Beat a hasty retreat to red-vinyl booths where Allen Ginsberg and Jack Kerouac debated the meaning of life under a golden Buddha. Enter the 1937 faux-grotto doorway and dodge red lanterns to place your order: Tsingtao beer or a sweet, sneaky-strong Chinese mai tai made with baijiu (rice liquor). Brusque bartenders, basement bathrooms, cash only – a world-class dive bar.
Li Po
Top choice in North Beach & Chinatown
Lonely Planet's must-see attractions
0.06 MILES
Chinatown's unofficial living room is named after John B Montgomery's sloop, which staked the US claim on San Francisco in 1846. SF's first city hall…
Nearby North Beach & Chinatown attractions
0.06 MILES
Chinatown's unofficial living room is named after John B Montgomery's sloop, which staked the US claim on San Francisco in 1846. SF's first city hall…