Twin Peaks Tavern — Restaurant in San Francisco

Clearly a gay bar, NOT a queer bar - as in, maybe not the vibe for queers who aren’t white cis gay men….

Absolutely love the history of the bar and I think it’s such an incredible historic landmark that holds deep importance for our community - which is why my friends and I wanted to visit. However, from the moment the three of us (all queer women) walked in, the vibe was ICY. It’s like they forgot women can be gay too lol.

The bartender was pretty unfriendly, which, after reading some reviews I’ve come to see probably was less about us than about his overall demeanor, but the clientele made it clear who the bar really caters to. Bar was pretty full when we showed up, and idk, maybe it looks vastly different at other times, but I kid you not when I say every single person in the bar was a white, likely cis or cis-passing man over the age of 50. And the stares we got from them as soon as we entered made it clear we were not welcome as part of the community.

We took our drinks outside and left pretty quickly - a shame bc any gay bar truly honoring its history should be making itself clear as a welcome space for BIPOC queers, trans folks, lesbians & queer women, and the community as a whole.

EDIT: this is even crazier to me upon learning that the whole reason Twin Peaks was the first gay bar in the country to have windows to the public is due to the decision of the two LESBIANS who owned it and chose to take off the covers in 1972!! Shoutout Mary Ellen Cunha and Peggy Forster y’all deserve better than a gay bar that makes queer women feel...

The Twin Peaks Tavern is the first LGBTQ bar in the world to have oversized windows making its patrons visible from the street outside. This happened in 1972 when two local lesbians purchased what had been an Irish Pub since 1935. Historically, gay bars had no windows, to protect the anonymity of the patrons and for safety and security, as gay bars could be a target of vandalism or other violence.

It's saloon days go back to the gay nineties, i.e., the 1890s. It is a designated SF historic landmark at the corner of Castro and 17th street.

One of the best people watching spots in the Castro. You never know what you'll see on Castro Street in front of the bar.

It nearly closed during the Covid Pandemic, but a Gofundme campaign raised over $100,000 to keep it open.

There's a documentary short film, "Through the Windows," about the historic and...

Undoubtedly the worst service I’ve ever experienced. While visiting the amazing city of San Fran, two friends and I stopped in for cocktails on a Tuesday evening. We approached the bar where there were only a handful of other patrons and encountered the most rude bartender I’ve ever met. He just stared at us not a hello not a smile not a “what can I get you” I had to ask him how he was an for our drinks. At which he again just glared at us. Mind you we are three professional men, two of which worked behind a bar earlier in life and we are always courteous, patient, kind and tip well knowing tending bar can be thankless at times. Anyway, we left after one drink and I’ll never go back. Worst experience...