West Portal

Tucked away in southwestern San Francisco in the shadow of the iconic Sutro Tower, the small West Portal neighborhood appeals to families who seek a quiet atmosphere without sacrificing the conveniences of urban living.westportal

Surrounded by the southern portion of the Inner Sunset, Forest Hill, and Saint Francis Wood, West Portal is much more accessible than many of the city’s other outlying neighborhoods, thanks to plentiful public transportation. The K-Ingleside, L-Taraval, and M-Ocean View light rail trains run through the West Portal Station and hit all major downtown stops and BART stations.

Those who commute by car to Silicon Valley can access Interstate 280 via a short drive on nearby 19th Avenue. Car owners will also appreciate West Portal’s relatively plentiful street parking, a rarity in much of San Francisco.

Although West Portal is a largely residential area with mostly single-family homes, it has a walkable strip of restaurants and shops that rivals those found in more centrally located San Francisco neighborhoods. Walk Score, an online service that ranks neighborhoods based on amenities within a quarter-mile distance, gives West Portal an impressive walkability score of 89 on a scale of 100.

West Portal Avenue is the neighborhood’s main promenade and home to an assortment of mostly mom-and-pop establishments, although you will find a Walgreen’s pharmacy and a Starbucks. True to San Francisco form, the neighborhood’s eateries serve an assorted mix of cuisines; standouts include new Italian spot Trattoria Da Vittorio, Peruvian establishment Fresca, and Greek restaurant Orexi.

Those who want to grab a nightcap after dinner can do so at the Dubliner or the Philosopher’s Club, two well-known neighborhood taverns, or the Que Syrah wine bar.

Shoppers will also find almost everything they need along West Portal Avenue, including dedicated stores for books, toys, CDs, hardware, clothing, and flowers. The neighborhood has several smaller grocery stores, as well as its own movie theater.

Homebuyers with children are no doubt attracted to West Portal because of the high-quality public and private schools, but the neighborhood’s large homes; spacious yards; and tranquil, suburban feel are also big selling points.

Families will also appreciate the fact that West Portal has its own playground and library, both just around the corner from the Muni station. Larger parks, including Pine Line Park and Sigmund Stern Grove, are a short stroll away. The latter hosts a summer live-music series, with free shows every Sunday from June through August.

According to MLS data, the median single-family home price in San Francisco’s District 4, which includes West Portal, was $1,012,000 in October 2013, 9 percent above prices in the city overall. After hitting its yearly peak in August and September, the months’ supply of inventory (MSI) in District 4 fell to 1.4 in October, nearly identical to the citywide MSI of 1.5.

Buyers in District 4 have been paying more than asking prices since February, sometimes as much as 12 percent more. In October, buyers in that part of San Francisco paid 7.5 percent above initial price, an increase of 4.5 percent from the previous month.

West Portal is a pretty sweet neighborhood. It's really close to Golden Gate Park and pretty close to the bustling parts of the city via public transport. But, it's far enough that it's not being blasted with traffic, noise and tourists. It's largely affluent and there aren't a lot of renters in West Portal. But, it's mostly single family homes so that kind of makes sense. The homes in this neighborhood are very San Francisco to me. They are taller than they are wide, seemingly stacked on top of each other and a lot of them are really funky, color - wise. People really had a field day with their house colors in the '60's, huh? I always remember thinking when I was little and would pass through neighborhoods like these, "wait, well off people live in those houses?" They don't look very impressive from the outside but they are hardly cheap.
West Portal is, in a lot of ways, the town that time forgot. A lot of people think it has a village feel to it; but, I think it's more like a small town. There are a lot of mom and pop shops (which is rare in big, American cities) and some of the stores have absolutely baffled me in their ability to stay in business. There are a lot of families in this neighborhood which makes it pretty sleepy at night. And, though it is central to pretty much everything, public transport isn't abounding so from what I understand, you should have a car if you want to live here. But, if you can afford to live here, you probably already have one . . or two.

If you take any of the underground muni trains down Market, you spend a lot of time underground and start to wonder what makes this any different from a New York subway. Then, POOF, the tunnel opens and you’re staring down a beautiful shopping street out past the twists and turns of the Twin Peaks.

There are a lot of reasons to come out to West Portal for an afternoon. It’s got awesome restaurants, like a Squat & Gobble and a Tuttimelon. The Village Grill always gets rave reviews. And the Roti Indian Bistro and the Bursa Mediterranean restaurant are fan favorites, too. Take a pit stop at the Portal’s Tavern for a refresher. And never leave the Portal without stopping at Ambassador Toys to check out all the great games they’ve got available. Need more reason to stop by? There’s a movie theater right along the main strip, and up the road a couple blocks is a great San Francisco library branch.

Being in West Portal feels like being in a brand new city. The pace is slower, the South Basin (in the daytime) makes the trip worth it. Same deal with Candlestick Point State Recreation Area: definitely take a look. And Visitacion Valley and Crocker-Amazon are both worth stroll-throughs if you’ve got nothing better to do.

To acquaint yourself with the best and worst of San Francisco weather (sometimes on the same day), go to West Portal. The neighborhood sits astride one of the city's worst “fog corridors”—gaps in the hills between the bay and the mist machine of the Pacific Ocean. On a summer morning, especially after a calm night, the sky can be a brilliant blue, the sun warm on your neck, the cool air redolent of the sea and pine and eucalyptus. A few hours later, however, in the late afternoon and early evening, with the wind and wet fog blasting through, it can feel like the Arctic. Longtime residents of this neighborhood nestled between Twin Peaks and Mount Davidson have become accustomed to the meteorological flip-flops, and they have even learned to grow some of the most well-tended gardens and lawns in the city here.

“Lawns.” It has a nice, calm, neighborhood sound. And that’s pretty much what West Portal represents: a sedate, quiet area of single-family houses, many with front and back yards and the outward signs of proud ownership: good paint jobs, tidy landscaping, clean sidewalks. It’s not quite “Leave It to Beaver,” but in a 21st-century cosmopolitan city, it’s as close as you’ll likely get.

This is another example of a neighborhood that simply would not be the same without public transportation. Were it not for the tunnel (bored through Twin Peaks in 1918) that now carries the MUNI subway here (where the “trains” exit from more than four miles underground and resume their “streetcar” guise on surface tracks), the area would not have interested historic developer Fernando Nelson and his sons, whose strategy was to buy up land near newly opened transit lines and build homes quickly though with high-quality standards, always in keeping with the City Beautiful principles that inspired planners and enlightened developers a century ago. The enclave owes to the Nelsons its broad, gently curving streets and sidewalks, consonant with the notion of neighborhood as a “residential park” with restrictions on land use and a well-defined commercial area at its center, as well as some of its fanciful home designs (the Nelsons, all carpenters at heart, built homes according to the tastes—and whims—of the owner, adding historic touches, architectural detail, and often storybook-like flourishes such as half-timbered facades and zigzag brickwork). Even post-World War II houses have maintained that imaginative architectural spirit.

Although many have likened West Portal to a village, the streetcar lines (K, L, M, and T) that emerge from the tunnel do cause a bit of clamor, particularly at the morning and evening rush hours. (The 48 bus also disgorges passengers—often, rowdy students—from the Mission and Noe Valley here as well.) So the area feels more like a town, with just enough bustle to keep it vibrant, particularly for the five blocks along West Portal Avenue and at its junction with Ulloa Street near the tunnel opening. Though a few chains have established a foothold here (Starbucks, Round Table Pizza) they are still outnumbered by friendly, unpretentious owner-operated places (including The Music Store, with its collection of old LPs and sheet music; Papenhausen, one of the city’s last independently owned and family operated hardware stores, in business in the same spot since the 1930s; and BookShop West Portal, an independent and locally owned book seller that features readings from noted authors, many from the Bay Area or California, as well as storytime for children and knitting/crocheting classes.

Restaurants range from Indian (Roti Indian Bistro) and Chinese (Xiao Loong) to Mexican (El Toreador) and “nouveau Peruvian” (Fresca) to all-American diner (Village Grill) and family-style pizzeria restaurant (Mozzarella di Bufala) to a classic San Francisco crepe cafe, the Squat and Gobble. Another longtime fixture is CineArts at the Empire, a 1920s moviehouse (now part of a national chain) converted to a duplex cinema that screens foreign and indie films, along with first-run movies and programs for kids. There’s also a fairly large branch of the San Francisco Public Library on Lenox Way across the street from the West Portal Muni station.

Taraval Street, the neighborhood’s northern boundary, is utilitarian and fairly prosaic, though it does provide the surrounding blocks with needed services like a dry cleaners and specialty stores, such as a paint shop and a butcher. Parking throughout the area is generally easy (most houses have garages), though on-street spots are metered on West Portal Avenue, where it can be somewhat more difficult to find one, especially on weekend nights with the restaurants and cinema full. The residential parking permit “O” allows locals to park on non-metered, noncommercial streets without regard for the two-hour limit.

The area’s 3,000 or so residents—almost 70 percent of whom are white, with 25 percent Asian—are well off (median annual household income is well above $100,000). Most (about 80 percent) own their own homes.

The neighborhood’s single park, West Portal Playground, sits atop the tunnel mouth itself. It includes tennis and basketball courts, new swings and climbing equipment for kids, and an expanse of grass wide and long enough for impromptu football and soccer games. The roundabout where Claremont Boulevard, Taraval Street, and Kensington Way meet might be considered a “visual park” for its trimmed ground cover and potted flowers. Likewise, the curious little walkway—a large sidewalk with a median planted with shrubs and bushes—that runs from Dorchester Way to Granville Way mid-block between Claremont and Ulloa might be considered a sort of mini-park as well.

The neighborhood has one public school—West Portal Elementary, with its campus-like setting off the Kensington Way roundabout and adjacent to the West Portal Playground. The school, which received a 9 out of 10 GreatSchools rating, has a parent-run daycare program and a Chinese immersion bilingual program.

The incidence of crime here is—no big surprise—fairly low, with a few car break-ins and vehicle thefts, a few disturbing-the-peace violations, and one or two thefts and robberies every month. Violent crime is rare: assaults are uncommon, and usually outside of bars and restaurants on West Portal Avenue. There have been no homicides in the last three years.

To own a home here is to have a reasonably secure investment, with property increasing in value, even in the latest downturn. A three-bedroom, 1.5-bathroom single-family home with a medium-sized yard can go for as much as $1 million, with larger homes on larger plots going for $1.2 million and up. Studios and apartments are pricey and hard to find; a studio on West Portal Avenue listed recently for $1,400 a month. The relative scarcity of property here to own or rent is a sign of how contented people are: once in the neighborhood, they take their shoes off, settle in, and stay a while.

For years I had no idea that the West Portal neighborhood even existed. One day, a friend helped to open my eyes when he suggested we hop off the MUNI for lunch. In West Portal the MUNI K, L, M and T lines all emerge from the subterranean Twin Peaks tunnel and branch out above street to their final destinations. Upon closer look, I realized this cute neighborhood was full of mom and pop stores, quiet tree-lined streets and well-kept single-family homes. After eating an incredible sandwich at Submarine Center, we wandered along West Portal Avenue, perused bookstores, antique shops, boutiques and the impressive independent Papenhausen Hardware store.

West Portal’s friendly village atmosphere reminds me a lot of Glen Park or Bernal Heights. The neighborhood has a retro feel that harkens back to a simpler time in San Francisco when strangers said hello and people shopped primarily at neighborhood markets. Parking is reasonable in the area, and public transportation is the best. It only takes about 20 minutes to reach Downtown San Francisco via MUNI. Like most westerly parts of the city, West Portal sees its fair share of foggy days, however the neighborhood is more sheltered than neighboring areas in the Sunset District.

If you are looking for tranquil residential neighborhoods in San Francisco, West Portal is a great area to check out.

Everyone always points out how cool it is that the homes in West Portal have yards. This fact is very true. You definitely feel as though you wish you had a friend in this neighborhood who would invite you over to hang out in their yard for a barbeque or something. I think a lot of people who live in San Francisco haven’t even seen this neighborhood, but it is indeed very cute.

West Portal Avenue has a great deal of shopping. There are some small boutiques, coffee shops, nice restaurants and a library. The CineArts at the Empire movie theatre has a nice old fashioned feel to it. It’s a relaxing place to see a film and you can avoid being in a huge Cineplex. Its probably worth coming to this neighborhood just to check out The CineArts.

A cute wine bar I visited was Que Syrah. It’s a laid back place where you can get a glass of wine in a peaceful setting. As for restaurants, I noticed a nice assortment including Japanese food, Indian food, pizza etc. Of course, there is also the obligatory Starbucks on West Portal.

West Portal is nestled among the foot of Mt. Davidson and prides itself on being a family friendly neighborhood community. In West Portal you will find the rarest of gems; front and back yards. This minor detail makes West Portal a great place to raise a family and a dog.

Shops and stores alike are centered along the tree-lined West Portal Avenue and as you take a stroll through the neighborhood you pass by many restaurants that have been around awhile. French Village Cafe', Shaws Candy, and Old Krakow Polish Restaurant to name a few.

Don't miss taking in a movie at CineArts' Empire Cinema or stopping off for a drink at West Portal Station (was formerly known as the Philosophers Club).

West Portal has a small town feel with all of the urban amenities to make life very comfortable.