Neighborhood
Pacific Heights
Grand homes, Fillmore Street shopping and quiet parks with views.
About Pacific Heights
Pacific Heights is the grand one: mansions on a ridge between Union and California Streets, built from the 1870s by people who wanted to be above the city and stayed there. Some of the best-preserved Victorian and Edwardian architecture in America is on these blocks, along with consulates, private schools and a lot of very good hedges.
Because it sits high, it often has sun when the Marina below is under fog, and wind funnelling up the north-south streets. Fillmore Street is the spine: boutiques, cafés and restaurants from Jackson down to Sutter.
With kids, the draw is two excellent hilltop parks and an easy walk to the Fillmore shops, rather than attractions as such. It is quiet after dark.
Our neighborhood lines are based on DataSF's Analysis Neighborhoods, adjusted where visitors use a smaller area or a different name: Dogpatch and Fisherman's Wharf stand on their own, and the Richmond and the Sunset are each kept whole.
How Far Is It?
- Union Square2 mi · 10–15 min drive, 20 min on the 1-California
- Fisherman's Wharf2 mi · 10 min drive
- Golden Gate Bridge3.5 mi · 10–15 min drive
- Golden Gate Park3 mi · 12–15 min drive
- SFO airport14 mi · 25–35 min drive
Getting here: The 1-California along California Street, the 22-Fillmore north to the Marina and south to the Mission, and the 24-Divisadero on the western edge. No BART. Street parking is easier on the residential blocks than right on Fillmore.
What to See
Alta Plaza Park
A terraced hilltop park with tennis courts, a playground and a staircase view straight down Steiner Street.
Lafayette Park
Four blocks of hilltop lawn with an off-leash dog area and mansion views on every side.
The Haas-Lilienthal House
An 1886 Queen Anne Victorian, the only fully furnished Victorian house museum in the city open to the public. Check current tour days.
Vedanta Old Temple
A 1905 building that mixes Hindu, Queen Anne and Moorish architecture into something unlike anything else in the city. Exterior viewing only.
Fillmore Street
The shopping spine, with the Clay Theatre building and a long run of independent storefronts.
Broadway and Pacific Mansion Row
The most extravagant residential blocks in San Francisco, with the bay behind them.
Things to Do
Alta Plaza Playground
A hilltop playground with a view, and the flattest lawn in the neighborhood for a picnic.
Walk the Lyon Street Steps
The city’s most famous staircase, down to the Palace of Fine Arts and the Marina.
Browse Fillmore Street
Boutiques, bookshops and bakeries over about ten walkable blocks.
Where to Eat
Pizzeria Delfina
Thin-crust pizza that works for the whole table. Expect a wait at peak times.
Florio
A small, warm French-Italian bistro that has been the neighborhood standby for years.
State Bird Provisions
Dim-sum-style carts of Californian small plates, and a Michelin star. Book well ahead.
Out the Door
Vietnamese from the Slanted Door family, and a good lunch stop mid-shopping.
Upcoming in Pacific Heights
No upcoming events here yet. Know about something good?
Submit an event →Places We Rate in Pacific Heights
Alta Plaza Park
Lafayette Park
Pizzeria Delfina (Pacific Heights)
Salt & Straw (Pacific Heights)
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Read the guide →Questions People Ask About Pacific Heights
What is Pacific Heights known for?
Mansions and views. It is the ridge where the city’s wealthy built from the 1870s, and the blocks along Broadway and Pacific hold some of the grandest houses in America, with Fillmore Street running down the middle as the shopping spine.
Is Pacific Heights worth visiting?
For a walk rather than a list of attractions. Alta Plaza and Lafayette Park give you hilltop views and playgrounds, the Lyon Street Steps are the city’s most photographed staircase, and Fillmore Street has ten walkable blocks of shops and cafés. It is quiet after dark.
When is the Fillmore farmers market?
Saturdays, roughly 9am to 1pm, year-round, at 1700 O’Farrell Street at the southern end of the shopping strip. The Sunday market nearby is at Fort Mason, not on Fillmore.
Is Pacific Heights foggy?
Less than the Marina below it. Sitting high on the ridge, it often has sun while the waterfront is grey, though the wind funnels hard through the north-south streets.
Recently Closed or Moved
1 place in Pacific Heights has closed, moved or changed name. Each one keeps a page saying what happened, when, and where that was checked.
- Anthony Meier Fine Arts MOVED