Neighborhood Guide: Lower Haight
Draft or can, it’s always cold and local.
Kick the dirt off, pull up a stool.
Wondering where to find people who have lived life to the brink and hang out with them over beer and a burger? Lower Haight will speak to you as it does to me. This is an overlooked, small area filled with real life that it’s comfortable to just be in – it’s the forgotten Haight to its partner Haight Ashbury. You don’t need to spend days here, and it probably won’t be your first stop, but if you want to catch a game – just about any game from anywhere – without the chest-thumping of The Marina or have a chill, decent dinner away from other visitors, this is home.
Nearly everything in Lower Haight feels like it’s been there for a really long time, including that guy on the bar stool and the makeshift yard sale on the stoop down the street. Someone, somewhere has some records for sale. A few salons and other random businesses feature the work of local artists, and a piercing and/or tattoo can be found. A man on the street corner will have had too much to drink, at whatever time of day.
The establishments are Lower Haight. The best beer selection in the city can be found at Toronado. Nicky’s serves up a solid but basic meal and will switch up a TV just for you. The graffiti-filled walls at Molotov and the sheer darkness are more welcoming than you would expect, but don’t go in if you’re hoping for hugs. The best philly sandwich (though not best ambiance) in the city is at Metro Caffe; order at the counter and potentially walk the few blocks to Duboce Park on a nice day. Indian Oven allows for a yummy and super chill meal in contrast to the bars around the corner. And you can even get a good glass of wine and delicious Italian food (with a decent little happy hour) in pretty and unpretentious Uva Enoteca, so it’s not all unpolished.
Lower Haight’s unforgiving existence draws a mix of people. It feels grounded, a little dirty, and open to whatever you wanna be.