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Bars where Pete has had a Drink (5,608 bars; 1,754 bars in Seattle) - Click titles below for Lists:


Bars where Pete has had a drink

Saturday, November 16, 2013

#2093 - Milk Bar, San Francisco - 3/2/2013

When I entered this bar it was packed with people, perfectly still, and eerily quiet -- so much so that I felt obliged to whisper my drink order. Eventually I learned that the people staring at the televisions had come for a screening of the film "Rolled" by Whit Scott. This is apparently the only dance club in the Haight, and on more typical evenings caters to USF students with a mix of live music and hip hop DJs.



1840 Haight St, San Francisco, CA 94117 - (415) 387-6455
Web site: milksf.com - facebook
Reviews: yelp

#2092 - Murio's Trophy Room, San Francisco - 3/2/2013

Murio's was established in 1959 by Olympian and tennis champion John Murio. This was his second bar, after the Hawaiian Village just a few doors up the road (now the Cha Cha Cha). It was very divey, but new owners Edward Sargent and Roger Howell opened a highly remodeled version at the beginning of 2012, in a fashion that one site calls "darker and masculine," but which strikes me as something like a pimp's idea of classy. Thankfully, the retained the great sign out front and also the ancient trophies,  the bartenders are cool and funny, and it's still pleasant in a way that good dive bars are pleasant





1811 Haight St, San Francisco, CA 94117 - (415) 752-2971
Est. 1959
Web site: muriostrophyroom.com - facebook
Reviews: sfgate - tablehopper - eater - sfist - yelp - luckybdesign

#2091 - The Alembic, San Francisco - 3/2/2013

Small and crowded, very nice craft cocktails.

1725 Haight St, San Francisco, CA 94117 - (415) 666-0822
Est. 2006
Web site: alembicbar.com - facebook
Reviews: sfweekly - grubstreet - becksposhnosh - sfgate - jaunted - yelp - bourbonobservor - sanfranciscorestaurants - beeradvocate - gayot - voiceplaces

Saturday, November 09, 2013

#2090 - Aub Zam Zam, San Francisco - 3/2/2013

Aub Zam Zam is a happily dark and glowing bar, old enough that it's Persian decor must have seemed exotic rather than kitschy, with a horseshoe-shaped bar, no televisions, and none of the typical, cheesy beer company paraphernalia. It would be a pleasant place to sit for a drink even if you knew nothing in particular about its history. But you can't talk for long about Zam Zam -- or San Francisco bars in general for that matter -- without hearing tales about the legendary Bruno, who ran the place for 50 years, and instantly kicked out hippies, yuppies, and anyone who did not carefully adhere to a very particular set of looks, drink orders and behavior.

Bruno Mooshei died 2000, 13 years before I could make it here. His Assyrian father "Sammy" and his mother immigrated from (what is now) Iran in the early 1920s, and built the Persian Aub Zam Zam Room on Haight Street with the assistance of Syrian architect Jon Oshanna (1). Bruno took over in 1950, and served strictly behind the bar despite the neat tables in front and in a back room, and dressed in white shirt with black tie and vest. Following are some snippets from the stories I ran across:


'For 50 years, Bruno ran the Zam Zam Club with an iron fist.  The bar opened when Bruno opened the bar.  The bar closed when Bruno felt like closing it.  If he did not like you at first sight, you were invited to go down the street to the Gold Cane where he would say, "I think you would like it a lot better down there." If you were accepted to have a drink at his bar, if you were a man your money must be on the bar.  He would only place a napkin in front of a women.  Women were not expected to pay for a drink.  He would ask what you wanted with a glare that said it had better be a Martini.' (greatjoints)


"The joint was founded by Bruno's father in the early forties, and Bruno learned everything he knew from his father.  He only made Gin martinis, because he believed that the Martini was invented with Gin (he's right).  And when you insisted on a Vodka martini, whoosh, out you went.  (Same with ordering a Manhattan with anything but George Dickel). Once, a friend insisted on a Manhattan made with Jack Daniel's. Bruno suggested George Dickel. My friend wanted what he wanted - WHOOSH!  (yelp)


'The other door opens, and in walks a delightful young British couple. Awesome. Not just tourists, but foreign tourists. I was starting to feel my American pride swell within me. People around the bar are starting to smile but are fighting to hide it. We all know that there is no way this couple could run the Martini Nazi Gauntlet successfully. The couple sits next to us and Bruno walks over. The lady gets a napkin and the man, none. “What’ll you have?” Bruno said in his raspy voice. “I’d like to see a cocktail menu.” Said the woman. Bruno turns to the man. “What’ll you have?” “I’d like to see a cocktail menu as well.” The British accent is so dignified. Just adorable! Bruno then turns back to the woman and takes her napkin away. The bar has now stopped drinking. We are all hunched over our drinks. The napkin removal is the sign we’ve been waiting to see. It’s game time. “The bar is closed. We don’t serve your kind here.”'  (crawlingroad)

"Also I miss Bruno, the old owner guy who used to kick everyone out for the most bizarre infractions like ladies ordering a second drink, or if you didn't tip him the 50 cent piece he'd give you for change."  (yelp)

"For decades the place was owned and run by a fellow named Bruno.  Bruno would not serve you if any of the following was the case:
(1) You were not seated at a stool at the bar (yes, the place always had chairs and tables, and you could always sit at them, but you'd never get a drink);
(2) He didn't like the way you looked;
(3) He didn't like the way you talked;
(4) He didn't approve of your drink order;
(5) Any little thing about you rubbed him the wrong way."
(yelp)

'I mean, I always ordered gin martinis (there's no other kind), and I knew not to ask for it dry (because there's no other way), and I never even thought of asking for table service, and I tried hard to keep my voice down.  I tried very hard.  But every other time I went, it was kaputzki for me.  One time, Bruno looked at me and said, I can tell you are a good person, but your voice is too loud, so go.'  (yelp)

"I got bounced once for asking for a few extra olives after the drinks was made."  (yelp)

'We ordered our martinis. Gin. Stirred. Cold. And were sipping. Watching other people get kicked out. I don’t remember who it was Bruno had just kicked out, but I’d had my entire martini, and I was feeling giddy, and I couldn’t help myself: I giggled. “Young lady? What’s so FUNNY?” Bruno turned his short, stout body to me. I was horrified. “I just thought something was funny.” “We don’t LAUGH like that in PUBLIC. You are being VERY RUDE. I have to ask you to LEAVE.” I’d heard him say those lines before, but now they were directed at me. Oh. I could hear my boyfriend-now-husband sucking down his martini next to me, finishing as quickly as he could.'  (jadepark)

'“When his wife died, he just didn’t see the point of offering table service anymore, and Bruno stuck with it,” explained Andrea, Aub Zam Zam’s current bartender. “From then on, if you asked if you could sit there, he just kicked you out.”'  (theskylineview)

"The first time we went in here, the original owner (and only employee) told us to get out when we took seats in the back room. We came over to sit at the bar. We were the only customers. We ordered a vodka martini and a beer. He told us once again to GET OUT, much more forcefully. We pulled it together and each had a gin martini with a twist. The drinks were delightful and were served in beautiful crystal glasses. We befriended the owner and returned many times. We were very careful with our seating and drinks choices thereafter."  (yelp)

"If someone opened the door, especially in daylight, and hesitated before coming in, Bruno would shout: ‘Shut that door, there’s a stench out there. Away with you, barbarian!’"  (lrb)

"Those people, they must be from FREMONT, I'll bet they drink BUD, from CANS."  (yelp)

'Bruno had been known to go up to the circuit breaker at the bar and announce “The bar is closed” and shut off the lights for no reason. I did not witness this myself, but others reported it as a possibility.  (crawlingroad)

"I don't make carnival drinks go to the Gold Cane."  (yelp)


1633 Haight St, San Francisco, CA 94117 - (415) 861-2545
Est. 1941
Web site: facebook
Reviews: greatjoints - sfgate - yelp - crawlingroad - theskylineview - sfstories - sfgate - sfweekly - nightout - sfweekly - thebigdrinksf - tastingtable - sfbaytripper - blackbook

Wednesday, October 30, 2013

#2087 - Fizzee's, San Francisco - 3/1/2013

I would like to tell you all the interesting things the owner Yung told me about this bar. But I lost my notes, my memory's generally terrible, and this was far too late into my bar crawl to recollect much in any case. But the pictures remind me that they do have a car on the wall and a pretty bartender whose dishwashing gloves match her dress. You don't see that combination every day.



3954 Geary Blvd, San Francisco, CA 94118 -- (415) 221-7300
Reviews: yelp

#2086 - Abbey Tavern, San Francisco - 3/1/2013

The Abbey Tavern seems to bounce between Irish pub (with Celtic music and poetry readings), sports bar, college bar, and nightclub. I suppose it is just an Irish-themed neighborhood joint, trying awkwardly to embrace whatever seems like it will pull in 22-year-old guys

It is not particularly old nor particularly new. It is not a classic Irish pub, nor one of the soul-less knockoffs just hanging the same old Guiness posters. It is not a classic sports bar, nor a bad choice to catch a game. I didn't love it, nor did I hate it.
Wall decoration, Abbey Tavern, San Francisco
Animated conversation in Abbey Tavern, San Francisco

4100 Geary Blvd, San Francisco, CA 94118 - (415) 221-7767
Est. 1997
Web site: abbeytavern-sf.com - facebook
Reviews: yelp

#2085 - Would You Believe?, San Francisco - 3/1/2013

Not particularly interesting for me.

4652 Geary Blvd San Francisco, CA 94118 - (415) 752-7444
Web site: facebook
Reviews: yelp

Sunday, October 27, 2013

#2084 - The Hearth, San Francisco - 3/1/2013

The Hearth has basically everything you want in a classic dive bar. It is dark; it has a mix of people including several older, local regulars; it has an oddball collection of decorations that have accrued with no particular theme; and it is old.  I'm not sure how old it is, but the previous owner Sid owned it for 40 years before selling it in 2007, and there is a photo that appears to show it several years before that (1959).  One thing it doesn't appear to have is a hearth -- at least the kind with real stone and real fire -- although a faux version flickers in a corner festooned with trophies and red curtains. Apparently there are sometimes open mike comedy performances there, but when I arrived there were just a few other people and friendly bartender Texie.

Ray Rex bought the place from Sid, added some German touches, and had his copyrighted description painted on the outside: "No Whiners, No Website, Just Booze"©  That works for me.






4701 Geary Blvd, San Francisco, CA 94118 - (415) 751-0200
Reviews: sfgateyelp - sfbarkast

#2083 - McKenzie's Bar, San Francisco - 3/1/2013



5320 Geary Blvd, San Francisco, CA 94121 - (415) 379-6814
Web site: facebook
Reviews: everybarinsf - yelp

#2082 - The Nags Head, San Francisco - 3/1/2013

The Nags Head appears to be basically a dive for beginner drinkers, with candy flavored drinks named for desserts, candies, and various sexual acts ("Bubble Gum," "Chocolate Cake," "Blow Job").


5346 Geary Blvd, San Francisco, CA 94121 - (415) 387-9510                  
Reviews: brokeassstuart - yelp

Saturday, October 26, 2013

#2081 - Tommy's Mexican, San Francisco -3/1/2013

Well, as of this night, and my chat with Julio, I no longer order salt on my margaritas. Tommy's was opened in 1965 by Tommy Bermejo, serving Mexican and Yutatecan food in the Richmond district. But it was Tommy's son Julio, who now runs the place and tends bar, who made it an international destination and a mecca for tequila and margarita lovers.

I started with the famous Tommy's Margarita. The small bar and restaurant were packed while I was there, but Julio still made the time to give me a tequila class, setting out various samples of the largest collection of 100% agave tequilas outside of Mexico. We talked tequila, and bars, and bartenders and when I left he gave me a Tommy's shot glass. It was a very fine night out at the bar.


5929 Geary Blvd San Francisco, CA 94121 - (415) 387-4747
Est. 1965
Web site: tommysmexican.comfacebook
Reviews: sfgate - sfweekly - foodrepublic - esquire - grubstreet - yelp - partyearth

#2080 - Trad'r Sam, San Francisco - 3/1/2013

Opened by Sam Baden in 1937, Trad'r Sam is the oldest tiki bar in the world. The old "bamboo bar" pre-dates the Don The Beachcombers and Trader Vic's, which started the tiki trend. It remains as a comfortable neighborhood dive, retaining the tiki decor and serving tropical drinks and scorpion bowls to a mostly younger crowd. The sign outside no longer lights up, which was partly disappointing, and but also satisfyingly apropos for such a genuine, old dive.

6150 Geary Blvd San Francisco, CA 94121 - (415) 221-0773
Est. 1937
Reviews: critiki - sfexaminertikicentral - sfweekly - yelp - foggedinlounge

#2079 - Jamber Wine Pub, San Francisco - 3/1/2013

A nice, woody, casual spot on Folsom that serves updated comfort food, craft beers and several wines on tap (no bottles).























858 Folsom St San Francisco, CA 94107 - (415) 273-9192
Est. year - Sep 28, 2012
Web site: jambersf.com - facebook
Reviews: grubstreet - grubstreet - eater - yelp

Saturday, October 05, 2013

#2078 - Pied Piper, San Francisco - 2/28/2013

Parrish's "Pied Piper of Hamelin," shortly before 2013 restoration
The Pied Piper was established in 1909 in the reconstructed Palace Hotel (after the great quake). The original Palace Hotel, built in 1875, hosted presidents Grant, Harrison, McKinley, and Teddy Roosevelt. The new hotel has hosted presidents Taft, Harding, FDR, and Clinton -- with Warren Harding passing away there. It's also hosted Oscar Wilde and Sarah Bernhardt, who arrived with her pet baby tiger.

For the opening of the Pied Piper Bar in the newly constructed Palace, Maxfield Parrish was commissioned to create a 16 foot long by 6 foot tall painting, which has resided behind the bar with limited interruptions every since. One of those interruptions came shortly after my visit, as the hotel concluded that it did not make sense to keep an artwork worth millions of dollars sitting behind a bar. But a public outcry ensued, thousands of signatures were gathered protesting the move, and the owners subsequently changed their minds and returned the painting after some restoration work.

A bar tender in the old version of the hotel wrote one of the definitive books on cocktails in 1891, William T. Boothby's "Cocktail Boothby's American Bartender: The Only Practical Treatise on the Art of Mixology Published."  (Yes, the term "mixology" dates back to the 19th century.) The current bar maintains a focus on the classics, and provides one of the more elegant settings in the city to sip a drink.


2 New Montgomery St San Francisco, CA 94105 - (415) 512-1111
Est. December 19, 1909 - Building constructed: 1909 (previous building 1875)
Previous bars in this location:
Web site: sfpalace.com
Reviews: sfgate - examiner - wikipedia - sfheritage - blackbook - yelp

#2077 - Zero Zero, San Francisco - 2/28/2013

Upscale ‘Calipolitan’ pizzas, various small plates, and some nice, barrel-aged cocktails.

826 Folsom St San Francisco, CA 94107 - (415) 348-8800
Est. July 7, 2010
Web site: www.zerozerosf.com - facebook
Reviews: sfgatechow - yelp - tripadvisor