UCSF has two main campuses, and both are city campuses you can shop on foot. Parnassus Heights sits on the hill above the Inner Sunset, and its shopping street is a few blocks downhill: 9th Avenue and Irving Street. Mission Bay sits on the east side by Chase Center, with 4th Street and Thrive City as its blocks. The free UCSF shuttle links the two.
Parnassus: 9th Avenue. The UCSF Campus Store (500 Parnassus Ave) is in Millberry Union. Downhill, 9th Avenue runs from Irving to the park. Mixt (1210 9th Ave) and Underdogs Tres (1224 9th Ave) are at the Irving end, with Green Apple Books on the Park (1231 9th Ave) and Pepperjack Provisions (1232 9th Ave), a general store and gift shop, facing each other. Then come Caché (1235 9th Ave), Little Sweet (1253 9th Ave) for boba, San Franpsycho (1256 9th Ave) for clothing and custom printing, Luke's Local (1266 9th Ave) and San Francisco's Hometown Creamery (1290 9th Ave). Closer to the park are On the Run (1310 9th Ave) for shoes, Willow on the Green (1327B 9th Ave), Snowbird Coffee (1352 9th Ave) and Timur (1386 9th Ave).
Parnassus: Irving Street. East of 9th, Crepevine (624 Irving St), Therapy Stores (724 Irving St), Saint Frank Coffee (744 Irving St) and Ambiance San Francisco (756 Irving St) share a block. West of 9th, Petite Regalia Fine Jewelers (1010 Irving St), French Florist and Grégoire (both 1127 Irving St), Summer Puppy SF Pet Supplies (1152 Irving St) and Danker Mae (1512 Irving St), a craft shop and community space.
Mission Bay. On 4th Street, Bloom (1160 4th St) is the florist and Healthy Spot (1200 4th St, Suite F) the pet store. Magical Donuts (1379 4th St) faces SPARK Social, where Fire Trail Pizza (601 Mission Bay Blvd N) bakes wood-fired pies. Señor Sisig (151 Warriors Way) is at Thrive City by Chase Center. Mission Rock Resort (817 Terry A Francois Blvd) mixes craft cocktails.
The UCSF Campus Store is on the B1 level of Millberry Union, 500 Parnassus Ave. It is open Monday to Thursday 9:30am to 3pm and closes for lunch from 12:30 to 1:30pm daily, so plan around that. Its page lists lab coats and custom embroidery; medical instruments are not sold there, and UCSF points students to outside vendors for stethoscopes and diagnostic sets. Call 415-681-3832 before a special trip. We didn't find a separate store listing for Mission Bay, so Parnassus is the stop for both campuses.
UCSF is mostly a graduate school, and many students set up apartments rather than dorm rooms. Near Parnassus, Luke's Local (1266 9th Ave) is the small grocery on 9th Avenue, and Willow on the Green (1327B 9th Ave) sells deli food and picnic provisions near the park. Pepperjack Provisions (1232 9th Ave) is a general store, good for the odd household thing. Summer Puppy SF Pet Supplies (1152 Irving St) covers the dog or cat that moved with you.
At Mission Bay, Healthy Spot (1200 4th St, Suite F) sells pet food and treats and runs doggie daycare for long lab days.
Books. Green Apple Books on the Park (1231 9th Ave) is a compact branch of the Clement Street original, open daily 10am to 9pm. It hosts most of Green Apple's author events, and upstairs is the Backstory Above, a members' co-working loft for studying off campus.
Clothes and shoes. San Franpsycho (1256 9th Ave) sells clothing and does custom printing, a good fit for a lab or class shirt. Ambiance San Francisco (756 Irving St) is the women's boutique, and On the Run (1310 9th Ave) sells footwear, useful for students on their feet through long clinical shifts.
Crafts and secondhand. Danker Mae (1512 Irving St) is a craft shop and community space. The monthly Inner Sunset Flea, run by Sunset Mercantile, sets up on Irving Street from 9th Avenue west with vintage and secondhand goods.
For flowers on commencement day, French Florist (1127 Irving St) is a few blocks from Parnassus and Bloom (1160 4th St) is in Mission Bay, with nationwide delivery for family who can't come. Petite Regalia Fine Jewelers (1010 Irving St) is the place for a graduation piece that lasts. For smaller gifts, Therapy Stores (724 Irving St) and Pepperjack Provisions (1232 9th Ave) sell gifts and odds and ends, and a book from Green Apple Books on the Park (1231 9th Ave) is always welcome.
Coffee. Saint Frank Coffee (744 Irving St) and Snowbird Coffee (1352 9th Ave) are the two coffee bars, and Little Sweet (1253 9th Ave) does boba.
Cheap eats. Grégoire (1127 Irving St) is takeout for sandwiches, organic salads, soups and its potato puffs. Underdogs Tres (1224 9th Ave) is the taqueria, Mixt (1210 9th Ave) and Crepevine (624 Irving St), a restaurant and cafe, round out the list. San Francisco's Hometown Creamery (1290 9th Ave) scoops ice cream. In Mission Bay, Magical Donuts (1379 4th St), Fire Trail Pizza at SPARK Social and Señor Sisig at Thrive City cover lunch.
With parents. Caché (1235 9th Ave) is the French restaurant on 9th Avenue, and Timur (1386 9th Ave) serves Indian and Nepalese food. In Mission Bay, Mission Rock Resort (817 Terry A Francois Blvd) pours craft cocktails. None of these post hours here, so call ahead.
Parnassus. The N-Judah streetcar stops at 2nd Avenue and Irving Street. The 43 Masonic, 6 Parnassus and 66 Quintara buses stop in front of the hospital. Free UCSF shuttles connect Parnassus with Mission Bay, Mount Zion, other UCSF sites and the 16th Street BART station; the shuttle hotline is 415-476-4646. The Millberry Union Garage (500 Parnassus Ave) is open 24 hours at $4 an hour, $32 a day. The 350 Parnassus Garage charges $4 per 30 minutes, up to $28 a day, open 6am to 10pm weekdays and 8am to 4:30pm Saturday.
Mission Bay. The T-Third light rail runs from downtown along 3rd Street to Chase Center, and the UCSF shuttle runs from Parnassus.
From Parnassus, Haight-Ashbury is the nearest of our districts, at the park's edge. Go for Amoeba Music (1855 Haight St), open daily 11am to 7pm, The Booksmith (1727 Haight St) and Wasteland (1660 Haight St) for designer resale.
From Mission Bay, the UCSF shuttle to 16th Street BART puts you near Valencia Street. Community Thrift Store (623 Valencia St), open daily 10am to 7pm, is the big nonprofit thrift, and Self Edge (569 Valencia St) sells raw denim at 16th Street.
