Mission

I have no choice but to love the Mission and my Spainiards that live there who will never leave there either! No, but really...I enjoy going to the Mission because it's easy to bar hop and when one place sucks you have a lot of other choices to check out. It's pretty typical for me and friends to hit up 3 or more bars in one night when we decide to go out in the Mission. I prefer Casanova, Latin America Club and Lazlo.

It looks sketchy at first but after you've hung out here a little bit, you quickly warm up to it.

Nice. Yummy food. Lots of sun (for San Francisco).

I have been to the Mission District several times in tow with a local to see the sights and sites.

colorful, great bars, taquerias, murals, shops...

The Mission has some great bars and restaurants that mostly cater to people in their 20s. and early 30s. It's an edgier neighborhood, especially around 16th and Mission. Parking is tough to come by.

I'm not quite sure why I like the Mission so much. Maybe it's the Burritos - Buen Sabor and Cancun are my favorites. Or it could be Dolores Park - there's no better place to spend a sunny weekend day. And yes the restaurants and nighlife are outstanding... most of my favorite bars happen to be in the Mission - Elbo Room, 500 Club, Dalva, and Kilowatt. The latin aspect definitely adds a cool flavor as well - if you happen to be walking past any of the grade or high schools when the last bell rings, you will see just how Latin this neighborhood is. I also like the way Mission Street feels like a different country (specifically, Mexico City, Mexico), and just one block away on Valencia you are in the middle of urban hip. Yes there is urban blight here, with projects and gangs and drugs, but the other hand, this neighborhood represents one of the last bastions of urban blight in the city. It's almost (but not quite) quaint.

In my opinion, this Neighborhood has two areas, delimited by Mission St. Mission St. is full of Mexican restaurants and clubs. People there are mostly Mexican or Latin in general. The street itself is noise and dirty.The lower area ( Shotwell, South Van Ness, Capp, …)  is a little more of the Missionst style, but I guess it is a little more dirty and houses’ are more neglected.The upper area ( Valencia st, Guerrero St, Dolores St, and Church St) looks different. Streets are clean, there is not much noise and the diversity is higher in terms of people and restaurants. The best street to go eat is Valencia st, from 16th to 23 rd street you have plenty of restaurants (Japanese, Peruvian, Spanish, Mexican, Chinese, Italian, French…)And of course the best of the Mission is the weather. It is sunny most of the time; sometimes it’s windy but not too often. There are the perfect conditions to enjoy the Park, Dolores Park, which is perfect to go to hang out with friends or by yourself, to read,... Read more

The Mission is rapidly replacing the Haight, North Beach, and South of Market as the bohemian center of the city. Some great burritos (El Torros on 17th and Valencia is my favorite), coffee houses, bookstores, and the Roxie Theater to boot. The down side is that the bohemian types are usually the first stage of gentrification, and I suspect that many of the Mexican-Americans are being run out of the city. In fact, rent control is probably the only reason any of them remain.

My buddy accurately described the Mission as "a run-down neighborhood with hot chicks hanging around". By day it's a dilapidated Mexican city with some decent burrito joints, by night some of the best clubs and lounges in the city get hopping. I wouldn't live there but it's fun to venture out.

Thank goodness for this piece of ethnicity. San Francisco should have more neighborhoods like this one to contribute to its diversity. Don't miss the awesome yummy food and surprisingly good shopping.

I do like the fact that it is culturally diverse but it is quite rundown and depressing also. The 14 MUNI is terribly slow, bumping along and stopping every block. BART stops at 16th and 24th, true, but BART is also more expensive.

I worked in the Mission for about a year and grew to really like the neighborhood. At first glance it might look a little dilapidated, and yes you sometimes hear an occasional gunshot ring out from one of the projects, but the people are diverse and there are some great bars and restaurants, not to mention the unique taquerias on almost every block. If you're looking for a good, cheap Mission burrito, try "El Buen Sabor" on Valencia - it's one of the best in the City.