Best Dive Bars in SF

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What makes a great dive bar? You obviously need to have the bare necessities such as a pool table, a jukebox, and regulars to even be considered among the greats. But it’s usually the intangible things that make a dive bar special. San Francisco is home to some of the best dives in the world. Below is a list of some of the best the city has to offer.

1.   Uptown 200 Capp Street There’s absolutely nothing considered ‘uptown’ about this bar, but good people and good times is what makes this place a winner. Sink into one of the plush couches in the back and you’ll feel right at home here.

2. Benders 806 South Van Ness Avenue  Aside from being an awesome dive for bikers, both pedal and moto, its got a grill in the back serving the best vegetarian bar food in the city. Fried pickles, mac n cheese burgers, and seitan buffalo wings are some perennial favorites.

3. Terry’s Lodge 1368 Irving Street Stop by Terry’s on your way home from a day at Ocean Beach. Filled with locals and weirdos, Terry’s is an Inner Sunset staple.

4.  Li PO 916 Grant Avenue This bar looks like it was pulled straight out of the movie Big Trouble in Little China. On Sunday nights you can get your boogie on at the Sweater-funk party in the basement.

5. Mr. Bing’s 201 Columbus Avenue  Another amazing Chinatown dive. No beers on tap means it’s only for serious drinkers. Also, I’d recommend against playing Liar’s Dice with the bartender unless you’re prepared to face the consequences.

6. Phone Booth 1398 South Van Ness Avenue One of the last few remaining bars that let you smoke inside through a little legal loophole. Phone booth has cheap drinks, velvet paintings, and a chandelier made of Barbie dolls...So 3 thumbs up.

7. Toronado 547 Haight Street  Everyone and their mother knows that Toronado is the place to go for the best beer selection in the city. Just be ready to order when you get to the bar, because we’re waiting behind you.

8.  Lucky 13 2140 Market Street A bit kitsch, a bit trashy, and a bit punk. It’s also dog friendly, so take your four legged friends.

*Steven Le is a native of San Francisco, works as an ER doctor, and lives in the Mission District. When not at any of the above bars, you can find him out and about hunting for the city’s best sandwiches. www.tumblr.com/blog/wichhunter

Thanks SF!

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Our 1st Annual UNIQUE SF Show was a blast! Wow, thank you to all who participated and shopped at our first-ever UNIQUE SF show! The UNIQUE team is so impressed with the Bay-area design community and still can't believe how happy all the shoppers were... A handful even tracked me down so they could express their enthusiasm for the show! The two-day show was most definitely The Jam.

We also wanted to thank our amazing partners, whose support made it possible to expand to the city. Toyota worked with us very closely to create an area filled with free interactive activities such as live screen-printing, hair braiding and massages (yes, free massages!), kick-butt DIY crafts and more.

A very special area that we offered at UNIQUE SF was an Analog Zone, which was created by my good friend Levi of The Digital Detox. In this 'device-free' area people could get their portraits taken, type letters, partake in yoga, play board games and more. It was really inspiring to see everyone interacting live, in real time, and not typing a play-by-play about the cool area on their phones!

Oh Snap Studios offered unique portraits at their live photo booth... You can download yours here.

Were you snapped? Make sure to take a peek at all the rad photos here.

SF Ferry Building

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Its taken us a little while but we finally got to sorting out the photos from our San Francisco trip. This particular batch of photos is from our quick visit to the legendary Ferry Building - the Bay Area's vibrant gathering of local farmers, artisan producers, and independently owned and operated food businesses located along the Embarcadero at the foot of Market Street. Ferry Building Marketplace One Ferry Building San Francisco, California 94111 (415) 983-8030

Far West Fungi - the specialized mushroom shop where you can pick up fresh seasonal truffles and of course regular mushrooms as well.

Boccalone Salumeria features more than 20 varieties of their handmade cured meats, batched right across the bay in Oakland.

Stonehouse California Olive Oil - the name pretty much says it all, but Stonehouse is best known for its citrus flavored oils.

The Ferry Building is the only place in the Bay Area where you can get a full selection of Acme's artisan breads.

Are you hungry yet? I'm pairing these photos on purpose! Cowgirl Creamery Artisan Cheese is a European style cheese shop is right smack in the middle of the Ferry Building.

The Frog Hollow Farm sells a variety of farm fresh organic seasonal fruits, farm made fruit preserve, and assorted pastries.

Obviously, we had to stop by and grab a bite at one of the many eateries at the Ferry Building, so being the meat lover that I am, I went straight to Prather Ranch Meat Co. 

I got the Smoked Beef sandwich ($10) that the manager recommended. The sandwich came on a rustic roll with thinly sliced smoked Prather Ranch Beef, griddled onions, provolone & horseradish sauce.

The sandwich was just what I needed after a long day of staring at delicious food. The bread was nice and soft and the meat was definitely flavorful and tender. I wish there was a bit more horseradish, but I just like a kick to my food.

Anyway, I definitely recommend you take the trip out to the Ferry Building next time you're in the area.

 

Erik Otto's Studio Tour

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We first met Erik Otto in NYC while working on the Re:Form School art show and immediately liked him - not only is he a prolific artist but he is a truly humble person who is very sweet and down to earth. We stopped by his San Francisco studio for a tour last month and were blown away with the space, which even boasts a photo booth. Being in his studio gave us an inside look at how Erik works and the things that he surrounds himself with - getting to see everything from large pieces of art to his little scribblings and notes on scraps of paper was inspiring. He also showed us a few cool items that he sells in his store, such as his RAD geometric tealight candle holders. We loved being there and hope you like seeing his studio too!