A quick trip to San Francisco can certainly feel like a tease. The city’s sprawl of wildly cool areas—from Mission and Valencia Streets to Dolores and Presidio Parks—make it near impossible to experience it all. So if you find yourself short on time, Divisadero Street (‘Divis’ to locals) is a good place to start. Formerly considered a sleepy stretch from the marina to Castro, it’s fast becoming a destination for its trendy restaurants, crafty boutiques, and artisanal coffee and cannabis shops.
The ultimate streetscape begins at around Broadway, in the residential heart of Pacific Heights. Start your trip atop it all at the historic Hotel Drisco, an Edwardian boutique hotel that’s tucked away amongst the most affluent enclave in all of San Francisco (think Bay Area’s version of Hotel Bel Air). A stay here feels likes stealing away for a few days at your chicest friend’s flat—made even better by exceptional hospitality, complimentary gourmet breakfast, and the most thoughtful in-room amenities like drawers full of decorative dishware and a monstrous pillow menu. It’s easy to unplug in this old-school elegance, but there’s more exploring to do. Emerge from your sundrenched suite, and you’ll quickly realize it’s hard to find a place more picturesque than Pacific Heights. Look to the north from the corner and you’re soaring above steep tree-lined streets—it’s magnificent mansions all the way to the water, and it’s a beautiful walk, but unless you’re prepared for a hike back, heading south is the way to go.
For a caffeine kick or a quick bite en route to The Castro, The Mill is a joint venture between Four Barrel Coffee and Josey Baker Bread, which means you can expect the best of the best. With a menu that changes on the regular, plus pizza night every evening, this cafe serves up everything from seasonal roasted veggie on sourdough (from the original starter that Josey first used back in 2010) to melt-in-your-mouth pastries, and of course, the perfect cappuccino. As you continue south, you’ll find another small destination worth a visit: Basa, a stylish, sleek dispensary collective that more closely resembles a high-design doctor’s office. This efficiently run shop is the perfect spot for stocking up on everything from edibles to affordable grab bag mixes.
Next, visit a modern day general store, The Perish Trust, where you’ll find cool keepsakes, from must-have homegoods to equally important necessities like new shades courtesy of a recent collaboration with Warby Parker. Alternatively, try Tanner Goods, a Portland-founded outpost offering handcrafted leather everything (wallets, belts, overnight bags, and notebooks) located at the epicenter of Divisadero, between Grove and Hayes. Let your boyfriend get lost in the store as you head to the lower strip where the boutique Rare Device is brimming with decorative pillows, potted plants, precious paper goods, and a rotating gallery of artwork in the back. If the hills haven’t been enough and you want to get in a greater work out, go for Salt, a barre meets cardio kickboxing studio that lives up to its name (you’re guaranteed to get, well, salty within the first few minutes).
Surely by now you’ve worked up an appetite. As luck would have it, Divisidero Street has been experiencing a sort of foodie renaissance over the last several years. On any given day, you’ll find locals and tourists alike lining up for lobster burrata salad at Bar Crudo, frozen Greek yogurt at Souvla, fried chicken at Brenda’s, or unforgettable Ethiopian fare at Oasis Cafe. If you happen to be in the neighborhood on a Sunday, stop by the year-round farmers market at the corner of Grove Street for the freshest locally-grown fruits and veggies. Everyone loves the Ravioli Lady for her butternut squash ravioli, so get there early before she sells out. For a stand-out sit-down spot, Che Fico does rustic Italian perfectly. Take a seat in the extremely photogenic space, and wait to be served wood-fired pizza and hand-rolled orecchiette. It’s a little slice of heaven for those who have a sweet spot for Jewish-Italian cuisine—delicious desserts like olive oil cake in strawberry sauce from James Beard award-winning pastry chef Angela Pinkerton simply seal the deal. And of course, no trip to San Francisco is complete without a meal at Nopa, a local go-to restaurant that needs no formal introduction. Unfortunately, this means it’s on everyone else’s list, too, so you’ve got to book a reservation in advance, or expect a wait of up to four hours.
Last but not least, approaching the end of Divisidero Street (eventually it becomes Castro Street, but that’s for another story!) you’ll reach The Independent. The venue has a long and storied past that dates back to the late 60s, which includes a handful of name changes and hundreds of headliners, from Miles Davis to Nirvana to Vampire Weekend. And because it’s got arguably one of the best sound systems in the Bay Area, it’s also the perfect way to end a scenic journey; dance the night away.