More Maps

16 Cozy Spots for Afternoon Tea in the San Francisco Bay Area

14 Phenomenal Restaurants for Vegan Diners in San Francisco

17 Destination-Worthy Restaurants in Berkeley

More in San Francisco See more maps

A photo of lamb. — Cumin lamb at Old Mandarin Islamic Restaurant packs a scintilating punch.

Where to Eat in the Sunset and Parkside

A vetted guide to dining and drinking in the neighborhood

by Paolo Bicchieri and Eve Batey Updated Jul 11, 2023, 1:01pm PDT

View as Map

Cumin lamb at Old Mandarin Islamic Restaurant packs a scintilating punch.

| Patricia Chang

by Paolo Bicchieri and Eve Batey Updated Jul 11, 2023, 1:01pm PDT

Everything west of Stanyan Street and south of Golden Gate Park can get confusing to demarcate. What is the Inner Sunset in comparison to the Central Sunset? Is that even a thing? Does the Outer Sunset really start on 19th Avenue? Doesn’t that feel like too much Outer Sunset against so little Inner Sunset? Needless to say, the Sunset and Parkside districts — all of the Avenues, really — necessitate a bit of a closer look.

And it’s been quite the dynamic time for the area’s food and drink scene. Small Korean goods purveyor Queens closed out of the blue, as did toast innovator supreme Trouble Coffee. Still, the Sunset’s favorite roaster Andytown Coffee opened a glimmering new space for It’s-It affogato steps from the beach, though it did so technically in the Richmond. The 30-year-old destination for Northern Chinese fare Old Mandarin Islamic Restaurant is firing on all pistons like always, while newcomer Day Moon is supplying neighbors with exquisite pastries and loaves.

Try any of these 16 Sunset and Parkside restaurants and catch a glimpse of what it is that makes the west side of San Francisco a culinary powerhouse.

Read More

Eater maps are curated by editors and aim to reflect a diversity of neighborhoods, cuisines, and prices. Learn more about our editorial process.

Fiorella Sunset

The Ninth Avenue outpost of this Richmond District restaurant is its newest and finest yet. The pizza is as decadent as longtime fans will remember, but the Sunset shop features unique offerings like the Calzone, an $18 pie of smoked mozzarella and peperonata, plus a rare covered rooftop deck out in the Avenues.

1240 9th Ave, San Francisco, CA 94122

Visit Website

Fiorella’s Sunset location. — Fiorella’s Sunset location

Also featured in:

San Tung Chinese Restaurant

The sticky-spicy ultra-shellacked dry-fried chicken wings live up to the hype. That's the first thing to know about San Tung, the wildly popular Chinese spot on Irving. The second is that the menu has other treats in store, such as pot stickers, black bean sauce noodles, and garlicky string beans.

1031 Irving St, San Francisco, CA 94122

Visit Website

Sign of a business.

Also featured in:

Arizmendi Bakery

The worker-owned bakery collective is a long-cherished institution in the Bay Area, and this Ninth Avenue spot comes out of that tradition. Arizmendi Bakery, named after a Basque labor organizer, was founded by some members of one of the first Bay Area bakery collectives, the Cheeseboard in Berkeley. Arizmendi, meanwhile, has been keeping the Sunset full of baguettes, sourdough croissants, and pizza slices since 2000. Its daily changing pizza is always vegetarian and based on the Cheeseboard model: crust-focused, with a film of cheese and toppings.

1331 9th Ave, San Francisco, CA 94122

Visit Website

Rye and fig bread from Arizmeni Bakery. — Rye and fig bread from Arizmeni Bakery

Also featured in:

Happy Bakery

The fried taro dumpling, which costs $1.20 in cash, is perhaps as indulgent a treat as one can eat on Irving Street. Cars double-park up and down the blocks running from 20th to 25th Avenue to let a passenger out for a mad dash to the tiny outlet. For less than $10, Happy Bakery provides a feast.

2253 Irving St, San Francisco, CA 94122

Marnee Thai Restaurant

This shotgun-style restaurant is at once familiar and at the same time singular. The pad Thai could be the same as from any other Thai restaurant, except the fresh ingredients and delicate use of oils and spices place this version in a league of its own. The family who run the restaurant and Marnee Thai II, its sister restaurant further down Irving Street, are reliable and could teach a masterclass in professional kindness. The eggplant curry with sticky rice is excellent.

Open in Google Maps

2225 Irving St, San Francisco, CA 94122

Visit Website

Also featured in:

16 Comforting Thai and Lao Restaurants Open for Takeout and Delivery

Hook Fish Co

This teeny-tiny sustainably-caught fish market and restaurant have always been best suited to takeout or outside dining, so things haven’t changed much for them during the coronavirus crisis. Check the board for the origins of the fish on offer today, and don’t sleep on the delicately-flavored fish and chips, which take the traditional pub version to school.

Open in Google Maps

4542 Irving St, San Francisco, CA 94122

Visit Website

Hook Fish Co.

Also featured in:

Palm City

Quietly adventurous, the Outer Sunset’s Palm City claims to be the “premier westernmost hoagie destination in the country.” A third-generation Sunset resident and a Philly transplant combined, with the help of their pup, to bring sandwiches and natural wine to the avenues. And keep your peepers peeled for this hit restaurant’s incoming second location.

Open in Google Maps

4055 Irving St, San Francisco, CA 94122

Visit Website

Hoagie from Palm City

Also featured in:

Golden Gate Indian Cuisine & Pizza

The tikka masala pizza at this Outer Sunset shop, tucked into a corner next door to a laundromat, is best enjoyed on the hood of a car in the 7-Eleven parking lot. It’s a uniquely Bay Area kind of dining experience to eat a piping hot Indian pie in the chilly fog of the Pacific.

Open in Google Maps

4038 Judah St, San Francisco, CA 94122

Visit Website

Also featured in:

14 Fantastically Flavorful Indian Restaurants in San Francisco

Beach'N SF

Michael Petite has the Outer Sunset vegan market cornered. He runs Judahlicious, known for acai bowls and waffles, and just opened Beach’N a block from the ocean. Burritos, scrambles, and craft coffee are all incredible and fairly priced.

Open in Google Maps

4300 Judah St, San Francisco, CA 94122

Visit Website

Also featured in:

14 Phenomenal Restaurants for Vegan Diners in San Francisco

Celia's by the Beach

This 60-year-old Mexican restaurant is an interesting fish, a family-run business (Celia Lopez-Rodriguez opened the spot in 1960, today her grandkids run the joint) that marries standard California/Mexican platter-style dining with more recent innovations. The modern additions include a vegan menu of Impossible-meat offerings and wild to-go drinks like their cevichelada, a to-go cup layered with fish, chips, and a michelada sloshing at the bottom.

4019 Judah St, San Francisco, CA 94122

Visit Website

Also featured in:

Thanh Long Restaurant

The Vietnamese spice blend, difficult to pin down and definitely a secret (other than the garlic), makes the crab served at this restaurant totally unlike any other served along the water in San Francisco. The crispy rice paper rolls, a $7.50 starter of button mushrooms, and a blend of chicken and pork, will get you started in the right direction.

Open in Google Maps

4101 Judah St, San Francisco, CA 94122

Visit Website

Also featured in:

Polly Ann Ice Cream

This old-fashioned ice cream shop is infamous for its wheel of fortune, which employees spin for customers who can’t make a decision between the spot’s huge number of flavors. Those who prefer not to shiver in the Sunset fog as they wait in line can place an online order here.

Open in Google Maps

3138 Noriega St, San Francisco, CA 94122

Visit Website

Polly Ann — Polly Ann Ice Cream

Devil's Teeth Baking Company

In the cold sun, this popular bakery warms folks up with a cup of Sunset Roasters coffee and pastries like vegan breakfast cookies, carrot cake, and cinnamon rolls. Beyond the lighter fare, the breakfast sandwiches bring surfers and stroller-rollers from all over Sunset, Parkside, and, frankly, all across the city, too.

Open in Google Maps

3876 Noriega St, San Francisco, CA 94122

Visit Website

Cookies at Devil’s Teeth

Toyose

This Korean spot in a converted garage near the beach has been a favorite late-night stop for many, and the long waits for its super-crisp chicken wings, spicy noodles with succulent baby octopus, and kimchi fried rice with beef and egg on top prove it.

Open in Google Maps

3814 Noriega St, San Francisco, CA 94122

Visit Website

Food at Toyose. — Beef fried rice at Toyose is no joke.

Old Mandarin Islamic Restaurant 老北京

The Yang family keeps the neighborhood fed as it has for more than 30 years. Locals and travelers line up for Old Mandarin’s halal menu with items like cumin lamb, beef pancake, and clay pot specials. Online ordering for takeout is available here.

Open in Google Maps

3132 Vicente St, San Francisco, CA 94116

Day Moon

There is no more exciting opening on the west side of the city than this green-facaded bakery. The operation comes after years of popping up at farmers markets and in tandem with fellow Sunsetter Yo Tambien Cantina. The shop pours Linea Coffee, whips up apricot scones and porridge loaves, and now plays host to fellow bakers including Berkeley’s Year of the Snake.

Open in Google Maps

3928 Irving St, San Francisco, CA 94122

Coffee. — Espresso at Day Moon is a welcome reprieve from the harsh winds of Ocean Beach.

Also featured in:

© 2023 Vox Media, Inc. All rights reserved.

Link copied to the clipboard.

Fiorella Sunset

1240 9th Ave, San Francisco, CA 94122

The Ninth Avenue outpost of this Richmond District restaurant is its newest and finest yet. The pizza is as decadent as longtime fans will remember, but the Sunset shop features unique offerings like the Calzone, an $18 pie of smoked mozzarella and peperonata, plus a rare covered rooftop deck out in the Avenues.

1240 9th Ave, San Francisco, CA 94122

Visit Website

Fiorella’s Sunset location. — Fiorella’s Sunset location

San Tung Chinese Restaurant

1031 Irving St, San Francisco, CA 94122

The sticky-spicy ultra-shellacked dry-fried chicken wings live up to the hype. That's the first thing to know about San Tung, the wildly popular Chinese spot on Irving. The second is that the menu has other treats in store, such as pot stickers, black bean sauce noodles, and garlicky string beans.

1031 Irving St, San Francisco, CA 94122

Visit Website

Sign of a business.

Arizmendi Bakery

1331 9th Ave, San Francisco, CA 94122

The worker-owned bakery collective is a long-cherished institution in the Bay Area, and this Ninth Avenue spot comes out of that tradition. Arizmendi Bakery, named after a Basque labor organizer, was founded by some members of one of the first Bay Area bakery collectives, the Cheeseboard in Berkeley. Arizmendi, meanwhile, has been keeping the Sunset full of baguettes, sourdough croissants, and pizza slices since 2000. Its daily changing pizza is always vegetarian and based on the Cheeseboard model: crust-focused, with a film of cheese and toppings.

1331 9th Ave, San Francisco, CA 94122

Visit Website

Rye and fig bread from Arizmeni Bakery. — Rye and fig bread from Arizmeni Bakery

Happy Bakery

2253 Irving St, San Francisco, CA 94122

The fried taro dumpling, which costs $1.20 in cash, is perhaps as indulgent a treat as one can eat on Irving Street. Cars double-park up and down the blocks running from 20th to 25th Avenue to let a passenger out for a mad dash to the tiny outlet. For less than $10, Happy Bakery provides a feast.

2253 Irving St, San Francisco, CA 94122

Marnee Thai Restaurant

2225 Irving St, San Francisco, CA 94122

This shotgun-style restaurant is at once familiar and at the same time singular. The pad Thai could be the same as from any other Thai restaurant, except the fresh ingredients and delicate use of oils and spices place this version in a league of its own. The family who run the restaurant and Marnee Thai II, its sister restaurant further down Irving Street, are reliable and could teach a masterclass in professional kindness. The eggplant curry with sticky rice is excellent.

Open in Google Maps

2225 Irving St, San Francisco, CA 94122

Visit Website

Hook Fish Co

4542 Irving St, San Francisco, CA 94122

This teeny-tiny sustainably-caught fish market and restaurant have always been best suited to takeout or outside dining, so things haven’t changed much for them during the coronavirus crisis. Check the board for the origins of the fish on offer today, and don’t sleep on the delicately-flavored fish and chips, which take the traditional pub version to school.

Open in Google Maps

4542 Irving St, San Francisco, CA 94122

Visit Website

Hook Fish Co.

Palm City

4055 Irving St, San Francisco, CA 94122

Quietly adventurous, the Outer Sunset’s Palm City claims to be the “premier westernmost hoagie destination in the country.” A third-generation Sunset resident and a Philly transplant combined, with the help of their pup, to bring sandwiches and natural wine to the avenues. And keep your peepers peeled for this hit restaurant’s incoming second location.

Open in Google Maps

4055 Irving St, San Francisco, CA 94122

Visit Website

Hoagie from Palm City

Golden Gate Indian Cuisine & Pizza

4038 Judah St, San Francisco, CA 94122

The tikka masala pizza at this Outer Sunset shop, tucked into a corner next door to a laundromat, is best enjoyed on the hood of a car in the 7-Eleven parking lot. It’s a uniquely Bay Area kind of dining experience to eat a piping hot Indian pie in the chilly fog of the Pacific.

Open in Google Maps

4038 Judah St, San Francisco, CA 94122

Visit Website

Beach'N SF

4300 Judah St, San Francisco, CA 94122

Michael Petite has the Outer Sunset vegan market cornered. He runs Judahlicious, known for acai bowls and waffles, and just opened Beach’N a block from the ocean. Burritos, scrambles, and craft coffee are all incredible and fairly priced.

Open in Google Maps

4300 Judah St, San Francisco, CA 94122

Visit Website

Celia's by the Beach

4019 Judah St, San Francisco, CA 94122

This 60-year-old Mexican restaurant is an interesting fish, a family-run business (Celia Lopez-Rodriguez opened the spot in 1960, today her grandkids run the joint) that marries standard California/Mexican platter-style dining with more recent innovations. The modern additions include a vegan menu of Impossible-meat offerings and wild to-go drinks like their cevichelada, a to-go cup layered with fish, chips, and a michelada sloshing at the bottom.

4019 Judah St, San Francisco, CA 94122

Visit Website

Thanh Long Restaurant

4101 Judah St, San Francisco, CA 94122

The Vietnamese spice blend, difficult to pin down and definitely a secret (other than the garlic), makes the crab served at this restaurant totally unlike any other served along the water in San Francisco. The crispy rice paper rolls, a $7.50 starter of button mushrooms, and a blend of chicken and pork, will get you started in the right direction.

Open in Google Maps

4101 Judah St, San Francisco, CA 94122

Visit Website

Polly Ann Ice Cream

3138 Noriega St, San Francisco, CA 94122

This old-fashioned ice cream shop is infamous for its wheel of fortune, which employees spin for customers who can’t make a decision between the spot’s huge number of flavors. Those who prefer not to shiver in the Sunset fog as they wait in line can place an online order here.

Open in Google Maps

3138 Noriega St, San Francisco, CA 94122

Visit Website

Polly Ann — Polly Ann Ice Cream

Devil's Teeth Baking Company

3876 Noriega St, San Francisco, CA 94122

In the cold sun, this popular bakery warms folks up with a cup of Sunset Roasters coffee and pastries like vegan breakfast cookies, carrot cake, and cinnamon rolls. Beyond the lighter fare, the breakfast sandwiches bring surfers and stroller-rollers from all over Sunset, Parkside, and, frankly, all across the city, too.

Open in Google Maps

3876 Noriega St, San Francisco, CA 94122

Visit Website

Cookies at Devil’s Teeth

Toyose

3814 Noriega St, San Francisco, CA 94122

This Korean spot in a converted garage near the beach has been a favorite late-night stop for many, and the long waits for its super-crisp chicken wings, spicy noodles with succulent baby octopus, and kimchi fried rice with beef and egg on top prove it.

Open in Google Maps

3814 Noriega St, San Francisco, CA 94122

Visit Website

Food at Toyose. — Beef fried rice at Toyose is no joke.

Old Mandarin Islamic Restaurant 老北京

3132 Vicente St, San Francisco, CA 94116

The Yang family keeps the neighborhood fed as it has for more than 30 years. Locals and travelers line up for Old Mandarin’s halal menu with items like cumin lamb, beef pancake, and clay pot specials. Online ordering for takeout is available here.

Open in Google Maps

3132 Vicente St, San Francisco, CA 94116

Related Maps

Day Moon

3928 Irving St, San Francisco, CA 94122

There is no more exciting opening on the west side of the city than this green-facaded bakery. The operation comes after years of popping up at farmers markets and in tandem with fellow Sunsetter Yo Tambien Cantina. The shop pours Linea Coffee, whips up apricot scones and porridge loaves, and now plays host to fellow bakers including Berkeley’s Year of the Snake.

Open in Google Maps

3928 Irving St, San Francisco, CA 94122

Coffee. — Espresso at Day Moon is a welcome reprieve from the harsh winds of Ocean Beach.

Related Maps