On the south side of the city, Bayview-Hunters Point has been quietly undergoing a powerful transformation.
Since 2021, the neighborhood’s main Third Street corridor has welcomed more than 25 new businesses and nonprofits, with a diverse range of restaurants leading the pack.
Why is this often-ignored neighborhood finally getting a chance to shine? While downtown staggered through the pandemic years, Bayview-Hunters Point had an entirely different trajectory, one rooted in partnerships between the city and non-profit organizations like Economic Development on Third (EDoT) and Renaissance Entrepreneurship Center.
Working together to bring resources directly to the neighborhood’s merchants, not only did Bayview-Hunters Point not lose a single business in the COVID era—there was support for aspiring entrepreneurs, too, says Earl Shaddix, EDoT’s executive director. Programs like First Year Free, which “subsidized the first year of rent for new small businesses in the neighborhood, [lifted] a major barrier to entry,” he explains.
Former farmers market vendor and pop-up Gumbo Social was one of those to find a home in Bayview-Hunters Point when a vacant space opened up in 2023.
Chef-owner Dontaye Ball at Gumbo Social(Courtesy of @gumbosocial/@onlyinsf)
“Gumbo Social is about more than just food. It’s about building community, one bowl at a time,” says chef-owner Dontaye Ball .
“I’m from this community, and we took over a space that’s had Black ownership for more than 50 years,” he continues. “Our team has deep ties to Bayview. This isn’t just a job for us; it’s a calling. We see our work through a cultural lens. When folks visit us from out of town, I want them to feel like they’ve landed in the hands of an ambassador—not just for Bayview, but for the richness of San Francisco’s culture.”
It wasn’t just pandemic-triggered opportunities that have led Bayview-Hunters Point to this moment. The foundation for the neighborhood’s revitalization has been a long time in the making, explains Marcus Tartt, Bayview Center director at Renaissance Entrepreneurship Center. Developments in and around the neighborhood, including the Southeast Community Center, Hope SF Projects, India Basin Park, and the Chase Center, have helped to fuel the transformation over more than a decade.
The new India Basin Waterfront Park(Courtesy of @indiabasinparkculture)
“The community’s diversity is its greatest strength,” says Tartt, whose organization has helped to both preserve legacy businesses like the Jazz Room, Meizzei Hardware, Shear's Barber Shop, and the San Francisco Bayview Black National Newspaper, as well as support new businesses along the corridor. While “legacy businesses continue to [inspire]… new food businesses engage local residents and attract new visitors to the area, bringing visibility to an overlooked community.”
The neighborhood’s recent progress is tangible, says Ball, but “the renaissance is still in its early days: it’s young, it’s fragile, and it still needs care… not just from the city, but from people across San Francisco, and especially from folks in Bayview and the surrounding neighborhoods. It needs patience.”
For those who’ve never given Bayview-Hunters Point much thought, now’s the time to reconsider the historic neighborhood as a destination for great food and more.
Where to Eat in Bayview-Hunters Point
Eats from Frank Grizzly's
(Courtesy of @frankgrizzlys)
Gumbo Social
Chef-owner Dontaye Ball had a long-standing tradition of making a big pot of gumbo each Christmas for friends and family. When a loved one’s shellfish allergy would have prevented them from participating one year, Ball got an idea: “What if gumbo could be build-your-own?” Gumbo Social—a restaurant that's a little Soul Food, a little Cajun-Creole—took off from there, eventually landing in its brick-and-mortar space on Third. “Start with the chicken and sausage gumbo,” says Ball, aka Mr. Gumbo. “That’s our signature dish, the heart of the whole operation. The shrimp po’boy is a close second.” He also recommends the corn hoecake, a made-to-order treat that “hits that perfect sweet spot between pancake and cornbread.” // 5176 3rd St., gumbosocial.com
Smoke Soul Kitchen
Brunch spot Smoke Soul Kitchen opened a few months back, the first restaurant from Bayview caterer Vanessa Lee. The menu is full of Southern favorites, from biscuit breakfast sandwiches and sweet crème pancakes to chicken n’ waffles, shrimp n’ grits, and red beans with rice. // 4618 3rd St., smokesoulkitchen.com
Frank Grizzly’s
Spearheaded by the husband-and-wife duo lovingly known as Frank and Grizzly, this taqueria takes a “Cali Love” approach, combining flavors from south of the border with products and ingredients produced in the Bay Area and Central Valley. Their attention to detail comes through in specially prepared sauces and dishes like quesabirria tacos, roast duck tacos with spicy hoisin, quesadillas with creamy Oaxacan cheese, and indulgent caviar tostadas made with Tsar Nicoulai smoked trout caviar and edible flowers. // 5698 3rd St., frankgrizzly.com
Sco’s
This pequeño cevicheria brings a slice of the Mexican coast to the neighborhood. The best way to eat their super-fresh shrimp and fish ceviches and aguachiles? Posted up at their parklet with a cold michelada. // 1730 Yosemite Ave., instagram.com/scos.sf
Let’s Eat BBQ
After several years on hiatus, Let’s Eat BBQ restarted its smoker just this year, bringing its almond wood- and mesquite-kissed pulled pork, ribs, and beef brisket back to the neighborhood. // 5130 3rd St., yelp.com
All Good Pizza
Neapolitan-style brick oven pizzeria All Good’s big, beautiful beer garden is the ideal spot to soak up the sun (which, yes, actually exists in Bayview most of the year). Pizzas made with ingredients from local and neighborhood vendors include styles like Louisiana hot link and roasted crimini mushroom with black truffle salt, while grilled paninis run the gamut from Cuban-style to turkey with chipotle aioli and smoked provolone. // 1605 Jerrold Ave., allgoodpizza.com
Tato
From the owners of All Good Pizza, fast-casual Mexican restaurant Tato gives back with their “Taco Love” Friday special. Buy a taco plate at full price—two tacos with rice and beans—and they’ll donate one to a nearby school, health clinic, or community organization. If you’re running low on funds yourself, Tato will let you pay what you can, even if that means nothing at all. // 4608 3rd St., tatosanfrancisco.com
Old Skool Cafe
This one-of-a-kind supper club is run entirely by at-risk youth who, through their work in the kitchen or at the front of the house at the speakeasy-inspired Old Skool Cafe, learn skills to escape cycles of poverty and incarceration. The Jazz Age-style nonprofit makes a great meal, specializing in elevated international soul food with dishes like cornmeal-crusted catfish fingers, organic fried chicken with whipped garlic potatoes, and West African peanut butter (groundnut) stew. Live music plays four nights a week—a sound best paired with the club’s classic cocktails. // 1429 Mendell St., oldskoolcafe.org
What to Do in Bayview-Hunters Point
Ruth Williams Opera House
(Courtesy of @thebrandon510/@bvoperahouse)
India Basin Waterfront Park
Over the last five years, this once-decaying stretch of Bayview shoreline has been resurrected as India Basin, a park and wildlife habitat with waterfront trails, viewing decks and public piers, a food pavilion and makers shop, and a rehabbed historical landmark, Shipwrights Cottage. The park's artists and curator in residence are on site at the India Basin Community Room every Wednesday and more is on the way in coming months, including a bikeway, cookout terrace, and a freshly renovated playground. // 950 Galvez Ave., sfrecpark.org
Public Glass
Learn the art of glassblowing with a three-hour intro class or a multi-week immersive course at Public Glass. The nonprofit arts organization has been teaching skills like glass staining and flameworking—as well as working with underserved youth and adults—since 1996. // 1750 Armstrong Ave., publicglass.org
Ruth Williams Opera House
Catch an event at the historic Ruth Williams Opera House, the performing arts and cultural center of Bayview. In addition to regular live shows, the nonprofit community hub offers a variety of grants and programs for Black artists and those interested in careers behind the scenes in the performing arts. Check their events calendar for more info. // 4705 3rd St., rwoh.org
Quesada Gardens
Once a rundown pocket of Bayview, community members began transforming Quesada Gardens into its current form—a dynamic, lovely space full of greenery, colorful murals, and tiled stairs—in 2006. // Quesada Ave. at Newhall St., quesadagardens.org
Flora Grubb Gardens
Quite possibly the most prized destination for green thumbs in the entire Bay Area, Flora Grubb’s open-air garden center is part lush, green wonderland, part plant and outdoor-accessories shop. // 1634 Jerrold Ave., floragrubb.com
