500 Club – Mission
PRO: Classic dive bar, good crowd
CON: Still thinking…
Lemme tell ya something: anyplace that allows you to bring your dog is gonna earn a big thumbs up from VdV. We initially stumbled across this awesome dive bar on one of our daytime weekend jaunts to the Mission after a Pizzaria Delfina trip. And we’ve kept on comin’ back, kittens. Not enough to be called ‘regulars’, but maybe…’familiars’. Yee haw! And what a fantastic dive bar The Five Hundy Club is.
Why? ‘Cuz it’s got all the ingredients, suckas: a kickass juke box, cheap! drinks (how does a $5 Martini sound? Not as good as 6 for about $30!), onna those cheesy photo booths to help you remember how trashed you got, some tatted-up bartenders, and the required, yet near impossible to perfect, lived-in, ‘mangy’ feel. Banged up. Like you’ll feel after you leave. But in a good way.
Plus 500 gets a cool, eclectic crowd. Weekend days you’ll get the neighborhood regulars (and their dogs), kind of a crusty, rough around the edges bunch. Visualize the crowd at Mamacita or Tipsy Pig in the Marina. Got it? Ha. Now put a big ‘opposite’ sign in front of that image! No Biffs or Buffys here. At least not when we’ve been, but don’t sue us if 1 or 2 slip by. Thursday-Saturday nights you’ll get a younger, pretty hip urban crowd. And not Marina d-bags either, all-in-all good, fun party people. This place is for drinkers, not posers, bitches.
If ya go on a weekend day (I’d say one of the premier times for dive bar crawling), there’s usually some random food in a crock pot right by the door. I’ve never really figured it out, but it seems to be fair game for whoever wants to dig in. Either grab a seat at the bar, or snag one of the booths. I think the bar is best for daytime, and booths best for nights. We’ve never walked (loose translation) outta 500 Club without having some fun chit chat with at least a couple random people. And a cheap buzz. So go! And bring cash or your ATM card ‘cuz 500 Club doesn’t take plastic, even if it’s your snazzy new Visa Black. Wait. If you’re sporting on of those. head back to the Marina.
P.S. Gotta love the directions listed on their website: Put that cigarette out and tell the cabbie “Da 500 Club!”
Hours:
Mon-Fri 3p-2a
Sat-Sun 12p-2a
