Mission

A new affordable housing complex at 16th and Shotwell Streets drew the likes of Nancy Pelosi on Thursday, as Casa Adelante will be home to more than 300 low-income people, plus provide on-site childcare and a rooftop farm.

City Hall has approved plans to demolish the Phoenix Irish Pub building on Valencia Street, and from the wording of the documents, it does not seem the Phoenix will rise from those ashes.

After 11 years of dazzling the Mission with an out-of-this world mural, Asiento is going out with a big bang on Friday and Saturday nights. But stay tuned, because ownership is promising a “remodel and rebrand.”

Sour Cherry Comics (3187 16th St.) is a brand-new bookstore run by and geared towards the LGBTQ+ community.

The new Valencia Street studio Ephemeral Tattoo is inking tattoos with a twist — their biodegradable ink tattoos will disappear from your skin within 9-15 months.

Market Street dive bar Lucky 13 may be gone, but its legacy lives on as its sign (and bar stools!) have relocated to a highly appropriate new home at Bender’s Bar & Grill.

There used to be two Giordano Bros. sports bars in SF serving the famed “All-in-One Sandwich,” but as of Sunday night there will be none, as 16th Street sports bar Giordano Bros. will close permanently.

Fast-casual chicken and rice restaurant Gai has opened its second location at 1001 Market Street (at Sixth), formerly Homeskillet.

The owners have turned the temporary Liholiho space on 18th into an entirely new restaurant called Good Good Culture Club, under the helm of some up-and-coming chefs.

A new law took effect January 1 allowing streets with dining and retail to lower their speed limits, and San Francisco wasted no time implementing this on seven retail-heavy streets.

Perhaps best known for its packaged chips and salsas, Casa Sanchez became San Francisco’s 100th legacy business back in 2017 — and its longtime location at 2778 24th Street might soon be recognized as a City landmark.

16th Street gastropub the Monk’s Kettle has eliminated indoor dining for the time being, as more restaurants go outdoor-ony or close down entirely as the Omicron surge upends the restaurant sector.

Over the holiday weekend, multiple Castro neighborhood bars and restaurants announced they would be temporarily closed due to the recent surge of Covid-19 infections brought on by the Omicron variant.

A boutique brunch pop-up just got the keys to its new forever home at Harrison and 18th Streets, as Poppy will bring its Australian brunch stylings to the Mission this summer.

SF cult-hit drag queen horror movie sensation Midnight Mass has its first in-person show since shelter-in-place, with a little-known Brian De Palma rock musical and, of course, a lip-synch competition.

The era of San Francisco Patrol Special Police officers patrolling the Castro is set to conclude at the end of the year with the departure of current officer Cody Clements.

A space-age makeover is underway at the new bar Mothership, in the former Virgil's Sea Room location, with an out-of-this-world curated craft cocktail menu.

Last week the Planning Commission unanimously approved the demolition and redevelopment of 240-250 Church Street, which previously housed 24-hour diner Sparky's, and continues to house decade-old bakery Thorough Bread and Pastry.

A new, sun-drenched yoga studio on 16th Street called HAUM will — after months of planning and preparation — debut to the public on December 3.

For over three decades, the SF SPCA and Macy’s holiday windows have signaled the true start of the holiday season in the city.

An art gallery opens, a new pizza spot is on the way, and a fitness studio is moving.

Twitter employee Courtney Brousseau was shot and killed after tweeting about his burrito from Dolores Park. The bench he sat on now bears his memorial plaque.

After 30 years, Castro gay sex club and sauna Eros (2051 Market St.) has announced it will be moving to a new, undisclosed location.

The celebrated “Your Dive” bar El Rio will be toasting to both its 42nd and 43rd birthdays Saturday, after last year’s celebration was obviously cancelled, with free food and free El Rio merchandise for early arrivers.

The great Walgreens closures are underway, and signs in the stores claim “90% Off” sales, but the shelves are nearly 100% empty and draped in caution tape.