Mission Terrace and Japantown see bump in restaurant visits, while SoMa's scene reigns supreme

By Hoodline
Tuesday, April 9th, 2019 4:46PM
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When it comes to variety and volume of local restaurants, San Francisco is no slouch. But which neighborhoods are winning the foot traffic war, and which up-and-comers are making the most headway in attracting diners? 

Hoodline analyzed data from SafeGraph, a dataset of commercial points of interest and their visitor patterns, to find out which neighborhoods have seen the highest volume and biggest percent change in foot traffic from January to February. 

Overall, SoMa continued to lead the pack in terms of attracting visitors to neighborhood eateries, with more than 70,000 visits to food and drink spots recorded in February, according to SafeGraph data. Meanwhile, Mission Terrace and Japantown each saw an upward trend in foot traffic to neighborhood restaurants, with greater than 6% growth in visits from January to February. 

Oasis Grill was one of the SoMa's highest-traffic dining spots in February, according to SafeGraph. Located at 200 Fourth St. (at Howard), the Mediterranean restaurant offers a menu of falafel, gyros, salads and shish kebabs, and caters to a strong lunch crowd.  

Though not typically considered a top foodie destination, Mission Terrace attracts the most foot traffic from residents of Excelsior and Bayview. Where are hungry visitors heading? According to SafeGraph data, Aloha BBQ and Taqueria Vallarta attracted the most traffic in the neighborhood in February. 

Located at 4935 Mission St. (at France Avenue), Aloha BBQ serves casual Hawaiian fare, from Spam musubi to Hawaiian barbecue to Kalua pork and more. Taqueria Vallarta, situated at 4697 Mission St. (at Persia Avenue), offers a classic menu of Mexican dishes, from tacos and burritos to enchiladas and tamales.  

Another trending neighborhood, Japantown, attracted 6.1% more restaurant foot traffic in February than in the previous month. One of the most-visited dining spots in the neighborhood was Benihana. Located at 1737 Post St. (at Webster), it's the SF outpost of the crowd-pleasing teppanyaki mega-chain that currently boasts over 80 locations worldwide. 

On the Bridge, located inside the Japan Center mall at 1581 Webster St., also saw among the highest visits in the neighborhood. It offers dishes such as katsu curry, Japanese seafood spaghetti, udon noodles and more.  

While SoMa is a hotspot for restaurant foot traffic, SoMa residents also loved to eat at North Beach restaurants in February, according to SafeGraph data. 

Tenderloin residents tended to visit the downtown/Union Square area to eat in February, and Tenderloin and SoMa coffeeholics visited Civic Center coffee shops the most.

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