Mission

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.

The large Day of the Dead procession will be virtual this year because of lingering pandemic concerns, but a few small gatherings will dot the Mission and the Tenderloin.

The temporary outdoor Just Add Music permits have bars’ and venues’ parklets bustling, but nearby residents are lodging complaints, often with dog-whistle grievances over “thuggy” crowds.

This is going to make some Zeitgeist regulars and people who live near Safeway Heights and the edge of the Mission very sad, but Hoodline regrets to inform you that the KFC/Taco Bell at 200 Duboce Avenue (at Guerrero) has transitioned to being just a KFC, so no more tacos.

Mission District cocktail bar Dalva, and its crafty back speakeasy the Hideout, have used the pandemic upgrade to upgrade their floors, furniture, washrooms, and more.

Juri Commons, a tiny park connecting Guerrero Street and San Jose Avenue, reopened in a Monday ribbon-cutting with new plants, play spaces, and exercise gear.

The Union Furniture Company went out of business in the 1970s and its vintage sign has become an eyesore, but an incoming cannabis dispensary won approval to restore it.

The San Francisco Lowrider Council celebrates its 40th anniversary with a three-week art show at the Mission Cultural Center, and a Mission Street lowrider rally scheduled for Saturday, September 18.

The free, one-day Mission District music and food bash is back, but with a Stern Grove-style reservation system that behooves you to reserve a spot fast.

Another company has run afoul of San Francisco ordinances and spray-stenciled ads on sidewalks in the Mission District.

Frjtz, the go-to place for Belgian-style frites and waffles that first opened in the year 2000 on Hayes Street and later had locations in the Mission and Ghirardelli Square, has now ceased to even be a delivery option, which it had been for the past two years. 

After COVID restrictions tampered down their 10th anniversary last year, Mission Street’s craft beer and mimosa destination celebrates Thursday night with the Sycamore's 10 (+1) Anniversary Party.

The Mission District space formerly home to Namu Gaji and more recently Namu Stonepot (499 Dolores St.), across the 18th & Dolores intersection from Dolores Park, has gone dark, marking the second closure for Namu Stonepot this summer.

Church and Market wine bar Fig & Thistle Market (691 14th St.) has now become Millay, under the same ownership, with more of a focus on the wine bar aspect.

Most of the Bay Area is masking back up, at least in some situations, and tensions are high as COVID cases and hospitalizations tick up. But things continue to reopen, and events are still happening.

We have news of a taker for the prominent corner space that was briefly home to AL's Deli (598 Guerrero St.), and beloved doughnut spot The Jelly Donut at 24th and South Van Ness is finally back alive.

A new wine bar with dance bar aspirations is coming to the former Thieves Tavern space at 496 14th Street (at Guerrero), and it's called Bar Part Time.

The Church and Market Safeway has moved all its shopping carts inside the store after 160 carts were stolen in recent weeks.

Castro arcade bar and restaurant The Detour is set to reopen Monday, July 5, after hitting the pause button in October and temporarily closing due in part to COVID-19.

Construction on the final phase of the Upper Market Street Safety Project is set to begin Thursday, July 1. The project aims to increase safety and comfort for pedestrians, cyclists, and drivers alike on Upper Market Street between Octavia Boulevard and Castro Street.