St Francis - Daly City, CA Area Guide

St. Francis Wood was created as a “residence park.” As part of owner Adolph Sutro’s will, a development company bought 725 acres from his estate, using 175 of them to create St. Francis Wood. It officially incorporated in 1912.

Planner Daniel Burnham influenced much of this area, banning businesses and restricting new building to single-family homes, making this one of the least changing neighborhoods in the city. It was one of the last San Francisco neighborhoods to be racially integrated, in 1960.

St. Francis Wood has no museums or galleries. The Residence Cultural Arts Center can be found in neighboring Westwood Highlands, but you have to travel to central San Francisco or SoMa to find more.

Though St. Francis Wood has no annual events or festivals, nearby Monterey Heights puts on Sunday Streets, which closes down city streets to encourage recreation, community activities and fun.

St. Francis Wood is known as an entirely residential neighborhood and has resisted development. Therefore, it has no businesses or restaurants. However, since it caters to its wealthy residents, nearby West Portal has a very vibrant culinary scene, gathered mostly around W. Portal Avenue. Greek, Italian, Middle Eastern, Turkish, Peruvian, American and Vietnamese restaurants can all be found in this area. Orexi provides the St. Francis Wood neighborhood with an opportunity to take care of its orexi, or appetite. Serving Greek standards from fresh and seasonal ingredients, this popular restaurant attracts a loyal crowd year after year because of its attentive yet laid back family vibe. Locals know to order the lamb shank or one of the fish dishes. Bursa serves Turkish and Middle Eastern fare. Locals tout the great service and splurge-worthy details such as fried rolled "cigars" filled with feta and parsley and entrees such as grilled rack of lamb and iskender or sirloin over homemade bread, tomato sauce and yogurt. Check out Bursa's extensive wine list to complete your meal. If you want to keep it casual, Manor Coffee Shop has friendly waitresses, a casual atmosphere and American classics, such as pancakes and waffles, sandwiches, burgers and salads, at reasonable prices. Locals laud the fresh bread and award-wining pies as two reasons to try this neighborhood gem. Nightlife is very quiet in St. Francis Wood, due to the community's carefully managed image. Like the restaurant scene, nightlife can be found along W. Portal Avenue. Most go for sports bars like McCarthy's Irish Bar or Portal's Tavern, pubs like The Dubliner or Shannon Arms or dance clubs like The Next Generation Swing Dance Club. You can find live music along Route 1, at the San Francisco Scottish Rite Masonic Center and a great jukebox at Philosopher's Club. Movie-lovers spend their nights at CineArts at the Empire, which has a bookshop and several restaurants nearby.

St. Francis Wood has strict parking laws in place, in keeping with its carefully manicured reputation. So if you choose to drive, expect to find parking hard to come by and likely expensive.

BART runs to nearby Glen Park, while many Muni trains and buses run to West Portal. Cabs may be tough to find on the street in St. Francis Wood, though they can sometimes be hailed along W. Portal. If that’s a pain, you can range an Uber pickup with no problem.

St. Francis Wood is freeway accessible via the 280, located just to the south. This can carry you north to the 101, 80, Bay Bridge and East Bay, or south to San Mateo.

Since this neighborhood was designed to be comfortable and pleasing to local residents, it’s very walkable. Sidewalks are clean, and there are many bike lanes, making it a safe place for cyclists. Just mind the steep hills in some areas.

St. Francis Wood has one park, St. Francis Park, located toward the southeastern corner of the neighborhood. The small, well-manicured park features a playground for the kids and a green area for dogs. Patrons visit for the peaceful vibe and relaxing trickling fountain. Outdoor exercise is probably best saved for Merced Manor’s Sigmund Stern Grove, which welcomes dogs and walkers.

Other than Sunday Streets, this area hosts the Stern Grove Festival, a summer concert series in nearby West Portal.

The cost of living is higher in St. Francis Wood than in other parts of San Francisco. There are no one-bedroom apartments here, as the area consists mostly of single-family homes. It costs around $3 to get to city center from St. Francis Wood via public transportation. Though there are no pubs in St. Francis Wood, establishments in nearby W. Portal sell beer for around $6 to $7. Gas prices in the area run about 15 percent higher than the national average.

Though St. Francis Wood caters to wealthy residents, there are no stores or other businesses, and the neighborhood offers no high-end or luxury shopping. As with the restaurants and other nightlife, most of the area‘s shopping can be found in nearby West Portal along W. Portal Avenue.

Local boutiques include GG’s, selling flowers, gifts and jewelry, White Rose Boutique, carrying stylish women’s clothing and Ambassador Toys, meeting kids’ needs for games, activities and books.

The area also supports no groceries stores. West Portal Produce Market provides fresh produce at prices cheaper than most chain stores, as well as other grocery needs. Locals love the friendly and helpful service there. You have to travel to nearby Parkside to find larger grocery chain stores such as Safeway.

St. Francis Wood also has no farmers market, but neighboring Stonestown holds one every Thursday in the Galleria parking lot.