The glory of old bars

Let us celebrate the city’s neighborhood gems.

The Gangway. The Elbo Room. Hemlock Tavern. The Lexington. Which beloved, long-standing bar will be the next to close?

Every year, a little bit of the old yields to the new, and we mourn the loss of a bygone San Francisco — a San Francisco where a bar didn’t have to have a “concept,” where drinks didn’t cost $15, where bartenders actually conversed with you. Whenever news circulates that a local drinking institution like Mr. Bing’s or Doc’s Clock or the 500 Club changes owners, or loses its lease or might, for any other reason, be forced to close, we hear an outcry from sentimental San Franciscans who don’t want to see another dive bar, or neighborhood bar or family-oriented bar eclipsed by a faux speakeasy serving matcha-infused cocktails.

But often, our nostalgia for these oldschool bars conceals a complicated reality: Sometimes we haven’t been to these bars lately. Some of us haven’t managed to trek out to West Portal in a while, no matter how much we used to frequent the Philosophers Club. Or we started going to Smuggler’s Cove instead of Trad’r Sam. Or we just don’t go out as much as we used to.

Those of us who write about restaurants and bars can be guilty, too, of overlooking these retreats, taking their survival for granted as we cover what’s new and shiny. There’s not always a news hook for a story about these older bars; there’s seldom an “angle.” And so we neglect to celebrate them. Maybe, some years, we neglect to visit them. And then, by the time we hear they’re closing, it’s too late.

So in an attempt to counteract this phenomenon, we present this collection of our favorite legacy bars in San Francisco. We put in a few general guidelines: These are bars that have been open for at least 30 years — some date back over a century — and have stood the test of time, winning over multiple generations. There are many others we love outside of the city, but for the purposes of this exercise we are focusing only on the 7x7 grid. We also tried to keep it to independent businesses, which meant that we didn’t include hotel bars like Big 4 or Tonga Room, and to those that are primarily bars, not restaurants. Some of these bars, like House of Shields, can construct a great cocktail; others, like O’Keeffe’s, are strictly shot-and-a-beer kind of joints. We’ve got historic gay and lesbian bars, top-notch craft beer bars, a bar with fancy white tablecloths, even a bar that in a previous life hosted James Brown and Billie Holiday on its small stage.

This is not a complete list. In fact, it’s necessarily incomplete. We know we missed some. These are just some of our favorites, the ones that we’ve frequented in our neighborhoods. We want to hear yours, too, whether you are in the Bayview or North Beach, in the East Bay or the Peninsula. Tell us, in a few sentences, which long-standing San Francisco bars are your favorites — and why. Send emails to food@sfchronicle.com with the subject line “Classic bars.” We’ll be updating the online map accordingly.

More than anything, these spots remind us that a bar’s fundamental function is to harbor community. Whenever any of them shutters its doors, a small, vital piece of San Francisco dies along with it.

We’re not saying any of these bars are closing anytime soon. We hope none will. All we’re saying is: There’s no better time to visit them than now.

Li Po on Grant Avenue in Chinatown