Alemany Farmers Market

What you need to know

California’s first farmers market opened here in 1943, and it still operates the way markets did before they became lifestyle destinations. No artisan food stalls, no prepared foods, no craft vendors. Just farmers selling what they grow at prices that make other markets look like robbery.

The city runs this market, the only municipally operated farmers market in San Francisco. That public mission keeps the focus on affordable produce rather than premium positioning. Families who shop here fill their trunks for what a single bag costs at Ferry Plaza.

Saturday mornings start at 6am for the early birds. By 7am the parking lot fills and the aisles between vendor stalls get crowded. The market runs until 3pm, but the best selection goes early. Serious shoppers arrive before sunrise.

The location at 100 Alemany Boulevard sits between Bernal Heights and the Excelsior, serving neighborhoods that other markets overlook. The customer base here has shopped for generations, passing down knowledge about which vendors have the best tomatoes or whose citrus ripens first.

Expect cash transactions and minimal English from some vendors. The market reflects the immigrant farming communities of the Central Valley, and the produce reflects what those communities grow and eat. This is California agriculture without the marketing layer.

Bring your own bags and boxes. Bring cash. Bring a cooler if you are driving from across the city. And bring patience for parking, which gets competitive once the crowds arrive.

Alemany is not the prettiest market in San Francisco. It is the most honest.

📍 Location: This activity is in Potrero Hill. Explore the neighborhood →

Pro tips

The oldest farmers market in San Francisco. Prices are lower than Ferry Plaza and it's where local chefs shop. Free parking in the adjacent lot. Bring your own bags.