Continue west. On the corner of Shrader is Cha Cha Cha, a Caribbean tapas restaurant that opened October 30, 1984.
The restaurant matters partly because of the food (sangria, plantains, fried calamari, black bean cakes) and partly because it survived. Cha Cha Cha has been at this corner for more than four decades through three recessions, a tech boom, a pandemic, and the slow turnover of the surrounding block. Owner Onur Ozkaynak is in the process of registering it as a San Francisco Legacy Business.
It’s a useful pause point on the walk. You’ve covered the dense central blocks of Haight history. The next three stops are westward into the modern Haight and into the park. If you started at Buena Vista Park an hour and a half ago and you’re hungry, this is where to stop.
The interior is loud, dim, and decorated with religious folk art and altars. Reservations are not generally accepted. The wait on weekend evenings is long.