Mission Bay has been in the works for years, but the energy really shifted once two stadiums arrived. Now places like Mission Rock are bringing people from across the city to its trails, bike paths and waterways.

Mission Rock

Many people think about San Francisco in two ways. There’s the postcard hills of cable cars and Victorians, and the startup-fueled SoMa of the 2010s. Mission Bay is becoming version three. Built on old rail yards and warehouses under I-80, this 300-acre waterfront district is emerging as one of the most interesting places in the city to sleep, eat, and explore on foot or by bike.

Mission Bay has been in the works for years, but the energy really shifted once two stadiums arrived: Oracle Park to the north and Chase Center to the south. Then came Thrive City, the 11-acre complex wrapped around the Warriors’ arena, packed with restaurants, retail, and year-round programming like outdoor concerts, yoga, and farmers’ markets. It’s even less foggy than other parts of the city.

When I was visiting family last month, I spent time exploring this new-to-me neighborhood and was wowed by how shiny and new it all feels—while still coming across like a San Francisco secret.

Where to Stay in Mission Bay

Opened in 2022 with 299 rooms, Luma was the neighborhood’s inaugural hotel and has since been named TripAdvisor’s #1 “Hottest New Hotel” in the U.S.

Luma Hotel

Luma Hotel San Francisco is the first and still-defining hotel in Mission Bay. Opened in 2022 with 299 rooms, it was the neighborhood’s inaugural hospitality development and in 2023 was named TripAdvisor’s #1 “Hottest New Hotel” in the U.S.—a rebuttal to all that “doom loop” hand-wringing post-pandemic.

Luma’s glassy exterior glows at night thanks to large-scale light installations by San Francisco artist Jim Campbell, whose LED sculpture rises 32 feet through the lobby. Inside, the feel is “San Francisco lab meets art gallery”: smart-tech rooms with remote-controlled blinds and huge windows, a GLOW FIT gym with high-end FORME systems, and a lobby bodega and coffee bar pouring local Sightglass Coffee. One and two bedroom suites have sweeping views of the city, and a fleet of robots is on call to deliver room service or an extra pillow.

Upstairs at the signature restaurant, Cavaña, the menu leans pan-Latin: think pisco-based spritzes, agave-driven cocktails, and small plates inspired by Peru, Venezuela, and Mexico—ceviches, yucca-fries, guacamole.

When Mission Bay Got Cool

Spark Social SF is a massive outdoor food-truck park in the heart of Mission Bay with a rotating truck cluster of 200 vendors cycling through.

Spark Social

As far back as the early 2000s, Mission Bay was considered “up-and-coming” but never quite up-and-came. UCSF’s gleaming research campus and a cluster of biotech labs were busy by day, but ghostly at night. It took the launch of Chase Center (and the Warriors’ move from Oakland) in 2019 to really crystallize the shift: suddenly the same blocks that once stored boxcars were hosting sold-out NBA games, arena rock shows, and crowds pouring into new restaurants, plazas, and waterfront paths.

Mission Bay is one of the rare San Francisco neighborhoods planned from scratch, which means the sidewalks are wide, the bike lanes connect, and the waterfront paths don’t drift into oblivion. It’s now one of the city’s most walkable districts, with bay views, parks, and dining all within a short stroll.

From Luma’s front door at Third and Channel, you can walk two short blocks to Oracle Park for a Giants game, or ten minutes south to Chase Center for the Warriors or Golden State Valkyries. At Mission Creek Park, the Bay Trail is flat and easy for a casual bike ride. On warmer days, it’s nice to kayak or paddleboard from nearby Mission Creek or South Beach. There’s no better time to do that than on Giants game day, when McCovey Cove becomes a landing zone for home-run balls.

Families and groups should block out an evening at Spark Social SF, the massive outdoor food-truck park in the heart of Mission Bay. It’s a rotating truck cluster (200 vendors cycle through), with a beer and sangria garden, mini golf at Stagecoach Greens, and occasional spray-paint workshops with local artists. It’s basically a happy button for adults and kids both.

Eating (And Drinking) Your Way Through Mission Bay

Around Thrive City, you can build an entire night out without stepping inside one of the arenas. You’ll see people grabbing dumplings at Dumpling Time, a slice at Che Fico Pizzeria, burgers and shakes at Gott’s Roadside, or a splurging on a steak at Miller & Lux. The enormous Splash at Thrive City functions as a 30,000-square-foot sports bar for big games.

Just across the Third Street Bridge, the Mission Rock development has turned into a full-blown culinary scene. There’s Flour + Water Pizzeria and Arsicault Bakery (the croissant that people line up for), a new Blue Bottle Coffee outpost, and a waterfront taproom from Berkeley-based Fieldwork Brewing that partners with the Giants on co-branded beers and promo nights. Quik Dog is a fast-casual burger and hot-dog offspring of award-winning bar Trick Dog.

Within Mission Bay proper, you can bounce from House of Tadu Ethiopian Kitchen to Flour + Water Pizza Shop’s Mission Bay location. Atwater Tavern is a buzzy bar right on the waterfront. Via Aurelia is an elevated Tuscan restaurant on the edge of China Basin Park.

Mission Bay is clearly settling into itself. You might think the Waymo is lost as it winds its way there. But once you’re on 3rd Street, with restaurants and public spaces finally humming at full power, you’ll feel the “there” of it all. I say, check it out now, before everyone else figures out what locals are just starting to discover.

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