by Randy Shaw on May 26, 2026 (BeyondChron.org)
Promoting the Tenderloin’s Revival
The Tenderloin’s sidewalk drug activities are finally declining. Stores that were fronts for illegal activities have been closed. Long troubled blocks have been cleared. Problems remain, but unfairly negative perceptions of the Tenderloin are slowing the neighborhood’s revival.
The Tenderloin has much to offer. Those who want to support San Francisco’s largest remaining low-income and working-class neighborhood, the one with the most children and with the greatest ethnic diversity, need to give visiting the Tenderloin another chance.
Here’s some of what you will find in the Tenderloin.
The City’s Largest Residential Historic District
The Tenderloin is a national Historic District. It has 409 buildings on the National Register of Historic Places. Roughly 100 of these buildings covering 33 blocks have plaques detailing their history.
There are also nine “Lost Landmark” plaques on sidewalks. They highlight places like the Compton’s Cafeteria and Blackhawk Jazz Club, which are no longer with us (the must-see Compton’s Cafeteria Riot play at 835 Larkin brings back that legendary 1966 event).
The Tenderloin was likely the nation’s first apartment and hotel district. It’s primarily composed of large buildings. It’s only single family home was built in the 1960’s.
You can learn about the neighborhood’s extraordinary history by visiting the Tenderloin Museum. The museum was an outgrowth of my research into the Tenderloin’s lost history; that history is fully displayed in my book, The Tenderloin: Sex, Crime and Resistance in the Heart of San Francisco. It’s got over 125 photos.
In addition to its permanent exhibitions the museum has evening programing and events. Check out what’s happening on the museum’s website. You can buy tickets there for the acclaimed Compton’s play.
The museum also offers guided walking tours. The tours bring Tenderloin history to life. They also enable visitors to see many of the Tenderloin’s unique murals; only the Mission rivals the Tenderloin for its public artwork (a huge new mural funded by Chris Larsen’s $5 million donation to revive Larkin Street was just completed at Golden Gate and Larkin).
The Tenderloin Museum is about to triple in size. A new exhibition is planned on the Cadillac Hotel’s legendary Newman’s Gym, where Muhammed Ali, George Foreman and other famous boxers trained. Another exhibition will highlight the Tenderloin’s role in helping Indian-American hotel owners build the national hotel industry.
The museum will also feature what will be the city’s largest public collection of historic neon signs. If you visit at night you will many throughout the Tenderloin. The neon sign pictured above replaces one at the same site in the 1940’s and 50’s.
Try the Tenderloin: Its Delicious
The Tenderloin has long been a neighborhood of restaurants, bars and entertainment venues. Some bars closed during but Aunt Charlies Lounge, the Nite Cap Bar, Cinnabar. Bourbon & Branch, The Zombie Village, and Emperor Norton’s BoozeLand remain.
The Tenderloin’s Black Cat Jazz Supper Club remains one of the city’s preeminent jazz venues. CounterPulse and its 115-seat theater has a long history of experimental art.
The monthly Thursday Art Walks are great way to capture the Tenderloin and adjacent Lower Polk’s current art spaces.
Tenderloin dining spots reflect the neighborhood’s ethnic diversity. I can’t list all the great Tenderloin restaurants but Son and Garden, Azalina’s, Brenda’s French Soul Food, and Out of Sight Pizza are all worth a trip to enjoy.
Out of Sight Pizza will soon open a dive bar with top quality bar food at the corner of Turk and Larkin. It’s being named Reggie and Maude’s, after Tenderloin madams Reggie Gamble and Maude Spencer, whose historic 1917 sex workers’ campaign is discussed in my book.
Saigon Sandwich continues to have long lines. L & G Vietnamese Sandwich Restaurant is one of Mayor Lurie’s go-to lunch spots in the Tenderloin.
A great Chinese restaurant is Hai Ky Mi Gia, “San Francisco’s Mom and Pop Noodle House.” It’s in the heart of Little Saigon at Larkin and Ellis.
Yemini brings out the cuisine of the Tenderloin’s Yeminese population. Sungho enables diners to experience the traditional Korean gukbap. Sai Jai Thai has been serving authentic Thai food in the Tenderloin since 1997. Chao Pescao offers Cuban-Colombian dining.
Bodega has a storied history. Caleb Zigas, who went on to found La Cocina, wrote a restaurant review for Beyond Chron in 2004, soon after the original Bodega Bistro opened in Little Saigon. Now on Mason, Bodega is run by the son of the prior owner.
One of my personal favorites is Kinara Fusion Kitchen at Geary and Jones. It specializes in creative Indian fusion dishes. Its around the corner from two popular Indian restaurants, Shalimar—a favorite of D5 Supervisor Bilal Mahmood—and Chutney. On the same block as these two is the acclaimed Ox & Tiger, a Filipino and Japanese inspired pop up. Also nearby is Cantoo, a popular Latin Asian restaurant
Try these restaurants. They are delicious!
The next time you attend the Golden Gate Theater, the Warfield or the Orpheum, consider dining at one of the Tenderloin’s top restaurants before or after.
Become Part of the Solution
The Tenderloin cannot revive without more positive foot traffic. You can help make this happen by patronizing neighborhood venues. Think about it: Where else can you do a social good by eating a great meal or enjoying a festive bar?
The more people who come to eat or drink, the more people will follow.
That’s why sharing positive experiences about the Tenderloin is so helpful. If you on social media, when you have a positive Tenderloin experience, post about it.
Many already post Instagram videos rebuffing negative stereotypes about the Tenderloin. Check out this Instagram post from Darian Anthony. These posts can make a huge difference, particularly in attracting young people to the neighborhood.
If you’re social media inclined, you can also post your video on Instagram at visittenderloin (www.visittenderloin.com)
The Tenderloin was on the rise when Covid hit. Its brand has since been badly hurt by increased drug activities. The Tenderloin’s reputation can only be restored if people give the neighborhood a fresh look.
The Tenderloin has always been a gritty neighborhood. Even during its many decades as one of the city’s most prosperous neighborhoods, it has never been for everyone.
The summer is a great time to visit. You’ll be glad you did.
Randy Shaw
Randy Shaw is the Editor of Beyond Chron and the Director of San Francisco’s Tenderloin Housing Clinic, which publishes Beyond Chron. Shaw’s new book is the revised and updated, The Tenderloin: Sex, Crime and Resistance in the Heart of San Francisco. His prior books include Generation Priced Out: Who Gets to Live in the New Urban America. The Activist’s Handbook: Winning Social Change in the 21st Century, and Beyond the Fields: Cesar Chavez, the UFW and the Struggle for Justice in the 21st Century.
