The Southeast Community Center is a sprawling nexus for all kinds of neighborhood events, including San Francisco’s newest farmers market. Hungry Cafe, from Mohamed Ali Abdelmeguid, is tucked right inside, serving pastries, berry tartines, and Egyptian delights such as stewed okra bamia. 

This is the Bayview’s taqueria of choice thanks in no small part to the dedication of Renato “Ray” Guerrero, who channels his heart and soul into recipes for carnitas and an enviable horchata. Folks pull through for the carne asada tacos, too, and Ray’s top-tier friendly and welcoming service.

Centered around a brick pizza oven housed in a shipping container, All Good Pizza is easily one of the best under-the-radar spots for outdoor eating and drinking. The Neapolitan-style pies topped with local vegetables and meats are perfect for outdoor dining with picnic tables wide open in their succulent-filled beer garden.

This hip, comfortable Bayview spot also came from Kristin Houk, a local booster and owner of nearby All Good Pizza. She’s based menu items like chicken tinga tostadas and mango coconut shrimp ceviche off recipes she learned from her son’s grandmother, a chef in Mexico City. Tato — a nickname for her son — boasts a full, inviting bar for margaritas and more. It also makes an effort to showcase produce from the neighborhood through vendors like Veritable Vegetable and Evergood Fine Foods meat.

This coffee shop at 4732 Third Street brings specialty coffee to the Bayview in a big way, not that Butchertown Coffee and Bloomstock should be knocked. Owner Olton Rensch came to San Francisco in 1989 from Suriname, spending years working toward a business that could teach Black people in the city fancy coffee skills so their community could enjoy those same delicate pour-overs as any other neighborhood.

This youth-run supper club has won accolades for its efforts in training and employing under-resourced kids in the Bayview-Hunters Point neighborhoods since opening in 2012. The praise is well-deserved, not least because the cafe is home to a menu of truly excellent “global soul food” — think fried chicken and ribs alongside Tongan-style ceviche and peanut butter stew. Live music performances are back, with servers usually weaving among red leather booths in zoot suit-style outfits.

What San Francisco legend Yvonne Hines started with pralines now includes cakes, cobblers, and sweets for all occasions. The self-taught baker opened her shop in 2003, and she’s grown popular for confections like cookies, 7-Ip cake (yup, incorporating the soda), and Southern classics like sweet potato and pecan pie.

Dontaye Ball is a farmers market mainstay in the city, especially in the Outer Sunset, and his new shop on Third Street even brought out Mayor London Breed for its opening. With customizable gumbo bowls and various po’ boys to choose from, Gumbo Social is a big time crowd pleaser.

With more than 40 flavors, What’s the Scoop, the neighborhood’s only ice cream shop, opened in November 2022 from music lover Anthony Womack. The parlor carries E-40’s Goon With The Spoon ice cream brand, but Womack also makes his own creations including a Frank Ocean nod called Channel Oreo. 

This Cali-Mex outfit comes from husband and wife duo Kim Truong and Jorge Islas. A mainstay at Anchor Brewing until its closure in summer 2023, the roast duck tacos and caviar tostadas are now available in the Bayview as a permanent fixture for the first time as of August 2023.

This lively brewery and tap room is usually a favorite hangout for chill vibes, memorable events (beer yoga! Drag queen bingo!), and really excellent beer. Laughing Monk features a creative mix of American and Belgian beer styles laced with plenty of California flavors; the Belgian-style Bayview Gold is a golden ale brewed with chamomile from Bayview community gardens.