The Weeknighter

Update: It Looks Like Tommy’s Joynt is NOT Permanently Closed
UPDATE: Looks like Tommy’s Joynt may not be shut down after all. Despite all the evidence presented below, I just got good news! Chris Henry, owner of Tommy’s Joynt, emailed me saying, “We’re not permanently closed! We’re temporarily shut down due to covid and mandatory closure from government.” I reached out

Li Po Lounge: Where Weird Nights Are Almost Guaranteed
OFF MENU IS SPONSORED BY BENDER’S BECAUSE THEY ARE BADASS. DROP BY AND MAKE SOME BAD DECISIONS WITH SOME GOOD PEOPLE! Weird things happen at the Li Po Lounge. I was there one night many years ago for some random basement dance party that a friend was involved with. You know how those

The San Francisco Beer Passport is Here!
Step into a world of adventure with the San Francisco Beer Passport. There’s no better way to explore San Francisco than to literally drink it in. This passport is amazing! Each one contains 37 coupons to buy one beer, get a second beer FREE at 37 of the finest locally owned bars,

Pier 23: Where Tourists and Locals Get Wasted Together
Things can get weird at Pier 23. It sometimes seems like all the forces in the universe collide there causing a perfect storm of what San Francisco should be like to those outside looking in. It’s a seafood joint, on the Embarcadero, with live music, a full bar, plenty of tourists, and good amount of locals.

Talking Open Relationships & Strong Booze at Comstock Saloon
OFF MENU IS SPONSORED BY EMPEROR NORTON’S BOOZELAND THE TENDERLOIN’S NEWEST HISTORIC DIVE. HAPPY HOUR NOON – 7PM This originally appeared in my Weeknighter column for 7×7 The first time I went to Comstock Saloon was with a woman I wasn’t dating. My girlfriend at the time was out of town and we

Bow Bow Cocktail Lounge: Where Getting Weird was Invented
This originally appeared ing my Weeknighter column for 7×7. There’s an incredible song that Johnny Cash recorded on the first of his American Recordings albums called “The Beast in Me.” The first stanza goes: The beast in me Is caged by frail and fragile bars Restless by day And by

The 500 Club is the Definition of What a Dive Bar Should Be
It beckons you. Through neon lights and an illuminated martini glass, it calls your name. With cheap booze and rambling conversation, it pulls you in. Like a moth to a flame, or rather, a fly to a bar, The 500 Club sings a sweet siren’s song to all who pass her by. It says, “We are for each other,” and you admit she’s right, popping in for just one drink, which always turns into three.

How to Fall in Love at the Fireside Bar
This originally appeared in my Weeknighter column in the SF Bay Guardian There’s something romantic about San Francisco’s summertime fog. Those damp and chilly nights belong only to us, and the atmosphere they create is what dreams are made of. While the rest of the country simultaneously shares the same

Sutter Station: Where No Fucks Are Given
Sutter Station doesn’t give a fuck. In fact it has been steadfastly sitting on Market Street, not giving fucks since 1969. That’s before BART existed, before Tales of the City came out, and before the Beatles broke-up.