Mission Bay is emerging as one of San Francisco’s busiest new neighbourhoods, with the opening of waterfront restaurant Sergeant Ma adding to a surge of investment, residents and technology companies around Oracle Park and China Basin.
The restaurant, which opened on Wednesday 9 September, occupies the ground floor of a large complex at 185 Berry Street, just steps from the baseball stadium. Its California menu draws on Asian influences, while a lounge, fire pits and views over Mission Creek are intended to attract diners beyond match days.
Ryan Cole, chief executive and partner at Hi Neighbor Hospitality Group, said the area’s appeal rested on a mixture of office workers, residents and visitors attending events at Oracle Park and the nearby Chase Center.
“The neighbourhood – it is booming,” he said. “You need this dynamic mix of both to kind of keep a restaurant full and busy right now in San Francisco.”
Sergeant Ma took four years to develop, converting an office space that had stood empty for years into a restaurant with an indoor-outdoor lounge and waterfront seating. Its first week was fully booked, according to the business.
Mission Bay becomes a technology hub
The restaurant’s opening comes as Mission Bay and neighbouring China Basin attract a growing concentration of artificial intelligence and technology firms.
Office vacancy in the district is about 17 per cent, making it the lowest among San Francisco’s office submarkets, compared with roughly 29 per cent in the city centre, according to CBRE.
OpenAI has secured more than one million square feet of office space in San Francisco, all of it in Mission Bay, while Nvidia has taken its first San Francisco premises at the Mission Rock development. Recent reporting has also identified Sierra, the artificial intelligence company founded by Bret Taylor, as a major tenant in the China Basin complex.
Longtime residents say the transformation is visible in the number of people now walking along the creek and using the neighbourhood outside major sporting events.
Ezra Garrett, who lives in San Francisco, said Mission Bay had changed dramatically in two decades. His wife, Zamira, said the pace of development could make residents feel like visitors in their own area, while describing it as a lively place to live.
Sergeant Ma is not the only hospitality business seeking to benefit from the change. San Francisco Brewing Co opened a large brewery and restaurant on Hooper Street this summer, targeting residents, office workers and local businesses as well as supporters attending Giants and Golden State Warriors games.
Josh Leavy, the brewery’s owner, said the Mission Bay population had grown from about 2,500 people in 2015 to around 13,000, with artificial intelligence companies and established firms helping to bring more activity to the district.
That growth is also pushing up housing costs. The average one-bedroom flat in Mission Bay now rents for $5,400 a month, according to Zumper – more than $1,000 above the San Francisco average and 25 per cent higher than a year ago.
Restaurant operators say they are increasingly confident that Mission Bay can support businesses throughout the week, rather than relying solely on baseball, basketball and concert crowds.
The district is due to receive another boost next week when Salesforce’s Dreamforce conference begins. Dreamfest will be held at Oracle Park, with Sergeant Ma and San Francisco Brewing Co expecting private events and heavy demand.
