The 500 Club

500 Guerrero

Tel: 415-861-2500

Okay, I just going to say it. I have been known to go on four-day Corona and lime binges in the tropics with suspected drug smugglers. I watch the knife guys on the home shopping channel every night. I've gone weeks without even thinking about a shower.

And then I've done some stuff that I'm ashamed of.

At Guerrero and 17th

Most recently, I wrote about a dive bar in the Mission, and it wasn't the 500 Club. If there could be an excuse for such on offense it is that I was being a dive snob. I didn't want to call the 500 Club a dive because of all the Martini-sipping, pony-tailed, goatee types who have recently adopted this once magnificent sleazy dive as the trendy bar of the minute.

But even on a Friday night--the official multi-media-geek night out--the 500 club isn't exactly a sea of square glasses and blonde dreds because the crowd is usually a mix of real dive hoppers, as well as the trendies. Besides, who could blame the trendies for coming here? Not me.

This place is great.

The bartenders range from surly to hyper-friendly, but they all have either a cool tattoo, a piercing, or a silly Elvis hair-style, and of course they all know how to make a decent cocktail. The beer selection is adequate, except for local yucky microbrew, Speakeasy. Sometimes they have Newcastle on tap, but they don't get the Guinness because Guinness expert, Paddy O'Lushly gave it four shamrocks, saying it was competent but not inspired. A good score, but I might have been kinder because it's tasty, and the bartender usually draws a sloppy shamrock in the foam.

But what do I know? I'm not the expert.

I think I'd still come here even if the beer sucked because the atmosphere is just so cool. There's a couple of pool tables, a fireplace, pinball, and a trivia video game.

The jukebox kicks ass. It has all your basic roots stuff, but it's also an 80s freak's wet dream, with cool tunage from Cheap Trick, Blondie, Bowie, and Prince. Last Friday, one of the trendies was so inspired by the selection, he screamed, "REO rocks!" I had to agree with him.

I guess trendies are people too. Who knew?

Still, I recommend going to this bar on a Monday night. There's still a good crowd, but not too many square glasses, and you have a better chance of getting a turn at the trivia game. A scraggly guy with a bandanna tied around his head will be clearing the empties off your table. Challenge this guy to a game of pool, but only if you're a shark. He's better than he looks.

Melinda Whitehouse

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