Many San Franciscans are vocal about overrated spots in the city. But what about the most underrated places? We took to Instagram and Facebook to ask our followers this question: In your opinion, what’s the most underrated place in San Francisco? Here’s a compilation of our favorite responses from when we asked this both this year and last year.
After reading through these fantastic responses, we can’t wait to go try some new spots. What would you add to the list?
1. “Oooh, the new patio at Presidio Bowl! Fire pit and heat lamps, full bar and that view!! 😍”
2. “FORT POINT MUSEUM under the GG Bridge. STUNNING VIEWS of every part of the Bay/Pacific/city. And it’s FREE!! I’ve been more than a dozen times and could go several dozen more. Absolutely gorgeous location!!”
3. “Miraloma Taqueria on Portola – random out of the way but has the very best burritos, clean, parking and chill neighborhood”
4. “Audium, on Bush near Franklin. Sound sculptures and soundscapes that are truly incredible. Not a tourist-y venue, like Pier 39. More like a cross between the Exploratorium and SFMOMA.”
5. “The Wave Organ“
6. “The Lower Haight.”
7. “Perilla is one of the best Vietnamese restaurants in SF, it’s within walking distance of golden gate park, it’s pretty affordable, and they have the best pho and garlic noodles”
8. “Il Canto Cafe. More people need to know of the fantastic goodness that awaits them here. Breakfast, lunch, pastry, coffee, they got it all. Check out the grill marks on the breakfast burrito 🥵 meat lovers burrito all day 💯🙌🏻”
9. “343 Sansom rooftop deck and POPO rooftop garden“
10. “Sutro baths, amazing views, sunsets are dope and there’s nice trails to hike along the coast! Don’t forget the beach on the side!”
11. “Definitely Cresta’s 2211 Club on Polk St.”
12. “The Richmond district is a long rectangle surrounded on three sides by awesome parks and beaches.”
Check out Ocean Beach Cafe‘s non-alcoholic drink menu and Fiorella‘s heated deck in the Richmond.
13. “Fort Funston. Great with or without a dog! Awesome ocean views from wooden deck or cliffside… humpbacks and dolphins can be viewed from there if in the area… hang-gliders on windy days… many long trails for hiking… old military bunkers to explore… wildflowers in the Spring and Winter.”
And great for a bike ride.
14. “Hyde Street Pier“
15. “Sutro Heights. A beautiful little park overlooking the Cliff House and the beach …👍”
16. “San Bruno Ave (in) The Portola District.”
17. “The outdoor cafe at SFMOMA. Always lovely. (Full disclosure, I’m staff, but it’s still true.)”
18. “The parking lot of the former cliff house. Ain’t no better way to enjoy a sunset”
Here are some other awesome sunset viewing spots recommended by San Franciscans.
19. “St. Mary’s Cathedral… I’ve lived in SF for almost 40 years, yesterday was the first time i got into the place… and wow, i had no idea this place has all these FREE parking and the place is HUUUGE, bigger than City Hall”
20. “Specs. Always Specs.💙”
See our dive bar roundup here.
21. “Sutro Open Preserve. A beautiful hidden gem for a hike.”
22. “Okay all jokes aside, my old hood where I was born and raised: the excelsior district. Underrated AF… It’s the NYC of SF. Excelsior is their state motto. ‘Ever Upward'”
23. “Chelsea Place on Bush, Grasslands on Kearney, and International on Columbus for bars. Golden Boy for Pizza, Buster’s on Columbus for killer sandwich.”
24. “Ocean Beach, im a transplant and it never looses steam with me but my friends who grew up here are super blasé about it! Stella bakery in North beach too, idk how people arnt freaking out about tht place all the time. And Panchitas pupusas.“
Bonfires are allowed at Ocean Beach from March through October.
25. “McLaren Park (early in a.m.)”
26. “Sam’s Cable Car Lounge“
27. “The Panhandle“
28. “The Cable Car Museum.”
You can also see master carpenters restore the cable car fleet at Wood’s Carpentry Shop.
29. “Bernal Heights Park or Marshall Beach“
30. “Legion of Honor“
The Legion of Honor is now home to a rare Neoclassical painting that hasn’t been on display for over 200 years.
31. “Palace of Fine Arts!”
32. “Camera Obscura“
33. “South End Rowing Club. More than half the fun of Banya for 1/5 the cost.”
34. “Radio Habana on Valencia”
35. “Sunset & Richmond district hands down. Bomb food & Golden Gate Park is always the vibe. 🔥”
36. “Cavaña in Mission Bay, Arizmendi Bakery in the Richmond, and Cat Club in SOMA! 🕺”
37. “Dogpatch🙌”
38. “Stella’s Bakery“
39. “Seabreeze Cafe in sunset district. Order the eggs benedict 😚 🤌🏼”
40. “Brazen head nuff said”
41. “Clement Street is a gem, especially on Sunday Farmer’s Market days”
42. “Ina Coolbrith Park”
43. “Asian Art Museum“
Check out the Takashi Murakami monster exhibition at the Asian Art Museum through Feb. 12, 2024.
44. “Musee Mecanique 😎👍”
45. “Square Pie Guys Pizza“