Bar reviewer Kristen Haney seeks to separate hipster wannabes from real-life dives in this weekly column. Check out her last installment here.
Mondays, frequently described as manic or met with a response of expletives, are seldom associated with happy thoughts of relaxation and general joviality. But it doesn’t have to be like that. A number of bars are doing their best to help you banish that beginning of the week gloom and give Mondays a better name. These are the best dives to grab a drink at the start of your week, when that first workday has you already asking, “is it Friday yet?”
The Saloon
This bar is older than dirt and looks the part. It may smell like piss, but no one will notice you reek of hangover from your previous weekend of debauchery, and neither will you after a few of their stiff drinks. If you can bear to part with your dear old friend Abe, hand over $5 on Mondays to drink away your blues to the sound of the blues and jazz band that plays.
1232 Grant, SF.
(415) 989-7666
Pop’s Bar
Let the bright neon glow of the sign outside transfix your eyeballs as your feet carry you into Pop’s for free Monday-night bacon. No, really. After bringing home the bacon, you can enjoy some real fried pork fat for free. You can even take your new bacon friend over to the graffiti covered photo booth and ham it up for a few snapshots. Just make sure to avoid the judgmental looks of the other patrons, who’d rather discuss sustainability and Bukowski poems with their pork pals.
2800 24th St, SF
(415) 401-7677