Washington Square Bar and Grill

Contributor

Citysearch

This SF landmark, re-opened after being painstakingly restored, is a perfect time capsule of Herb Cain-era North Beach, when writers, politicians, musicians, professional athletes and charmingly crooked cops all schmoozed, boozed and occasionally ate here. Gimmick-free and defiantly old-school, "The Washbag" clings to its history with memorabilia and framed black-and-whites of local icons, and even re-hired much of the same staff from its heyday. The house-specialty is nostalgia, and the classic menu reinforces the theme--expect bar-and-grill standards like calamari, troifles pasta and flat iron steak--although unlike the old days, the food isn't an afterthought; in fact, you may find yourself thinking fondly about it afterwards. What's coming out of the kitchen has vastly improved, but the bar's remained exactly the same, save for an added rack of fine scotches of the sort once found in a decanter on the commisioner's desk. This city may have changed, but this old haunt full of old timers having a good old time hasn't, and is betting its future on its glorious past.