I'd like to bury my nose with a beer

July 1, 2009 12:21 PM

What are the best bars in San Francisco for reading?

Pretty simple. I have many favorite bars here in the city, but invariably they are either too dark, loud, or both for the times when I just want to sit and relax (or study) with a book and a drink. I'm not looking for a library, so I guess light is my first priority here. Jukeboxes and TVs for the most part are easily ignorable.

posted by rhizome to Food & Drink (11 answers total)

HaRa is empty 90% of the time, and they don't bug you when you read.

I like a louder bar when I'm writing/reading, though, so I like to go to Hemlock.

Both of these are in the Tenderloin and Polk Gulch area.
posted by OrangeDrink at 12:27 PM on July 1, 2009

There always seems to be people reading at Vesuvio in North Beach, at least during the day. Lots of cafés and coffeehouses also serve beer and wine, my favorite being Momi Toby's in Hayes Valley.
posted by sharkitect at 12:28 PM on July 1, 2009

I've only been to, like, 3 bars in San Francisco, but I was going to say that I had a great experience reading quietly at Vesuvio in the afternoon.
posted by Miko at 12:56 PM on July 1, 2009

The El Rio, out back under the lemon trees, early (or under a light on nights with nothing going on). Bring a jacket.
posted by quarterframer at 1:15 PM on July 1, 2009

Well, it is a cafe, but they serve beer, wine, and cocktails, and it is quiet during the day: Cafe Royale, Post and Leavenworth

I second the vote for Vesuvio. Especially because it is right across the alley from the best bookstore in the city: City Lights Bookstore.
posted by fourmajor at 1:17 PM on July 1, 2009

In the mission: I'll read in pretty much any bar, but those that are particularly pleasant are the Homestead on Folsom, the Rite Spot also on Folsom. Second El Rio.
posted by prior at 1:32 PM on July 1, 2009

Not a bar per se, but Golden Gate Perk on Bush at Kearny serves beer and wine, along with the usual selection of coffehouse drinks. It's usually pretty quiet, has some big, comfy chairs, and large plate-glass windows that let in plenty of light. Occasionally you get some yappers doing a business pitch or having drinks after work, but they tend to stay in the front. Street noise is surprisingly minimal, and when they do have the TV or music on it's kept pretty low.

They also have plenty of outlets, a nice WiFi connection (no stupid interstitials, doesn't seem like anything is filtered), and serve Korean-influenced food (I haven't tried anything, but the kimchi tacos sound intriguing).

The only negative is that they're only open Monday to Friday, and they close at 7pm.
posted by clorox at 2:00 PM on July 1, 2009

Nthing Vesuvio - it's next to City Lights, so the number of readers there seems appropriate. Try the Atlas Cafe, in the Mission. They only have beer and wine, and sometimes have live music, it seems like a nice place to read. They have a patio, as well.
posted by rtha at 2:01 PM on July 1, 2009

On a sunny afternoon, nothing is better than a good book and a tall cold drink in the beer garden at Zeitgeist, on Valencia at Duboce.
posted by KatlaDragon at 2:09 PM on July 1, 2009

Response by poster: Yeah, I know about outdoor options like El Rio and Zeitgeist, but yeah...indoors at night is probably a good guiding principle here. Vesuvio is a little bit of a hassle transportationwise, but I like the idea of beer/wine places too.
posted by rhizome at 2:29 PM on July 1, 2009

The Atlas does have live music/readings etc. on some nights, so check their schedule before you go.
posted by rtha at 2:32 PM on July 1, 2009