Over in San Francisco's Castro District, a storefront that has sat dark and boarded over for five years, which was once one of the buzzy nightlife magnets of the neighborhood, is making a comeback after a very lengthy remodel.

QBar at 456 Castro Street has not seen a customer or served a drink since November 16, 2019, when a fire in an upstairs residential unit caused heavy damage to the business and the building, and led to the closure of a next-door clothing shop and sushi restaurant as well.

Hoodline reports today, via an announcement by owners Cip Cipriano and John "JB" Bellemore, that QBar will have its grand reopening on November 8, one week shy of the five-year anniversary of the fire.

The bar, at one time known as Bar on Castro, became a particular destination for queer people of color in the late 2010s, due to several popular weeknight and weekend parties, most of which will be revived when it reopens next week. The plan is to relaunch several of those original parties, as well as some new ones, according to manager Christian Gabriel.

In a statement, QBar's owners say, "We will continue the bar’s mission to serve as an all-inclusive space while catering specifically to queer, trans, and communities of color."

There have been several false starts for the bar since the pandemic, with the owners making some premature opening announcements. In particular, in February 2023, it was widely reported that the reopening was imminent that spring. But here, over 18 months later, it is finally happening.

The reason for the extended closure, in addition to the pandemic, had to do with permits, rerouting of plumbing — there is a brand new bathroom where a back room used to be — city bureaucracy, and the contractor on the project, according to the owners.

Along with Badlands around the corner on 18th Street, and The Cafe on Market Street, the extended closure of QBar became symbolic of the Castro neighborhood's slow and difficult recovery from the pandemic, and a general perceived decline in the liveliness of the neighborhood's nightlife.

In a positive sign, since its reopening last October, Badlands has returned to its former popularity and then some — with many recently transplanted locals treating it like a new bar, which it is for them.

In addition to a relocated DJ booth and covered-over windows to the street, patrons will find a new mural of the Golden Gate Bridge constructed out of QBar's vintage wooden 2-4-1 drink tokens.

QBar - 456 Castro Street - Reopening November 8

Top image: Photo by Steven Bracco/Hoodline