Vesuvio Cafe
Cocktail bar · Chinatown
255 Columbus Ave, San Francisco, CA 94133
Highlights
Iconic Beat-era bar with eclectic decor, live music, and drinks
Iconic Beat-era bar with eclectic decor, live music, and drinks
"Vesuvio was a stronghold for the Beat movement. The cocktails — from spritzers to Americanos — are representative of the era when poets like Jack Kerouac frequented the establishment. Head upstairs and sidle up to a window with a book from the neighboring City Lights bookstore or just watch people parallel park in tight spaces on Columbus. It’s easy to feel like you’re sipping amid local history surrounded by stained glass fixtures, eclectic paintings, and photographs from the Beatnik era."
"One of the San Francisco businesses participating in a worker-support initiative: Broke-Ass Stuart distributed 5,000 worker’s rights cards (the small red cards with legally vetted steps to take in the face of federal employees), and the cards are available at a growing list of local businesses including this venue." - Paolo Bicchieri
"Channel your inner Beatnik and throw back a few at Vesuvio, a two-level bar that’s been slinging drinks since 1948. Jack Kerouac himself was known to spend considerable time at Vesuvio (and missed meeting with Henry Miller because of it, so they say), and the bar maintains its no-frills charm when it’s not slammed with tourists. Vesuvio is best on weeknights — grab a table in the upstairs window and let your poetic inclinations take over." - Paolo Bicchieri
"Let out your inner Beatnik at this classic San Francisco bar, located off Columbus Avenue where Chinatown meets FiDi meets North Beach. It’s as old-school as it gets with crowded booths and narrow stairs that lead up to the mezzanine. That’s where you’ll find the best seats in the house: Peer down onto the bar and its patrons and watch as the staff lights the chandeliers’ many candles as evening sets in." - Dianne de Guzman
"A lot of famous people known for thinking deep thoughts used to drink here, and as a result, Vesuvio is always packed with tourists. And because thinking deep thoughts is an official sponsor of drinking martinis, this is a great place to do both while taking in some history. You can post up at the bar and try to get in a few words about Allen Ginsburg with whoever is sitting next to you, but the best thing to do is grab a table by the second-floor balcony and watch people mill around downstairs in this place that looks like an old wooden ship." - will kamensky
