Books, vinyl & delis · Columbus Ave from Broadway (City Lights at 261) to the 700 block
North Beach
Columbus Ave and upper Grant.
San Francisco's old Italian quarter, where Columbus Avenue's delis, coffee roasters and City Lights meet a run of record and vintage shops on upper Grant Avenue. It suits browsers who want books, vinyl and Italian food shopping in one walk.
City Lights · Records & vintage · Italian delis
Photo: Team at Carnaval.com Studios · CC BY 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons
- In our directory
- 18 shopseach one verified
- Where
- Columbus Ave from Broadway (City Lights at 261) to the 700 blockBooks, vinyl & delis
- Right now
- Typical hours11am–6pm
- Getting here
- MuniBuses 8, 10, 12 and 41 stop near City Lights; the 30 runs along Columbus past Molinari and XOX Truffles; the 39 bus and cable cars reach the hilltop viewpoints.
Insider guide
Shopping North Beach.
The story
North Beach is San Francisco's old Italian quarter. The shopping runs along Columbus Ave from Broadway, where City Lights sits at 261, up to the 700 block, then along upper Grant Ave from 1300 to 1499 and Stockton St from 1600 to 1767.
It suits browsers who want books, vinyl and Italian food shopping in one walk. Columbus is the delis, coffee and books; upper Grant is records and vintage.
A Little History
City Lights Booksellers & Publishers was co-founded in 1953 by Lawrence Ferlinghetti, the first publisher of Howl, and it sits across from Vesuvio Cafe, the bar the Beat writers frequented. The Italian shops go back further: Molinari Delicatessen was founded in 1896, and Biordi Art Imports has sold Italian ceramics since 1946.
What to Expect
On Columbus, City Lights stocks new and used fiction, poetry and politics. Molinari Delicatessen (373) has imported cheeses, cured meats, pastas and an antipasti counter, and Biordi Art Imports (412) sells hand-painted majolica and Deruta dinnerware, tiles and linens. Graffeo Coffee Roasting Co. (735) sells beans by the pound but doesn't brew drinks, and XOX Truffles (754) makes truffles in flavors like Cognac and champagne. Our Childhood (537) sells collectibles.
The 1400 block of Grant Ave is the record-and-vintage cluster: 101 Records (1414) and Cantina Records (1415) face each other, with Happy House, Via Margutta Vintage and Vacation Vintage within a few doors. SFOG (1314) prints its own San Francisco landmark designs and embroiders caps in house, and Al's Attire (1300) makes custom clothing. Out of Sight Records is tucked away on Bannam Place, Goorin Bros. Hat Shop and Missing Audrey Vintage are on Stockton, and SF Rock Posters & Collectibles is on Powell.
Best Time to Visit
Hours are rarely posted here, so weekday daytime is the safest window. Graffeo keeps Monday to Saturday 9am to 5pm and closes on Sunday. Molinari is open until 9pm on Friday and Saturday, and City Lights is open 10am to 10pm daily, so it works for an evening stop. Biordi opens at noon Sunday to Thursday. Little Vine wine shop on Grant Ave hosts winemaker tastings on Thursdays.
If You Only Have an Hour
Start at City Lights, walk up Columbus to Molinari Delicatessen and Biordi Art Imports, then cut over to the 1400 block of Grant for 101 Records and Cantina Records. Finish with a pound of beans from Graffeo on the way back down Columbus.
Where to Eat
Molinari's counter is the obvious lunch, and Luke's Local at 580 Green St has prepared meals and is open 8am to 9pm daily. For a drink after browsing, Vesuvio Cafe is across from City Lights. Hilda and Jesse at 701 Union St holds one MICHELIN star, and in Jackson Square, Quince (three stars) and its Italian sibling Cotogna are on Pacific Ave.
The directory
18 shops, all in one place.
Tap a shop or a dot on the map to see it.
Food & drink3 places
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Chocolate shop run by French chocolatier Jean-Marc Gorce, making truffles in classic and liqueur flavors like Cognac and champagne, plus coffee.
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Italian deli founded in 1896, with shelves of imported goods, cheeses, cured meats, pastas and sauces, plus an antipasti counter.
View restaurant page →Website →@molinaridelicatessenDirections
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North Beach branch of the neighborhood grocer, with prepared meals, local produce and Bay Area pantry brands; open every day from 8am.
Records & music3 places
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Record shop on the 1400 block of Grant Avenue, part of a small cluster of vinyl stores within a few doors of each other.
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Vinyl record shop across the street from 101 Records on Grant Avenue, so the two are easy to dig through on one trip.
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Record shop tucked away on Bannam Place, a short side street in the Grant Avenue area, listed in the North Beach vintage directory.
Vintage3 places
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Vintage clothing shop on upper Grant Avenue, one of several secondhand clothing stores within a few doors on the 1400 block.
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Vintage clothing shop at the end of the 1400 block of Grant, part of the run of secondhand clothing stores on upper Grant Avenue.
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Vintage clothing shop on the 1700 block of Stockton Street, listed in the North Beach vintage shopping directory with the Grant Ave shops.
Home2 places
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Italian ceramics shop since 1946, selling hand-painted majolica and Deruta dinnerware, tiles, lamps, linens and Graffeo coffee.
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Home goods shop on the 1400 block of Grant Avenue, next door to 101 Records, listed in the North Beach vintage shopping directory.
Fashion2 places
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Local clothing shop printing its own San Francisco landmark designs on shirts, hoodies and hats, with in-house embroidery of caps.
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Hat shop on Stockton Street near Columbus, listed among North Beach's custom and vintage stops in the neighborhood shopping directory.
Books1 place
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Bookstore and publisher co-founded in 1953 by Lawrence Ferlinghetti, first publisher of Howl, with new and used fiction, poetry and politics.
Coffee1 place
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Coffee roaster selling beans by the pound (dark, light, custom blends and Swiss Water decaf); it does not brew drinks, so buy to take home.
Menswear1 place
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Custom clothing shop at the foot of upper Grant Avenue's shopping blocks, listed among North Beach's custom and vintage clothing stops.
Gifts1 place
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Collectibles shop on the 500 block of Columbus Avenue, listed in the North Beach vintage shopping directory alongside the Grant Ave shops.
Specialty1 place
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Shop for rock concert posters and music collectibles on Powell Street, listed in the North Beach vintage shopping directory.
No shops in that category here yet.
This week
In North Beach this week.
Typical hours
Most shops keep the hours below.
Hours vary by individual store. Always check with specific retailers.
Eat, drink, stay
Between shops, close by.
Ratings are the scores saved in our directory and are not live. Check the listing for the current score.
Getting here
Parking and transit.
- SMuniBuses 8, 10, 12 and 41 stop near City Lights; the 30 runs along Columbus past Molinari and XOX Truffles; the 39 bus and cable cars reach the hilltop viewpoints.
- PParkingWe found no public garage or lot listed for North Beach, so plan on street parking or take Muni.
Muni buses 8, 10, 12 and 41 stop near City Lights, and the 30 runs along Columbus past Molinari and XOX Truffles.
Keep exploring
If you liked this block of the city, try these next.
Jackson Square
San Francisco's oldest commercial blocks, brick and cast-iron buildings from the 1850s that survived 1906, now hold designer boutiques and art galleries. It suits gallery-goers and shoppers after international labels in a quieter setting than Union Square.
This week
Chinatown
The oldest Chinatown in North America, with tourist-facing Grant Avenue for tea houses, kitchenware, silk and souvenirs, and Stockton Street where residents buy produce, bakery goods and dry goods. It suits tea buyers, cooks after a proper wok and anyone shopping for Lunar New Year gifts.
This week
Union Square
The downtown retail core around the square itself, with department stores, luxury houses on Grant, Post and Geary, and Maiden Lane's boutiques. It suits visitors after big-name flagships and designer labels, and it is rebuilding after several pandemic-era closures.
This week
Guides for North Beach
All guides →
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Chocolate, citrus olive oil, caviar, coffee beans, knives and ceramics from the Ferry Building Marketplace, plus farmers market days and parking validation.
Read guide →Stay in the loop
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