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10 San Francisco Bars that Open at 6am

Updated: Aug 17, 2023 10:27
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OFF MENU IS SPONSORED BY EMPEROR NORTONโ€™S BOOZELAND THE TENDERLOINโ€™S NEWEST HISTORIC DIVE.  HAPPY HOUR NOON โ€“ 7PM


Sometimes you just donโ€™t want the party to end. Youโ€™ve been up all night dancing, drinking, drugging, doing the deed, and suddenly itโ€™s 6am and youโ€™re like, โ€œDamn, I bet Iโ€™m in perfect condition to be out in public and in a drinking establishment.โ€

Well, thatโ€™s one reason bars open at 6am.

The other one, often times the more popular one, is that people who just get off a graveyard shift want a fucking drink. People like doctors, janitors, strippers, nurses, strippers who dress like nursesโ€ฆthere are plenty of jobs that end just about the time many of us are waking up. And for them, 6am bars are the best thing in the world.

Here are 10 San Francisco bars that open at 6am:

Aceโ€™s Bar

This NYC centric bar has been holding it down on the 6am tip for a decade. During regular people hours, Aceโ€™s is a  solid, divey place to get your drink on and watch a game. At 6am I imagine itโ€™s the same but weirder.
(Open every day at 6am)

The Brown Jug Saloon

Besides being a fantastic bar to cry in by yourself, the Brown Jug is also a 6am bar. Considering itโ€™s location in the heart of the Tenderloin, no matter what condition you come in, theyโ€™ve seen far worse. That said, it doesnโ€™t mean theyโ€™ll tolerate your bullshit either. Theyโ€™ve got a strict zero tolerance policy for your bullshit.
(Open every day at 6am)

[Editorโ€™s note: RIP the Brown Jug]

The Cinch

Possibly the last gay bar on Polk Street, the Cinch is also the second oldest surviving one in SF. Itโ€™s old and divey and weird and hella gay and wonderful. If youโ€™ve never been, itโ€™s a must, especially at 6am.
(Open 6am on Saturday and Sunday)

Clooneyโ€™s

This also happens to be a bar you can cry in by yourself. Clooneyโ€™s is the second one on this list. I wonder if there is a correlation. Regardless, my buddy Isaac Fitzgerald once spent an entire day in this fantastic bar, from 6am to 2pm, and live tweeted it. It was brilliant and was for a Bold Italic article that no longer exists on the internet.
(Open every day at 6am)

Gino & Carlo

As old school as you can get in San Francisco, Gino and Carlo is a hold over from when North Beach was a working class Italian neighborhood. Itโ€™s the kind of place where you you pretty much inherit the seat at the bar from your dad.
(Open every day at 6am)

The Mix

Easily one of the most laid back and friendly bar in the Castro, The Mix is the little neighborhood joint that never judges you no matter what shape youโ€™re in when tumble in the door. Even at 6am.
(Open every day at 6am)

Popโ€™s Bar

In December Popโ€™s announced that it would be joining the 6am club. All the doctors and nurse at nearby SF General Hospital rejoiced because, GODDAMN do they need a drink after seeing the shit that goes down at the hospital.
(Open every day at 6am)

Silver Crest Diner

Part doughnut shop, part diner, part bar, The Silver Crest Diner never closes. In fact I was told they have never locked their door since first opening in 1970! Kinda makes your work ethic seem like shit doesnโ€™t it? So if youโ€™re near here at 6am, they will serve you booze. The bartenderโ€™s choice is always ouzo by the way.
(Always open! Starts serving booze at 6am.)

Silver Spur

In the Outer Sunset lies the Silver Spur, beckoning you with its 6am siren call. Will you go? Will you drink her her superb divey-ness and chase it with a shot of Jameson? I sure as fuck hope so.
(Open every day at 6am)

Vesuvio

Hands down one of the best bars in San Francisco, Vesuvio used to open at 6am everyday but now it only does on Saturday and Sunday. Thatโ€™s cool though because if you stop in on Sunday you get to hang out with my buddy Tony, who is a wonderful bartender. In fact, read about his 6am shift here.

Which ones are we missing? Leave them in the comments.

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Broke-Ass Stuart - Editor In Cheap

Broke-Ass Stuart - Editor In Cheap

Stuart Schuffman, aka Broke-Ass Stuart, is a travel writer, poet, TV host, activist, and general shit-stirrer. His website BrokeAssStuart.com is one of the most influential arts & culture sites in the San Francisco Bay Area and his freelance writing has been featured in Lonely Planet, Conde Nast Traveler, The Bold Italic, Geek.com and too many other outlets to remember. His weekly column, Broke-Ass City, appears every other Thursday in the San Francisco Examiner. Stuartโ€™s writing has been translated into four languages. In 2011 Stuart created and hosted the travel show Young, Broke, and Beautiful on IFC and in 2015 he ran for Mayor of San Francisco and got nearly 20k votes.

He's been called "an Underground legend": SF Chronicle, "an SF cult hero"ย:SF Bay Guardian, and "the chief of cheap": Time Out New York.