San Francisco’s Latino Scene Is Next-Level From Lowriders and Afro-Caribbean Eats to Pure Cultura Vibes
San Francisco conjures up ideas of tech companies, hippies in Haight-Ashbury, and the giant rainbow flag in The Castro. However, San Francisco is also steeped in Latino culture. Every year, a lowrider parade makes its way through the Mission District. The parade is a nod to the community that has called the neighborhood home for decades. This is part of the reason I recently spent a long weekend in The City by the Bay. Shout out to San Francisco Travel for making the trip exceptional. Here’s a look at what you can do in San Francisco during a long weekend.
San Francisco is home to an iconic, annual lowrider parade
Every year, Mission Street closes down to allow for a cultural event that places Chicano culture center stage. For ten blocks, drivers show off their lowriders. The parade gives way to an incredible lowrider car show. Thousands of people show up for the event and line the streets to cheer as the cars ride and bounce their way along the parade route before parking for an unforgettable car show.
Alex, one of the participants with a 1964 Impala, was excited to see the people showing up to take part in the parade.
“Being part of it. Being part of the whole thing,” Alex told mitú about what he enjoys about the Lowrider Parade. “Everybody being here [together]. It’s like family.”
Since 1981, the San Francisco Lowrider Council has brought together individual riders, lowrider clubs, and car enthusiasts to celebrate the culture. If you want to get a deep appreciation of this car culture, make sure you time your next San Francisco trip with the annual parade.
Don’t miss an unforgettable meal at La Taqueria in the Mission District
La Taqueria is a Mission District staple. Miguel Jara first opened La Taqueria in 1973 and has been serving up delicious tacos, burritos, and aguas frescas to patrons for decades. The restaurant is more than a place to eat. On any given day, during any given time, you will see a line of hungry people wrapping around the block.
The restaurant is small but the ambiance is warm and inviting. From the moment you walk in, it feels like you are in your abuela’s kitchen. The smell of the food cooking triggers your childhood memories locked deep in your subconscious. Dining at Jara’s restaurant is relaxed and casual but it is also award-winning. La Taqueria won the America’s Classic James Beard Award in 2017. The America’s Classic award is reserved for longstanding restaurants that are locally owned with “timeless appeal, each beloved in its region for quality food that reflects the character of its community.”
Wake up with a special experience on the bay
Spinout Fitness is a uniquely San Francisco experience and worth an early-morning wake up. You will meet the owner, Damien McCloud, on Pier 40 for a quick tutorial on how to ride the waterbike. It is exactly what it sounds like. It is a bike with floatation devices that keep the bike perfectly balanced as you peddle around the South Beach Harbor before setting off into the bay. We met McCloud at 8:00 a.m. and learned about how his experience came to be.
McCloud is a personal trainer with lengthy experience in exercise. Following a car accident, he was using a stationary bike to help with his rehabilitation. He lived near the harbor and noticed how little people used the bay and that is when he had the idea. Using the waterbike turned into a new form of rehabilitation and granted him a speedy recovery.
This led to him creating a business of taking tourists and fitness enthusiasts for an unforgettable bike ride on the bay. We peddled from the harbor and rode under the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge. It is truly a memorable experience and a unique way to check out one of the city’s iconic landmarks.
Immerse yourself in African and Afro-Latin cuisine at Meski
Chef Nelson German is a Dominican American executive chef with two restaurants in Oakland, California. With Meski, he is bringing together more Black and African food infused with the flavors of the Caribbean. One of the appetizers we were treated to is the Tibs de Maduros. The unassuming dish brings together the sweet maduro from our childhood and sets it among a symphony of African flavors. Each dish held the ripened plantain that is set on salsa Afrikana and accompanied with a Castelvetrano olive, Inca pepper, and red onion.
It isn’t just the food. Meski has brought together flavors to create truly inventive cocktails. Their signature drink, the Ethiopian Milk Punch, is a sweet and subtle experience for the tastebuds. Toki whiskey, grapefruit, plantain, citrus, Ethiopian coffee, and Coco-Puff milk wash come together in a glass for an experience you never expect. Yet, you will never be able to forget it.
A special thank you to San Francisco Travel for coordinating this exceptional trip filled with Latino experiences. San Francisco is home to a vibrant Latino community and when you bring them together for a weekend trip, it creates an itinerary that seems like a dream.
