The perfect SF bar that's open on Christmas Eve?

December 23, 2014 4:59 PM

So a friend and I are recent transplants to SF, originally from NYC. For reasons, neither of us can go home for Christmas and we barely know anyone out here. So we've decided to try to find a place to hang out tomorrow and could use advice from locals.

We're looking for a place in SF that'll be open on Xmas eve and that:

-Is preferably a bar with food, not a restaurant
-is neither a shiny corporate SoMa-type place or a dive
-is kind of a comfortable, friendly neighborhood kind of place
-bonus points if it has a jukebox
-quintuple bonus points if it has a fireplace (we really don't expect to find this one)

We have been all over yelp but we're having trouble honing in on this. Can any locals help us out? We're up for going to any neighborhood as long as the place gets close to the above criteria. You would have our eternal gratitude for making this Christmas suck less!

posted by Dormant Gorilla to Food & Drink (4 answers total)

Best answer: The Bell Tower, at Polk & Jackson. It is VERY much a friendly locals bar. No Jukebox or fireplace, but it is extremely friendly and inviting. It is a bar and restaurant but all the action is at the bar. The owner should be bartending Wednesday evening, and you will love her. Her name is Barbi. Introduce yourself and you will have made a friend for life. Further, you can talk to pretty much anyone at the bar. I have made some of the best friends I have in San Francisco at that bar.

If you're out in the avenues, I might also recommend Clement St. Bar & Grill, but I don't like it nearly as much as I like The Bell Tower (or "The Bell" as it's known to regulars).
posted by janey47 at 5:05 PM on December 23, 2014 [3 favorites]

Best answer: The Riptide has all items except for food (though on some days they provide snackey items). There's a pizza place next door, though.

It's by the ocean, has a fireplace, is a neighborhood spot, has a jukebox, and has not a trace of corporate.
posted by quince at 5:05 PM on December 23, 2014 [3 favorites]

Best answer: Not only does the Riptide have a pizza joint next door, at the end of the block is the Beach n' Boba Cafe. (I don't know if either is open on Christmas.) Thursday nights at the Riptide is DIY grilled cheese sandwiches, so you have several choices.

Take the L muni light rail to 1/2 block away.
posted by blob at 6:16 PM on December 23, 2014 [1 favorite]

Response by poster: Thank you guys! You've probably saved our Christmas. We're going to hit riptide first but will most likely end up going to both.
posted by Dormant Gorilla at 6:47 PM on December 24, 2014