The New Blackbird Bar in the Castro

Sometime last week a friend hit me up to let me know that he was working at a place that was about to open called The Blackbird, and that I should come through on opening night.  I was certainly interested in seeing what they’d done to the place.  The last time I was in there it was called Expansion Bar, an un-busy place patronized by semiprofessional drunks and florescently lit like the deli counter at Safeway.  Expansion’s most charming feature was that it served $2 beers all day on Tuesdays.  That will surely be missed.

The Blackbird is about as different from the Expansion as you could possibly imagine.  Granted, I was there on opening night, but the place was packed with a hip and good looking clientele that was roughly 70% gay and 30% straight.  It’s almost certainly the kind of bar where “straight” men from out of town will meet a guy who ends up blowing them by the end of the night (only to spend the rest of the weekend questioning their sexuality and wondering how much to tell their girlfriend about the trip to San Francisco).

Strange but highly likable

In terms of decor, the Blackbird looks great.  The walls are covered with old newspapers and the art that hangs there looks like it was done by highly talented and possibly mentally disabled children.  The dim lighting and music selection ranging from Erykah Badu to Phil Collins helps give the bar a laid back vibe  and the $3 Buds and $2.50 PBR ensure that place is friendly to Broke-Asses.

All in all, I pin it as a place to hang out on weekday nights, when the crowd won’t be too thick and you won’t have to wait too long to play pool or make-out in the photo booth.

The Blackbird
2124 Market St. near Church St. [Castro]
$3 Buds and $2.50 PBRs