Cow Hollow is a nice, charming little neighborhood located in north-central San Francisco. I've visited this neighborhood several times over the last 15+ years and will continue to do so on a more frequent basis now that one of my good friends lives here. This is a safe, clean, mostly residential, and relatively quiet SF neighborhood filled with a predominantly affluent and well-educated population. Compared to the rest of the city, the demographics of Cow Hollow are fairly homogeneous. As I said in my review for Rose's Cafe over 8 years ago, "this is a great spot if you want to check out the Real Housewives of San Francisco."
Seriously though, our brunch at Rose's Cafe was great and I recommend it to anyone looking for a good breakfast/brunch/lunch spot in the city. Link: https://www.yelp.com/biz/roses-cafe-san-francisco. Rose's Cafe is located on the corner of Union St and Steiner St. Union is the neighborhood's main drag (it runs east to west) and it's where all the action is. It's popular among both locals and tourists for it's many boutique shops, salons/spas, and restaurants; however, in recent years, smaller, independent, mom and pop businesses have been going out of business because of rising rents and declining sales. In February 2018, the San Francisco Chronicle reported some commercial rents have increased to as high as $30,000 per month (https://www.sfchronicle.com/bayarea/article/Cow-Hollow-shops-struggle-to-survive-12553521.php).
In the last year or so, my buddy landed a pretty sweet 1-bedroom apartment for "only" about $2,500 per month. Considering the amount of space he has, the quality of the apartment and building, the neighborhood, and the city, $2,500/month, especially for a new tenant, seems quite reasonable.
Cow Hollow is comprised of 14 x 4 blocks, bound by Lyon St and the Presidio to the west, Lombard St (US Route 101) and the Marina District to the north, Van Ness Ave (continuation of US 101) and Russian Hill to the east, and Green St and Pacific Heights to the south. If you've never been to the area before, I recommend visiting the nearby Lyon Street Steps (https://www.yelp.com/biz/lyon-street-steps-san-francisco) for some pretty spectacular views north of not only Cow Hollow, but the Palace of Fine Arts and the Marina District, the San Francisco Bay, and Marin County across the water. It's beautiful. Overall, Cow Hollow is sort of like the Marina District's little brother.
I definitely suggest taking a stroll down Union St between Steiner and Gough (6 blocks) to see some of the best restaurants, cafes, and retail the neighborhood has to offer. Fillmore St, located on the west end of this stretch, is another ideal thoroughfare to explore. Also, there's some neat and historic architecture to see such as the Vedanta Society of North California's Old Temple located on the southwest corner of Filbert and Webster. In general, it can be nice and relaxing to just walk around the neighborhood. read more