San Francisco SaloonWorld's greatest blues bar? That may be a little strong, but it's the oldest bar in San Francisco (150-plus years) and boasts the best of the blues in the Bay Area, not only in terms of the good music with almost unbelievably small crowds of a mid-week evening, but because of the impressive array of CDs recorded on the premises and released by proprietor Myron Mu. The days of catching Tommy Castro at The Saloon are probably past, and the great Johnny Nitro, mentor to many, has passed on, but Steve Freund, Cathy Lemons, Daniel Castro, and Dave Workman remain on the regular roster. (updated, after a long hiatus, on 3 December. in 2022.
At The Saloon itself, San Francisco Supervisor Aaron Peskin presents proprietor Myron Mu with a Certificate of Honor, recognizing the beloved Noth Beach watering hole as the oldest bar in San Francisco.
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During the 1800s, so the legends go, drunks who stumbled out of this tavern risked being shanghaied for nasty and ill-paid ocean voyages. The building survived the '06 earthquake, it's said, because of its unusually stout timbers. It survived the subsequent fires, it's said, because the fire brigades made sure protect the hookers who worked upstairs. Today the doorman-bouncer-soundman Greg scares hell out of would-be troublemakers but is actually one of the sweetest characters you'll ever meet. And oh yes, for between sets, this place has about the best jukebox anywhere.
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Location1232 Grant Street (at Vallejo/Fresno in North Beach)
San Francisco, CA (415) 989-7666 Parking? Slim. Lyft or Uber a good call, or hop any bus heading down Columbus or Broadway. |
