Thursday's San Francisco After Dark

Despite its notoriety as being at the center of the counter culture, gay culture, entrepreneurial culture, and of course the Tech culture San Francisco has been a city that rolls up its sidewalks earlier than most Amish communities.

It wasn’t always like this.  The city’s infamous Barbary Coast (so named due to the pirates in North Africa) and the opium dens of Chinatown birthed an image of the city as one of vice and lawlessness.

The terms shanghaied and vigilante originated in San Francisco.  Certain sections of the city were the worse kept secret for finding the practitioners of the world’s oldest profession.

San Francisco had an image problem.

When the 1906 Earthquake and Fire struck the city, it destroyed the districts where most of the city’s vice was found.

Conservative city leaders made sure that when the San Francisco was rebuilt, so would the city’s reputation.  Over the next 60 years, with minor exceptions for bars, and odd 24-hour café or supermarket, the city proverbially rolled up its sidewalks at 10:00pm.

Then came the Beatniks (another term invented in San Francisco) in the late 1950s, the hippies of the 1960s, and the gay and punk scenes in the 1970s.  The city’s population got younger and that, one would think, would be enough to generate a more vibrant late-night culture.

A few clubs and music venues opened in the SOMA area when it was still and industrial part of the city.  In the late 1990s Tech workers flooded the area, and as they were prone to work 18 hours a day and not party like their counterparts a generation earlier, the nascent club scene fizzled.

When the Covid pandemic hit, it killed whatever semblance of late-night culture still remained.  See my article on SFHotelStories.com titled, The Many Similarities Between Cotton, Minnesota And San Francisco.

Despite those gloomy observations, San Francisco continues to be a vibrant, culturally diverse city.  And you can still go out dancing, drinking, and even eating past 11:00pm.  You first have to know where to go.

Most bars are open past midnight, unless it is a hotel bar.  If you check out my article on SFHotelStories.com titled, The Spirit(s) Of San Francisco, you will find a breakdown of some of my favorite watering holes.

In no particular order, let me share some of the few remaining late-night clubs and restaurants open past 11:00pm.

The DNA Lounge in the SOMA district has a 40-year history in San Francisco, but does not feel dated.  It is only open on the weekends, but stays open until 2:30am.

The Temple Nightclub is also located in the SOMA district, but has the distinction of being eco-conscious.  Their various rooms offer different music and designs.  And they have rooftop seating!

A Sign for the Hawthorn Nightclub and Lounge

The Hawthorn SF Nightclub and Lounge is relatively new by San Francisco night club standards.  Straddling the border between Union Square and the Financial District, this off-the-beaten-path nightclub is anything but ordinary.  It is open five days a week, unusual for a night club, but lets the festivities continue until 2:00am on the weekends.

The Madrone Art Bar is unlike any night club you have seen.  Located in the very cool, but underrated NOPA neighborhood, this club is part bar, part art gallery, and part event space.  The best part is that they are open just about every night until 2:00am!  1:30am on Sundays.

Lastly, there is the aptly named Endup.  Not the club you go to, but where you end up at.  When every club has closed, the Endup opens, literally.  They naturally stop serving alcohol at 2:00am, but stay open for dancing until 6:00am!  Their motto is, you don’t have to go home yet.

Once you’ve danced the night away, you need to sober up with a hardy early morning meal.  In most cities, even Duluth, Minnesota, there is some diner open 24/7, but sadly not San Francisco.  However, there are a few places open for a late-night bite.

Grubsteak in Polk Gulch, the little train car café, isn’t open 24/7.  It’s closed on Wednesdays but open until 3:00am and 4:00am on the weekends.

Sam’s East Burgers on Broadway in North Beach is little more than a counter and a table in the back, but serve hearty burgers at a reasonable price.

As I wrote in my article, These are A Few of My Favorite Things, “This is one of those classic burger joints that has been open since the Lyndon Johnson administration, but the interior hasn't changed since then either.

And thank god!  Sam's wouldn't be Sam's if they replaced their chipped Formica counter or the rotary-dial phone on the wall.

According to an October 11th, 2023 article in the SF Standard, “Sam’s tradition of all-hours neighborhood service and tasty classic grilled and fried cuisine has drawn praise over the decades, but perhaps most notably during the San Francisco-focused 10th episode of Anthony Bourdain’s two-season Travel Channel show ‘The Layover.’ In it, Bourdain sampled a burger at Sam’s before saying, ‘That’s a good burger. Top three in the world!’  A sign outside frames the quote for posterity.”

Across the street, and down the block from Sam’s is Taishan Cuisine.  This relatively new Chinese restaurant is open every night until 3:00am.

Cocobang, the little Korean restaurant in the Union Square neighborhood, is the scene to be seen.   It is often crowded with hipsters and partiers once the bars close.  But since they are open everyday until 2:00am, and 4:00am on the weekends, it’s one of two restaurants in the area open late.

The Pinecrest Diner. The City's Best Option For 24/7 Dining

The other restaurant in the Union Square area open late is the Pinecrest Diner, famously depicted in the 2006 film, The Pursuit of Happiness starring Will Smith and Dan Castellaneta.  Until the pandemic it was open 24/7 for decades.  Then cameCovid 19, and when they reopened, their hours were reduced and no longer overnight.  Today they are only open 24 hours a day, from Thursday through Sunday.

Believe me, in post-pandemic, post-Tech boom San Francisco, it’s sadly the best we can do for late-night dining.

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