The Richmond
About The Richmond
The Richmond is the residential grid west of Arguello and north of Golden Gate Park, running out to Ocean Beach. Fog is common here for much of the year.
What to See & Do
Golden Gate Park forms the southern border of the neighborhood. The western half of the park is generally quieter than the eastern half. Inside: the bison paddock, two Dutch windmills (Murphy Windmill at the north end of the park’s western edge and Queen Wilhelmina at the south), and a chain of lakes.
Ocean Beach ends the avenues in a long stretch of cold sand on the Pacific. Surfers paddle out in thick wetsuits year-round.
Lands End trails run along the coastal cliffs at the northwest corner of the neighborhood. The Sutro Baths ruins are at the trailhead; the original Sutro Baths, which opened in 1896, was a complex of indoor saltwater swimming pools (described at the time as the largest in the world) and burned down in 1966.
Green Apple Books at 506 Clement Street has been selling new and used titles since 1967. The store has an annex on Clement carrying music and used media.
Where to Eat & Drink
Clement Street, between roughly Arguello and 9th Avenue, is the food spine. Burma Superstar serves Burmese food including the tea leaf salad. Shanghai Dumpling King serves dumplings and hand-pulled noodles. Cinderella Bakery is a Russian bakery on Balboa, two blocks south of Clement. Multiple pho restaurants run along the same stretch.
The Character
The Richmond is a residential neighborhood with row houses in muted pastels and small commercial corners every few blocks. The resident population is ethnically mixed; the neighborhood has historically been a settling area for Chinese, Russian, Burmese, Irish, Vietnamese, and Filipino communities.
Getting There
The 38 Geary bus runs through from downtown. The 1 California bus serves Clement Street. Bring layers; the fog often does not burn off through the day.
Where to Eat
All restaurants →
Things to Do
All activities →
Love Street Vintage
Outer Richmond vintage shop carrying clothing from the 1920s through the 1970s, plus a regular Southwestern category (turquoise jewelry, western-cut shirts, leather). 1801 Balboa, closed Tuesdays and Wednesdays.
Body Philosophy Club
Inner Richmond vintage shop run by owner Belle, focused on natural-fiber clothing (cotton, linen, wool, silk) with dresses, denim, and 90s tees as recurring categories. Size-inclusive. 111 Clement, closed Monday and Tuesday.
Green Apple Books
Richard Savoy opened Green Apple in 1967 at the corner of Clement and 6th Avenue, starting in a 750-square-foot storefront before expanding in 1996. New and used books across every subject, plus a vinyl section. Sister stores on Fillmore (Browser Books, acquired 2019) and at SFO Harvey Milk Terminal 1 (opened June 2024). 506 Clement, daily 10am to 9pm.
Japanese Tea Garden
Oldest public Japanese garden in the United States, built for the 1894 California Midwinter International Exposition. The Hagiwara family tended it from 1895 until they were forcibly removed during internment in 1942; Makoto Hagiwara is credited with introducing the American-style fortune cookie at the garden's tea house. Three acres in Golden Gate Park; free for SF residents with ID, and free for everyone Monday, Wednesday, and Friday before 10am.
San Francisco Botanical Garden
A 55-acre garden inside Golden Gate Park holding around 9,000 plant species, with collections from climates similar to San Francisco's: Mediterranean, cloud forest, Australasian, and high-elevation tropical. Funded by a 1927 Helene Strybing bequest, planted by WPA crews starting in 1937, opened May 1940. 1199 9th Avenue; free for SF residents with ID and free for everyone 7:30 to 9am daily and on the second Tuesday of the month.
San Francisco Columbarium
An 1898 neoclassical rotunda built by the Odd Fellows fraternal order, with a copper dome and 8,500+ niches under stained glass. Survived the 1906 earthquake and a 1934 citywide ban on most new burials; restored by the Neptune Society in the 1980s after near-demolition. Niches are personalized with Giants gear, whiskey bottles, miniature cable cars, and handwritten letters. Free, at 1 Loraine Court in the Inner Richmond.
