Vesuvio Cafe

I’m only giving this a 3 because the cocktails are on par with what you would expect from a dive bar and I just can’t conscientiously give it a 4 after shelling out almost $ 20 for two below average and watery atrocities. But the ambience and historic value of the bar is amazing. Go for a beer and sit upstairs, it’s a beautiful building!

Love the vibe of this bar! Definite sit upstairs in the loft area if you’re with friends because you get to enjoy your drinks while watching the crowd of customers downstairs. It’s much more relaxing and you’re able to have a conversation without all the background noise! Bartenders are decent depending on who makes your drinks.

Staff is rude. Suddenly kicked me out for no particular reason claiming I was annoying. This was while I was in the middle of a good conversation with a couple of guys from Sweden. Politics and my left wing views were part of what were discussed. Nobody was bothered at all by any of it except the bartender who approached and very rudely asked me to settle up and leave. Jack Kerouac may have drank there in the past, but he would probably be kicked out today. I wish I never gave this establishment any money.

Beer, history, karma, good people and always a conversation to be had.
I usually wind up in Vesuvio whenever I’m in SFO. I like to sit upstairs and chill while watching the patrons come and go. On occasion, I will wind up at the bar and I have yet failed to strike up a conversation with one of their more colorful customers. It’s part of SFO history so anyone who is a Kerouac, Ginsberg or fan of that genera will be thrilled to sit in the same place as these legends of literature and culture.
I’ll always be back to Vesuvio to soak in the environment (and beer)

This is a iconic San Francisco bar that was a hangout for avant garde literary and rock and roll types back in the day. Both Jack Kerouac and Grace Slick were known to hang out here amongst other famous and semi famous peeps.
Located just an alley away from chinatown on columbus, parking is on the street which means that there is no parking. You are gonna have to stash the ride somewhere else and über/​bus/​walk/​whatever on in here.
The inside has both upstairs and downstairs sections with tons of snug (the danish word for this is hyggeligt-​pronounced hoog-​lie). For you norteamericano types consider it very cozy. There is not a lot of room to move around, but there is a truly fascinating amount of memorabilia on the walls, and overall it’s well decorated.
As usual the quickest drink service is at the bar, but there is table service if you’d prefer. This place can get super busy as well-I’ve seen times where there were people lined up waiting to get in, and when it does get crowded that inside gets considerably less cozy. Fighting your way up or down steps when people are just standing around blocking things can be less then fun. I should also mention that the restrooms are up or down a flight of stairs depending on your seating location (actually it could two flights of stairs) thus posing a challenge to the inebriated. As such this may not be the place to go crazy with the drinking. A few drinks, fine, but a few too many and you’ll be tumbling down a set of steps just prior to being kicked out.
About the service. You hear about those places where the rudeness is considered part of the places attractiveness? Ya know like in a seinfeld episode? (if you don’t know what Seinfeld is, ask your parents.) Yeah, so the staff here can be less then zestfully enthusiastic. Didn’t bother me so much, as I wasn’t expecting a fine touch on the day I came. Beer and a shot was what I came for and I knew the brands I wanted when the waitress came. In the staff’s defense I think running drinks up and down stairs to indecisive tourists who aren’t into tipping could be a real pain in the ass. Or maybe they are just doing the Seinfeld curtness thing. Either way you prolly won’t be able to charm thy waitstaff, but there is no harm in trying.
Also note that if you are using a card it’s a ten dollar minimum, not inclusive of the tip. The good news here is that is essentially a beer and a shot.
I kinda liked it. I’d go back especially if it’s not crowded. It’s kinda hep.

Skimming through some of the recent reviews, I concur with the others who say the staff need an attitude adjustment. Either that, or find another place to work.
MAY 9, 2016 about 8:45am. I walk in and ask if the bar is open. The brunette, kinda plumb, kinda tall, middle-​aged woman behind the counter says, «yes.» So I ask for a drink. Now mind you, I ask for a drink after I ask repeatedly «really? really? really?» if the bar really is open. SF is no NYC or LA. It tends to be a city that sleeps early, works hard, and well, that’s about it… So naturally, I was genuinely surprised to find something with liquor that was open before 9am. Anyhow, after replying that the bar is open, she tells me no I can’t order a drink because I look like I’m on something. I berate her a little bit. I’m very sorry I look like a hobo because I forgot my Louis Vuitton shoes back in LA but the thing is, I’m the one that can afford them and not her. My manner of speech can be rather abrupt. And the way I dress is not very well put together when I’m trotting around the streets of SF looking for a bar that claims to be as unpretentious as this one, Kerouac legacy bs and all that, etc. But there is no reason for that woman to have talked treated me so indignantly.
I strongly advise the owner usher this woman to another place of employment that involves no customers. Clearly, she’s burnt out on what she per her words has done «for so many years» and still has no fucking clue…

I went to this really cool bar on a recommendation from one of the most awesome and successful people in my life… I walked a little over ½ mile to get here.
She mentioned the upstairs was really neat. So my boyfriend and I headed up there. It was completely full, I just looked around for a second to take it in and then we were gonna head back down and grab a drink. I noticed a short haired/​blonde waitress looking my way for a bit.. . (Backstory– my boyfriend and I get this often. We stand out in a crowd, when I wear heels I am over 6 feet tall and he is nearly 7 feet tall. So I didn’t think much of it.)
I made a comment to my boyfriend to the effect of how down to earth my former boss was for suggesting this and how hip the bar was.. . We were in the tiny stairwell at this point and apparently the waitress was listening and said in a really disgusted tone «Yea, because my bar isn’t good enough for a CEO»
It would have been really uncomfortable if I turned around in the stairwell to apologize that my comment came off wrong. As soon as we got down into the open area I turned around to apologize that she took my comment the wrong way.. . She quickly made a detour to get something from behind the bar. So there was no acceptable way to rectify the situation. At this point I felt awkward and out of place. I didn’t want to stick around and linger in the tension that just manifested. I took off to another bar and just felt kind of shitty about what had just happened after walking so far to get there.
To the blonde waitress working on 4÷23− I’m sorry I seemed to have offended you. If you knew me, the last thing I would ever do is bluntly say something judgmental or rude. The bar seemed like a great place to chill and have a drink. Maybe next time I’m in town I’ll actually be able to enjoy the atmosphere.

Pros:
+ nice layout
Cons:
— extremely slow service
— arrogant bar tenders
— poorly stocked
Tried to order a Hemingway Special and asked if they had Maraschino liqueur to make it. They didn’t know what I was talking about. When I told them the guy arrogantly said «We or not *that* kind of bar. We’re a classic bar».
So i suppose Midori (which they carried) is classic in his book? Oh please…
Also it’s really hard to get anybody’s attention to order or pay.

Nice kick back casual bar with colorful art and a nice crowd. Friendly bartenders, great place to stop in for a cocktail in the evening.

We are itching to get away from… Portland, Oregon.
Visiting this famous saloon was part of our Jack Kerouac tour thorough North Beach.
I loved everything about this groovy little watering hole.
It felt like I was stepping back in time when we entered.
A long bar lines one side of the lower floor, with tables spread about on the other side of the room.
They have an upstairs, which is where we decided to park it.
We moved a few times, finally settling on a prime resting spot above the entrance. From this vantage point you could view the entire upstairs and retain a partial view of downstairs, while watching the hustle on Columbus Ave.
My husband is a Kerouac fan, while I prefer Henry Miller.
The famous lore is Jack skipped out on meeting with Henry in Big Sur, and instead got his drink on here.
Who’s to blame him?
It was hard for me to cut loose from this aphrodisiac of a bar. The Jazz alone is worth hanging out for…
We spent a good while soaking up all the art work and different nooks and crannies of the place. This bar is a photographers dream.
The bathroom downstairs was a trip.
Drinks were decent and the bartender was easy going, and open to discussion. I had lots of questions.
She seemed to really enjoy her profession.
The vibe was über relaxed and was a welcome respite from the busy streets of San Francisco.
We visited mid afternoon and I was told by the bartender that the place gets crazy come sundown. Like standing room only crazy.
I prefer my day drinking experience over that setup any day .
Day drinking at its best.
I’m itching to visit again.

Awesome 2 story bar with great, quirky ambience, low light and good music with cool art. Great vibes from the second floor where romance blossoms and ideas fly. Ok, cheezy, but I could have spent hours in good conversation here. Creative feel inside, unlike your typical bar. Set in a touristy, lively part of San Francisco, it’s a great place to hang out before or after dinner plans. If you sit near the windows In a certain area, you can people watch and read quotes on concrete by notable writers such as Maya Angelou, John Steinbeck, Jack Kerouac etc. Flatscreen TVs are available for sports fans also. Ample tables and seats, so you’ll probably always find a spot. Mens bathroom is downstairs and women’s on top floor. Cool but mature feel. I ordered Pims cup which was refreshing. Decent beer options also. Our waitress was really friendly.
Don’t miss out on City Lights, a bookstore next door with a large eclectic selection of books…
It’s a friendly well ventilated bar with cool vibes, and ample seats for all crowds. I recommend it and will be back!

The place is great. The drinks are good but what is the deal with the staff?
I was told if I was standing (it was crowded) that I could run a tab on the bartender on the right side of the bar — so I did. A little standing ledge eventually opened up (you could not put seats here no matter how hard you tried) so my friend and I stood there. I was told I had to switch my tab over to the server. OK. I mean, we were still standing and less than five feet from the bar but whatever you want. Another hour, the bar clears out and we find our selves at stools on the left side of the bar. My next order I’m informed that the bartender isn’t taking tabs tonight (?) so it must be with the bartender on the right — they are less than ten feet from each other. We pay in cash to forget this nonsense. When leaving I try to pay my tab with the server but she cashed it out because she «hadn’t seen you for two hours».
If you have ever been in here and realize that I’m only talking about the first floor you know how ridiculous that sounds.
I’ll be back but I’ll bring some cash this time. Credit cards are apparently still a challenge here.

I stopped into Vesuvio on the recommendation of my co worker. My son was visiting from Boston and I thought he would appreciate it’s legacy. Indeed, it was a fun experience for us both. Our bartender, whose name I learned later was Joanna, was awesome. Knowledgeable, kind, and extremely like-​able! It wasn’t that she gave us a ton of attention, it was just the vibe of the comfort that she projected. While we were there, one of her regulars brought her in a sandwich, which she seemed just delighted about and it made us smile. I’m pretty sure she pegged us immediately as more touristy folks, but she didn’t make us feel that way, which is always nice to not be «talked down to» by more local SF folks. My son enjoyed the experience and I was happy to share it with him. He is back in Boston and I am back in Berkeley… but I’ll be back… my Palmoa drink was yummy! Thanks!

The bar’s got a really fun vibe to it. the seating in the upper area has a nice view of Columbus and Broadway.
The drinks are pretty good, they don’t serve food but are okay with customers bringing outside food.

Hm. Asians don’t look alike.
Was just refused service (I think?) in a very confusing interaction. I walked in and made eye contact with a bartender in order to order and she turned and told me I had knocked over a waitress? And walked away without taking my order. Confusing because I hadn’t.
My sister got us drinks from another bartender. Later was talking to someone else and found out that SHE HAD bumped a waitress. Asians don’t all look alike. Not happy with this experience.

Interesting vibe and cool place with very affordable drinks. Definitely not one of the typical fancy bars that you would expect in downtown sf. It is perfect for a very bizarre/​intellectual conversation with a group of close friends (maybe because its next to a bookstore) haha
However, the waitress did not seem very happy about the fact that my group of 4 only ordered one drink each and took up the space of a small table when the bar began to get busy. She came over twice to ask us «what would you guys like to drink?» when it was clear that we were still in a conversation and a few of us have yet to finish the drinks in our hands. If you would like for us to move or free up the table, I would much rather have you tell us directly and ask us to move. Or, if there is a policy that we need to order multiple rounds of drinks to sit down at a table, then please make that clear by either having a visible sign or verbally communicating that to us. She was polite though, just wish she wouldve been a little less pushy!

Definitely worth a stop if you’re doing the tourist gig, but not a place I would return to. Interesting place for all the reasons extolled by fellow Unilocalers. For me, I liked the warm setting and memorabilia. We came on a Wednesday night around 7. Not very busy, but the waitress seemed a little impatient, which always is a buzz kill for me. We finished our drinks and departed for the dive bars of Chinatown. .. more lively and way more welcoming.
Cheers!
RA

Definitely worth a stop if your doing the tourist gig, but not a place I would return to. Interesting place for all the reasons extolled by fellow Unilocalers. For me, I liked the warm setting and memorabilia. We came on a Wednesday night around 7. Not very busy, but the waitress seemed a little impatient, which always is a buzz kill for me. We finished our drinks and departed for the dive bars of Chinatown. .. more lively and way more welcoming.
Cheers!
RA

First thing I look for when I walk into a bar is a good beer selection. Beer selection here was alright. I went around 9pm so that’s what I had my heart set on. Had a few good ones.
All-​in-​all place was great. Good music playing, atmosphere was alive and friendly and the décor was funky and interesting to look at. There was upstairs seating. Never got to take a look but seemed like a popular area to sit.
I’m probably going back today to enjoy the daytime café feel.

One of few touristy places that I actually recommend. Full of history and located across from City Lights bookstore
Great balcony seating over looking Kerouac Alley and the busy intersection towards the Condor club where Carol Doda plied her trade and a man was crushed to death by a hydraulic piano in the midst of amorous activity
Rumor has it that many of the ladies working in the nearby strip clubs some times hang out here after there work is done in the wee hours.
The upper corner booth beneath James Joyce has been known to have its own peculiar and powerful magic. Use wisely.

I show up here fairly often after grabbing a new book from City Lights next door to grab a drink and do some reading.
It’s also a great place to get into awesome conversations with strangers or the bartenders. If you brought your own friends though, the balcony is an awesome place to sit and chat while watching the passers by outside.
The Bohemian Coffee and Kerouac drinks are both great, but I tend to just get a cheaper pint of beer.

For a place that gets a bad rap for being touristy, I had to laugh that nearly everyone there when I went was a local (now, granted, it was 2 p.m. on a Friday). It’s a cool, funky bar next door to City Lights, and was a Beat poet hangout back in the day. Like someone else said, it’s worth it to take a leak exactly where Jack Kerouac, Ginsberg, Burroughs, etc. all did. I don’t know why, but it is.
The décor is very cool, a mix of Beat memorabilia, Jazz stuff, pub stuff, and random funkiness. Reminds me of Casino El Camino in Austin, TX (minus the amazing burgers, sadly).
There’s a good beer selection, full bar, happy hour, and nice, talkative folks around (though liable to complain about all the tourists). Get some books at City Lights, then sit down with a beer at Vesuvio, and there you go, you are all set.
There are no TVs (downstairs, anyway, didn’t go up). This is not a sports bar. (Don’t get me wrong, I love sports bars, but they don’t all need to be sports bars.)

Beautiful bar that takes you back in history to the glory days of beatnik. Grab and drink from the very friendly bartender and revel in the fact that jack Kerouac, Allan Ginsberg and other beatnik writers came here and helped shape and write history literary classics. Beautiful lamp shades, low wooden ceilings, small cosy tables, balcony seating. Buy a book from the famous city lights bookstore across the alley and enjoy this gem of a bar!

Awesome place, step back in time. Warm cozy place, great service. Im having a ginger beer, with ginger ale and captain morgan.

This is a tourist bar… yes.
This place is one of the last real drinks you will swallow in mainland S.F. … yes
How do I resolve this dichotomy… very simple… the Matrix.
Sure there are tourists (myself being one) hitting this historic location to feel connected to many of the most important creative people our country has produced.
But existing parallel too us… drinking the same john powers… the same anchor steam… but occupying the same physical space but operating on in entry separate meta physical planes…
I had the luck to get a spot at a the bar between an off-​shift vc bartender and another deep regular drinking outside of the matrix…
This place is, if you get a glimpse of that world… absolutely, without reservation one of the best bars in america. period.
pluse you get to take a leak int he same pisser as bob dylan, jack K, alan ginsberg… you get the idea… that alone is worth the stop.
long live vesuvio…

Simply put, one of the coolest places to hang out in SF. Bring a journal and an open mind and take yourself back to the days of the Beat poets over a wicked strong Irish coffee or an Anchor Steam. Enjoy the myriad of artwork, photographs, colors, memorabilia, people watching out the windows, etc.

Character. This place is awesome. Such a cool bar. There is so much stuff to look at all around the whole bar, that being said the upstairs was the best. We got there in the afternoon and went upstairs and took a seat at the very end overlooking the street. I could sit there all day just a cool vibe. Very nice staff.

This place is very cute. Great décor.
And sure you sit upstairs by the window. It gets hot up there.
They serve a variety of drinks but also teas which is great.
It’s a fun find in Chinatown, very out of place but great nonetheless.
Would come with a group.

Ah, one of my single favorite bars in San Francisco. Vesuvio is MAGICAL. That’s not hyperbole either, this place really feels magical.
Your friends who don’t really know San Francisco — take them here. Your friends who DO know San Francisco — take them here. Everyone seems to overlook North Beach as a touristy spot with seedy topless bars. I mean, which it is, but Vesuvio is legitimately better than any bar you’d find in the lower haight or mission. Try me on that.
It feels like getting drunk at your grandparent’s friend’s home, where everything is antique and seems fancy in a muted sort of way and you get the feeling there’s a story behind everything in there. The bi-​level seating is pretty great, always sit upstairs if you can because the view allows for you to better take in the bar. There’s table service too!
Love love love this bar.

Is it charming? Is it quintessential SF? Is it touristy? Hell yeah to all.
The drinks may be single-​digit prices (a steal around these parts) but that’s not why you come here. You come here mostly for the classy dive bar ambiance, consisting of walls plastered with photos and memorabilia and knickknacks; personality. That cool chair to your left when you first enter. The friendliness of the bartender. The brushing of elbows downstairs and the opportunity for reprieve in the upstairs section.
If you’re visiting or a local, it’s worth a shot!

Visited the city for the 4^th of July weekend and stumbled across this gem.
This place has an amazing, old school feel to it that I just absolutely love. You could see the history in this place when you look around. The kind of place I could definitely spend a lot of my time and money in if I was a local. There is also balcony seating, which I think is very decoratively and tastefully done.
The prices are decent and the staff is super friendly.
Great find all around. We’ll definitely be back.

Great vibe. This is a very nicely decorated bar in the beginning of little Italy.
Very ‘homey’ feeling. Nice bartender and good deals (go for the recovery special with bourbon and a small beer as a chaser for 5 $!).
I thought it’d be packed with tourists but nope… patrons seemed pretty local, enjoying their drinks and chilling!
Do go there for the decoration and the atmosphere!
You can bring your own food!

Admittedly, I am not a great «Beat-​Generation» mind. I’d probably appreciate Vesuvio even more than I already do if I knew more about some of its former patrons like Jack Kerouac and Allen Ginsberg. One of the pangs I feel from time to time is that my view of San Francisco is based on the post-​Great Recession economic explosion of the last five years. I know North Beach has changed a lot, but I see a window into past when I visit. Some of the echoes can be heard if you find the right spots. This is one of those spots.
Vesuvio dates back to the late 1940’s, in the post-​WWII crucible of American dominance and affluence. In that crucible, the Beat Generation of the 1950’s started asking questions about the way our society was really ordered. Sitting in Vesuvio, it’s not hard to imagine the conversations back in those days. This is in large part because you’ll still hear those conversations today. It’s a spot for drinking, thinking, talking and repeating that cycle. It draws a huge range of visitors, from neighborhood types to tourists. It’s a welcoming spot.
History aside, it’s a cool bar. You are on Columbus, and this block is sort of the official beginning of North Beach. I love the lay-​out, which features a bar ringed by tables on the ground floor, and a mezzanine-​level above which is open above the bar and has floor-​to-​ceiling windows looking out to Columbus and Jack Kerouac Alley. This layout gives almost every seat a feel of spacious-​intimacy. The décor has plenty of historical flavor. There are a couple of cool side features like the Lady Psychiatrist’s Booth and the John Wilkes Memorial Booth (BTW — not a tribute to the assassin, more a tribute to puns). Full bar, eight beers on draft, some wine-​offerings and a few listed specials. Prices are good considering they get plenty of tourists. And, they open EARLY. 8am Monday through Friday, 6am on the weekends. They employ very solid bartenders.
If you are an visitor to SF, you should stop in. If you are a local, it’s worth a visit while enjoying a nice afternoon in North Beach. And, maybe hit Wikipedia and learn something about the history of The Beat, if you didn’t already. It’s a cool spot. It has to be cool, though. Bob Dylan used to drink here.