Sep 29
Tosca Cafe on Columbus
A friend treated me to some of his favorite haunts in North Beach, one of them being Tosca Cafe. It’s been there since before 1920, and judging from the looks of it, probably has not changed all that much since then. The walls have old paintings (maybe? not sure since it was too dark for me to tell) which appear to have yellowed from years of smoke and grime.
A couple of hallmarks of Tosca: the jukebox which has opera music alongside Patsy Cline and Frank Sinatra, and two large steamers, with which they make their famous House Cappuccini (hot chocolate and brandy).
House Cappuccini, waiting to be ordered.
Tosca’s been in the news because the owner (who happened to be in the bar tonight) is in a rent dispute with the landlord, a strip club owner. Seems like it would be a shame to close this 90+ year old institution (and God forbid they replace it with a strip joint). The bar boasts a long list of celebrity patrons—maybe one o them will fork up some money to help keep it open.
The Tosca website has the below video trailer embedded. Filmed at Tosca, obviously for its days-gone-by look. I chuckled at the thought of “offing” anyone for a piddly thirty grand.
A nice trip back in time. I hope it’s still there in the future, should I want to go back in time again.
