This Week's Top Stories

food

The Mess Hall Opens at Presidio Tunnel Tops, Completing the Park's Vision

The long-awaited food hall debuted August 15 inside a restored 1898 building, bringing three restaurants, a cocktail bar, a café, and a specialty market to the Presidio.

Four years after Presidio Tunnel Tops opened to the public, its final piece fell into place on August 15 when The Mess Hall at the Presidio swung open its doors at 201 Halleck Street. The 6,200-square-foot indoor-outdoor space occupies a historic building that once served as an animal feed store, butcher shop, and mailroom during the Presidio's military era — and the restoration preserved original wood throughout, with design details drawn from the 1930s and 1940s.

Richmond District

Richmond District Named San Francisco's Most Desirable Neighborhood in Chronicle Reader Poll

A San Francisco Chronicle poll published August 6 found that Richmond District residents beat out sunnier neighborhoods to earn the top spot for where Chronicle readers most want to live.

The Richmond District — famously foggy, famously walkable — has been crowned the neighborhood San Francisco Chronicle readers most want to call home, according to a reader poll published on August 6. Nineteen of 130 respondents chose the Richmond District, outpacing 29 other neighborhoods in the informal survey. The runners-up included Bernal Heights (13 votes), North Beach (10), and a three-way tie among Glen Park, the Sunset, and Noe Valley. Chronicle culture critic Peter Hartlaub noted the result caught editors off guard: sunnier, warmer neighborhoods were expected to dominate.

food

Cottage Bakery Cuprum Rises from Inner Richmond Home Kitchen

Valeriya Romashchenko's home-based Cuprum Bakery, launched in 2024, is gaining a growing following in the Richmond District for its science-driven sourdough and baked goods.

Walk up to the right address in the Inner Richmond and you may find fresh sourdough stacked on a rack on a front stoop — that's Cuprum Bakery, the cottage operation run by Valeriya Romashchenko out of her home kitchen. The Richmond Review profiled Romashchenko in its August 15 edition, chronicling how a bioengineering graduate of Moscow State University and the San Francisco Baking Institute turned pandemic-era flexibility into a growing small business.

Upcoming Events

Through August 31

EXCLUSION: The Presidio's Role in WWII Japanese American Incarceration

📍 Presidio Officers' Club, 50 Moraga Avenue, Presidio · 10:00 AM–4:00 PM

Ongoing

Fort Point History Talks

📍 Fort Point, Marine Drive, Presidio · 11:30 AM–11:45 AM

Ongoing

Presidio Campfire Program

📍 Presidio Tunnel Tops, Presidio · 3:00 PM–3:30 PM

Ongoing

Clement Street Farmers Market

📍 244 Clement St, Inner Richmond · 9:00 AM–2:00 PM

Friday, August 22

Presidio Forest Stewards Volunteer Day

📍 Presidio Native Plant Nursery, Presidio · 9:00 AM–12:00 PM

More from the Neighborhood

Rose Pizzeria's Inner Richmond Location Booked Solid Through Summer

Rose Pizzeria — the Berkeley sensation that the New York Times named one of America's 22 best pizzerias in 2024 — opened its first San Francisco outpost at 1 Clement Street earlier…

Trump's New Presidio Trust Board Settles In as Busy Summer Season Continues

After President Trump fired all six Biden-appointed members of the Presidio Trust Board of Directors in April, the White House appointed six new members in May.

Richmond District Home Prices Post Strongest Year-Over-Year Gains of 2026

San Francisco single-family home prices posted their strongest year-over-year gain of 2026, surging more than 26%, according to Mosaik Real Estate's August market report.