Neighbourhoods
North Beach: espresso, Beat history and Telegraph Hill
The back story
About North Beach: espresso, Beat history and Telegraph Hill
North Beach is the city’s old Italian quarter, the home of the Beat writers and a neighbourhood of espresso bars, bookshops and late-night bars below Telegraph Hill.
Columbus Avenue
Columbus Avenue cuts diagonally through the neighbourhood. City Lights Booksellers and Vesuvio sit on either side of Jack Kerouac Alley, and Caffe Trieste is round the corner on Vallejo Street. The Beat Museum on Broadway is closed for seismic retrofitting, with reopening expected in 2027.
Washington Square
Washington Square is the neighbourhood’s green heart, with Original Joe’s facing it and Club Fugazi, home of “Dear San Francisco”, nearby on Green Street.
In North Beach the day starts with an espresso and ends at the bar next to City Lights.
Telegraph Hill
Above it all rises Telegraph Hill and Coit Tower. Walk up from the square, or climb the Filbert Steps from the Embarcadero.
Our advice: come hungry in the evening, book a table on Green Street, and finish with a nightcap at Vesuvio.
Why it's on our list
- Columbus Avenue
- Washington Square
- Telegraph Hill
Opening hours, prices and seasonal openings change, so please check with North Beach: espresso, Beat history and Telegraph Hill before you go.