Open site menu Zoop Events Logo

The Saloon

1232 Grant Ave, San Francisco, CA 94133
website

The Saloon is a compact, old-school bar in North Beach that leans hard into live music and very little else. Inside, the room is dim with an aging wooden bar, a few scattered tables, and a small open space that turns into a dance floor once the bands start. It can get crowded and loud, so expect to stand or squeeze in near the back if you arrive late.

more

Drinks are straightforward, mostly beer and simple mixed drinks, and the place is known to be cash only, with occasional small covers at the door depending on the night.

Music is the main reason to be here. The calendar tilts heavily toward blues, with regular sets from working Bay Area players like Jake Sampson and GG Amos in the evenings, plus rotating bands on other nights. Afternoon shows are common too, like the Jose Simioni Trio doing improvisational jazz from late afternoon into early evening, which draws a mix of neighborhood regulars and folks wandering up Grant after lunch. Sets often run in two- or three-hour blocks, and people tend to filter in and out between them, so it rarely feels like a formal concert and more like a steady flow of live music.

The bar sits in the middle of the North Beach nightlife strip, surrounded by other long-running drinking spots and restaurants. It has been operating on this corner since the 1860s and is widely described as San Francisco’s oldest continuously running bar. The original carved wooden bar dates back to that era, and the building is known for having made it through the 1906 earthquake and fire, which adds a bit of local history to what otherwise feels like a very down-to-earth neighborhood music joint.

Venue Photo

The Saloon
Photo attribution:

Upcoming Events

All The Saloon events

Sunday, April 5

Monday, April 6

See all upcoming events at The Saloon See Photos from The Saloon

Location and Directions

Recent Performers

Cirrus Wood , ORIANTHI

Recent Photos

customer photo 1 of The Saloon customer photo 2 of The Saloon customer photo 3 of The Saloon

Nearby Venues