The Homestead Bar

Mission, San Francisco –

On the frontier between ongoing gentrification in The Mission and the growing post-industrial rebirth of neighboring Potrero Hill lies The Homestead, a classic saloon right down to the ragged piano and iron pot-bellied stove crackling in the corner.

A hardwood bar with an ancient cash register leaves just enough space for several small tables scattered about the peanut shell-covered floor, while doors that are nearly always flung open make it easy to imagine a dusty cowboy sidling in after a long day on the ranch. None ever do, of course, but plenty of construction-working regulars fill the part, mixed in with tech industry types, artists, and anti-sports fans who know the sole TV is rarely even on.

First-timers might be distracted by the paintings of amply-bosomed ladies on the fabric-covered walls, or by the furry companions known to frequent this dog-friendly establishment, or perhaps by the fact that they can actually use their credit cards here – a downright rarity in The Mission.

Given the location off the main drags of Mission and Valencia Streets, the crowd can also be a little older than at other popular neighborhood joints, but that doesn’t prevent the cozy venue from swelling on the weekends with upbeat patrons downing $2 Tecates, scratching their best friends’ ears, and warming their fog-frozen toes by the fire.

A darn respectable waterin’ hole for any thirsty San Francisco pioneer, The Homestead is an old-school antidote to anyone’s modern ails.