A San Francisco nightlife venue that you can call whatever you like is ready for thirsty trivia fiends, music mavens and comedy connoisseurs to come calling. While the South of Market hangout doesn’t have a proper name—and the sign outside is available for rent on a per-night basis—it’s informally known as “That Fuckin’ Bar.”
After a long gestation period in the months leading up to its late-August rollout, owner and operator Jeremy Paz is ready to draw on his hospitality experience and staff up with weekly events and food offerings, starting with a grand opening on Saturday at 7 p.m.
The party will feature DJs Soulara and Jason “Jay Ev” Everett spinning over the venue’s silent-disco headsets, food from former Carnelian Room chef Eduardo Garcia and a splash of complimentary bubbles on a first-come, first-served basis.
Paz hopes to build on the history at the address, which formerly housed Ted’s Sports Bar and Grill, and now showcases artwork from Wet Studios’ George Mead, who worked on set designs for Bill Graham Presents, as well as a trippy, fluorescent 360-degree design inside the private “hip pocket” room with nightlife maven and San Francisco Arts Commissioner Nabiel Musleh.
Paz will also draw on his experience serving in the military, as he told The Standard in August.
“When I was in the Navy, I went to bars but I never thought I wanted to own a bar,” he said. “When I got my first job in a bar, I was like, ‘I want to work at a bar. I want to own a bar.’ I’ve worked in bars ever since.”
To that end, the venue offered specials during this year’s Fleet Week SF and will offer discounts to active-duty service members and veterans.
It’s not just a nighttime destination, either. If you’re hungry, the venue has started offering breakfast and lunch on weekdays from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m., courtesy of Garcia. On the music side of things, there’s a vinyl 45 record of the Rolling Stones’ “Paint It Black” on the wall near the bar. But Paz’s own eclectic tastes and lack of interest in limiting patron choice led him to install a jukebox whose choices override any song selections made through the bar’s iPad.
The venue has also brought in new-wave music playlists on Fridays and trivia contests on Thursdays, and welcomed Night Cap Comedy’s Wednesday open-mic comedy show, hosted by Alessandra Valentini, on Nov. 1.
📍 312 Harriet St., San Francisco
🔗 instagram.com/thatfuckinbar/