Perfect Day in Yerba Buena

Rise & shine!

1. You wake up hungry in San Francisco’s fun arts districts. There are lots of choices in all directions. Need a great pastry? Try Cafe Madeleine on New Montgomery. Steps away, indulge in a coffee drink from Sana’a Cafe and you’ll know why residents are buzzing about Yemeni coffee. If your walk has taken you west, you can get your caffeine fix from Delah Coffee at 370 4th Street. Breakfast is always delicious at the Grove on 3rd and Mission, or the quiet and cozy Bean Bar at Hilton’s Canopy on 4th Street.

Art is everywHERE

2. After a bite, see some stunning and profound artwork. Take in SFMOMA’s stepped and patterned brick facade topped by a soaring cylindrical turret and enjoy one of the largest museums of modern and contemporary art in the United States. Walk just one block to the Museum of the African Diaspora (MoAD) which celebrates Black cultures and inspires learning through the global lens of the African diaspora.

overhead photo of pizza and people eating

Feed your soul

3. After feeding your visual and aesthetic hunger, it’s time for lunch! delarosa on Yerba Buena Lane is always filled with foodies, game developers, and AI entrepreneurs talking about the next big thing over Italian-California cuisine with must-try pizza and salads. Feeling elegant? Also on the lane, check out Amber India with Indian cuisine made from Bay Area fresh ingredients. Or head to Joyride Pizza for Instagram-worthy delicious gourmet pizza with skyline views atop the terrace at Yerba Buena Gardens.

photo of a quartet smiling in ice skates

Get in motion

4. Work off lunch for an hour at the Yerba Buena Skating Rink and Bowling Alley center both located within Yerba Buena Gardens. Challenge your group to a game of ping pong at the arty and eclectic space at SPIN on 3rd Street.

Need more art

5. Never enough art! YBCA is the place to check the pulse of the contemporary visual and performing art scenes in the Bay Area. And you can find yourself near one of the many highlights of our impressive collection of public art by renowned and emerging artists throughout the neighborhood including by Keith Haring, Barry Mcgee, Sarah Sze, Leo Villareal, Jaune Quick-to-See Smith, and so many more.

photo of a plate of food with chopsticks

Food is the star

6. Yerba Buena has some of the best food in the City. Michelin starred restaurants on your bucket list? Benu on Hawthorne Lane has consistently ranked on world’s-best lists. Local celeb angle? Try Fang on Folsom Street at dinnertime and maybe meet chef owner Food Network star Kathy Fang. Walk just one block on Folsom and sit at the bar at Fly Trap, the oldest continually operating restaurant in San Francisco. Enjoy French cuisine at Mathilde French Bistro on 5th Street that is tres magnifique! Walk to Buena Vida Cantina on Folsom Street to enjoy outstanding prepared Mexican dishes.

Nightlife to remember

7. After dinner, it’s time to see why Yerba Buena is one of the most exciting neighborhoods in San Francisco. Visit the Dawn Club - one of the top SF bars according to Conde Nast Traveler, and be transported to the prohibition era with live jazz and timeless cocktails. Combine contemporary art with your favorite drink at 111 Minna Gallery on Minna at 2nd Street and enjoy local art shaken and stirred. It’s just a short walk to entirely different atmospheres like the vibrant and casual scene of Kona’s Street Market or hang with the locals at Tequila Mockingbird on 2nd Street. Perhaps you’d like to see the whole neighborhood and get a view of downtown? Take the elevator to The View at the top of the Marriott Marquis and enjoy premium beverages and snacks while gazing at the City’s evening elegance. Just across the street from the hotel’s entrance on 4th Street, you’ll find the opulently styled Harlequin where you can undoubtedly party like it’s 1923.

Something to tell friends

8. Still in the mood for more to relay to your friends back at home? Stop by City Nights nightclub and dance the night away to the best DJs and live music all on Harrison Street. Then, do it all over again tomorrow!

Spotlight on SOMA

In this video

San Francisco's SOMA neighborhood is a spirited and diverse community that celebrates Filipino culture and heritage, a gem in the heart of the City. From its delicious food and lively festivals to its rich history and passionate people, SOMA is a must-visit for anyone looking to experience the best of San Francisco.

Getting to Yerba Buena

As a central neighborhood, Yerba Buena is easy to get to and from. BART/MUNI stations for Powell and Montgomery are both within blocks of the area. MUNI Bus lines 8X/8AX/8BX San Bruno, 14 Mission, 30 Stockton, 45 Union/ Stockton run past Yerba Buena. All Market St. routes, including Powell and Montgomery stations, are walkable.

The CalTrain Station at Fourth and Townsend Sts. is served directly by MUNI’s 30 Stockton, with stops on Third St. at Howard St. and at Mission St. Yerba Buena Gardens is also convenient to Golden Gate Transit, SamTrans and AC Transit downtown bus routes.

About Yerba Buena

Yerba Buena is a thriving, thrilling neighborhood of art, entrepreneurship, tourism, and culture in downtown San Francisco. As the arts hub of the City, the Yerba Buena district has the highest concentration of museums and galleries in the city, and is located within the larger SOMA Pilipinas Filipino Cultural Heritage District.

Yerba Buena features iconic destinations such as SFMOMA, YBCA, MoAD, Children’s Creativity Museum and Moscone Center, along with premier hotels, Academy of Art University, City College, and dining, small businesses, and entertainment venues. Thousands of residents live in apartments, condominiums or live/work spaces throughout the neighborhood. Here, contemporary art, technology companies, restaurateurs, and residents bring life to new ideas.

Come visit Yerba Buena’s creative, sophisticated, fun and funky tapestry of places and people and our expansive outdoor public art collection. In Yerba Buena, art is in the mix.

A Perfect Day in Yerba Buena was curated by the Yerba Buena Partnership. Please see yerbabuena.org for more neighborhood information and guides!

Mabuhay!

The SOMA Pilipinas Filipino Heritage District is a celebration of the love, pride and people power of generations of Filipinos in San Francisco and beyond.

The cultural heritage district spans 1.5 square miles, and honors 120+ years of history of Filipinos in San Francisco. It celebrates the community’s living legacy of making home, celebrating culture, building community, and fighting for economic and racial justice.

Learn more about SOMA Pilipinas

About

Shop Dine SF is an initiative of the Office of Small Business, and the Office of Economic and Workforce Development.

Its aim is to bring attention to the local businesses and neighborhood corridors.

Spending money at local small businesses helps merchants, creates jobs, and is critical to San Francisco's economic recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic.

Shop local. Even a small increase can have a big impact.

Questions? Email shopdinesf@sfgov.org