I've been here before most of y'all were born. Oh, the things I've seen! Guess I like bad boys cause I'm hopelessly in love with the Lower Haight. Well, the crack dealers have moved on, replaced by million dollar condos, & fancy pants establishments. Haight & Divisadero streets are alive with destination worthy restaurants, cafes, shops, bars, and great people watching. Nothing but locally owned businesses here, except for the beloved CVS. Bless its heart surviving corporate closures & unrelenting shoplifting. Now the goods are under lock & key. Anyway, I'm not leaving my blue bubble. read more

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People from cleaner and ritzier 'hoods gasp when I say I live in the Lower Haight. "Is it safe?" they inquire. I just laugh with a sinister grin and say "I like it." As Brian M. said we've got a diverse selection of eats (mostly cheap) and drinks. Not only that but we're close to two lovely parks, home to many churches, not to mention two excellent cafes- Bean There and Cafe du Soleil. Public transportation couldn't be easier here, either. Is the LH for everyone? No. And thank god almighty for that. It has, however, proven an unexpectedly lovely place for me to be. read more

Sadly, it's gotten so bad in Yelpland that I'm stooping to reviewing neighborhoods. Don't worry, though; after I reach my 1,000th review, I'm going to implement a new policy for myself that basically only allows me to write five new reviews at a time. And I'll wait longer in between the time I write reviews so that I'll have more time to try all those places I haven't been. Of course, if you'd like to pay me to fly to your random US city, I'll gladly take your offer and Yelp every non-chain place I visit there. Anyway, the Upper Haight-vs.-Lower Haight debate has always played loudly in my mind since I moved to San Francisco five-and-a-half years ago. See, I live four blocks from Haight Street, almost in between the Upper and the Lower. My tendency has always been to visit the Upper Haight, but in the past couple of years, I've found out that the Upper Haight really kinda sucks. Yeah, it does. There are wonderful businesses there, and it's got a really serene, beautiful stretch of Page Street as well as Buena Vista Park, but it's also got really annoying aggressive "street" kids who are really annoying and aggressive. The Lower Haight's a little bit dirtier, but it's got cooler places to eat than the Upper Haight, and it has pinball at Molotov's. I still do feel more comfortable in the Upper Haight, but I also feel comfortable in Whittier, California, and you don't see me living there. So I'll always recommend the Lower Haight to people--except Kate's Kitchen is overrated. read more

My old neighborhood... It's actually more like 3.5 stars but I'll round up because I am feeling nostalgic. I love the proximity to both Alamo Square and Duboce Park... and all of the wonderful restaurants. I love the colorful, gritty vibe. It's one of the last havens of independently owned stores and boutiques in SF, which is refreshing. It's also a surprisingly central location...walkable to the Muni train, the Castro, the Mission, etc. Crime is an issue in the area, especially car crime, so it definitely pays to have a secured parking spot if you drive a car. It also definitely pays to just have regular street smarts and common sense, especially if you're out after dark. Also, I wouldn't say that the Lower Haight lacks in pretension. It's just a different kinda pretension than say the Marina. In other words, this place is full of certain people commonly referred to as hipsters, which may or may not be your thang. read more

Lower Haight - Local Flavor Near Me

The Lower Haight was never my first pick when it came to hang-out spots, but after experiencing some of the bars and restaurants it has grown on me. Bars: Danny coyles is a great spot for a beer and sports plus they always have Sam Adam for $3. Coronado is also a fresh bar and they have over 20 beers on draft. Mad Dog in the Fog is another great spot to watch sports while sipping on a brew. Food: There's a taqueria across the street from Mad Dog that's decent and it stays open late. Rosamounde speaks for itself, my favorite there is the Duck Sausage and Wild Boar. read more

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this neighborhood is NOT NOT NOT Hayes Valley. That is a bullshit marketing term used by real estate agents to throw you off the scent that this place was once part of THE FILLMORE. which, in turn, is contributing to its further gentrification by people who would rather live in an ever-so-slightly-edgier Marina than co-exist with black people. i've lived here for ten years. when i moved to SF in the early 90's the old projects were still up and crime was bad here -- the hood was actually MUCH rougher than it is now. i was advised to avoid looking for a place here then, but when the dot-boom hit and finding a reasonably priced place that was also vacant and not being sharked by DINKs became near-impossible, i ended up in the Lower Haight. those were the days: sharing a joint on the sidewalk outside Faster Bamboo, chilling with new records at Tweekin', brunch at Spaghetti Western, white chocolate mocha at Bean There. slide the couch out onto the sidewalk and kick it. during the boom i used to describe my hood thusly: "some of my neighbors drive Range Rovers. some of them shoot people." there are lots of benefits to living here, which have been detailed in the other reviews. the problems i see with the neighborhood are losing the friendly, relaxed, unsanitized vibe that's been here so long. it's only scary here if you choose to look at it that way. but think: some of those people you might see on the street and be scared about are your neighbors, and some of them might (rightfully) be scared of you too. RIP Spaghetti Western, Naked Eye (in the old space with the old staff), & The Top read more

The lower Haight. So funky. So diverse. So "get out of my face." Highlights: Naked Eye Video, The Page, Duboce Park, Toronado (can anyone say Belgian Beer Month??)... And only a stone's throw from the Castro, the Mission, downtown, and (if you need to indulge that whitey flighty that is your Jungian Shadow) the Fillmore. Seriously, it takes me 20 minutes to get *anywhere* on public transit, and 10 minutes on a bike. My only complaint, as a single-ish mom, is that parking is impossible, and in bad weather getting the grub and the babe back to the apartment without blowing down the hill is no easy feat. But I didn't move here for easy, did I! Aaaand the constant influx of 24 year olds with something to prove is kind of annoying, but you get that all over San Francisco. Hell, I was one of those way back when. read more

I actually dream of going down the hill and moving to Lower Haight. Incredibly convenient to the places I want to go to (Castro, Sunset, Mission, Hayes and occasionally downtown) and with far, far better food than the Upper Haight. And best of all - no aggressive street punks asking you for change! There is sleaze, but it keeps it real. I love you, Lower Haight and am happy to spend my lunch hour & coffee breaks in your streets. Edit: I live here now & dear god, I love it so much. After a year of living in the Upper Haight, moving here has been like dying & going to a heaven. A sweet, sweet heaven filled with actual SF residents & best of all, no street kids. This is totally my favorite SF neighborhood after La Mision. read more

How much do I love this neighborhood? A LOT. A WHOLE LOT. Like, if we were dating, I might love it enough to be in an open relationship, if that's what it wanted and would make it the happiest. I once described Lower Haight as being the place where people who don't belong in the other neighborhoods end up. I think it's apt. read more

EDIT: Um, so I moved back here. Not because I like this neighborhood, but because I got a mega-below-market 2 bedroom and it's a mile from my work. I still hate it, so there. ORIGINAL REVIEW: I lived here for a couple years. I hate this place. People ripped off my motorcycle parts. Someone got shot in front of my house. The #22 passed outside my bedroom window 24 hours a day. The convenience factor was amazing, sure, but convenience has a price. It is at least $800 a month and a bunch of lame people (INCLUDING yuppies, spoiled college kids, tweakers, and teen gangstas) and pretentious places that think that well drinks cost $5 each. read more

Lower Haight.. Located where? Hayes Valley. Nice. I wonder if Memphis Minnie's is still in "Alamo Square".. I've been here a decade now. I remember when I used to live in the Sunset, I'd roll past Duboce park on the N and gaze out across the park wondering if I'd ever get to snuggle down into a neighborhood like this one. I was so totally stoked when I finally could. When I moved here, this neighborhood was home to one of the most notorious projects in town. It's still gangsta' as hell. Now it's just like.. stucco gangsta'. But Hayes Valley? Please.. Folks still get shot on Haight and Fillmore. (Me included not too many years ago. Pellet guns HURT. Know this.) I love the Lower Haight... Originators of "Sucka Free".. Home to RU Sirius, Shut Up Little Man, the now legendary Upper Playground.. 'Think Banksy would put pieces up in Hayes Valley? Pffff.. nnnoo. San Francsico has the Lower Haight to thank for early SF Drum and Bass, and Bay Area house.. It's still a comfy nest to countless dj's producers and turntablists.. One of the last stands for affordable housing for such artists and musicians this close to downtown, so to echo what mike said, this steady push not just to gentrify, but to totally erase the notion of a separate neighborhood altogether makes me positively ill. Keep Hayes valley in Hayes Valley, please. Big up the LHP! ** EDIT ** 11/7/06 ** And they DID! Thanks Yelp!! And not to put too fine a point on it.. but 'Sucka Free' sprouting from this two-block radius was neither coincidence nor accident.. (See more recent sulky disses far above.) read more

The Lower Haight's host to several cool stores and restaurants. But I think of this area as more of a transfer point to get on/off the 22, J, or the N. If you're so inclined to head to the Upper Haight on foot, you've got a good workout ahead of you. Their slogan? The LH - keepin' it real! read more

Parking.....oh how I miss thee. I've never even met you, but I miss you already. If we did ever meet.....I know I would love you. I would show you off to all my friends. I would introduce you to my family. I would be so proud. Please.....I'm begging you.....I've looked for you everywhere! I need you in my life! Here's the breakdown: 1 star because you are ample.....I've heard of others who know you, and they say you are everywhere. 1 star because you are nearby.....my neighbors seem to know you. If you see this, please respond. You have ignored my postings on Craigslist Missed Connections. Maybe you didn't see them? I NEED you, parking! read more

I've spent most of my time in San Francisco living in the avenues because of the cheap rents and easy parking, but then I began dating a guy who lived in Lower Haight and I was just blown away. More than anywhere else I'd lived, LH felt like a neighborhood...it has a pulse and youthful vibe. So many shops (upper playground anyone?), restaurants (RNM, Naan n' Chutney, Thep Phenom), bars (Molotov's, Danny Coyle's, Noc Noc), and coffee shops (Cafe du Soleil, Cafe International, Bean There) to enjoy. Additionally, its proximity to all the Muni underground lines make it an ideal place to live. The people I've met in the neighborhood (often times property owners and landlords) truly care about the neighborhood. Many I've met are members of community watch groups and the like. Amazingly diverse, energetic, and artistic, Lower Haight has something for everyone. After spending the majority of my time in that neighborhood, I finally decided to move there, and now living anywhere else seems practically unfathomable. read more

Love this area!!! Had some great times here and there are some decent food places. A real down to earth area with mostly cool folks. Cafe Intl is old school SF ! Please keep the crime up so the yuppies go away. All criminals please feel free to jump all well dressed yuppies who invade one of the last SF spots. ha ha. Just kidding sort of. My fav bar is here but I don't want to say where that is cause more rich and arrogant foolios will show up there. Keepin it real! Real SF. read more

Old neighborhood = West Hayes Valley (AKA Alamo Square/Nopa by CLers and the Fillmoe' by those who know what's good for them.) New neighborhood = Lower Haight. Based purely on those street light banners, I love my new neighborhood a million times more. What the frick does "HaYES Valley" mean? Who's the design school drop-out that thought of that clever and witty banner? Give me my Upper Playground art collective Lower Haight banners over that crap any day. read more

YUPPIES GO BACK TO THE MARINA! Or where ever the hell you moved here from. I have lived in or around LH for over 14 years. I hate what is happening to the neighborhood. I am not alone...People are leaving this neighborhood in leaps and bounds because of the gentrification. And its not the folks that are 'wanted' to leave, but long time residents who are pretty offended by all the hype lately. I get it, ya...it can be pretty dangerous. An integral party of inner city living. DUH! People who don't work for Gap Headquarters, CNET or Charles Schwab have to live somewhere! It makes me sad to see an area that has been so truly rich in diversity and culture be turned into another one of Gavin Newsom's turista-hoods. Not every neighborhood in SF wants to be or should be a tourist attraction. Lower Haight is indeed one of these places. Some folks just want to live and park in their neighborhoods and go about their lives without silly meaningless banners posted on poles to let you know where you are. And quite frankly....the one posted across from the Walgreen's, as you head toward the more gang oriented part of the hood...can you say racist? An image of an African American man in a ski mask and the hand of a white policeman with a stun gun. What's not right about that? So many things. Please, let LH be what it is. If you don't want to raise your kids in a questionable neighborhood then you shouldn't live in the Lower Haight. There are bars here, and pot clubs, gangs and yes, shootings, chances are if you are one of the new baby boomers then these places existed here long before you moved here with your intentions of changing it to fit your lifestyle. Let it be what it is. It stops being diverse when everyone and everything is the same all over. read more

I love it here. Relatively safe neighborhood (ok - some car crime, a garage spot is definitely worth it) - amazing diversity of restaurants, great bars, and a generally unpretentious feel to it, and a great park and public transportation accessibility. But let's face it. no matter where you live, no matter how amazing of a neighborhood you live in, you're going to want to get out of it every once in a while. And this is where the Lower Haight really shines. Want to go to the upper Haight? 10 minute walk. Want to go to the Castro? 10 minute walk. Want to go to the Fillmore (there is quite a bit of good live music there)? 10 minute walk. The mission? 10-minute walk. Hayes Valley? 5 minutes. Alamo Square? 5 minutes. Noe Valley? 10 minutes. Cole Valley? 10 minutes. Downtown? 10-minute MUNI ride. Sunset? 10-minute MUNI ride. Pac Heights? 15-minute walk. I think you get the point. It's close to just about EVERYTHING. Well, maybe not EVERYTHING. The Marina/Russian Hill/Nob Hill/Chinatown/North Beach/Fisherman's wharf take a little longer to get to. The retail stores are a bit lacking unless you're into weird clothes, but that helps reduce the amount of annoying tourists you get. And if you need something, you can just walk to one of the above neighborhoods. read more

Lower Haight is cool. Especially all the white folks. Them white folks are so cool. wait... wha? read more

7:30am, I walked the Lower Haight today....just off the traffic zone and I fell in love with the city, again. It was that moment I realized that when I move back to San Francisco, I will live in the Lower Haight. The cyclists will spin; all spandex and grin. Crackheads are minimal; civic center houses the litter. Tree-lined streets; cute boys you will meet. The coffee you'll sip; the hippies will rip. read more

Five stars may be biased, but this is home for three years running. Sometimes I wonder how life would be living somewhere other than the Lower Haight. I can't imagine it. Some of my favorite things: Katz Bagels/Pizza, the N Judah, simple access to Oak/the highway, Mythic pizza, dog watching at Duboce park, Cafe du Soleil, Chili Cha Cha, Faletti Foods, Burger Joint, Danny Coyles, and more. read more

Lower Haight. There are a few outstanding food and beverage choices down here, but, frankly, a starter-neighborhood and staging ground for aspiring post-college wanna-b urban hipsters inevitably bound for the Mission and punk junior leaguers dreaming of the day when they will climb that hill to Upper Haight so they can pierce their faces with more shit. read more

ahh, the dirty haight. lots of great businesses, sits on many a public transportation artery, and yuppies are afraid to live here. what more could you want? read more

Lower Haight - Haight and Steiner - Local Flavor Near Me

I've lived here now for almost a year and a half, and it may not be the cleaness neighborhood in the city, but it is the best. We are five blocks from all the undergrounds, easy acess to any where in the city. There is always a place to grab a bite to eat, with in one block, everything from fine dinning, RNM, to greazy BBQ, Memphis minnies, to falafells, Ali Babbas Cave. The number of watering holes is just as great. We may have the best beer bar in california with Toranodo across the street, a place to whatch sports in Mad Dog in The Fog. Can you really ask for much more. I think not. read more

Ten years, baby! Ten! This is where I dyed my hair blue, got my first motorcycle, saw the projects come down, had my Civic stolen, had my apartment building catch on fire, saw the projects go back up, took a chance on Chili Cha-Cha, thwarted my first attempted mugging, waited for the 22, rented from Naked Eye, basked in the sun on the roof, froze in the Oak St. fog, and stumbled home drunk for ten years. Ten years, baby! read more

I've lived in 10 neighborhoods in my 11 years in the Bay Area. The lower Haight has so far been the best. If you really want the clinical Marina life then don't move here and start complaining about... everything. Stay in the Marina and rough it up elsewhere on those whoohoo nights, like north beach perhaps. The graffiti, the cars peeling out, the overflowing bars, the strange yelling outside at 4am, the skaters and bikers careening down the middle of the street, the loud motorcycles, the occasional unfortunate gunshot, the people that don't look like you,.. it's all part of the field. read more

This place is home.... it always feels like home. I don't want to leave. I love everything about it... the cafes the restaurants, the corner stores, the couples fighting in the street at 3 AM, The garbage truck that HAS to stay running right outside my window every morning at 6AM, the broken car windows, even the occasional slurpee spilled on my motorcycle that makes everything 0h-so-sticky and I have to spend the whole morning washing my bike with a bottle of water... or the teenagers dropping off the car (still running) they just stole to take for a joy ride... all of it... it's all cool... and let me not forget my homeless neighbor who come to the building to pick up her "medicine"... if you're living somewhere else, you're missing out on life! read more

Everyone said it already better than I could--I landed here by accident and thank my good luck every day.

My favorite, favorite, favorite neighborhood in San Francisco. Yummy, inexpensive food (Memphis Minnie's, Kate's Kitchen, Best of Thai Noodle), great bars (Molotov's, Noc Noc, Toronado), eclectic shops, interesting people, fantastic access to transportation - just a whole lot of fun. And WAY less annoying than the Upper Haight. read more

Yup... booze. Cheb I Sabbah at Nickies and Bassnectar played there last Thursday. Fine costume store. A good friend lives there... quite the plus. I have zen like parking luck there.. go figure. The porta potty before Steiner is okay to park at! read more

The street kids panhandling when they come from more money than me can get annyoing after a while...but I used to live here and still visit frequently because this neighberhood manages to pack a bunch of my favorite bars and stores into a small, compact, and beautiful area of four or five square blocks with a bunch of lovely victorian houses sprinkled in for good measure... read more

The lower haight is better than the upper haight. But the tourists don't know yet so shush, allright?

The moment i set foot here, someone offers me drugs. I must be doing something wrong, or maybe right, i guess it depends on your perspective. read more

A World Unto Itself. Not a place for people who wear suits -- or bozo types who give the thumbs up in all their photos. In order to love the LH you need to be Lower Haight. A true creatively charged neighborhood -- the real deal. Long live the Haight Fillmore! read more

Dirtiest, skankiest part of town. Also well known for shootings & stabbings. I think Molotovs bathroom is the eau d'lower haight. However, can't stay away from the beerporium and sauagemunde! read more

I wouldn't want to live in any other neighborhood in San Fancisco. I am always so proud when people ask me where I live and I can say "lower haight." I really don't find it that unsafe, being a young female I have never felt scared. I actually believe that the panhandlers are so much less aggressive in this part of town than those in any other district. The bars and eateries are really cool and unique. Each place in my neighborhood has it's own charm, and yes Im referring to their imperfections. I think Lower Haight is beautiful in a very urban, raw sort of way. I am really trying hard not to put other reviewers down while writing this, but I get so god damned defensive when people write shit about my neighborhood. Back off, punkass bitches! read more

If only the yuppies were still afraid.... I love the lower haight more than any other sf nabe. I wish it wasn't getting so frickin expensive! read more

Will always hold a place in my heart, but my new home is the Mission. Ya baby! It's always warmer in The Mission!

Car got broken into while parked for 1.5 hours on Steiner (xstreet Haight). Was there to have dinner at Indian Oven. Not a safe neighbourhood based on my experience. read more

I lived in the Lower Haight, well "Middle Haight", for the first 4 years of my stay here in SF. I LOVE IT! While I moved a whopping 5 blocks away to NOPA (I know I know...ridiculous what is considered a neighborhood in SF) I still find myself longing for the Lower Haight. There are countless places to eat. Thai? BBQ? Taquerias? Burgers? Coffee shops? Sanwhich shops? The list goes on and on. Beer? Cocktails? Take your freaking pick. From punk bars to the swanky RNM to the beer lovers paradise that is Toronado, there is something here for you. I have always said to myself that there are more DJ's per capita in the Lower Haight than any place on earth and all the record shops to feed their record shopping desires? Tatoos? Take your pick. Need a bong? You don't have to travel far. Oh shit...I need to get to an obscure part of town...not to worry...probably one of the most central locations in the city to get anywhere. Walking distance to NOPA, the horrendous Upper Haight., Da Castro, La Mission, Hayes Valley, and on and on and on. The best thing about the Lower Haight is that it truly has a little bit of everything for everybody. Whether you're a punk, a hipster, a yuppie, and everything inbetween there is something in the Lower Haight for you. Don't Haight...just go there and behold one of the most quirky neighborhoods in SF. read more