This Mission Punk Bar Remains a Burger Destination and a Safe Haven

PHOTOS AND WORDS BY ANDY SAMWICK

I have been reminiscing lately about the San Francisco of yesteryears. When I first moved out to the West Coast in the late 90s, one of my frequent spots was the classic dive and now Legacy Business Zeitgeist, which opened in 1977. It was unlike any bar I had ever seen. It was loud, it was chaotic. There were bloody marys and margaritas, there was lots of beer, there were cheeseburgers. You could smoke anything you wanted and you could be anything you wanted to be. And having come out in 1996 both as a gay man and new resident to the city by the bay, I felt safe and home when I visited this sacred space.

Fast forward to today and the bar still has this outstanding ability to entertain a wide and eclectic audience. Its history is more than its rotating beer list and food options, but more about how Zeitgeist throughout changing times still bolsters and builds community. Going to the beer garden is like riding the local transit; you never know who is going to sit next to you. It could be a biker (and that term refers to cyclists and motorcyclists) on one side of the picnic table or a tech bro on the other. There are even leftover bohemians that sing to the punk rock music blaring around the back yard.

Community is also evident in the Zeitgeist’s kitchen of chef and kitchen manager Peyton Daniel’s menu. The approach is all about making sure there’s something for everyone to enjoy themselves. From his enthusiasm with his position, to the staff that have been behind him for the last couple of years, Daniel translates the strength of the bar’s history to the present through his cooking. 

I asked Daniel what his first impression was of his menu and he didn’t hesitate. He said to try the mushroom smash burger which he calls a fun take on the “smash style.” The mushrooms are sautéed in garlic and the Swiss cheese is dressed with shredded lettuce, tomato, pickles, onion and garlic aioli. He even shouts out local Panorama Bakery, repping  the bakery’s brioche bun which is gladly branded with the Zeitgeist’s infamous Death Bunny — a riff on the actual Playboy Bunny. Of course no burger goes without a basket of french fries where customers get to choose: salt and pepper or Zeitspice, Daniel’s house-made cajun seasoning. I have also enjoyed the Zeit smashburger with aged cheddar and this smokey secret sauce on other occasions. Daniel features a rotating burger of the month created by not just members of the kitchen but anyone who works at Zeitgeist. In fact, Zeitgeist’s November burger of the month, the Pastrami Stackhouse Burger created by Chef Luis. Two smash patties stacked with fresh sliced pastrami sounds like quite the burger grip and one I will return for.

I always pair my burgers with beers from Zeitgeist’s quintessential beer menu. I ordered from the German-style selections with that mushroom smash burger. I chose the pilsner by St. Radeberger for its regalness and refreshing taste. I love all the beer selections here. It seems as highly regarded as the Toronado menu with other German landmark beers like the Weihenstephaner Hefeweissbier Dunkel by Bayerische Staatsbrauerei Weihenstephan and the Reissdorf Kölsch by Privat-Brauerei Heinrich Reissdorf that I know beer enthusiasts frequent just for these offerings.

The bloody marys in question.

In addition to the expanded burger selections, they offer maple bourbon wings on Wing Wednesdays as a hot special. Sweet, smokey, and sticky maple bourbon wings that come with the side of your choice of ranch or blue cheese. They also have several sandwiches like a Caprese sandwich and a Nashville hot chicken sandwich. I like the Bavarian bratwurst with grilled onions and sauerkraut. And snacks like the brussels sprouts and fried mac and cheese balls that are both crispy on the outside and creamy on the inside.

In November I invited a couple of friends to Zeitgeist’s inaugural brunch as my pals were craving bloody marys. Chef Daniel is calling it his Sunday “Breakfast for Lunch” menu and it kicked off on November 12th. We shared practically the whole menu between the three of us. I mean how could we not, with dishes like fried chicken and waffles with a crispy fried boneless chicken thigh served over a light and fluffy Belgian waffle with cayenne honey butter and maple syrup. I mentioned how the kitchen brands their brioche buns with the Death Bunny, so we got both the Zeitgeist breakfast sandwich and the breakfast smash burger. The breakfast sandwich has eggs omelet style and we chose cheddar instead of American cheese and garlic aioli instead of Sriracha mayo and bacon instead of sausage for our version. And it killed, just like the Death Bunny. The breakfast smash burger killed it for us as well. One grilled three-ounce patty, aged cheddar instead of American cheese, two slices of crispy bacon, a fried egg, along with that sriracha mayo. We even made enough room for the truffled home fries — tossed with truffle oil, parmesan cheese, and fresh herbs with a side of delicious garlic aioli. We needed a second round of bloody marys with all this terrific food we were sharing.

These visits to this legendary and historical bar have been eye-opening for me. I have made some new connections and have felt a strong sense of community, something San Francisco really needs at the moment. That, and some great food and drink, is what Zeitgeist is all about, the defining spirit and mood of this particular period of history.

Andy Samwick is a bon vivant who brings decades of food and beverage insight to the table.