Overview
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Sandwiched between Cow Hollow, the Marina, North Beach, and Nob Hill, this hood is in close proximity to an impressive assortment of bars, restaurants, and services in surrounding areas, and also offers many of its own on Polk St., the main drag. Hyde St. also boasts a range of services between Union and Jackson Sts.
Stately single-family homes stand alongside older-style apartments gracing the streets here, and buildings are packed closely together. If you're looking for more space and a yard, Russian Hill is not an ideal place to live. The neighborhood is very quiet save for the Hyde Street cable car and a handful of bar-goers making their way home from Polk St. after last call.
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I love this spot minus the hills.I have to be honest folks. They call it Russian hill for a reason, trying to conquer Filbert or Union street after a night in the Marina or North Beach is like Sly going twelve rounds with Dolph in Rocky IV.If you're the "Marina" or "North beach" type (you'll discover this quickly) Russian hill will fit for you as well. With its shops and eateries this community gives you a clean-cut, green energy feeling with a mix of a little suburbia in the city.Be prepared to support this lifestyle. To quote a friend,"You either have the money to live here or need to save up the money to live here."
Russian Hill performs an impressive balancing act, both literally and figuratively. Straddling the hilly border between North Beach and the Marina, it draws a diverse crowd to its many bars/ restaurants and burns the quadriceps in the process.The Marina is sacked with the ill-tasting reputation of douchebaggery from both genders: Girls with too much money, and dudes who still think steroids are cool. There are, of course, many exceptions who constitute a silent (yet preppy) majority, but prevalent are the few.To the east, Russian Hill looks down its sloping facade to North Beach. Lined with Italian restaurants and collegiate drawing Irish bars, it is a flavorful departure from the waterfront Marina.Russian Hill is chocked full of sports bars, wine hangouts, and different types of tasty food. Nick's Crispy Tacos attracts Haight hippies as typically as Marina dwellers, making the line an always-interesting experience. Polk Street offers a diverse lineup that is made only moreso by its variable cast of characters, making it a never boring street in a buzzing neighborhood. Two thumbs up.
Russian Hill is a great place to live if you are a young professional looking to get a step away from the party scene of the Marina. If you are still looking to go out, both the Marina and North Beach are within walking distance. Russian Hill is safe, has incredible restaurants, and a great neighborhood for young professionals and adults who want to enjoy the city. On the downside, it is expensive, there are a lack of good ethic restaurants, no vibrant bars, not very walkable, and no music scene.
I lived in Cow Hollow for 10 years, so I got the best of all worlds right outside my doorstep. Union, Chestnut, Fillmore, and Polk Streets were all within walking distance of my seriously rent-controlled one-bedroom. My favorite hood of all of these was Russian Hill, and I still enjoy it despite now being priced out of the rental market here. There's an interesting thing happening on Polk Street. Despite a yuppie influence, the neighborhood has managed to retain its funky old charm, and is reminiscent of a San Francisco before all the money moved in. Don't miss the chicken rice porridge at Aux Delices (the Vietnamese know how to cure colds!), the chicken tikka masala at Shalimar, or a frosty cold one at Shanghai Kelly's.
Today Russian Hill consists mainly of a mix of high-income young professionals and wealthy older adults. While the area does lack the culture and diversity of funkier SF hoods, some residents here might just surprise you. This area once hosted a small gay population, and while nothing like the Castro, remnants of those days linger in the handful of gay bars farther south on Polk St.
Its not bad.
The social scene in Russian Hill is on the relaxed side and does not have the vibrant bar scene that the Mission or other seedier neighborhoods have to offer. Overall this is a pretty calm area offering a decent mix of bars, cafes, and restaurants. It's a good place for a low-key pub crawl, as various bars are within a stone's throw of each other, but the scene is definitely more local. Residents wander over to Polk with their friends to grab a beer and a bite, or linger over a bottle of wine and some good conversation.
Polk St. is where you'll find the main action, running south from Union St. until about Bush St., and butting up with Nob Hill. Once south of Bush, you're venturing into Polk Gulch and the Tendernob, where the atmosphere turns noticeably seedier.
Restaurants on Polk run from old stalwarts like the truly high-end La Folie to more casual hip places like Rex Cafe and Street. For Mediterrean/European, try Zarzuela (Spanish tapas) or Antica Trattoria (Italian). For Asian, consider favorites like Thai Spice, Aux Delices (Vietnamese), and Tai Chi (Chinese). A few blocks up the hill to the east, you'll find a sprinkling of tasty eats on Hyde St., including Za Pizza, the more elegant Frascati, and Swensen's homemade ice cream.
- Rouge club can get a bit dodgy but plays good hip-hop.
- The Red Devil Lounge offers an interesting mix of live music with a cool atmosphere.
- Tonic's loungy vibe makes it a great last-call stop. There's a good mix of music, and free gummy bears don't hurt. Its sister bar is Blur in the TenderNob.
- The Royal Oak, a la '70s fern bar, has cool couches to chill on while you chat. Loud on the weekends, more mellow mid-week.
Bars/Pubs
- The Buccaneer (The Bucc to locals) is a solid bet, with a very friendly 25-35-year-old crowd.
- Greens is the sports bar of choice and is often packed on big game days.
- Shanghai Kelly's is a divey Irish pub, but it's more SF than Dublin these days.
Russian Hill is probably one of the priciest neighborhoods in the city. The area is filled with gorgeous Edwardians, single-family homes, and impressive views from many locations. Most of the buildings are old-style, and all that history and oozing charm comes with a hefty price tag.
You can expect to pay on average around $2,200-2,800 for a one-bedroom. Two-bedroom apartments start around $3,500 and skyrocket from there. Street parking is very difficult, and garage is very expensive ($300 a month). For the price, you pay for safety, location, and views. If you want quality, space, and do not mind living in a seedier neighborhoods, try looking further south or west.
Russian Hill is conveniently located near the Financial District and North Beach. If you work either, you can comfortably walk or take the MUNI to either. Russian Hill is served by several Muni lines and the Powell-Hyde line cable car. The 41 and 45 buses run along Union St. up and over the hill to North Beach and downtown. (Note: The 41 only runs weekday mornings and afternoons and services the Financial District; the 45 services Union Square and SoMa.) The 19 bus runs down Polk St. from the waterfront as far south as India Basin and the shipyards. The 12 and 27 buses run on Pacific St. and Jackson/Washington Sts. respectively, taking you downtown, and to SoMa and the Mission.
If you own a car, parking is very difficult with limited street parking available; spots always seem to be taken here, especially after 5pm when folks return home from work. Unless you get parking in your building (where you'll still pay a premium for it), you can expect to pay upwards of $300 a month for a garage parking spot, which are few and far between.
Moving into Russian Hill is very competitive, so if you do find a reasonable deal, be prepared to sign immediately. On-site parking would be more critical than on-site laundry, due to the fact that laundromats probably outnumber legal places to leave your car in this area.
If you're noise-sensitive, avoid Hyde St. unless you find the clanging of cable car bells charming when you're trying to fall asleep. The noise from cars driving over the cable car plates/tracks in the street can also contribute.
The 41 and 45 bus lines running up and down Union St. are electric trolleys, so they'll be less noisy than their motorized counterparts that run along Polk, Pacific, Jackson, Washington, Hyde, and Leavenworth.
Be wary of apartments near the Broadway Tunnel, which could be noisy depending on time of day.
This neighborhood is average for pets, but its hilly sections could pose a few problems for older pooches (or their owners, for that matter) out for an easy stroll.
There are not many parks in the area, because of the steepness of the hills and the high demand for land. Here are some spots to consider (they don't really qualify as parks):
- East of Larkin St. between Greenwich and Lombard (take the steps up Greenwich and follow the trails). Don't be tempted by the tennis courts here, as letting your dog play fetch between the fences isn't usually allowed on city courts.
- Along Bay St. between Larkin and Hyde. (WARNING: This is a dangerous area for off-leash romps, as the traffic on Bay is almost always congested and moving at a clip.)
- Fort Mason at Bay and Octavia, a good bet if you live in the north end of the hood or don't mind a longer stroll to get there and back.
If you're looking for a wild party scene, Russian Hill isn't it, but it does have a decent supply of bars, lounges, and restaurants to keep your tastebuds happy. Just down the east side of the hill, you can get your fill of laughs at Cobb's Comedy Club in neighboring North Beach. If movies are your thing, the AMC Van Ness theaters are fairly walkable (Van Ness at O'Farrell) and offer multiple screens.
You can shoot hoops or lob a few tennis balls at the small hilltop park on Hyde between Lombard and Greenwich. The view's not too shabby up there, but watch out when the wind's up, as it can really affect the quality of your game. There's more basketball, tennis, and a small playground on Broadway at Larkin as well.
Russian Hill is home to what's been billed as the crookedest street in the world, Lombard St.. The curvy part starts at Hyde St. and makes for a unique quirky drive when hosting out-of-town guests. It's also a scenic way to walk down to neighboring North Beach.
Fort Mason isn't too far away, so consider a walk down here for great Golden Gate Bridge views and fresh sea air.
Polk and Hyde are Russian Hill's main streets. While Polk is the busier of the two, Hyde offers a nice alternative to its more heavily trafficked partner, and at times you might even forget you're in the city if you linger up here for a while. Thick trees line a several-block strip of Hyde between Union and Vallejo, and the feeling is almost suburban.
Avoid any of the streets around Lombard's crooked section during summer weekends. Foreign tourists flock here in droves in rental cars (as do more local out-of-towners on a fun day out in the city), and it's not unusual for the backup to stretch all the way down to busy Van Ness Ave. DPT will usually have traffic cops at the top of the hill to keep the flow manageable and to prevent any fist fights. (Tip: If you simply can't wait to drive the crookedest street on that awesome sunny Saturday, approach it from either direction on Hyde, where the lines tend to be shorter and you're not stuck burning your clutch out on western Lombard's hilly sections.
Making a large shopping run here will be difficult without a car. Real Foods on Polk offers specialty and organic/natural products, but it's by no means cheap. There are a few other small indy markets along this strip as well, along with the Big Apple discount market further south. If you're at the south end of the hood, consider Whole Foods Market at Franklin and California (Pacific Heights), and Cala Foods at California and Hyde (Nob Hill). A drive over the hill to Trader Joes or Safeway in North Beach (both at Bay and Mason) are best bets for those with wheels and on a budget.
Several big banks have ATMs on Polk. While you might find a branch scattered about, your best bet is to head over to Van Ness Ave. if you need to do business with a live person.
There's no post office in Russian Hill proper. The closest branches are on Pine between Polk and Larkin, and on Lombard between Fillmore and Webster.
There's no shortage of dry cleaners in the hood, and if you're among the unlucky many without a washer/dryer in your building, one of the city's best laundromats is the Missing Sock on Hyde near Union.
Crunch Fitness on Polk between Union and Green is the best place to pump iron in the hood, occupying the former Alhambra movie theater. 24 Hour Fitness has several locations in the Marina and North Beach that would be your next best bets.
Those with enough money might find Russian Hill a great place to raise kids, despite its lack of big parks, open spaces, and all those hills making stroller-pushing a serious feat.
The San Francisco Art Institute has its main campus here on Chestnut between Jones and Leavenworth, on a quiet tree-lined strip not far from the hustle and bustle of crooked Lombard St.'s terminus.
Russian Hill is one of the safer neighborhoods in the city, and it's bordered by other nice neighborhoods (Marina, North Beach, Nob Hill). It's relatively safe to walk around here at anytime, as long as you pay attention to where Russian Hill ends, and where Polk Gulch and The Tendernob begin. The Tenderloin is one of the more dangerous areas in the city and runs just south of Nob Hill.
