Traditions and trends
THERE ARE TWO KINDS of drinkers in the world: drinkers who treasure traditional bars that pour a sense of history into every cocktail and have a layer of grime on every surface, and drinkers who like to see and be seen at trendy new joints that feature glittering clienteles and industrial-style barstools you can never quite get comfortable on.
For this season's Bars and Clubs guide, we've chosen some of our favorite bars from both categories: watering holes that have stood the test of time for 25 years or more and hot spots that have been drawing crowds for 5 years or less.
The Saloon was originally the bar (and perhaps the dining room, judging from the scenic wall paintings, now barely visible through layers of smoke and soot) for the Fresno Hotel, established in 1861. Located on the corner of Fresno Alley and Grant Avenue (the city's oldest thoroughfare, which was called Calle de la Fundación and Dupont Street before it got its present name), the Saloon is the oldest bar in North Beach and, according to the San Francisco Almanac, one of the three oldest existing bars or restaurants in the city.
Both the residential hotel and bar continue to thrive today
on what was rumored to be the nastiest corner in the Barbary Coast.
And it's still a good place for a sailor to get drunk and get in a fight.
The bar is small and sturdy, made of old, dark wood, and built for serious
drinkers. The Saloon was one of the first bars in North Beach to
feature live music, notably excellent blues, and still charges
only a modest cover charge on weekends. (Pia Hinckle)
1232 Grant, S.F. (415) 989-7666.