Where to Eat on Irving Street, San Francisco: An Inner Sunset Dining Guide
Dining is San Francisco’s favorite pastime, and Irving Street in the Inner Sunset neighborhood is one of the city’s most reliable places to eat well, with standout noodle shops, bakeries, cafés, bars, and casual take-away spots.
Unlike boutique-heavy Sacramento Street and the vintage shops and bookstores of Haight Street, Irving Street and intersecting 9th Avenue are dining-heavy —where San Franciscans meet for brunch with friends, grab dinner after an outdoor concert in Golden Gate Park, or pick up picnic supplies before heading on a hike.
Here, it’s less about shopping bags and tourist sites and more about showing up hungry to one of San Francisco’s diverse and dynamic neighborhoods. Nearly every block seems to have something good simmering, baking, or crisping up behind the front door, so it’s a good idea to make time to wander around.
Come for the Sunday Farmers Market, famous dry-fried chicken wings, Vietnamese soups, homemade pasta, burritos and tacos, coffee, ice cream, and so much more.
Irving and 9th may not be home to the flashiest restaurants in San Francisco, but when it comes to authentic dining, diverse food, and casual and affordable eats in San Francisco, the Inner Sunset delivers. 🍜
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Where Is Irving Street
Walk, bike, bus, or take a Waymo to the intersection of Irving Street and 9th Avenue just south of Golden Gate Park. You’ll be in the thick of it all.
The most ‘edible’ stretch of Irving Street is roughly from 5th Avenue to 12th Avenue, but the surrounding side streets and Irving Street further afield are home to more hidden gems and restaurants.
This post would be way too long if I named them all, so you’ll just have to come back a few times to taste all the flavors of the Inner Sunset.
Neighborhood highlights include:
- Golden Gate Park museums, gardens and e-bike tours
- neighborhood cafés filled with locals and students
- Affordable San Francisco restaurants
- Ocean Beach and Sunset Dunes Park
How to Get to Irving Street
Irving Street is one of the easiest neighborhood commercial streets to reach without a car.
Muni Metro:
While the N Judah travels down Judah Street for most of its route through the Outer Sunset, it operates on Irving Street between Arguello Boulevard and 9th Avenue in the Inner Sunset.
Bus:
Routes serving the area include the 7 Haight/Noriega and 6 Parnassus.
By car:
Street parking is possible but competitive near 9th Avenue. It gets easier as you head west.
Best strategy:
Take public transportation, rent a bike, or take a ride share like Waymo to 9th Ave & Irving. Keep the experience hassle-free.
Why Irving Street is One of San Francisco’s Best Dining Districts
Irving Street feels like a giant outdoor food court rather than a shopping street, and dining and drinking are the stars of the show here. As a major, dense dining corridor with more than 50 restaurants, cafes, bakeries, bars, etc., this is one of the best places to eat in San Francisco.
Just a few flavors you’ll find here:
- Vietnamese noodle soups 🍜
- Chinese comfort classics
- worker-owned bakeries
- taquerias
- coffee stops
- submarine sandwiches
- French brunch
- Pizza by the slice
- More!
It’s diverse, authentic, and super casual. Leave your tux and gowns at home, unless you want to wear them. No judgment —this is San Francisco!
Where to Eat on Irving Street in the Inner Sunset
Grab-and-Go Favorites
Perfect for Golden Gate Park picnics, easy-to-pack hiking staples, and take-away lunches and dinners.
Arizmendi Bakery
Worker-owned cooperative bakery known for rotating daily pizza menu (orders slices or the whole pie), excellent pastries and bread, and other picnic-ready snacks. Order online and take your lunch to Golden Gate Park.
Best for: pizza, fresh bread, pastries
Peasant Pies
These are a favorite of mine when I’m dashing home and I don’t want to cook. Toss them in the oven and voila— a hot and savory hand pie meal. They are filled with seasonal vegetables, meats, and cheeses. They’ll heat them on the spot so it makes a quick and easy lunch stop too.
Best for: picnic provisions for the beach or a stop before a fun and entertaining Summer of Love E-bike Tour through amazing Golden Gate Park.
Address: 1039 Irving St
Irving Subs
My husband loves a good classic submarine sandwich shop, and Irving Subs makes them delicious, hot and cold, on freshly-baked bread.
Best for: sandwiches to take with you into Golden Gate Park or on a scenic coastal hike in the Presidio
Address: 1228 Irving St
Sit-Down Inner Sunset Dining Favorites
This is where Irving Street really shines.
Yummy Yummy
A neighborhood favorite Vietnamese pho, grilled pork, 5-spiced chicken, imperial rolls, and comforting rice dishes. It’s casual, quick, and tasty.
Best for: pho-style soups and cold-weather comfort meals.
Address: 1015 Irving St
San Tung
Locals line up for San Tung’s famous dry-fried chicken wings, which are crispy, sticky, garlicky, and widely considered some of the best in San Francisco.
The handmade noodles are excellent, and they also serve other northern Chinese dishes.
They’re open for lunch and dinner but closed on Tuesdays and Wednesdays.
Address: 1031 Irving St
Art’s Cafe
A family-owned American diner with counter stools, a few outside tables, and almost always a line, especially for their copious breakfasts, beginning at 7:30 a.m.
You’ll also find a handful of Korean specialties on the menu too, such as beef or chicken bibimbap, a popular Korean rice bowl topped with meat, assorted sautéed vegetables, a fried egg, and spicy gochujang sauce. Closed on Mondays.
Address: 747 Irving St
Don’t Miss 9th Avenue Dining
The intersection of Irving Street and 9th Avenue is like the Inner Sunset’s food court, with many great restaurants, bars, and bakeries huddled around this corner.
Fiorella – Sunset
My neighborhood go-to for Italian food, Fiorella feels cozy and welcoming, yet not old-fashioned. The menu leans into Italian-American comfort-forward dishes, with house-made pastas and wood-fired pizzas taking center stage. They also have large meal-sized salads.
Address: 1331 9th Ave
Gordo Taqueria
A favorite local spot for casual burritos, tacos, and other Mexican comfort food.
Address: 1239 9th Ave
Best For: Grab-and-go food to pack before a hike in the Presidio or on the beach
Arizmendi Bakery
This worker-owned cooperative bakery serves rotating daily pizzas, pastries, and some of the city’s best sourdough treats.
Best for: pizza-by-the-slice and picnic snacks
Caché
A modern French neighborhood bistro opened in 2025 by chefs with Michelin-starred kitchen backgrounds, serving seasonal dishes inspired by Bay Area ingredients with creative twists on French classics.
Caché is a new French bistro in the Inner Sunset (photo from cache-sf.com)
Best for: weekend brunch or date nights before or after a bike ride through Golden Gate Park
Address: 1331 9th Ave
Coffee, Tea & Dessert Stops in the Inner Sunset
Perfect between meals, or after one—or any time!
San Francisco Hometown Creamery
Family-owned and farm-to-cone, this small-batch creamery with ice cream flavors inspired by what’s in season, and classics like the fresh mint chip, and peanut butter and fudge.
Address: 1290 9th Ave
Saint Frank Coffee
Named for the beloved Saint Francis (San Francisco’s namesake), who supposedly had a passion for life and a connection with people, this specialty coffee roaster with a bright, modern café atmosphere is always packed with families and work-from-home warriors.
Address: 744 Irving St
Little Sweet
For an original taste of boba milk tea, Little Sweet does it best, with each drink made to order and usually in vibrant colors — like sky-blue matcha and purple velvet.
Address: 1253 9th Ave
Easy Breezy
An Irving Street stop for frozen yogurt in various flavors, custard swirls, and vegan soft serve.
Address: 718 Irving St
Irving Street Bars & Nightlife
The Inner Sunset has no shortage of places to unwind after a day out touring San Francisco.
The Temple Bar
This bright red Irish Bar (painted the same color as the famous Temple Bar in Dublin, Ireland) opened in 2024, but with roots dating back to another bar at this location decades earlier, the Temple Bar feels like an old friend and will welcome you like one too for karaoke, trivia & DJ nights, 21 beers on tap, pub food, and games on the TVs.
Address: 834 Irving St
The Little Shamrock
Though not on Irving St, this Inner Sunset institution, just a block away, deserves a nod as one of San Francisco’s oldest bars, serving customers on the edge of Golden Gate Park since 1893.
You’ll find dark and cozy dive-bar nostalgia, cold beer on tap, and warm Shammy welcomes. I believe it’s still cash only. Please check ahead if that’s a concern.
Address: 807 Lincoln Way
The Mucky Duck
Catch the big game or shoot some pool at the Inner Sunset’s favorite neighborhood sports bar—the Mucky Duck.
Address: 1315 9th Ave
