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North Beach
Walking Tours
The best way to experience Little Italy is on foot. We often
start our walk at the NE corner of Broadway Ave & Columbus Ave. Or, start at Washington Square and follow the tour from there. Also, for more neighborhood information check out North Beach SF.
If you start at Broadway/Columbus first look around
at the scene here where several unique neighborhoods come together.
Then walk northwest up Columbus and turn north (right) immediately
onto Grant Ave, the oldest street in San Francisco laid out
in 1845.
Peek into The Saloon, 1232 Grant at the corner of Fresno
St. This is a historical landmark which opened in 1861 and is
the oldest surviving bar in SF. Dive bar, smelly bathrooms,
older (55+) crowd of characters, good prices, good blues music.
On the next corner north, at 601 Vallejo St, is Caffee Trieste,
a coffee house where famous Beat poets such as Jack Kerouac and
Allen Ginsberg used to hang out in the 1950s. It is still a local
hang out where you can get a good Italian latte. If you like
old churches look a half block West at the St Francis of
Assisi National Shrine, 610 Vallejo St. It has a beautiful
interior where we've been many times to enjoy free Sunday "
Schoenstein pipe organ" recitals.
Proceed north on Grant checking out the various neighborhood
shops, restaurants, and side streets as you go. As you can see
several of the shops cater more to the local community than
to visitors.
A couple of blocks north we usually turn west at Union St and
head over to Washington Square. This beautiful and active
neighborhood park is a popular place to hang out with your dog
on a sunny day. You can gaze at the beautiful Saints Peter
& Paul Church to the north; it is as beautiful inside
as from the outside. You may also notice several groups of older
Chinese practicing tai chi in the mornings at the north end
of the park.
At the northeast corner of Washington Square check out Linguria
Bakery, 1700 Stockton St, which has been selling only focaccio
(a flat seasoned oven baked Italian bread used for sandwiches
or as a snack) from this original storefront since 1911. It
tastes so good that they often sell out and close early. Show
up by noon to be sure you can get some.
At the southwest corner of Washington Square is Mario's Bohemian
Cigar Store Cafe, 566 Columbus Ave/Union. This cafe &
bar is a cute, comfortable place to get some food or drink while
people watching. Their sandwiches are excellent.
If you prefer to people watch from a classic Italian coffee
shop then stroll southeast down Columbus Ave. Look into the
many restaurants and cafes as you go. We likesitting outside
of Caffe Puccini, 411 Columbus Ave, or Caffe Greco,
423 Columbus Ave, for a good relaxing time to enjoy Columbus
Ave with our Italian coffee and treat.
Finally, continue on back to your starting point at Columbus/Broadway.
On the way you'll pass Molinari Delicatessen, 373 Columbus
Ave, which is one of the best "real" Italian delicatessens in
SF.
That's it, some of the best of "Little Italy", all within a
brief walk.
Return from North Beach walking tours to
San Francisco walking tours
Return from North Beach walking tours to San Francisco
things to do
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