Part of the Gay San Francisco Guide — bars, events & things to do.
San Francisco, California
SoMa's longtime bear bar with a sunny, license-plate back patio.
San Francisco's original bear bar, open in SoMa since 1989 and widely credited as the birthplace of the international bear movement. Founder Rick Redewill built it for the working-class, hairier crowd that felt more at home south of Market than in the Castro, and the formula held: bears, leathermen, cubs, and the men who admire them, with bartenders who know the regulars by name. It was the first gay bar in the city to earn official Legacy Business status. The heated back patio — license plates on the walls, afternoon sun, a bar of its own — is the main event, busiest for Sunday Beer Busts and Saturday pool tournaments. Inside, a penny-mosaic bar top and decades of gay memorabilia set a no-fuss tone that skews 30-plus and locals-first. Cash only, which tells you most of what you need to know about the place.
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