Heart of the City Farmers' Market

Heart of the City Farmers' Market stands apart as an independent, farmer-operated 501(c)(4) nonprofit that runs year-round in San Francisco's Civic Center. Opened in 1981, the market pairs that long history with a stated mission to support and sustain small farmers while making fresh, nutritious food available in the city. The setting has shifted recently: after years at United Nations Plaza, the market was relocated in 2024 to Fulton Plaza between the Downtown Library and the Asian Art Museum. That combination of farmer governance, nonprofit structure, and a central Civic Center location gives this market a distinct shape in San Francisco's weekly food landscape.

Why it matters locally

Since 1981, Heart of the City Farmers' Market has framed its role around supporting and sustaining small farmers while improving access to fresh, nutritious food in San Francisco. That mission is tied to its structure: the market describes itself as independent, farmer-operated, and nonprofit, which puts farm sellers at the center of how the market runs.

Its local footprint also shows up in the network around food access. The market works with Fresh Approach on food access programs and partners with EatSF so farmers can accept Vouchers 4 Veggies. It also lists provider relationships with organizations including the San Francisco Public Library, Curry Senior Center, TNDC, Community Housing Partnership, and the San Francisco Human Services Agency. Those ties place the market inside a larger Civic Center and citywide support system, not just a produce-shopping stop.

What you'll find there

The mix here runs wide, but the strongest throughline is produce from many small farms alongside a notable prepared-food and specialty roster. Expect vegetables and fruit in deep rotation, plus seafood, mushrooms, baked goods, flowers, honey, drinks, and hot meals from several cuisines.

• -Avila Farms brings artichokes, beets, carrots, cucumbers, lettuce, onions, tomatoes, potatoes, and more vegetables.
• -B & L Produce focuses on vegetables and herbs including bittermelon, bok choy, collard greens, daikon, lemongrass, okra, sweet potato, sugarcane, and taro.
• -Castellanos Farms offers a fruit-heavy stand with apples, apricots, cherries, nectarines, peaches, persimmons, plums, grapes, oranges, and guava.
• -Green Thumb Garden Farms grows artichokes, arugula, beets, broccoli, carrots, cauliflower, cucumbers, lettuces, strawberries, tomatoes, and potatoes.
• -Far West Fungi sells fresh mushrooms including shiitake, oyster, maitake, lion's mane, and reishi.
• -City Fish Company sells wild-caught seafood including black cod and sablefish, rock cod, halibut, salmon, and live Dungeness crab.
• -Hidden Star Orchards adds apples alongside cider, juice, and hard cider.
• -Medina Berry Farm supplies blackberries, figs, guava, lemon, lime, raspberries, and strawberries.
• -Medrano's Flowers carries fresh flowers, herbs, and herb starts.
• -Rize Up Bakery turns out sourdough bread, baguettes, and pastries.
• -Roti Sour Flour sells sourdough breads and bagels plus traditional Mexican pastries.
• -Estrellita's Snacks serves Salvadoran pupusas, tamales, and aguas frescas.
• -Pak Food cooks Pakistani dishes including chicken tikka masala, samosas, and lamb curry.
• -Tonantzin Mexican Cusine offers Mexican and Oaxacan dishes including tamales, tacos, and chilaquiles.
• -Los Kuyas brings Filipino-Mexican fusion cuisine.
• -Papa George Coffee pours freshly brewed coffee and sells packaged beans.
• -The Fruit Tree serves organic smoothies and juices.
• -Winters Fruit Tree rounds out the selection with almonds, walnuts, pecans, nut butters, nectarines, peaches, citrus, fruit jams, and eggs. Fulton Plaza, between the Downtown Library and the Asian Art Museum, gives this market an unusually civic backdrop for a farmers market day. The move from United Nations Plaza to Fulton Plaza in 2024 keeps the market rooted in the same part of San Francisco while placing it directly between two major public institutions in Civic Center. The market also points visitors to its information tent near Larkin and Fulton, which reinforces how the market is organized around a specific street grid rather than a secluded lot or park. In that setting, the vendor list reads like a cross-section of the market's identity: long produce lists from farms such as B & L Produce and Mr. Dim Sum Nguyen Farm sit alongside prepared-food stands like Estrellita's Snacks, Pak Food, and Los Kuyas.

Know before you go

No dogs are allowed, which is the rule most likely to change a visit before you leave home. For drivers, the market offers free 90-minute parking in the Civic Center Garage under Civic Center Plaza across from City Hall, with the garage entrance on McAllister Street between Polk and Larkin. To use that option, pick up a validation ticket on the corner of Larkin and Fulton next to the Main Library or at the market information tent. Metered parking is also available on McAllister and Grove, and Trinity Place Garage plus UC Hastings Garage are listed as alternatives. Parking on Fulton Plaza during market days is reserved for staff and vendors only.

Payments & SNAP

Heart of the City accepts EBT, credit cards, WIC, and more at the information tent near Larkin and Fulton. The market also partners with EatSF so farmers can accept Vouchers 4 Veggies, and it participates in Market Match with the Ecology Center and the California Market Match Consortium.