San Francisco's Under-The-Radar 'Secret Neighborhood' Has Urban Trails, Cafes, And Affordable Eats

If you're like me, San Francisco's Visitacion Valley might not have crossed your mind as a place to visit. As a Bay Area resident who spends a lot of time in The City with friends and family, I can count on one hand the number of times I've visited this neighborhood near Daly City's underrated shops and parks. For years, Visitacion Valley or Viz Valley (it rolls off the tongue better) had a reputation as an unsafe area. However, a lot has changed in the past decade. 

From public art mapped out by SF Heritage to a profusion of green spaces, you can see the effort community members have put into making Viz Valley a place people want to live. And, visitors benefit too. Although still residential, a collection of cozy cafes and Mexican, Colombian, Chinese, and Vietnamese restaurants (with shockingly affordable prices for San Francisco) line Leland Avenue. Interspersed with barber shops and dry cleaners, they make up the heart of Visitacion Valley and have become a food destination for Bay Area locals in the know. 

Hemmed in by Bayshore Boulevard and Highway 101 on one side and John McLaren Park on the other, Visitacion Valley is tiny — about 1 square mile — and doesn't flow into other neighborhoods in the same way as Noe Valley. Its history harks back to the late 1700s, when Spanish missionaries celebrated the Visitacion of the Blessed Virgin, one of the many Catholic feast days, and bestowed a name the area still bears today.

Visitacion Valley has gained a reputation as a "secret neighborhood" not because it's particularly hard to find, but because it hasn't made the rounds on travel blogs or social media, unlike San Francisco's famous Mission District. However, the restaurants and cafes along Leland Avenue deliver some seriously good food. Stop by La Joya Cafe for Mexican cuisine and incredible chilaquiles verdes, tortilla chips smothered in chili verde sauce, queso fresco, and perfectly cooked eggs. "If you are in a 20 mile radius from La Joya I promise it is absolutely worth the trip," raved a foodie on Google Reviews. Next door, you'll find Mission Blue, a neighborhood cafe-meets-giftshop where you can sip a lavender latte and browse artfully arranged shelves filled with art, jewelry, and crafts made by local artists. 

Further up the street, you'll find G&L Bakery and Restaurant. Enveloped in a huge monarch butterfly mural, this mom-and-pop Chinese restaurant does its best to keep prices reasonable. The baked pork buns are the real standout, but you can't go wrong with your Chinese favorites. For authentic arepas, empanadas, and other Colombian specialties that visitors call the best in California, try Creative Ideas Cafe. The restaurant also makes Mexican- and Colombian-inspired bowls (the grilled prawn and carne asada bowl is to die for), conveniently packed for taking to the nearby parks. However, for tacos and burritos at a fair price — you can get a burrito for under $10 — don't miss Taqueria El Buen Sabor.

After filling up on good food, stretch your legs along the Visitacion Valley Greenway, a series of connected paths, parks, and community gardens that bring life to once vacant, trash-filled lots. As you amble along the paths, enjoy panoramic views all the way to the San Bruno Mountain's ridge, and take your time admiring flower beds filled with reintroduced native plants.  

Children can get their wiggles out in the playground, while fields of golden California poppies bloom for all to enjoy. The Visitacion Valley Greenway is a stop along the Crosstown Trail. Proposed as a way to bring together San Francisco's many neighborhoods, the trail starts at Candlestick Point and extends to Lands End. Running approximately 17 miles, the route takes urban adventurers through parks, down pedestrian-friendly shopping streets, and through areas rarely explored. It's one of the reasons San Francisco is the best urban hiking destination in the country. We found this map super useful, but you can also follow the green trail on Google Maps. "Challenging, scenic, and surprisingly peaceful in stretches—it's absolutely worth doing," per a hiker on AllTrails. 

The Crosstown Trail heads directly through John McLaren Park, a 313-acre preserve with more traditional hiking trails, duck ponds, and views of Downtown. If you come at sunset and wait until the city lights start to flicker on, it's a real treat. Alternatively, stroll the Philosopher's Way, which includes designated spots to stop and reflect.