Cole Valley Part 3: Village Vibes and Modern Day Magic

Welcome to our series exploring San Francisco’s rich and diverse neighborhoods.
There are nearly ninety of them, each with its own story to tell. Every week, we highlight a different corner of The City, diving into its history, how it’s evolved, and the local nooks and crannies worth exploring. Our goal is to celebrate the neighborhoods that shaped this city we love—and the people and stories that continue to make it what it is today.

You’ve reached the finale of our Cole Valley series.

Tucked between the Haight and the Inner Sunset, Cole Valley has always had a way of feeling both timeless and alive. What began as windswept dunes and streetcar suburbs grew into a creative refuge in the 1960s—and today, it’s one of those rare San Francisco neighborhoods that still feels like a small town inside The City.

Here, the past hums quietly beneath the surface. The N-Judah streetcar still rattles through, fog drifts over the hills like an old friend, and neighbors greet each other by name at the corner cafés. It’s a place where old-world character and everyday life coexist effortlessly, where the rhythm of The City slows just enough to catch your breath.

Locals linger at some of San Francisco’s most beloved small businesses:

Zazie, for a classic brunch on its leafy back patio, where weekend mornings fill with laughter and the smell of brioche French toast.

The Ice Cream Bar, a 1930s-style soda fountain serving root beer floats and malteds that taste like pure nostalgia. Step inside and it feels like time never quite caught up.

Cole Valley Tavern, a cozy neighborhood favorite with deep roots. Before becoming Cole Valley Tavern, the space was home to Kezar Bar & Restaurant for decades—and further back, Bradley’s Corner. In earlier days, it also served as a welcoming gay bar, giving this corner a lasting reputation as one of the city’s friendliest watering holes.

And just up the street, Finnegans Wake, with its own layered story. Before Finnegans opened here in 1989, this location housed Maud’s, San Francisco’s first lesbian bar—founded in 1966 by activist Rikki Streicher. Today, Finnegans carries that legacy forward with pool tables, a lively back patio, and that unmistakable neighborhood-bar comfort that feels like home.

Cole Valley’s magic is in the mix: Victorian history, a brush with counterculture, and the warmth of a modern village. Stand at the corner of Cole and Carl as the evening fog rolls in, and you can feel every layer—past and present—woven together in this quiet, unforgettable pocket of San Francisco.

Next week, we’ll head just a few blocks east to Haight-Ashbury, the heart of San Francisco’s 1960s counterculture. Once ground zero for a revolution in art, music, and free love, it’s a neighborhood that still pulses with creative spirit. Come wander with us as we explore where the Summer of Love began and the stories that still echo through its colorful streets.