Comstock Saloon sits at 155 Columbus Ave., where North Beach, Chinatown, the Financial District and Jackson Square meet. It's named for Henry Comstock and the Comstock Lode.
Barbary Coast to brewpub
The site was part of the Barbary Coast in the late 19th century. Its earliest known owner was Pigeon-Toed Sal of the Billy Goat Saloon. After the 1906 earthquake the building was rebuilt and opened in 1907 as the Andromeda Saloon, owned by Jim Griffin. During Prohibition it became the Andromeda Cafe and sold alcohol for "medicinal purposes." Restaurateur Sam DuVall bought it in 1977, called it The Albatross, and turned the barbershop next door into a kitchen. In 1985 it became the San Francisco Brewing Company, one of the city's first microbreweries.
Absinthe Brasserie bartenders Jeff Hollinger and Jonny Raglin took over in 2009 and restored it. The bar's website says it was "restored to its original glory in 2010."
What's original
Wikipedia says the interior has stayed mostly unchanged since the post-quake rebuild. The 18-foot mahogany bar top dates to the late 1890s. The "punkah" ceiling fans date to the 1910s, though they weren't installed here until the 1970s. Wooden booths and artifacts in glass cases help make the saloon a small museum of San Francisco drinking history.
Going
The bar's website quotes Anthony Bourdain calling Comstock "a no-nonsense, old-school bar." It serves classic cocktails and food, and it hosts a "FREE LUNCH" on Fridays. Drinks are served daily until midnight and food until 11 p.m. Live music runs 8 to 11 p.m. The Halloween night lineup is listed as What's Cookin' with Mark Patron. The site notes private-event closures on some Friday nights, including Oct. 30, so check before you go. More North Beach history: Vesuvio Cafe.