Editor’s note: This article originally posted on the San Francisco Examiner. Click here for more culture reporting at sfexaminer.com
Longtime San Francisco business owners who have opened outposts in Mission Rock say the mixed-use development has infused the area with an energy analogous to a nonstop neighborhood block party.
Arsicault Bakery opened a location there — its third in The City — in March, while Flour and Water Hospitality Group opened a Mission Rock pizza shop last month.
Leaders of both businesses said the mixed-use real-estate development — a collaboration between Tishman Speyer and the San Francisco Giants, located blocks away from the latter’s home ballpark — offered them a chance to get in on the ground floor of an up-and-coming area.
“This setting really showcases so many of the things we love about The City’s culture,” said Thomas McNaughton, Flour and Water’s CEO, co-founder and co-chef.
Mission Rock’s emergence is the latest inflection point in the ongoing changes to Mission Bay, following the openings of UCSF Medical Center in 2015 and Chase Center four years later. China Basin Park, a green space located across from Oracle Park, and Bayfront Park, a 40-acre space just steps away from the home arena of the Golden State Warriors and Valkyries, have added to the neighborhood’s transformation.
Arsicault Bakery owner Armando Lacayo said the neighborhood’s “really incredible growth” made him take notice of Mission Bay. Opening an Arsicault location on the ground floor of the Verde Apartments at Mission Rock offered him a chance to draw “a straight line” from his pastry shop’s first two locations in the Inner Richmond and Civic Center, he said.
“It feels like we’re at the beginning of something really nice, and since we opened, the store has been doing very well,” Lacayo said.
Lacayo said his Mission Rock pastry shop installed a bright yellow sign earlier this month so customers could more easily spot the location. It’s now open until 3 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays, and 6 p.m. on weekend nights when the Giants play.
McNaughton said a “shared love of the Giants” and an “opportunity to be part of this new community bringing incredible energy to San Francisco” brought Flour and Water to Mission Rock, where the pizza shop offers ballpark garlic fries with cacio e pepe dipping sauce as a nod to the baseball team.
Flour and Water also sells to-go slices in order to cater to nearby workers, which McNaughton said reflects efforts to “ensure we are meeting the neighborhood where they are.”
Julian Pancoast, the Giants’ vice president of real-estate development, said that while game days naturally attract visitors to Mission Rock, the area has emerged as “a new community hub that we envision to be a year-round destination.” Aside from game-day festivities, China Basin Park activities include dance and fitness classes, concerts, markets and movie nights.
“Our streets are coming to life,” Pancoast said.
Maggie Kadin, Tishman Speyer’s managing director, told The Examiner that both the real-estate company and the Giants have a vision of Mission Rock “as a culinary destination that is both fresh and new yet also reflects the very best San Francisco has to offer.”
New eateries slated to open in the area include Quik Dog, a fast-casual restaurant from the team behind the Trick Dog cocktail bar in the Mission, as well as a full-service restaurant from the team behind Che Fico.
Kadin said Mission Rock’s “growing ecosystem of innovators and tastemakers” would position the area “as a welcoming place to live, work and spend time for years to come.”
Adding to the activity, the San Francisco Unified School District will open an elementary school in Mission Bay in 2026, which education officials said will serve the neighborhood and surrounding communities on The City’s eastern side.
San Francisco Bay Ferry will then launch zero-emission daily ferry service to Mission Bay in 2027, which McNaughton said “will continue to support the growth and accessibility of this area.”
With a month of operations under Flour and Water’s belt, McNaughton said his team has taken notice of the “incredible energy from residents, local businesses and organizations who have made this special pocket of San Francisco their home.”
“This is only the beginning,” he said.
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