Wild Side West

The Mission, Dogpatch & Potrero Hill


Lesbian-owned since 1962, Wild Side West has kept its clientele busy making herstory in the beer garden and making out on the pool table (Janis Joplin started it). The sculpture garden began in the 1970s, when killjoy neighbors chucked junk over the fence to protest women enjoying themselves – but cast-offs upcycled into art became the pride of the Wild Side.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby The Mission, Dogpatch & Potrero Hill attractions

1. Bernal Heights Park

0.34 MILES

The breezy, grassland slopes of 475ft Bernal Hill are decidedly non-touristy, and hiking them on a clear day offers 360-degree city views, along with rare…

2. Ratio 3

0.89 MILES

Art-fair buzz begins at this trippy gallery that's all black outside and stark white inside for maximum impact. While some artists are recognizable from…

3. Balmy Alley

0.92 MILES

Since at least the 1980s, if you stroll through San Francisco's Mission District you've likely noticed the neighborhood's profusion of colorful murals and…

4. 24th & York Mini Park

1.08 MILES

Take a ride on dazzling mosaic serpent-god Quetzalcoatl, who raises his fierce head from the rubberized ground of this pioneering pocket park…

5. 22nd St Hill

1.24 MILES

The prize for SF's steepest street is shared by this street and Filbert St (between Hyde and Leavenworth). Both have 31.5% grades (17-degree slopes), but…

6. Mission Street

1.28 MILES

Mission Street is Excelsior's main commercial drag starting from around Silver Ave and continuing all the way to Daly City. This is one of the most…

7. John McLaren Park

1.39 MILES

At 312 acres, McLaren is the second largest park in San Francisco proper, and arguably the most underrated. There are some 7 miles of trails (including…

8. Southern Exposure

1.43 MILES

Art really ties the room together at nonprofit arts center Southern Exposure, where works are carefully crafted not just with paint and canvas, but a…