They said they were going to open in time for World Cup, and whaddya know, World Cup kicks off on Thursday June 12th, and the SAN FRANCISCO ATHLETIC CLUB will be open at 11am! The first game is Brazil vs. Croatia at 1pm! Pretty amazing to turn the place around in five weeks, I gotta hand it to them. Fortunately having World Cup as a goal seemed to work for everyone, and now we will all be able to yell “Gooooollllllll!”
To recap, Miles Palliser and Ezra Berman of the Corner Store, along with a third partner, Neil Holbrook of The Kezar Pub, have taken over the former Tortilla Heights. SFAC is a sports bar, with 28 televisions (!), a 20-seat bar, and pullout bleachers for big games. There’s also a pool table and a shuffleboard table. (You can read more in our original post here.)
As for food, Matt Rosson and Sam Kazik, sous chefs at the Corner Store, have been having fun working on the menu. They’re both from the Midwest, and while they aren’t reinventing the wheel, they are definitely committed to making some really good bar food. Dishes include the Athletic Club, the SFAC Burger with American cheese and their SFAC Thousand Island dressing (you can also get it with bacon strips and thin, crispy onion rings), a bacon-wrapped hot dog with caramelized onions and peppers, and sriracha chile wings tossed in their mix of sriracha and Mae Ploy chile sauce.
The bar has 12-16 beers on tap, and more by the bottle, and do you remember when we told you there would be beer by the bucket and bathtub? Groups sitting in one of the four reservable booths (which fit 8-12) can order beer by the case, served boothside in an ice-filled porcelain bathtub. There’s also a full bar (with a focus on whiskey and tequila) and eight wines on tap.
Hours will be Tue-Fri 11am-10pm, Sat-Sun 9am-10pm, with bar hours and snacks available even later into the evening, and do note there will be breakfast on the weekend. They will also be open earlier and later to accommodate game times. 1750 Divisadero St. at Bush, 415-923-8989.
The new exterior of the SFAC. Photo provided by SFAC.
