North Beach’s biggest party block just got an arcade-bar — with a taqueria

A boozy block in one of San Francisco’s biggest nightlife neighborhoods just got another spot for cocktails, beer, arcade games, and one decidedly unusual amenity: an in-house taqueria.

Next Door opened Wednesday on lively Green Street in North Beach, adjacent to Columbus Cafe, to which its name refers. The connection goes deep. Owner Zak Kennedy is married to Beka Woods-Kennedy, who, along with two fellow former bartenders, purchased Columbus Cafe in 2020 and breathed new life into the 87-year-old grunge-bohemian dive. 

The two bars couldn’t feel more different, however. While Columbus is dark and weathered, Next Door is airy, plant-filled, and painted a pale green so springy it might as well be called “March 21.” Squint, and you’ll recognize the space as the former home of Chubby Noodle.

Patrons will find vintage Pac-Man games, Skee-Ball, two Pop-a-Shot basketball games, and a claw machine filled with toys and plushies. Overall, Next Door stays true to the neighborhood’s hard-partying spirit, with shot-and-a-beer specials like the Sidewayz (a pint of 805 Blonde Ale and George Dickel whiskey) and the TenderShake (a bottle of Miller High Life and Fernet). Yes, there’s the requisite espresso martini, but the rest of the slim cocktail menu comprises classics like a margarita and a Negroni, each $15. 

“It’s something a little brighter in the neighborhood,” Kennedy, 42, said. “I didn’t want a fancy cocktail lounge.”

A veteran of Nob Hill’s Wreck Room and Cow Hollow’s Mauna Loa, among other bars, he had grown increasingly mindful of North Beach’s many tourists, many of whom explore the neighborhood with children in tow and find few establishments besides sit-down restaurants. “Kids get grumpy and fussy,” Kennedy said. “So if you stop here, parents can have a drink, kids can play, and you can feed them.” 

What makes that possible is Street Meet Tacos, without which the venue would be 21-and-over. A brick-and-mortar successor to the popular trucks around town, Street Meet is an independently operated business inside Next Door that also functions as a commissary kitchen for delivery orders. Besides $7 super tacos and $14 super burritos — including a breakfast burrito for anyone who went too hard the night before — there are bar snacks like bacon fries, mozzarella sticks, and an off-menu quesabirria.

North Beach is internationally renowned for its Italian restaurants and sidewalk cafes. A little carne asada ought to do just fine.