Outer Sunset

Poised for a cringe-worthy trend piece in the New York Times, the Outer Sunset stands on the precipice of being the city’s next hyper-hip neighborhood. What once and still is a beach-bum area, this adorable residential neighborhood (with its own eurv) turned into a destination spot in 2016.

Outerlands, Mollusk Surf Shop, and the glorious oasis that is Andytown Coffee Roasters have all made their mark over the last few years, upping the lifestyle quotient greatly. This year the Outer Sunset saw new openings and a reopenings of a cherished spot.

Avenues Dry Goods, featuring a bevy of everyday items, many of which are made in San Francisco, opened to acclaim this fall. And after a fire tore though the Riptide, a popular hangout for local surfers and locals, it reopened in the spring to a huge sigh of relief. Cherimoya, a Vietnamese joint with superb buttered garlic noodles and Wok Station, a Chinese restaurant with an Americanized Chinese menu, both opened this year as well.

According to some agents, the OS is blister-inducing hot, housing-wise. "When the [housing market] recovery started, unquestionably the big neighborhoods were places like Noe Valley, Cole Valley, and the Marina," Paragon chief analyst Patrick Carlisle told Curbed SF. "You didn’t see this kind of attention paid to the Sunset. Now you do."

Presidio Heights

Photo via Shutterstock

Spruce. Boom. That’s is. And that alone should make Presidio Heights one of the very best. But there’s also much more to this tony neighborhood than a swank Michelin-star eatery.

Take, for example, the housing stock. Jaw-dropping, an overused descriptive within real estate and architectural circles, is perfectly matched to Presidio Heights. Take an afternoon stroll around Clay and you will see why. The sumptuous but embattled mansion at 3800 Washington, reportedly eyed by Taylor Swift, closed this year at $15.75 million. And the 1959 William Wurster midcentury sold at 50 percent over asking.

But good luck to the average joes who want to rent here. As resident and writer Leilani Marie Labong explained, “For the record, I do not live in a hulking manse, I live in an apartment. There aren't very many apartments that come up for rent here very often. The neighborhood is too good.” Indeed.

As far as new eateries go, there weren’t too many in 2016. As Quoted, a new cafe that opened in the spring, features fare that’s perfect for anyone, whether they’re dairy-, gluten-, nut- or soy-free. How very PH.