500 Club Bar

Mission, San Francisco –

Although it’s doubtful anyone will spy posh princesses traipsing below the 500 Club’s retro sign, those who love a classic neighborhood dive will find a room where the Giants and Niners are welcome, the Happy Hour or other great specials run daily, the karaoke is brilliantly awful, and the photo booth is the stuff of legend.

A total hodgepodge of beer ads and press clippings hastily nailed to the wood paneling, the crepuscular venue’s décor mostly consists of mirrors stamped with liquor brands, dusty knick knacks, and the strangely fitting portrait of Burt Reynolds that lurks in a corner.

Blue-collar Joes and perennially unemployed techies start early, slinging back $2 domestics at a nicked bar that takes up half the room, while already half-cocked old timers ensconced in the dark padded booths shoo away the always-welcome dogs.

The place perks up on Fridays when it overflows with festive youngsters in scarves and blazers and flirty friends documenting their night in the photo booth and tacking their pics to a nearby board.

Weekends begin with sports fans catching a game and brunch fans downing Bloody Marys until the early evening, at which point Sunday karaoke may or may not kick off depending on who’s working that night.

Although claustrophobics might want to stay away from The 500 Club, those who appreciate a well-run hole-in-the wall will definitely find a club they want to join.