San Francisco Dive Bar Red's Place Closes After 60 Years
The Chinatown institution, known as the neighborhood's oldest bar, has shut its doors, prompting sadness among patrons.
Red’s Place, a San Francisco dive bar that had operated in Chinatown since 1963, has closed, owner Jerry Chan announced. The bar, which billed itself as the oldest in the neighborhood, has ceased operations, a decision that has drawn a strong emotional response from its patrons.
Chan announced the closure in a video teaser for an interview with NBC Bay Area, stating, “San Francisco, Red’s is closing.” The specific reasons for the bar's closure were not immediately available, but the news has saddened many long-time customers.
Fans expressed their disappointment and disbelief on social media. Comments included sentiments like, “NOOOOOOOO!!! Please say it’s just for renovations…” and “Man I killed it during karoke nights here! Super lowkey casual and grungy. The most random people popped up here. I’m going to miss this place.”
Red’s Place, located at 672 Jackson St., was purchased by Jerry Chan’s parents, Herman and Lisa Chan, in 1990. The building itself has a history predating the bar, having previously housed a barber shop in the late 1800s, followed by a cigar store and a saloon, according to the bar's website.
Even after closing to patrons, the bar's basement reportedly still contains teller booths dating back to the neighborhood's past involvement in gambling. Red's Place was also a notable part of Chinatown's Chinese New Year parade, which traditionally proceeded down Grant Street toward Broadway. The establishment continues to participate in the annual celebration with a firecracker show on Jackson Street.
In a 2017 interview with the San Francisco Chronicle, Jerry Chan spoke about the city's ongoing changes and expressed his commitment to keeping the bar open. “I’m still here,” he said at the time. “This city is changing rapidly, and this is one thing we don’t want to lose.”