San Francisco's Best Dive Bars: Drinking and Diving in the City by the Bay

It's a rare book that gives one a mission in life, but this one has: To visit all the bars in the book! The descriptions of the bars are so hilarious and spot-on that it will make you contemplate your own tour. A great read for anyone looking to discover the more "hidden" aspects of San Fransisco.

Todd Dayton's book, "San Francisco's Best Dive Bars" is one of the most engagingly, wittily written guides that has ever been written. It's about time that someone took the time and effort to lovingly describe an essential part of any major city: its dive bars. San Francisco in particular has a large, colorful lot to choose from. Of course, the book is not quite exhaustive, but it does a very good job of accurately capturing the vibe, charms, denizens, and atmosphere of each of SF's best dive bars. I'm slightly ashamed to admit that before reading this book, I'd already been to half of Todd's top ten SF dives. 'The Brown Jug' is one that came highly recommended in this book as a quintessential dive, so I went last night... and wasn't disappointed. Immediately upon entering the 'Jug'-- which proudly has an excerpt from Todd's guide plastered on the front door-- we were greeted with witty, drunken banter and laughing before we could even sit down. These people are a hoot. Overheard at the bar, within the first 30 seconds upon entering: patron: (in boastful drunkenese) "I'm normal... and I've got the papers to prove it!" bartender: (in an incredulous tone) "Why would you need papers to prove that you're normal?" It doesn't get any better than this. Some of the descriptions of Dayton's favorite dives are laugh-out-loud funny, even more so if you're already familiar with that bar, because his descriptions are so spot-on. I am a HUGE fan now. Particularly hilarious are the reviews on "Hawaii West" (went there last night, and true to form, the owner was the drunkest, loudest one in there), "Trad'r Sam's", and the "Ha-Ra". Anyone who knows or has met the bartender Carl at the Ha-Ra will soil themselves with laughter. It's so true. In summary, anyone who has cast a loving eye on San Francisco's best dive bars and anyone who can see the beauty in the scruffy, run-down, faded glory and charm of a good dive bar will love this book. It is downright inspiring. Todd Dayton is a poet with a true love of the dive bar and all that it has to offer.

I'm going to San Francisco in a few weeks and am eager to use this exciting guide book to find the best place to drink. A must for any who like cheap drinkin'. Even if you don't live in San Francisco!