The Final, Definitive Guide to California's Oldest Bars

Separating fact from fiction to uncover the true legends

There’s no single better way to get a feel for a city than getting a drink at its oldest bar. California’s oldest bars are a portal to the state’s gilded and gritty past, but separating the posers from the real deal can be tricky. Every old bar (in California and elsewhere) claims to be the oldest this or that. Therefore, I am pleased to present the final word on the question of California’s real oldest bars. The bars on this list adhere were selected using four filters:

1. The date the current building was constructed (i.e., a bar that was built in 1850 but destroyed in 1906 then rebuilt in 1907 would count as est. 1907).

2. The date when the current building first became a bar (i.e., a building that was built in 1850 as a private residence but was converted into a bar in 1955 would count as est. 1955).

3. The building must have been in operation as a bar most of the time since its opening. This one is tricky. A bar need not have been in continuous operation since its opening to make this list. Temporary closures due to renovation, change in ownership, or changing economic fortunes—not to mention prohibition—are common and acceptable up to a point. In my view, for a bar that was built long ago to really count as old, it should have been open and operating as a bar most of the time.

4. The building must be still be in operation as a bar today (i.e., not boarded up or converted to some other purpose).

In short, the saloons on this list would be more or less recognizable to a time traveller visiting them at any point since they poured their first shot. So pour one for yourself and start making your travel plans.

11.) Heinhold’s First and Last Chance Saloon, est. 1883, Oakland

J.M Heinhold’s Saloon was cobbled together in 1880 from an old whaling ship, and it shows. Built on a wharf above the bay, Heinhold’s rear pylons sank to bedrock during the 1906 earthquake, causing the saloon to slope backwards like a sinking ship. The building was straightened soon after but the bar was left tilted, making Heinhold’s the world’s most dangerous bar for martinis and patrons already in the sudds. The moniker “First and Last Chance” was a common 19th century nickname for a saloon whose location made it the first chance for a drink following a long journey, or the last chance before departing on one—in this case the Klondike Gold Rush. As a young man during the Klondike Gold Rush, future author of canine adventures Jack London was a regular at Heinhold’s. Heinhold and London eventually became so close the bartender became a character in London’s autobiographical novel John Barleycorn. Today, London’s cabin from the Klondike has been reconstructed in front of the saloon, where it and the saloon are both stalked by a bronze statue of White Fang.

10.) Occidental Hotel & Saloon, est. 1879, Occidental

The Occidental Hotel & Saloon was built in 1879 to accommodate the arrival of the railroad in this small Sonoma County logging community. Today, the saloon looks more or less unchanged from when it first opened, though the Italian fare is almost certainly better than whatever was on the menu in 1879.

9.) Hotel Léger, est. 1875, Mokelumne Hill

During the Gold Rush, the dirt beneath Mokelumne Hill was so rich that miners were pulling more than $650,000 worth of gold in just 16 square feet. A boomtown soon emerged around the diggings and within a few years the population reached as many as 15,000 people. One of these emigrants, George Léger, arrived in 1851 and built a canvas-topped Hotel de France, known as one of the most luxurious hotels of the Mother Lode. The Hotel de France went up in flames along with the rest of Mokelumne Hill in the fire of 1854, but Léger persisted and rebuilt—as he would do again in 1865 and once more in 1875 following additional fires. Léger wisely chose stone for his final rebuild, and he connected his new two-story hotel to the neighboring old courthouse building, which he also bought. Today, the Léger Hotel & Saloon is the center of life in Mokelumne Hill and its 650 residents. On a typical Saturday night, the Léger plays host to a mix of leathery old timers and young’uns kicking their heels to live rock and blues bands.

8.) Smiley’s Schooner Saloon & Hotel, est. <1870, Bolinas

Smiley’s Schooner Saloon, located in the reclusive coastal hamlet of Bolinas, is one of California’s most mysterious bars. An 1880s photograph clearly shows the saloon standing much as it does today (the original building’s been widened), and deed records strongly suggest the saloon has stood there since at least 1870. Beyond that, however, and the trail goes cold. You sometimes year the saloon was built in 1851 by ‘49er Captain Isaac Morgan, but it’s almost certainly not true (Captain Morgan was—ironically—a member of temperance society and maps from 1855 don’t show the saloon). The best I can surmise is that it was probably built in the late 1860s, if not 1870. In the 20th century, the saloon survived prohibition by fronting as a barbershop whilst keeping a speak easy in the back. Italian immigrant Ismaele “Smiley” Biachini purchased the building in 1955 and converted what was left of the barbershop to a bait shop and renamed the place “Smiley’s Bar and Bait.” Today, the bait shop is gone and the whole ground floor has been restored to the saloon featuring billiards and live music, and while rooms in the rear garden are reserved for overnight guests.

7.) Old Clam House, est. 1861, San Francisco

When Ambrose and Anna Zurflu opened the Oakdale Bar & Clam House in 1861, the San Francisco Bay lapped against the shore nearby and five miles of countryside separated them from downtown San Francisco. Travelers along this stagecoach road to San Jose would stop at the Clam House and for a nickel receive steam beer and steamed clams. The Clam House was a safe distance from the Great Fire following the 1906 earthquake, but the disaster fundamentally reshaped its surroundings. Rubble from the ruined city filled in the Bay surrounding the Old Clam House, pushing the shoreline a mile east. The Clam House was soon trapped, or preserved, in a jungle of freeways, warehouses, and industrial clutter. The saloon and restaurant was listed as a “beer hall” in a 1935 city permit to add windows near the entrance, and two dining rooms were skillfully added to the original barroom in the 1980s to expand the restaurant without disrupting its vintage appearance. Today, The Old Clam House is a sea-faring culinary wonderland, welcoming guests with shots of hot clam broth and steaming cauldrons of cioppino, San Francisco's famous seafood stew.

6.) Alpine Inn & Beer Garden, est. <1860, Portola Valley

Following the Mexican-American War, Felix Buelna relocated his family from San José to a new community for Californios on the eastern slope of the Santa Cruz Mountains where Buelna built a gambling den known as Casa de Tableta. Not only does this make the Alpine Inn unique among California’s oldest bars for being the only one built primarily to serve the formerly Mexican Californios, but it might make it the oldest bar in the entire west, not just California. The building is referenced in an 1867 lease agreement, but at least one interview conducted in the 1960s claimed Buelna built the Casa de Tableta in 1852, the same year he built his nearby house. Unfortunately, the true date of the saloon’s construction is lost to history, but the consensus among historians is that it was sometime in the 1850s. The saloon’s proximity to Stanford University ensured its survival as a hotbed for licentiousness, earning it the rebuke of Stanford’s first president, who condemned it “unusually vile, even for a roadhouse”. In August 1976, Stanford computer scientists successfully sent a message from an Alpine Inn picnic table via radio network to Stanford, then across the government-owned ARPAnet to Boston—the first message ever sent using the TCP/IP protocol that makes up the modern internet. The Alpine calls Elon Musk a regular, and once 86’ed Mark Zuckerberg for bringing his dog.

5.) The Washoe House, est. 1859, Petaluma

The Washoe House began life in 1859 as a stagecoach stop along the 20-mile route between Petaluma and Santa Rosa, which were then small agrarian settlements serving the San Francisco market. The area around the saloon was known as Stony Point back then, on account of a nearby quarry. Today, all that’s left of Stony Point is the lonely country road bearing its name, and the Washoe House. The saloon and stagecoach stop was also the scene of the legendary “Battle of the Washoe House” of 1865. Petaluma was a staunch Union town, whereas Santa Rosa was settled largely by pro-secession Southerners. When Santa Rosa’s newspaper, The Democrat, gloated over President Lincoln’s assassination, a band of Petaluma militia headed north to trash the newspaper’s offices and, presumably, anyone else who got in their way. The militiamen gathered their courage at the Washoe House and eventually became so courageous they blacked out and returned home in the morning. Today, the two-story Washoe House emerges from the winding country road like a frontier oasis serving greasy meals and good cheer beneath a ceiling of dollar bills.

4.) Historic National Hotel, est. 1859, Jamestown

With straight lines, crisp paint, and a facade that glitters with stained glass, the Historic National Hotel is one of the best preserved hotel-saloons in the west. The National was built by Beinrich Neilson in 1859 and was first known as the Hotel Europe. The entire barroom glows beneath the warm patina of brass plated ceiling tins. A remarkable amount of the hotel’s original interior remains intact, including its California redwood bar and backbar which can be seen in framed 19th century photographs. The owner, Steve, points out grooves in the walls where slot machines were once mounted, and the curious case of the saloon’s bathroom. “Now, most women don’t like this” he told me, “but you know how you can tell this place is an original saloon, and not one of these replicas? There’s only one bathroom—the men’s room. A ladies restroom had to be added down the hall later.”

4.) Pozo Saloon, est. 1858, Santa Margarita

Pozo Road was once the main route between coastal San Luis Obispo and California’s Central Valley, along which sprang the bustling small town of Pozo and its saloon, hotel, blacksmith, school, post office, hotel, and turkey farms. Prohibition and the completion of rival State Route 41 in the 1920s stole Pozo’s business and the town began its slow decline. The Pozo Saloon, splintered and cracked from the California sun, is all that remains of old Pozo and is today surrounded on all sides by little besides cattle, oak trees, and frontier ruins. But this former Pony Express stop is one of the best preserved saloons anywhere in the frontier west. The original bar extends the entire length of the back wall, original hardwood floors groan beneath your feet, ranching hardware and frontier bric a brac adorn the walls, dollar bills hang from the ceiling, and a 19th century photograph shows the giant cottonwood tree in front as a mere sapling. The sizzle of burgers and tri-tip waft from the rear garden where musicians ranging from Willie Nelson to Snoop Dogg have performed for thousands. Preserved in its isolation, the Pozo Saloon is as original as it gets.

3.) Golden Gate Saloon, Holbrooke Hotel, est. 1858, Grass Valley

The Golden Gate Saloon was one of the first saloons serving the boomtown of Grass Valley and the miners who worked its famed Empire Mine. An 1852 newspaper advertisement for the Golden Gate promised patrons Tom and Jerries, Milk Punches, and Hot Whiskey served by a Mrs. E.G. Smith. This original Golden Gate was destroyed by fire in September 1855 and nobody seems to know when, exactly, it was rebuilt. What we do know is that an 1858 illustration shows the Golden Gate in a building shared with a horse stable and a restaurant, and neighboring the Exchange Hotel operated by Webster & McCoy. If it could be proven it was rebuilt prior to August 20, 1856, it would be the oldest saloon in California. But we just don’t know. The neighboring Exchange Hotel was expanded in 1862 to incorporate the Golden Gate Saloon, which continued to be branded as an “elegant billiard saloon” through the 1860s. Following its sale in 1879, the Exchange was renamed the Holbrooke and has looked more or less the same ever since. Today, the Golden Gate Saloon’s arts nouveau backbar, polished copper walls, and vintage wrought-iron elevator cage offers a level of refinement more evocative of Monet’s Paris than the California Mother Lode.

2.) The National Exchange Hotel & Bar, est. 1856, Nevada City

The National Exchange Hotel & Bar opened on Monday, August 18, 1856 and vies with the nearby Holbrooke Hotel as the oldest continuously operating hotel west of the Rockies. The Nash’, as it’s affectionately known to locals, consists of three conjoined brick buildings collectively known as the Bicknell Block. A newspaper advertisement published on New Years’ Eve 1858 informed the public that new owner, George Lancaster, would continuously improve the hotel, that the bar would remain opened all night, and that it would keep the “very best wines, liquors, and cigars on hand.” On rumors of visits by past presidents and other famous guests, former Nash’ owner of 38 years Thomas Coleman suspected foul play on the part of an old clerk. “Have you seen the [guest book] signatures? They all look the same!” he told me. The National Bar is home to an ornate rosewood backbar that once belonged to San Francisco sugar tycoon Adolph Spreckles. Today, the National is the center the Mother Lode’s music scene, helping showcase young talents in folk and psychedelic rock, and occupying rarefied territory among historic bars: cool.

1.) Murphys Historic Hotel & Saloon, est. 1856, Murphys

The Sperry & Perry Hotel opened August 20, 1856, two days after the National Exchange Hotel & Bar in Nevada City. However, whereas the location of the National Exchange’s bar within the hotel is different today than it was in 1856, the saloon inside Sperry & Perry’s, today known as Murphys Historic Hotel & Saloon, has remained firmly in place. This, in my view, gives Murphys the strongest claim to being the verified oldest bar in California. The hotel’s sturdy construction of limestone mortar with iron doors and shutters made the building a citadel against wildfires, sparing it from total destruction in the big Murphys fire of 1859 (though most of the interior furnishings were destroyed, the owners refurbished the building and operations resumed the following year).

HONORABLE MENTIONS

Hotel Jeffrey, est. 1851, Coulterville: I haven’t done a full background check, but the Jeffrey might actually be California’s oldest standing saloon. The only problem is the Jeffrey caught fire in 2014 and has been closed ever since. I haven’t visited the property, but news reports say the fire ravaged the hotel but spared the saloon. If the bar’s history checks out, and it doesn’t spend too much time shuttered, California could have a “new” oldest bar sometime in the future.

Iron Door Saloon, est. 1896, Groveland: The Iron Door Saloon is commonly referred to as the oldest saloon in California (I even refer to it as such in the preface of my book Taverns of the American Revolution). Yet a closer look reveals that the 1852 building functioned as a mercantile and post office known as the Granite Store and didn’t become a saloon until 1896, after the frontier era had closed. That still leaves the Iron Door Saloon as being the oldest building in California that’s currently operating as a saloon, which is still pretty damn cool.

The Saloon, est. 1907, San Francisco: The Saloon is commonly believed to be the oldest bar in San Francisco, a claim bolstered by a plaque on its exterior wall that claims the building survived the 1906 earthquake and fire. Oh, if but it were it true. Alas, city building records and photographic evidence confirm the building that housed Wagner’s Beer Hall, as the bar was named when it first opened in 1861, was completely destroyed in 1906 and rebuilt the following year.

Cold Spring Tavern, est. 1869, Santa Barbara: Two things keep the Cold Spring Tavern off my list. First, it’s unknown whether or not this old stagecoach stop high above Santa Barbara in the Santa Ynez Mountains sold alcoholic refreshments when it first began operating in 1868. Second, today it’s more of an olde-English restaurant than a bar. Either way, it’s definitely worth visiting.