Today is the 53rd birthday of North Beach watering hole institution Specs’ Bar, whose full, proper name is Specs’ Twelve Adler Museum Cafe, and it is declared by this website that Specs’ “might be the best bar in the world.” Specs’ has been closed throughout the pandemic, but they posted

Anyone who knows me know how much I love Specs’. It’s hands down my favorite bar in the world. It’s weird and quirky and full of artists, writers, a drunks – both young and old. I wrote this pretty wonderful story about it right here. I just saw some good news

I’ve got some awesome news! We received a grant from the Civic Joy Fund to put out a literary magazine celebrating SF and acting to counter the stupid “Doom Loop” narrative. It’s a gift to the people of San Francisco. And after months of working on this project it’s now available

The bar in question is officially called Specs’ Twelve Adler Museum Cafe, but everyone just calls it Specs’. I don’t recall exactly when I first discovered the joint but I’ve been a regular ever since. To the uninitiated, visiting Specs’ is like walking into a Tom Waits song.