San Francisco Off the Beaten Path Tips by Parklife

Everyone knows about Chinatown, North Beach, Japantown, etc.. But San Francisco also has a small French Quarter. Located on Belden Ave and another small street nearby, the French Quarter is a collection of restaurants and bars representing mostly french but include other european countries. Plouf, Cafe Bastille, Cafe de la Presse, all places to check out a good meal.

In town on Bastille Day?? There is always a street festival with DJs all day, drink and food vending outside of the restaurants and lots of international characters packed into a couple of locations.

When looking at the entrance to Chinatown (the main gates), simply turn right on Bush and walk down the street a block. Belden Place is on your left. There is another smaller street off to the right anchored by Cafe Claude.

Leave a Comment

I'm not sure how off the beaten path this place is but I'm sure it doesn't get the lip-service or traffic that the more recognizable Vesuvio's attracts on the main drag through North Beach. But if you want as much history, check out Cafe Trieste just up the road from Vesuvio's on the corner of Grant and Vallejo.

This was supposedly Kerouac's favorite haunt and served many of San Francisco's most famous bohemians.

For a special treat, visit on a Saturday night when the owners of the cafe collect and sing traditional opera songs out of the corner of teh cafe.

Leave a Comment

Website: www.cafetrieste.com

The Church of John Coltrane is a small community church dedicated to spreading the gospel by virtue of the music of John Coltrane.

You think i'm kidding?? I'm not.

If you're in town on a Sunday, be sure to walk by the place and take some time to listen to the services. This is a San Francisco treasure to be sure.

If you're using an old guidebook, please be aware that the church was evicted from its home of 30-yrs and is now located at 930 Gough St.

Leave a Comment