The Portola District, a valley shaded by cypress and eucalyptus trees tucked in the southeastern corner of the city, earned the nickname “San Francisco’s Garden District” decades ago. But the one-square-mile neighborhood has several other claims to fame as well. The Portola is a community rich with storied Chinese eateries and grocers.
It’s with that culinary history in mind that the Portola Neighborhood Association and the Community Youth Center has planned a free street fair called Dim Sum & Cars for Sunday.
Part food fair, part car show, the event is hoping to showcase 12 unusual cars across the Bank of the West parking lot on San Bruno Avenue at Bacon Street, organizers noted in a press release. The Community Youth Center will offer safety resources with help from the San Francisco police and fire departments, the Street Violence Intervention Program and SF SAFE (Safety and Awareness for Everyone).
The outdoor festival is co-organized by Valerie Luu of the Portola Neighborhood Association, who was one half of Rice Paper Scissors—a Vietnamese American kitchen that helped define the pop-up model over its nine years in San Francisco.
Imperial Garden Seafood Restaurant, one of the neighborhood’s longest-running Chinese eateries, will sell traditional and vegan dumplings. The dim sum house’s vegan shumai is prepared with faux meat made by the Redwood City-headquartered Impossible Foods.
Dim Sum & Cars will also extend beyond the bank parking lot. The Portola Neighborhood Association has compiled a Portola Dim Sum Guide to promote local and independent businesses.
Dim Sum & Cars
🗓️ Sunday | 11 a.m.-3 p.m.
📍 2675 San Bruno Ave.
🔗 dim-sum-and-cars.eventbrite.com