Named one of the Ten Great Neighborhoods in America, North Beach has a rich and interesting history. Located in the Northeast corner of San Francisco, the neighborhood borders on Fisherman’s Wharf, The Financial District and Russian Hill. Historically, the neighborhood consisted of a large Italian American population, which resulted in a large number of Italian restaurants and cafes, however in the present day, the population has become much more diverse. Because of the long standing Italian restaurants and shops, the area is San Francisco’s answer to “Little Italy”.
The proximity to the Financial District and the lively atmosphere make North Beach one of the most popular neighborhoods to live in. The streets are lined with fun bars, cute shops and great restaurants as well as some historically significant attractions. High above North Beach on Telegraph Hill is Coit Tower. An integral part of the San Francisco Skyline, the 210-foot tower is a monument dedicated to firefighters that died in some of San Francisco’s major fires. Opened to the public in 1933, the tower features murals painted by 27 different artists as well as a large observation deck offering 360 degree views of the city and the bay. Also on top of Telegraph Hill are a large flock of brightly-colored parrots who have decided to call the area their home. An unusual species to inhabit Northern California, the flock has inspired a popular 2003 documentary titled “The Wild Parrots of Telegraph Hill”.
Below Telegraph Hill, there are even more historically significant reasons to visit North Beach. It was the epicenter for the rise of the Beat Generation, which was characterized as a “media stereotype” to describe a like-minded group of people who believed in a social movement involving artistic self-expression and the rejection of conventional societal norms Called “beatniks”, a term coined by famous journalist Herb Caen, the group settled in North Beach during the 1950s. You can still see some influences in North Beach from the famous movement and even stop by the Beat Museum on Broadway to learn more.
North Beach has been the home to a long list of famous people including former San Francisco Mayor, Joseph Alioto, however baseball legend, Joe DiMaggio was probably the most well known. Aside from being one of the best baseball players of all time, DiMaggio made International headlines due to his wedding. He married his first wife in North Beach at the Saints Peter and Paul Church and then after getting married to Marilyn Monroe, he returned to the church to take wedding pictures.
North Beach is a popular place for tourism due to the many historic landmarks in the area. Besides Coit Tower and Saint Pater and Paul Church, there are many other things to see. Washington Square Park, located in the center of the neighborhood is a popular place to picnic and enjoy the beautiful San Francisco weather. There are also a number of famous restaurants and cafes such as The Stinking Rose, Cafe Trieste, The Saloon (one of the oldest bars in San Francisco), Specs’ Twelve Adler Museum Cafe and the location of Mabuhay Gardens, a famous punk rock club.
EXPLORE EVENTS
Upcoming San Francisco Events
25
April
2025
Papooz at Great American Music Hall
25
April
2025
Mereba at Bimbo’s 365 Club
25
April
2025
Larkin Poe The Bloom Tour 2025
25
April
2025
Chase Petra at The Independent
26
April
2025
Camper Van Beethoven 40th Anniversary of Telephone Free Landslide
26
April
2025
Butcher Brown – Letters From The Atlantic
27
April
2025
Horse the Band, Lagrimas, FLAKE, Othiel at August Hall
27
April
2025
Josh Radnor The Eulogy II Tour
27
April
2025
Barry Can’t Swim NA Tour ’25
27
April
2025
Camper Van Beethoven Concert 40th Anniversary of Telephone Free Landslide Night Two
28
April
2025
Mogwai at The Regency Ballroom
30
April
2025
Tom Green: Home to the Country
01
May
2025
San Fermin at Bimbo’s 365 Club
02
May
2025
Killers of Kill Tony at The Paramount Theatre
02
May
2025
John Splithoff at The Independent
03
May
2025
Punk In The Park at The Cow Palace
03
May
2025
Festicrawl – The San Francisco Music Festival Pub Crawl
03
May
2025
San Francisco Cinco De Mayo Bar Crawl
03
May
2025
Dean Lewis The Epilogue World Tour
03
May
2025
Empire of the Sun – Ask That God Tour
03
May
2025
The Moss at August Hall
03
May
2025
Marc Scibilia More To This Tour
04
May
2025
Sam Morril: The Errors Tour
04
May
2025
Godspeed You! Black Emperor
05
May
2025
Cinco De Mayo in San Francisco
05
May
2025
The Hard Quartet, evicshen at Great American Music Hall
05
May
2025
Gigi Perez at The Independent
05
May
2025
Basia Bulat at The Chapel
05
May
2025
The Jesus Lizard
06
May
2025
Geordie Greep
San Francisco Events
You Drink, We Drive
The Best Pub Crawls in San Francisco
Holiday Insights