Visitors guide to the Mission District 

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The whole city is a melting pot, and nowhere is it more apparent than in "The Mission," which is the hottest neighborhood in San Francisco and has some of the hottest nightlife. 

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The Mission remains a largely Latino neighborhood, but it has changed. It's now the face of gentrification in the city as hipsters and techies have moved in with mixed results. The good news is there are even more places to eat and drink.

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Mission Street is the main drag here, but Valencia Street has eclipsed it as the best place to party.  

 

Spend the afternoon taking in the wide array of murals then grab the neighborhood specialty - burritos - for dinner at one of the dozens of taquerias.

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Short on time for murals? For the largest concentration of magnificent works, stop by Balmy Alley off 24th Street (parallel to Treat Avenue and Harrison Street between 24th & 25th streets), then visit Clarion Alley (between Mission and Valencia streets at 17th and 18th streets) and the Women's Building, a community center at 3543 18th Street.

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Thrift stores and antique shops abound on Valencia Street, where you can also find several new and used bookstores.

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Catch a movie at the Roxie Theater (3117 16th St.), one of the oldest continuously operating movie houses in America. The Roxie is good for '40s film noir festivals, unreleased indies and the occasional Japanese lesbian killer flick.

 

Hot tips: The Mission has a lot of popular bars. Dalva (3121 16th St.) has one of the best jukeboxes in San Francisco and a jazzy DJ. Jack's (3200 16th St.) offers 65 beers on tap. Giggle at the name of the joint as you enter The Make Out Room (3225 22nd St.) or the Elbo Room (647 Valencia St.), a top music venue with a reasonable cover charge.

 

Good eats: If the late-night munchies hit, any hungry soul in the Mission is never more than 20 feet away from a humongous burrito. Philly has its cheesesteak, New York has its pizza and San Francisco has its burrito. Meaty, beany, big and bouncy, the S.F. burrito is a must. Friendships have been lost, gained and temporarily put on hold, over the discussion that's always in progress: Who makes the best burrito? If your virgin burrito is anywhere else but in The Mission, you should be jailed immediately. Try Taqueria Cancun (2288 Mission St.), El Farolito (2777 Mission St.) and El Castillito (2092 Mission St.), above all others. Each grills the tortilla, creating a crispy skin. 

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Nearby: Mission Dolores Park is one of the coolest urban parks in America, and it has an awesome view of the city skyline. Life in the park on weekends is amazing. The people-watching is off the charts. You might run into Serena Williams, but more likely you’ll run into guys selling joints, now known as prerolls. The actual Mission, beside the park, is definitely worth a visit. Built in 1776, it's the oldest building in the city, and it's stunning with its gardens and cemetery. The playground inside Mission Dolores Park is extraordinary and almost new.  

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Photo op: Hit up Balmy Alley for the murals. Or the city skyline from Mission Dolores Park.