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Party Earth Review An old-school cocktail den intended to celebrate the American bar, Tradition walks the line between a private tavern for SF’s coolest clientele and an in-vogue saloon for those who just want a quick ‘n’ proper drink. Run... ... read full review
441 Jones Street
San Francisco, CA 94102
BART: Powell; MUNI F Line: Market Street & 5th Street
415-474-2284
M–Sa 6pm–2am
Civic Center / Tenderloin, San Francisco –
An old-school cocktail den intended to celebrate the American bar, Tradition walks the line between a private tavern for SF’s coolest clientele and an in-vogue saloon for those who just want a quick ‘n’ proper drink.
Run by the same guys behind speakeasy Bourbon & Branch, the bar features the requisite barren façade and inconspicuous entrance, as well as a monochromatic main room that’s mostly undecorated save for a few vintage alcohol signs and antique lights.
Walk-ins usually must sit at the long center bar or in the barrel-stacked mezzanine, but the rows of stools – many reclaimed from an old courthouse – fill up fast with hipsters and yuppies and curious tourists ready to snort some good spirits or sling the Prohibition-era mainstays that make up the limited walk-in drinks menu.
Savvy patrons know to reserve one of the nine private booths – known as “snugs” – which reflect different themes and can accommodate up to nine people. Snug occupants are welcome to order anything on the extensive menu, but most of the trendy friends and savvy cocktailers stick to their booth’s individual theme, sipping tropical drinks beneath carved masks in the Tiki snug, old rye in the shadow of Gaelic crests in the Scottish snug, and so on.
Those who prefer whiskey, meanwhile, can head to the second bar on the mezzanine, whose barrels of in-house hooch lure mature connoisseurs to belt the night away…
…as doe-eyed newbies try to remember to make a reservation before hitting Tradition next time.
Mature hipsters, trendy yuppies, speakeasy scenesters, couples and first-daters, curious tourists, groups of friends looking to celebrate, whiskey buffs, mid-20s to 40s.
Old-timey ambient tunes usually pummeled by loud conversation.
Bar chips.
Walk-ins are usually afforded a spot when there is room inside.
Reservations required for the snugs, which accommodate two to nine people, depending on the snug. Back in the old days, the snug – sometimes called the smoke room – was a tiny room usually blocked out with frosted glass so that no one could see who was inside.
Drinks traditionally cost more when ordered in the snug, and they were used not only by well-to-do patrons, but also by cops, priests, and other folks who preferred not to explain why they were tipping one back. Female clientele also frequented snugs, as their presence in a bar was largely frowned upon by guys who clearly didn’t understand the added benefit of having drunk women around them.
Bar chips $3. Beer $5–$8, wine $10–$12, cocktails $8–$11+.
Casual cool: blazers, tailored pants, button-downs, Doc Martins, vintage dresses.
Any night for a solid crowd, or earlier in the week for a better chance of snagging a snug.
A stone’s throw away and run by the same folks, the speakeasy Bourbon & Branch (501 Jones Street) features a Prohibition vibe in full force, right down to the staff dressed in suspenders and flapper garb.
Tradition User Reviews