9 Bay Area bars that started serving drinks before the 20th century

The oldest bars in the Bay Area. The oldest bars in the Bay Area. Photo: Hearst File Photo Photo: Hearst File Photo Image 1 of / 28 Caption Close 9 Bay Area bars that started serving drinks before the 20th century 1 / 28 Back to Gallery

San Francisco has always been a drinkin' town.

Since the Barbary Coast days and well through Prohibition, bartenders have been serving up steam beers and whatever stronger swill the West Coast could get to thirsty customers, the law be damned.

But San Francisco isn't the only old town in the Bay Area. Bars from the East Bay to the Peninsula, from Brisbane to Clayton to Oakland, have likely been around just as long as those old school city saloons.

See the above gallery for a roundup of the bars in San Francisco and the Bay Area that have been pouring drinks (mostly consistently) since 1900 or earlier.