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With the dark-wood, low-lighting style of a speakeasy, Café Royale manages to be a friendly neighborhood bar/café as well as a classy place for a discreet rendezvous. The large main room downstairs...
With the dark-wood, low-lighting style of a speakeasy, Café Royale manages to be a friendly neighborhood bar/café as well as a classy place for a discreet rendezvous. The large main room downstairs is wrapped by a balustraded balcony, which is even darker and more romantic. If you're in the mood to lounge like a diva, the burgundy velvet crescent-shaped couch in the middle of the main room is the place to do it; there are even well-stocked magazine racks in the back to assist your languor. For the more energetic, there's an excellent pool table nestled by the picture window. The beer-and-wine-only selection is eclectic, with a half dozen beers on tap, and the bar makes up for what it lacks in spirits with unique soju cocktails. (Soju is a Korean liquor distilled from rice, barley and sweet potato.) The food is simple and delicious, featuring baguette sandwiches, quiche and homemade soup. On Friday and Saturday nights, in-house DJs play house and beats, and on occasional weeknights the Royale has been known to host trendy literary events.
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Bruno's
Category:
Bars
2389 Mission St.
San Francisco, California 94101
(415) 540-7455
Swanky and retro-plush, Bruno's restaurant has been a Mission Street landmark for decades. The booths are -- what else? -- red vinyl, and the menu reads like a guide to what a cutting-edge godfather...
Swanky and retro-plush, Bruno's restaurant has been a Mission Street landmark for decades. The booths are -- what else? -- red vinyl, and the menu reads like a guide to what a cutting-edge godfather might eat. The venerable dining room opens onto a stretch bar with an early-'60s mirrored wall behind it. Be sure to take advantage of this feature to check your makeup and/or pompadour, because the stylish Bruno's atmosphere demands a certain amount of primping and strutting. The sunken back bar has a teeny dance floor and a few tables; the front room is flanked by cozy booths. Both bar areas host live music most nights, ranging from great jazz in front (regulars are Ralph Carney and Marcus Shelby) to eclectic alterna-pop in back.
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Cuticles looking a little ragged? Thirsty for a retro-coiffed (but not retro-priced) cocktail? Mission Street's Beauty Bar is your consummate destination. Launched last year by the geniuses who...
Cuticles looking a little ragged? Thirsty for a retro-coiffed (but not retro-priced) cocktail? Mission Street's Beauty Bar is your consummate destination. Launched last year by the geniuses who renovated a '60s hair salon in Manhattan, the City's Beauty Bar is a fun, if not quite as authentic, take on bouffant glam. And on Wednesday nights, the venue offers roaming manicurists, making this a pink-vinyl haven in the heart of the Mission corridor. When's the last time you heard yourself say, "Give me a double Aqua Net, and file 'em short and square"?
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Whether you're waiting for that pesky bail bond to come through or you're just on a break from jury duty, Annie's is your best courthouse-area guzzlery. A mere few steps away from the blindfolded...
Whether you're waiting for that pesky bail bond to come through or you're just on a break from jury duty, Annie's is your best courthouse-area guzzlery. A mere few steps away from the blindfolded lady with the scales, Annie's presides over Boardman Place, dispensing cocktails like justice, swank in a wood-grain, windowless, mock-macabre way (dead flowers and fake cobwebs abound!), and don't forget to check out the eggplant-colored room upstairs, where there's rarely a wait for the aubergine-felt billiard table.
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Amber
Category:
Restaurants
718 14th St
San Francisco, California 94114
(415) 626-7827
The dark purple ghost of the former Zodiac Club can scarcely be felt in the new, yellow glow of Amber on 14th Street. The owners have given it quite a face-lift: Groovy, '60s-inspired white leather...
The dark purple ghost of the former Zodiac Club can scarcely be felt in the new, yellow glow of Amber on 14th Street. The owners have given it quite a face-lift: Groovy, '60s-inspired white leather couches are tucked into the storefront windows, and bright, funky wall art has totally changed the mood. The retro decor somehow incites a Euro feel, or maybe that's just because anti-smoking laws are moot here. Because Amber is owner operated, you can feel free to light up anywhere you like -- provided it's near one of the many nifty ashtrays strewn throughout the bar. Though it attracts a regular crowd, Amber is rarely packed to the gills, making it a comfortable place to hang out and chat with friends. A live DJ spins rock, soul or house music depending on the night of the week, and the mojitos are some of the best in town. Or try the Amber cocktail -- Smirnoff citrus twist, peach Schnapps, orange juice and 7-Up.
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