Local's guide to San Francisco's coolest neighbourhoods

Hayes Valley

San Francisco's 1989 earthquake damaged the Central Freeway so much that it was eventually torn down. The development attracted shops, bars and restaurants to the urban jumble around Hayes St, west of Van Ness. New greenspace along Octavia St added to the area's appeal. Now you can check out the shipping container food pop-ups at Octavia and Hayes or hop on a bike tour with Streets of San Francisco. Not far away, you can choose from events at the new SF Jazz Center ,or more traditional symphony, ballet or opera performances.

Hayes St shops tend to be very personal, with owners curating their favourite local and international designers. Catherine Chow and Corina Nurimba of Azalea Boutique are a perfect example. Their shop has a casual-chic mix of clothing and accessories for both men and women. Stock includes more than 100 styles of trend-setting jeans, T-shirts, fog-defying sweaters, and boots and flats that will conquer the city's hills. Helpful sales staff make for a fun shopping experience. If you're in the mood for a little pampering, there's also a nail bar.

One of the hottest restaurant reservations in town, Rich Table offers creative fare from husband/wife chefs Evan and Sarah Rich. The duo has an impressive pedigree, from Bouley in New York to top local spots, and they offer an ever-changing menu of stunning cuisine that is as surprising as it is satisfying. They specialise in unusual ingredient combinations that come together in wonderful ways. For example, their sardine chips--a slice of potato threaded through with a sardine and then fried. Or spring onion soup, with shrimp and green strawberries. Or bone-marrow roasted cauliflower with mandarinquats (a hybrid of mandarin and kumquat). Chances are, the odder it sounds the better it will taste, in the case of this menu.

Yes, there are actual rickshaws at Rickshaw Stop, a club in a former sound stage. They are just one element of the funky, yet fun décor that includes red velvet curtains, hanging lamps, candles and an eclectic collection of furniture. It comes together to make for an arty, indie hangout that plays host to live pop, rock and acoustic performances, release parties, the occasional comedy night (CollegeHumor.com's Jake & Amir, for example) and a monthly story slam. It's all perpetually cool.

The Mission District

Epicentre for all things trendy, the Mission District has deep Latino roots, including an original Spanish-era mission. Traditional taquerias and Mexican groceries can still be found, particularly along 24th St. But stroll Valencia St between 15th and 20th, and you'll find the latest shops, restaurants and bars. The party's spilling over onto Mission St, too, just a block to the east. Young chefs and entrepreneurs have been drawn to the Mission by lower rents and small storefronts that now host an eclectic buffet of offerings, from hipster Fellow Barber shop to bean-to-bar Dandelion Chocolates.

One of the Mission's hottest bars, Trick Dog, is operated by a trio of local mixology masters, the Bon Vivants, who shake up some of the best cocktails in town. The original drink menu was based on Pantone colours, then segued to cocktails represented by signs of the zodiac (Leo, for example, is Leblon Cachaça, Mandarine Napoleon, condensed milk, guava and stout, served over crushed ice). The food menu pairs perfectly, with modern takes on classic bar food: the house-made beef jerky is cured with Nectar IPA and served with horseradish crème fraîche; the Scotch egg is soft-boiled, with brandade, purple potato salad and romesco. Whatever you eat, don't miss the shatteringly crisp thrice-cooked fries. Join the crowd around the bar in this former warehouse space, or head to the mezzanine for table dining.

Viracocha is a chameleon of a space. You might pop in to buy a refurbished typewriter or to play a tune on one of the antique pianos. But you'll also find handmade furniture, vintage cameras, records and 'zines, letterpress greeting cards and the odd Japanese sculpture. There's a selection of clothing - some re-designed from vintage pieces - and a smattering of new accessories. For $10 a month, you're allowed to borrow books from their private lending library, curated by local editors, writers and booksellers. Downstairs is an underground performance space that has hosted poetry readings, folk singers and a brass band.

The Mission already has a bowling alley, but Urban Putt has upped the fun and games with the city's first indoor miniature golf course (opens 5 May). This being San Francisco, there are robotics, sly references to local icons (the Transamerica building has the obligatory windmill attached) and even a hole with a simulated earthquake. A musical hole includes a xylophone staircase, others feature motion-sensitive lights and Rube Goldberg gadgetry, like an Archimedes' screw. Above the 14-hole course, a restaurant offers comfort classics like burgers, poutine with duck confit and cornmeal-crust pizza. At course level, a slightly different menu focuses on snacks, such as fried green olives and skewers of chicken with waffles.

Mid-Market

Thanks to an influx of high-tech firms, the Mid-Market area of San Francisco is attracting new restaurants and watering holes. The neighbourhood stretches from 5th St to 10th St along Market St, the city's main downtown thoroughfare, and south a block to Mission St. Lured by tax incentives, companies including Twitter and Zendesk have added new life to this part of town, while restaurants like AQ and TBD pioneered the area. The former Furniture Mart that Twitter calls home will continue to evolve with restaurants and retail being built as well as condos going up next door.

The Cavalier is San Francisco's take on a hunting club, with décor that tends toward cushy, tufted booths lorded over by stuffed animal heads. It all seems to work, making The Cavalier an unusual cross-over scene for both the city's old guard and techie new guard. You'll find Welsh rarebit, fish and chips, and other British classics on the menu, but with a Californian twist. For example, devilled crab and rock shrimp are served with cucumber slices rather than with bread, and the rarebit is actually a soufflé. The bar offers easy-drinking Pimm's cups, rum punch and other classic cocktails. As the Cavalier is adjacent to Hotel Zetta, it serves all day, including breakfast.

Michelin two-star chef Daniel Patterson chose Mid-Market for his casual outpost Alta CA, which serves ingredient-driven Californian fare with some Eastern European influences. The space has an industrial feel, warmed up by rough wood pillars and retro-feel furniture. Towering metal shelving separates the dining room from the kitchen, but you can still check out the action by peeking around the plates, wines, books and various other knickknacks stored on the open shelves. Dishes to try include the beef tendon puffs and the cracked wheat porridge with hen of the wood mushrooms - or go a bit more traditional with house-made pastrami or a burger. The bar staff make tonics, syrups and bitters in-house, as well as barrel-aged cocktails. Alta CA is a welcome exception, open until 2am, unlike most restaurants in the city which close well before midnight.

Dogpatch

Located on the blocks surrounding Third St, roughly between Mariposa and Cesar Chavez streets, Dogpatch has a history of factories, warehouses and shipyards. Today, industrial buildings, like the American Can Company, are home to art studios and entrepreneurs. Old dive bars have been renovated and restaurants have moved into the area, partially drawn by the influx of housing and businesses to nearby Mission Bay. Companies like Rickshaw Bags, chocolatiers Poco Dolce and Recchiuti, Dogpatch WineWorks and French butcher Olivier add to the creative vibe.

By making the move to a former industrial space in Dogpatch, the San Francisco Museum of Craft and Design was able to increase exhibition space by 50%. One of the few US museums dedicated to contemporary craft and design, it doesn't have a permanent collection, but stages exhibitions around themes or individual artists. You might see the work of 10 artists who excel at cardboard sculpture or unusual pieces by conceptual metalsmith Jennifer Crupi. Past exhibitions have included jewellery, San Francisco graphic design and the design process of Herman Miller. The museum shop, once a loading dock, features unique, hand-made items.

Beloved Haight-Ashbury fixture Magnolia Pub & Brewing Company has also taken advantage of Dogpatch's industrial spaces to expand their brewing capacity and open Smokestack (opens 23 April), a new barbeque-oriented restaurant (check the bar's website for restaurant opening information). Executive chef Dennis Lee of popular modern Korean restaurant Namu Gaji is behind the menu, and you can expect a wide variety of craft brews from Brewmaster Dave McLean, topping the dozen usually on tap at their original pub. The look is similar to the original Magnolia, with a timeless "urban archeology" décor.

Russian Hill

One of San Francisco's older residential neighbourhoods - and home to the city's famed "Crookedest Street" - Russian Hill is undergoing a renaissance along its main thoroughfare, Polk St. New housing has brightened up lower Polk, and restaurateurs are adding new options to a scene that includes one of San Francisco's most venerable establishments, Swan Oyster Depot. Polk St is also one of locals' favourite streets for strolling and shopping, with a tempting assortment of boutiques and quirky shops.

Cutting-edge crafts and jewellery can be found at Velvet da Vinci, which takes its name from an old TV series. The gallery curates shows with both local and international artists, and on any given day you might find unique earrings, astonishing wire sculptures or enameled copper vessels. A favourite stop for museum curators and art world insiders, the gallery has gained a cult following with intriguing exhibitions, like the one titled "Anti-War Medals". Many of the sales staff are craftspeople themselves, and take pleasure in explaining the techniques behind the pieces on display.

The owners of Michelin-starred Acquerello have launched a more casual Russian Hill spot, 1760 (named for its address--not colonial-era food), with their son, sommelier Gianpaolo Paterlini, at the helm. Paterlini heads up an interesting Italian- and French-focused wine programme, and also creates special events including Grower Champagne Mondays. The menu is set up for sharing, with a bounty of eclectic small plates and pastas, though items like beef short ribs and a fried duck sandwich should satisfy bigger appetites. The modern, subdued décor attracts a young crowd, but the dining room buzz means you might be shouting to your table companion rather than whispering sweet nothings.

Gayle Keck is an award-winning travel and food writer living in San Francisco