San Francisco Neighborhoods · Seacliff
Seacliff
also Sea CliffTransition zoneSan Francisco's most exclusive enclave, where grand mansions perch on the bluffs above China Beach and Baker Beach, framing sweeping Golden Gate views.
- Grand cliffside mansions
- Sweeping Golden Gate views
- Secluded China Beach
- Old-money exclusivity
On the map
Open Seacliff on the map →The story
Sea Cliff takes its name from its dramatic perch on the bluffs above the Pacific. The Allen real-estate group began developing the enclave around 1912 as one of San Francisco's master-planned "residence parks," with landscape architect Mark Daniels laying out the curving streets, ornate entry gates, fountains and large lots to evoke genteel country living. Mediterranean and period-revival homes filled in through the 1920s and 1930s, and the neighborhood has remained a quiet, purely residential address ever since.
Things most people don’t know
A planned residence park
Sea Cliff was one of San Francisco's master-planned residence parks laid out after the 1906 quake. Landscape architect Mark Daniels designed it with gated entries, sculptures and fountains to feel like a garden suburb.
Celebrity enclave
The neighborhood's privacy and views have long drawn the wealthy and famous. Robin Williams and Sharon Stone both owned homes here, alongside tech founders and old San Francisco families.
China Beach and Baker Beach
Tucked below the bluffs, sheltered China Beach is one of the city's few swimmable coves. Just north, larger Baker Beach stretches toward the Golden Gate Bridge with postcard views.
The 1995 sewer collapse
In December 1995 a ruptured sewer on Sea Cliff Avenue triggered aggressive erosion and a series of slope collapses along El Camino del Mar. Several homes were damaged in one of the neighborhood's most dramatic incidents.
Golden Gate panoramas
Built on bluffs west of the Presidio, Sea Cliff offers some of the city's finest views of the Golden Gate Bridge and the Marin Headlands. Many homes were oriented expressly to capture them.
Eating and drinking near Seacliff
Seacliff is primarily residential — these sit in the Inner Richmond.
Restaurants
- Burma Superstar · 309 Clement St
- Mamahuhu · 517 Clement St
- Chapeau! · 126 Clement St
- Le Soleil · 133 Clement St
Bars
- The Plough and the Stars · 116 Clement St
- 540 Club · 540 Clement St
- Richmond Republic Draught House · 642 Clement St
Getting around and getting care
Transit. Seacliff is a quiet, car-oriented enclave; the nearest lines are the 1 California along the southern edge, with the 18 46th Avenue and 29 Sunset skirting Lincoln Park to the west.
Nearest hospital. Kaiser Permanente San Francisco Medical Center, 2425 Geary Blvd (about 2.5 mi)
Thinking about Seacliff?
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