Vesuvio Cafe

www.vesuvio.com

I feel this is one of the must stops on an SF bar hop. It’s right on Columbus and a bit unique in that it has an upstairs area that overlooks the street so you can park on a seat with your drink and watch the world go by downstairs.

Located next to City Lights Bookstore, the place (and really that whole corner of Columbus and Broadway) continues to celebrate being the past hangout for the Beat Generation. Except for the electronic cash registers, the place still feels like you are in the ‘50’s with old fashioned lamps and appropriately old furniture.

Next to the bar (and sometimes hidden by sandwich boards) they preserved a slab of concrete which used to be in the front doorway that is signed by famous denizens who used to hang out there.

Another thing I like about the place is that true to its counter-culture roots, it’s a place you can day drink as it is reliably open at 11 AM every day. Because - you know - sometimes you need a place to kill some time with an adult beverage before the lunch places open and you can only have so much coffee.