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The fine folks over at Eater came across the May issue of Esquire, which boasts their annual list of the Best Bars in America. San Francisco scored big, with Zeitgeist (cyclists and porta-potties!), Toronado (somewhere in the Haight!), 21 Club, (grit!) Bourbon & Branch (never been before!), Cantina (secret basement fumblings!), Vesuvio (North Beach at its most preserved!) and Tosca Cafe (Sean Penn!) making the annual list.
What about the not-so-good, you ask? We're giving that award to Lava Lounge. Why? Because it has tiny seats, tiny drinks, and ruined what once was the only place in the LoRi to get a cheap cocktail served by a pregnant, cigarette-smoking bartender.
But what say you? What drinking establishment is an area of concern?
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"We're giving that award to Lava Lounge. Why? Because it has tiny seats, tiny drinks, and ruined what once was the only place in the LoRi to get a cheap cocktail for a pregnant, cigarette-smoking bartender."
Here here! I used to work across the street from the dearly departed Eagle's Drift In. Um, what is LoRi though?
I miss the Drift-In. Sigh.
The "LoRi" is Lower Rincon Hill. I made it up too.
The Bahi Hut in my hometown of Sarasota is the third best bar in the country?!?
List credibility in tatters.
SFist isn't written by people who actually live here, right? Or let me guess, you just moved in like last october and your excited about the upcoming summer in the city. wow... you guys have no clue.
That is some tired s***, doesntmatter.
No, this isn't Curbed and/or SF Gate. SFist's writers know the territory, they just aren't barflies.
I hate to be a contrarian (no, wait, actually I love being a contrarian), but I'm not a huge fan of Toronado. It's always too crowded, takes forever to get a beer, and I'm not into Belgian triple-hopped cream dunkel stout ales enough to make it worthwhile. I can see the appeal if you're really into beer, but to me, it's just a loud place with warm beer where I can't sit down.
As someone who has won a few awards for her homebrewing sills, I am way into great beer. However, I quit bothering with Toronado a long time ago. There are plenty of places with great beer selections that are nicer and don;t have so much crappy rude attitude from the bartenders.
I would totally nominate City Beer Store as a much better alternative.
The exact same write-up and accompanying picture has been on the Esquire web site for like two years now. (I sent it to my dad last summer.)
So their "new" list is a collection of already-existing content. Lame.
Sorry: I was talking about the Toronado blurb. Not sure about the others. Hooray beer!
I noticed that, too. They reordered the list and didn't change anything (blurbs or photos) for any place that was on the old list
all of those bars on The EMB (b/t Mission and Townsend) are shitty. staff is shitty, patrons are shitty, prices are shitty.
except for Hi-Dive. i like to get drunk in there during the week, usually next to some longshoreman named "Tugboat".
speaking of drinks -- we need to get some soon, Brock.
Amen to that. Can't go wrong in a place that has Maker's on tap.
Excuse me? Did you just say "Maker's on tap"?
Holy fucking shit, I have to visit this place.
i'm here to tell you that their seattle places are seldom frequented by long-time seattlites.
just my $0.02. carry on.
They have got to be kidding me with Bourbon & Branch. It's got a great selection of booze, but otherwise it is a vastly overrated, overpriced novelty experience. I live a block away from it and have no desire to go back.
Why those fools at Esquire couldn't go a few blocks to Whiskey Thieves (just as awesome selection of whiskey, great prices, no annoying reservations or passwords or having to pound overpriced drinks in an alloted time) is beyond me. (One of Esquire's contributors is engaged to one of WT's bartenders, fuh cryin' out loud!)
And Cantina? It's alright, nice place to bring a lady friend (or what have you), but if that's one of the best bars in America, I'm Donald Duck.
Maybe he didn't want a bunch of douchelords who read Esquire descending on Whiskey Thieves. Some things are best kept quiet, y'know?
*ahem* (Quite so.)
I don't know much about SF bars.
But the LA bars they listed are atrocious. Musso and Franks? Chateau Marmont? Bleh. The only upside is that whenever I go back to visit, my favorite bars will still be blissfully empty (and hopefully still be open)
"At Zeitgeist, nobody's a freak, not even the guy in the khakis and polo shirt."
I don't know if I would take it that far.
Who else here loves The Makeout Room and Doc's Clock?
I only seldom go to Docs Clock for some White Trash Punch. Otherwise I can't stand the urinal cake smell.
Bueller? Bueller?
Okay, forgive me for sounding clueless, but why is Sean Penn's name next to my favorite bar, Tosca??
Because he's known to frequent the place, is friends with the owner, Jeanette Etheridge, etc., etc.