Tosca Cafe

Tosca Cafe has operated continuously at 242 Columbus Ave in San Francisco's North Beach neighborhood since 1919, making it one of the oldest bars in California. The bar survived Prohibition, multiple ownership changes, and more than a century of San Francisco cultural shifts, emerging as a gathering point for the city's literary, artistic, film, and celebrity worlds. Francis Ford Coppola, Hunter S. Thompson, Sharon Stone, and Sean Penn are among the many who have been regulars over the decades. The back booths have hosted private conversations of artistic and cultural consequence for generations.

The interior is a North Beach time capsule: red leather booths, opera posters, dim incandescent lighting, and a long mahogany bar flanked by vintage espresso machines. Opera plays continuously on the jukebox — an unbroken tradition that defines the atmosphere and immediately signals that Tosca operates on its own terms regardless of broader San Francisco nightlife trends. The house specialty is the signature cappuccino, which is not a coffee drink but a brandy-based hot cocktail made with steamed milk and chocolate, served in a mug. It has been the bar's signature since the 1950s. Cocktails run $16–22 and lean toward classics and house originals.

Under ownership by chef April Bloomfield beginning in 2013, Tosca added a full Italian-American kitchen serving dinner on operating nights through midnight. The food menu includes housemade pastas, roasted meats, and seasonal vegetables, designed to pair with the bar program. The kitchen has received critical recognition, adding a genuine dining dimension to what was previously a pure drinking destination. Reservations for the dining room are recommended; walk-in space at the bar is typically available on weeknights.

Tosca Cafe is open Wednesday through Sunday from 5pm to 2am and is closed Monday and Tuesday. Weekend nights draw a mixed crowd of North Beach locals, repeat visitors, and San Francisco regulars who value the history.