The Sunset
About The Sunset
The Sunset is the residential grid south of Golden Gate Park, running from Stanyan Street out to the Pacific. It is one of the largest residential neighborhoods in the city by area and population. The neighborhood splits roughly into the Inner Sunset (closer to the park, around 9th Avenue and Irving) and the Outer Sunset (closer to the ocean, along Noriega and Judah).
What to See & Do
The N Judah streetcar runs underground through the Inner Sunset, surfaces near 9th Avenue, and continues at grade out to Ocean Beach.
Ocean Beach runs along the western edge of the neighborhood. The water is cold year-round; surface temperatures usually stay below 60°F.
Golden Gate Park runs along the northern edge of the neighborhood. The western half of the park has fewer crowds than the eastern half, which holds most of the museums and gardens.
Where to Eat & Drink
Irving Street, in the Inner Sunset between roughly 7th and 12th Avenues, is the main commercial spine. Arizmendi Bakery sells daily-changing pizza by the slice and is part of the worker-owned Arizmendi cooperative. Yummy Yummy serves Vietnamese on Irving. San Tung on Irving is known for dry-fried chicken wings; lines can be long on weekends.
Noriega Street is the commercial spine of the Outer Sunset, with dim sum, boba shops, and Asian grocery stores. Thanh Long at 4101 Judah Street opened in 1971 and is the original location of the An family’s restaurants; the roasted garlic Dungeness crab is the dish the restaurant is known for.
The Character
Fog is heavy here for much of the year. Marine-layer mornings often persist into the afternoon. Residents generally dress in layers.
Getting There
The N Judah streetcar runs the length of the Inner Sunset and continues out to Ocean Beach. The L Taraval serves the southern edge of the neighborhood. The 28 19th Avenue runs north-south on 19th. Street parking is generally easier here than in most central neighborhoods.
Upcoming Events
Things to Do
All activities →
Black Bird Bookstore & Cafe
Independent Outer Sunset bookstore from Kathryn Grantham, with small presses and underrepresented authors front and center. Handwritten staff picks, weekly storytime, monthly open mic. 4541 Irving; cafe opens at 7am, books at 9am.
Tunnel Records
Husband-and-wife vinyl shop (Ben Wintroub, Andrea de Francisco) specializing in rare-groove soul, jazz, funk, and reggae since 2017. Two locations: 3614A Taraval in the Parkside and inside the 4-Star Theatre at 2200 Clement.
Sutro Egyptian Collection
About 700 ancient Egyptian artifacts including two intact mummies, collected by Mayor Adolph Sutro in Thebes in the 1880s. Free at SF State's Global Museum, 1600 Holloway. Check the SFSU website for hours since exhibitions rotate.
Circus Center
A nonprofit circus school founded in 1984 by Wendy Parkman and Judy Finelli, originally a Pickle Family Circus project. Drop-in trapeze and aerial silks classes run $30 to $50, no experience needed. 755 Frederick in Cole Valley, book ahead.
16th Avenue Tiled Steps
163 steps covered in more than 2,000 handmade tiles and roughly 75,000 glass fragments, opened August 27, 2005. The sea-to-sky mosaic by Aileen Barr and Colette Crutcher reads from below looking up. Base at 16th and Moraga in the Inner Sunset, top opens onto Grandview Park.
Stonestown Farmers Market
Sunday market 9am to 1pm year-round in the Stonestown Galleria parking lot, run by the Pacific Coast Farmers' Market Association. Free parking sets it apart from the city's other markets. M-Ocean View Muni stops at the mall.
