Madrone: Art, Funk, Music, and a Solid Late Night Spot.

Any typical Tuesday night bar crawl would result in one of my usual waterholes; a familiar setting with familiar concoctions, and of course familiar bartenders. However, when the night is young (9:30PM), sometimes you can't help but succumb to the zeitgeist and be adventurous. That's certainly how I found myself at Madrone.

What looks like a typical San Francisco Victorian-esque house on the corner of Divisadero and Fell Street in the lower Haight is actually a pretty awesome little hangout that blends a mix of specialty cocktails, rotating art exhibitions, and great live music. Frequently changing their decor inside, Madrone features exhibitions from various Bay Area artists for two months at a time before showcasing another. Upon my last visit, they were showcasing a beautiful collection of work from a black and white surf photographer known as Fred Windisch, as well as looping his 8mm surf films on the projector in the back of the room, and the screen above the bar. As a surfer and someone who grew up idealizing the work of Bruce Brown, I was pretty much in heaven, also due to the fact that my experience was accompanied by a pint of Speakeasy Prohibition Ale and the funk music coming from the sweet band playing in the front. And if you're one of those people who can't help but dance at the temptation of live music (clearly, I don't fall into this category), there's enough floor space for a number of people to hit the floor.

It may not be the easiest bar to get to, especially if you're a commuter like me who lives and dies by the BART train (damn the 12AM curfew). Your safest bet may be to get a taxi or get a hold of a Lyft cab on your smartphone. The drink prices aren't the cheapest, you'll be paying around $9 to $10 for a high end cocktail, but the craft beers on tap are the average $5, about the same you'll be paying anywhere else in the city. Very good first experience though, I will make it a point to go back. Bohemian-chic bar? Sure, why not?