#2100 - Sears Fine Food, San Francisco - 3/4/2013

This barely, barely qualifies as a bar, but they do have a physical bar where they serve beer and wine, presumably just sine 2004 when they began staying open for the dinner hour and on weekends. The "fine" in Sears Fine Foods must be taken with a grain of salt, but they do fit the bill for anyone looking for old-fashioned American breakfasts and comfort foods.

Sears was established a block up the street in 1938, started by Ben Sears, a retired circus clown with a reputation for good Swedish pancakes. From its heyday when people lined up down the block for a table, it basically went under in 2003, and was revived in 2004 by Man J. Kim. Kim immigrated from Korea in 1972, working as a janitor and taxi driver before buying into the restaurant business. (sfgate)  He now owns a local chain of 50s style diners called "Lori's" and "Gaining control of Sears would make him the indisputable pancake volume leader at Union Square." (ibid)  Nolstalgia for the menu notwithstanding, the sign out front alone makes me grateful someone preserved the place.

439 Powell St, San Francisco, CA 94102 - (415) 986-0700
Est. 1964 in current location, 1938 in earlier location, Aug 1, 2004 under current owneship
Web site: searsfinefood.com
Reviews: sfgate - gayot - yelp - citysearch