I spent almost 4 years working at San Francisco General Hospital, which is at the end of 24th street in the Mission District, so I know this area pretty well, especially when it comes to food. And so it's of no surprise when I say that this street is one of my favorite in the Mission {and that's saying a lot because the Mission District in general is an amazing place to shop and eat}. I would tell tourists that if they want to get the true flavor of SF culture, they need to spend some time in the Mission in general. It's definitely hipster land, with expensive and well-curated shops, but you also get some amazing high-end food, some even more amazing cheap Mexican food, and lots of different kinds of people: hipsters, long time SF residents, a large Hispanic community, some crazy homeless people, and tourists.
But before I wax on endlessly about the Mission District, let me just focus on 24th street, 12 blocks of it to be exact, from Mission {where the 24th Street Mission Bart Station is located} down to Portrero Ave.
24th Street has a ton of murals and street art as well as a smattering of art galleries, mostly focusing on Hispanic art. If you love art, just walking down the street is a fun experience.
If you're coming from the 24th Street Mission Bart station, one of the first places I like to eat at is Wise Sons Jewish Delicatessen. Their pastrami sandwiches are good {well I've been to LA Jewish delis and I would say those are marginally better but this is the best I've ever had in SF.} It's almost always packed at lunch time so I would say go a little early if you want to get a seat.
My next favorite stop is Knead Bakery located inside Local Eatery. Local Eatery is a restaurant, which you can skip, and instead go straight to the back to the bakery. Their croissants are good, but the thing to get is the pommel d'amore which is basically creme brûlée combined with a kougin aman, or the creamier and flakier cousin to the Chinese egg custard tarts. I'm only slightly exaggerating when I say that this pastry is life changing. Here's a picture of it on yelp.
As you walk further down the street, you'll find the original Philz coffee shop. I find that all the new Philz coffee shops that are opening around SF to be so sterile in comparison to the original, which feels like your long-time neighborhood coffee joint. The coffee here is incredible and worth the wait. If it's hot, get a mint mojito ice coffee and if it's cold get a mocha tesora. And you're allowed to sip it and ask for more or less of something; they want to make your cup of coffee perfect for you.
My favorite ice cream shop in SF also happens to be located on 24th street. Humphry Slocombe makes the most interesting flavors around, but they are almost always amazing (except for Jesus Juice, don't get that one). They're known for Secret Breakfast {vanilla, cornflakes and bourbon} and Blue Bottle Vietnamese Coffee, but I also love Brown Butter, Eton Mess {strawberry cheesecake I think}, Oolong Tea, and Salted Watermelon sorbet. The pictures below are from 2 different times and you can see that their menu changes quite a bit. Next time I would love to try the Jasmine Lychee. And don't forget to sample flavors before you order!
There's a couple independent bookstores on 24th street. Alley Cat is my favorite.
And Tacqueria Vallarta is my favorite taco place on 24th street. They have a taco cart right at the entrance where they grill the meats. It always smells amazing. I usually get 2-3 tacos and it's the perfect amount. They recently raised their price to $2.50 per taco, but a $5 meal isn't a bad deal. The salsa condiments are all self-serve so you can get as much or as little as you want. Pictures below are my 2 favorite tacos: Lengua (beef tongue) and Buche (pork neck).
If I'm not in the mood for tacos, then I go to La Palma where I get either their Enchiladas Verde or a burrito {a friend told me that their chicharron burrito is delicious, but I haven't tried it yet.} I also love their guacamole and chips {I think the best in the city}. All salsas, guacamoles, and tortillas are made in house. Often times I see one of those walking food tours stopping by to watch the Mexican grannies make the tortillas in the back.
And near the end of 24th street, don't forget to stop by dynamo donuts for some Four Barrel coffee and gourmet donuts {they're famous for their maple bacon donut pictured above}.
That was just a quick run through of all my favorites but here is a comprehensive list below, in the order of Mission Street-->Portrero Ave
{BROWSE}
Mixcoatl Arts and Crafts: Mexican Day of the Dead art
Adobe Books
Mission Skateboards: newish skate boarding shop
Alley Cat Books
Foxglove: cute clothes and accessories
{EAT and DRINK}
Wise Sons Jewish Delicatessen
Knead Bakery
Philz Coffee {the original}
Sidewalk Juice: for fresh juiced juices
Haus Coffee: a hipster haven coffee shop with great lighting
Tacqueria Vallarta
Humphrey Slocombe
Tacquerias El Farolito: home of the super burrito, delicious but get ready for a major food coma after you eat it {even just half of it}
La Victoria: a great Mexican bakery
La Torta Gorda: another great Mexican restaurant. I love their Huitlacoche quesadilla {side note: I just had to look up how to spell huitlachoche and have just learned that it translates to "corn smut"--what! And it looks pretty gross too. It's a fungus that grows on corn. And this whole time I thought I was just eating a special corn. Well learn something new everyday. But it's delicious, no really it is}. Their tortas, which are like Mexican sandwiches, are pretty darn good too.
St. Francis: a very popular hipster diner. Food is so-so but the lines are not worth it {especially when there's so much good food around you}.
Pal's Takeaway: Inside Tony's liquor store, there's a sandwich counter that specializes in seasonal gourmet sandwiches. These are no ordinary sandwiches! They usually only have 2 options a day, which you can look up online.
Dynamo Donuts
Well that's it for one street, but the whole Mission District is incredible so go check it out if you have the chance!
