By Caitlin Donohue
Smash $4 PBR tall boys at Murio’s 50th anniversary bash.. just like they did in 1959
On a recent evening out on Haight, I stumbled into a bar whose cheapest beer was six dollars. This bar, which shall remain nameless, was a seminal force in my introduction to Murio’s Trophy Room, the little neon number that we fled to down the street that one always sees tucked away by Amoeba Music. Our wallets practically dragged us in with the promise of Hamm’s in a can, high tolerance for scruffy types and cheap liquor. Despite it being Saturday night, we located a small round table in the back under the speakers- and spent the rest of the evening fleeing for more drinks as random high decibel metal songs dotted the bar’s soundtrack. A place with this little concern for customer’s ear drums, I thought, must have some history to back it up.
And happily, it does. Whether you were aware of it (/born) or not, for the past fifty years, Murio’s Trophy Room has been there for your dive bar needs. John Murio, winner of the 1933 Canadian Open, opened up the dark little Haight Street oasis back in 1959 and though John kicked the bucket over fifteen years ago, Murio’s has been pouring Maker’s (neat) and cheap beer (cold) ever since. To elaborate on the dive’s charms, I’ve included here a late night missive I received from Murio’s self described “funniest bartender in SF,” Nick Cortez. Take it away, Nick…
This bar has outlasted the beatniks, the hippies, dozens of great music venues ( the most popular being the Nightbreak, which was next door to Murio’s), seen too many celebrities to count from Frank Sinatra, Janis Joplin (who lived a block away), and the Clash frontman, Joe Strummer (who did the last interview before his death at Murio’s with former mayoral candidate Matt Gonzales). What a freakin’ sweet place huh?