back to the UK.

As sad as I am to say good-bye to California, exploring my home city’s local neighborhoods has made me excited to do more of the same when I return to London.

Find this post helpful? Buy me a coffee!

New here? Join thousands of others and subscribe to the A Lady in London blog via email.

Pin it!