Welcome to North Beach
Top Experiences
- Espresso: Or cappuccino, americano, mocha: however you take your caffeine, this is the neighborhood for it. Grabbing a coffee constitutes sightseeing here, so find a worthy spot and get to work.
- Colorful watering holes: The high concentration of bars with character, like Specs' and Vesuvio, makes North Beach perfect for a pub crawl.
- Filbert Steps: Walk down this dizzying stairway from Telegraph Hill's Coit Tower, past lush private gardens and stunning bay views—and listen for the hill's famous screeching parrots.
- Grant Avenue: Check out independent boutiques, rambling antiques shops, and cavernous old-time bars, all chockablock on narrow Grant Avenue. The best stuff is crowded into the four blocks between Columbus Avenue and Filbert Street.
- Browsing books at City Lights: Illuminate your mind at this Beat-era landmark. Its ample book selection, author events, and keen staff make it just as cool as ever.
Quick Bites
Liguria Bakery. The Soracco family has been baking Liguria's focaccia genovese in North Beach for more than a century, and their fresh-baked Italian flatbreads (such as plain, rosemary, and tomato slathered with green onions) are the city's best. Their oven is the same traditional one they opened with. Bring cash and arrive before noon: when the focaccia is gone, the bakery closes.1700 Stockton St., at Filbert St., North Beach. .
Mario's Bohemian Cigar Store Cafe. This intimate, triangular spot with a beautiful antique oak bar serves great hot focaccia sandwiches, sourcing from Liguria Bakery. Try the toasted combo (ham, salami, cheese), the breaded eggplant, or the meatball drenched in marinara. On sunny days, take your order across the street to Washington Square for a San Francisco picnic. 566 Columbus Ave., North Beach.
Getting Here
The Powell–Mason cable-car line can drop you within a block of Washington Square Park, in the heart of North Beach. The 30–Stockton and 15–3rd Street buses run to the neighborhood from Market Street. Once you're here, North Beach is a snap to explore on foot. Most of it is relatively flat, but climbing Telegraph Hill to reach Coit Tower is another story entirely.
Planning Your Time
There's no bad time of day to visit this quarter. The cafés buzz from morning to night, the shops along main drags Columbus Avenue and Broadway tend to stay open until at least 6 or 7 pm, and late-night revelers don't start checking their watches until about 2 am. Sunday is quieter, since some shops close (though the iconic City Lights bookstore is open daily, until midnight).
Plan to spend a few hours here. It's all about lingering, and the only major "sightseeing" spot is Coit Tower. The walk up to the tower is strenuous but rewarding; if you can tough it out, make time for it. If you're driving, keep in mind that parking is difficult, especially at night.
