Header

Main Content

Nopa and Alamo Square

Home » Nopa and Alamo Square

Don’t let NoPa’s functional name (short for north of the Panhandle) and unassuming Victorian character deceive you: Teeming with trendy restaurants and late-night clubs, it’s becoming known as the new Mission.

History: NoPa used to be subsumed within the larger Western Addition, the city’s historic middle-class African American neighborhood. But with the recent influx of young professionals, its trendy new moniker has taken hold.

Don’t Miss: You’re in San Francisco, so you might as well make a trip to Alamo Square Park to see the Painted Ladies. (If you haven’t seen these colorful Victorians on 10,000 postcards, maybe you’ll remember them from the television show Full House.) Down in NoPa proper, the attractions are less aesthetic and more epicurean. Try the neighborhood’s eponymous eatery, Nopa, or its nearby diminutive Mexican kitchen, Nopalito, and then head for the pelagic happy hour at Bar Crudo. Once the sun goes down, catch a show at the funky Independent music venue or, if you have the energy, line up outside Madrone Art Bar, where the featured exhibition is usually obscured by the crowded dance floor.