The Broken Record

An Ode to the Excelsior Neighborhood Local Bar Broken Record, Which Is Closing After 15 Years | Eater SF

"Reading that it’s closing its doors on October 15 — as first reported and further lamented by Broke-Ass Stuart — hit me hard because I frequented the bar from 2008 to 2012 while living in a four-roommate house on that side of the city. It felt like a well-worn neighborhood dive that always allowed the unexpected: no 20-ingredient cocktails, just PBRs or a cup of Four Roses bourbon on tap, a game on the TV, and perfectly lively conversations with friends or barstool neighbor-strangers. I was often lured by the burger-and-tots pop-up in the back, got goaded into games of pool with strangers, and sometimes had deep moments with the cigarette smokers on the sidewalk outside; those spontaneous dips inside and extended stays defined its charm. Though I only recently learned it opened around 2006–2007, it always felt older and reliably familiar, and thankfully the photos mostly live on SD memory cards so those years replay in my mind as pure nostalgia — I’ll be dropping by one last time to raise a glass." - Dianne de Guzman