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Though it looks nothing like it did back then, and barely like it did a few years ago thanks to a recent remodel, The White Horse is very possibly the oldest continually operating gay bar in the country. And while lesbians still make their way here regularly due to the significant lesbian population that took root in this neighborhood, the crowd tends to be fairly mixed and LGBT-friendly these days, with a younger generation of straight folks who call Bernal Heights home hanging out here too.
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Two broken toilets were among several objects that crashed through the bar’s windows in the early years, as working class Bernal denizens didn’t take too kindly to a gay bar in their midst in the 1970s. Over the years the place has taken on an easy-going, neighborhood character, and the quirky patio with its toilet bowl planters has a story, too. Named for an obscure early 1960s film that featured Barbara Stanwyck as a lesbian madame, the bar began life in the East Bay before relocating first to North Beach in 1968 (Janis Joplin used to hang out there, as did some of the women who danced topless in nearby clubs), and ultimately to this space in Bernal in 1977, where original owners Pat Ramseyer and Nancy White lived conveniently upstairs. This charming dive out in the wilds of Bernal Heights is still lesbian-owned, and if it’s not exactly a lesbian bar, it’s still an essential place.
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The latest CDC guidance is here find a COVID-19 vaccination site here. Health experts consider dining out to be a high-risk activity for the unvaccinated the latest data about the delta variant indicates that it may pose a low-to-moderate risk for the vaccinated, especially in areas with substantial transmission. For SF’s queer community, it’s all about monthly themed parties, often held at locations that are straight most other nights.īelow, find a selection of the most essential drinking spots for LGBTQ crowds around the Bay, listed geographically from West to East. When it comes to dancing, you can find some at a couple of spots (and the “White Ho”) on a regular basis, but big dance clubs are now a thing of the past. Meanwhile, Polk Street, where an explosion of gay bars began in the mid-1960s and continued through the 1990s, has only one sole survivor from that era, The Cinch. Two neighborhoods where gay nightlife thrived in the 1970s, the Castro and SoMa, are still home to the majority of San Francisco gay bars, and Oakland is home to what is likely the longest continuously operating gay bar in the country, The White Horse, which officially opened in 1933 at the end of Prohibition. You can also find out more about how Time Out makes recommendations and reviews bars here.While longtime queer spaces may be disappearing in San Francisco and other cities, queer people in most of America, including in the Bay Area, understand that actual, physical social spaces are still vital to the culture. Whether you prefer neighborhood dive bars, elegant cocktail dens or craft beer bars, there’s a long list of “bests” in every category in this city. These are our favorites right now.ĭrank somewhere on this list and loved it? Share it with the hashtag #TimeOutDrinkList. After all, experiencing the city's innovative bar scene definitley tops the list of great things to do in San Francisco. Along the way, you'll also find SF classics with fresh new menus (we're looking at you, Trick Dog). Welcome to the Time Out DRINK List, our handpicked ‘best of’ San Francisco’s drinking scene this season. These are the bars we'll be frequenting this summer, from buzzy outdoor patios to hip Carribean-themed wateringholes. Of course, if the fog decides to roll in, this list also includes tried-and-true neighborhood go-tos, like Bernal Heights’ The Royal Cuckoo (#15), the Outer Sunset’s The Riptide (#17) and the Mission’s Zeitgeist (#22). We've updated our list of the best bars in San Francisco to incude two-count 'em-two new rooftop spots (Oeste debuts at #5 and Everdene at #7), a stunning new lounge from a Michelin-starred restaurateur (Moongate deubuts at #3) and a stylish lesbian bar with a NSFW dancefloor (Jolene's debuts at #10). June 2019: S ummer is here and it's actually a scorcher! It's time to hit up the Bay Area's best rooftop bars, boozy patios and alfresco beer gardens.