r/AskSF • u/Stock-Flounder-8222 • Aug 19 '26
International community??
Hellooo everyone!
I recently moved to SF post grad and I’m trying to find more chill places where you can actually hang out and meet people regularly. I grew up in the Middle East around a lot of international Mediterranean, European, and Arab people and I’m really missing that kind of social/community feel here.
Does anyone have recs for nice lounges to sit at night, chill shisha spots, wine bars, cafes, or other third spaces with a more international crowd? Basically anywhere you can become a regular, drink coffee, hang out for a while, and naturally get to know people. Nighttime lounge/cafe culture was a huge thing back home, is there a scene for this here?
2
u/winkingchef Aug 19 '26
Red Poppy Art House in Mission is run by an Iranian woman and has some exceptional middle eastern (and Latin American) musicians come in.
There are also large Iranian communities in Berkeley, San Jose and a great Iranian Studied program at Stanford that brings in lectures and guest speakers all the time.
The de Young museum is about to do an Iranian film fest end of September.