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Reasons you should venture into the "old man" bar.
1. The bartenders know how to make real drinks. They know how much bitters should be in a Manhattan and don't have to look up the ingredients of a grasshopper
2. You can have a conversation with people here. You can hear what your friends have said instead of pretending or asking for repetition.
3. The View. you can watch all the entertainment outside. very few people look in and it's fascinating.
4. Upstairs. I love this secret (Damn I shouldn't tell you) space where you can sit and watch people from above and enjoy your perfect cocktail and chat with friends.
I can't think of anywhere else in the Castro where get all of these things.
Do yourself a favor and go to the women's room upstairs. I don't care if you're a man, you should do it.
The bathroom smells like the inside of snickerdoodle heaven.
The vents from Hot Cookie pump glorious cookie smell into the women's bathroom.
When the going gets tough and you've had one too many or you just want to get away from the Beyonce on repeat, head to the best smelling bathroom in the Castro.
I only had one drink here... as i recall.... and it was a damn fine one too.
The Campari and soda was top notch. My gf had a Belvedere martini that was strong enough to fuel a 737.
The company was good and the bar was relaxed. It is also right next to the underground MUNI so you can easily get back to the CBD.
I'll be visiting again.
I really like the atmosphere here. There's nothing like sitting next to the window with a strong gin and tonic, chatting with your best friend, and people watching as everyone walks by. The crowd is generally older but sometimes there's a sprinkling of younger people here too. And just like Jen I.'s review... yes, the women's bathroom really is snickerdoodle-infused. It's amazing.
I been to this place few times, but when I go there, I mostly see Older Males there.
If Will and Grace was real (and took place in SF), there would totally be an episode where Will meets a guy at Twin Peaks and then Jack gives him crap for being old. Grace would of course, fall for the same guy and chaos would ensue.
There is no need to say "splash" when ordering a belvedere on the rocks with a splash of cran. You could really just say cranberry juice with a splash of belve and get the same thing. Wowza.
I finally visited Twin Peaks! Again! And the pie is just as good! Oh crap, wrong twin peaks. Scratch that. The drinks and service are just as good!
The bartender shared with me that his first girlfriend's name was Kimberly, though he is gay now (but it wasn't her!). And I had to share with him that my first boyfriend's brother got ditched by his high school sweetheart wife who realized she was gay. Her name was Kimberly, too. Yeah, some bonding moment.
The drinks are no nonsense cocktail party approved. The glasses are smaller, so that you end up with same amount of liquor as any other drink, but with less filler, which makes for a pretty delicious, aka strong, and less filling, drink.
I finally visited Twin Peaks! Unfortunately, Agent Cooper was nowhere to be found. Probably hanging… Read more »
Came here last night with my roommates and was served by the oldest bartender alive.*
Me: How are you tonight?
Bartender: I'm tired.
That said, my drink was all gin with a splash (literally) of tonic. God bless this establishment. And hurrah for being one of the only Castro bars where it's acceptable to sit down and stare at the crowd without having to pretend to dance awkwardly to another Britney Spears remix.
*That's insensitive. He was an upstanding gentleman. And I give props to anyone willing to work nights at a bar. Especially someone who grew up with dinosaurs.
It was a casual afternoon. I was sitting in my living room looking out the window and noticed a few… Read more »
Best drinks in The Castro, but if you were born post-1980, you'll be drinking with people double your age. A real man has no problem drinking with the gerries, right?
Any place that makes a decent Irish Coffee (mmm...) is home for me... or at least home before I go home. It was a long day at work and I didn't want to retire yet so I stumbled in on a rainy San Francisco night. And as soon I stepped in, I see the familiar glass tumblers with sugar cubes and Bob Marley playing in the background, so of course, I know I'm in the right place, right?
The decor, very hotel California-esque... especially with this weird lady with the dark hair and crazy eye brows petting her little dog hiding in her purse... then Whitney Houston and the Jackson Five come on, so I'm thinking whatever, it's raining and I'm drinking my Irish Coffee... mmm... only thing I didn't like was that they did not offer decaf but my bartender said, "Don't worry, the whiskey will take care of that!" Ha! Loved him.
Nice bar to stumble into.
I have spent a lot of time explaining in my countless gay bar reviews that I am not gay. I have explained my gay obsession away on men who won't grab my boobs and then expect sex, my appreciation of cheap drinks, my trying to put myself in the shoes of my brother or numerous friends who are gay, my love of 80's music and rainbow flags. Okay, not that last one but definitely the rest. I am finally ready to admit I must be a wee bit gay. Done. No longer will I make excuses when I review a gay bar. I will just do it!
What I am NOT willing to admit is that I am old. I am never going to be old. Not even a little bit. There are no drink specials for the old, I don't feel the need to understand my old friends a little better, old people do not refrain from grabbing boobs, 90s music is growing on my just as much as 80's and there are no fucking special flags for old people that get hung on flagpoles, in doorways etc saying this is an old persons establishment.
Perhaps there should be. I may be a little bit gay but I am certainly not old. This bar is great for the aging gay man, since it is packed with just that, but it is definitely not for me.
Twin Peaks Tavern (aka "Glass Coffin) and I have a special relationship with one another in that it is the place that i will duck my head in mild embarassment when entering.
I am someone who appreciates the compliment that is flirtation from anyone, whether they be 18 or 40. But being a 20-something, i do prefer them younger and closer to my age. So when 40-somethings keep hitting on me, it makes me a little uncomfortable. Sugar Daddy anyone?
It was a cool summer night when my friend and his recently married bff was having a post-marriage bachelor party (meh). No, the party wasnt AT the Glass Coffin but it started there. We were innocently having beers while this older gentleman kept his eye smack on my forehead (at least, i was assuming it was my forehead). After a while, my friends bff asked if there was anything wrong, to which i reluctantly explained that there was an older guy staring at me and asked that he not do anything. He promised he wouldnt. But as we all have no doubt found out, drunk promises dont really count.
not but 10 seconds later, he gets up, walks over to the gentleman, and scolds him declaring, "I hear a rumor that you are staring at that young man over there! Well, i am here to tell you that he is MY man and I don't want you to be looking at him because i will come over here and i will get all up in your face!"
During this time, i hid behind my other friend's back to hide both my face and tears of embarassment and laughter. After the bff was done scolding the other guy for wondering his eyes, i quickly chugged what was left of my beer (i payed for that beer, shit... i wasnt going to leave it) and we hastily walked out.
Oh, Glass Coffin, how i am a fan of the experiences you provide.
Twin Peaks is a good place for a strong drink. I would have given it three stars except that when I went there on a Sunday afternoon they had a shot boy making the rounds. Thats an extra star right there.
But what I really like about Twin Peaks is that it has the best people watching spot in The Castro. Walk up into the little balcony/ loft/ second floor and sit at the two chairs by the window. It overlooks a bus stop and Market/Castro intersection. If I was just rating the people watching it would be five stars.
Every seat was taken when my friends arrived for a Sunday afternoon drink. Thus, we stood in the middle of the bar, enjoying our beverages and each other's company.
What I didn't enjoy, however, was the sun streaming into the bar directly into my eyes and the couple sitting on the bench, casually talking while one of them had his hand on the other's crotch the entire time.
What a quite little gem this place is. Strong stoli tonic's and a perfect place to go after your movie get's out and sit up stairs and check out the scene.
There is never a line for the ladies room and the drinks are quite strong. I don't care if the music is awful -- most bars play awful music, at least this one has some decent folk listening to said awful music. Twin Peaks will always have a special place in my heart!
The 20-something crew thought it looked fun after an evening in the Castro, but holy grey haired geriatric ward!
NO NO NO!!!!!!!!!!!!
I used to stay away from this bar as my friends called it "the glass coffin" but now, I love to hang there...reason being: No Attitude, the patrons are just as nice as can be and all are welcome....Oh, and the drinks are strong...One Long Island Tea from there and I'm ready to pull down my pants! ;)....but seriously, the patrons are usually a bit older, and very welcoming...It's a good place.
This is by far my favorite bar in the Castro for many, many reasons. I'm a fan of lists as they make information somewhat easier to digest in tasty little bulleted morsels:
1. There is some magical voodoo chicken blood in the varnish of the beautiful wood that frames the large mirror behind the bar - in that it keeps the loud, obnoxious, standing and posing fags out out OUT. For this I am grateful to the point of sending a check to some random address in New Orleans thanking some unnamed priestess.
2. The bartenders are all extremely friendly and know me and my boyfriend by name. I love me some Paul and Spyro! Yet their athletic skills far outweigh their amiable nature. I once witnessed Spyro who, in one impressive move, jumped over the bar, grabbed a drunk patron by the collar, and removed him from the bar in less than 45 seconds time.
3. They have coffee.
4. The place is full of gentlemen - men who know how to have a conversation that doesn't involve pretense or what I do for a living. Sure there's a little leering, but it sure beats the playground antics of some of the other bars.
5. There is a wonderful (and eventful) little roost up above with nice chairs and tables and lamps. It was from here where I saw two men completely naked (if you don't count the Teva's and cock rings) standing on the corner out front. Any vantage point offering observations like that will have to deal with my gin breath and garlic farts.
6. Even when it is crowded and bustling, I can always count on being able to have a conversation that isn't punctuated by "what" "huh" "pardon me" "let's go outside". I do not require the bass beats of the newest Kylie Minogue remix to compensate for the fact that I couldn't carry on a dialogue if it were stapled to my nut sack.
7. Finally, there is this fantastic gentlemen with whom I am still unacquainted with a bejeweled belly button ring and booty shorts. And he looks fan-FUCKING-tastic. I wanna go where he goes!
So if I'm in the Castro, I will likely begin my bar crawl here so that I can at least have one positive bar experience in the evening.
This is for all those times the bartenders let me use the bathroom when I was galavanting in the Castro. It was always clean, classy and swanky. These queens sure know how to run a first class bar--everyone's welcome. I never received attitude for being a straight woman in a gay bar--I can't say the same for other bars in the Castro. This bar has no issues, they're just running a business and they do it so well!
I think I love this bar.
Was rushed off to catch a movie at Castro Theater next door, but the 15 minutes (and two drinks)I spent inside were wonderful. After reading the other reviews I wonder what that says about me and my queerness. Perhaps I've got an old soul?
Will return with a full review in the future, though I've already got a feeling that this will be my gay Castro Bar.
Lucky 13 of course being my Castro Bar
Call it the Glass Coffin. Or call it Jurassic Park. Or call it the best bar ever.
Maybe I'm old, but I really don't want to go out for a drink with my friends and not be able to hold a conversation. I don't want drunk assholes stepping on me or shouldering me aside. I don't want a bartender to ignore me because I'm not dressed like a Marina girl on a Friday night. I want a comfortable place to sit, friendly table service, good music played at a reasonable volume, and no douchebags. The Glass Coffin has it all.
P.S. - To the men who stare at me when I walk in with my wife, thanks. Keep me in your masturbation rolodex.
Very nice place to meet for a drink - period.
I had a good time here - I like the seating, and the vibe was very casual and relaxed. The Victorian feel is pretty cool, and I liked the seating.
They made the strongest White Russian (drink, not person) I have ever had, and they had a pretty good beer selection.
I didn't pay much attention to the music here, but it was a tad too loud. And I loved watching people here. :)
Respect your elders. And you really should, young whippersnappers or else Karma will gobble you up, vomit you out, and abandon you to your own private thirsty hell.
Also known as the Glass Coffin (due to the average age of its customers...shall we say pensioned) - this bar is a total gem. Fantastic coffee drinks, wonderful staff, and comfy interiors are all awaiting you.
Rowdy, sardine-packed nightclubs have their place, but if it's quiet-time you seek, look no further. And if you are of average looks and under 50 - chances are you'll be the hottest thing in there. Certainly a nice ego boost, when you're feeling particularly ugly.
And hey, if grandpa start scamming on your pretty ass, waving lollipops in your direction, just grab your drink and date and gallop upstairs to the loft-level seating area post haste. Chances are grandpa won't brave the stairs. Once upstairs: sit at the table by the lone window. Open it and blow kisses at the cuties down below, or do your best Evita balcony wave while breathing in the yumminess of chocolate chips and dough baking at Hot Cookie just next door. It's all good, and it's all for you, baby.
Remember: don't be hatin' ~ some of those daddies will beat you down with their canes if you toy with them too much. But then again: What's too much?
Matt was invited to colleague's birthday get-together. He also admits that going to a bar on Castro St. is a once in a lifetime experience.
Matt didn't want to, but co-worker gave him a "Screaming Orgasm"... cocktail. The $6.00 poison, which contained Kahlua, Amaretto, Bailey's and Vodka, was very creamy.
Then colleague and Matt together had "Sex on the beach." The $6.00 cocktail was a bit fruity, which lead us to the actual sexual event at the beach.
Some say Love, it is a River. I say Love, it is Twin Peaks.
The so called "glass coffin" of the Castro owns my heart. Sure, there's an older set of clientelles but that's just fine with this 25 year old. Let the Bar and Badlands have all the tragic fake IDs it wants. For a more slow paced, comfortable, kick back in a cushy chair, stiff drink, nice lighting, good juke box (one of thems new fangled computer machines I've been hearing about, so's you can "download" anything your heart should want) amazing bartender experience, Twin Peaks is the place to be. I'll meet you on the balcony.
Seriously.
I mean it.
I have been patronizing this place since it was a straight bar and I worked on Castro St. in Walter Gordon's Real Estate Office. It was fun years ago but anymore it has become a hangout for the boozer crowd. How can anyone say it is a place for the 50+ crowd? Its more like 65+ crowd. The place never sold bottled beer, nor any kind of a snack. Its a serious drinking place where one can get loaded and speak with slurred speech all evening to other slurred speech listeners. I now frequent, ha- frequent this place once a year. They've never been known to spring for a free drink and never have competitive drink prices as do the other Castro prices. My suggestion is they serve a formaldehyde cocktail as indeed it is the glass coffin.
As some young gay twinkie whippersnappers call it, "The Glass Casket" or "The Glass Coffin" because the whole front is glass and inside is full of old folks.
This bar is old school, it's been around forever and when you go inside you can tell. A great place to find SF old-timers. A bit overpriced for drinks. Go inside and check it out. An excellent place to sit and people watch. Friendly drunk people.
If you are a gay male and a senior citizen and you want to hang out with other people your age that are also gay guys, then this is your bar.
okay I will admit I went through a phase of going here like once a week. This one friend and i found ourselves here after a rambling drive through the city and started returning regularly. The bar is cute and warm and the bar tenders talk to you and tell you stories about the neighborhood and the regulars. Its a good lace to go and talk on a date b/c of the couches. The Irish coffee is a bit strong, but who likes a weak drink? i didn't find the staff here to be at all unfriendly, even to a straight girl. If you are looking for something more exciting, walk down the block to badlands.
----
Went back after not showing my face in the Twin Peaks for 6 months, and they remembered me! (it may be due to the fact that not many straight young blondish girls frequent the bar... but whatever!) I was stoked. They even gave me a free vodka tonic. I love them.
Damn this place has atmosphere. A great spot to sit and sip while watching the history of the Castro before your eyes. At least, some of the old dudes at the bar seem to have history writ large on their faces.
If only the bartender could make a drink I could force down. Maybe I was spoiled after visiting Martuni's a few days before, but... I don't think I have ever put down an alcoholic beverage as undrinkable, as I did my gin and tonic. Although my friend's bloody mary was even worse. Truly insipid watery tomato juice with CANNED soggy asparagus in it. Disgusting. Reminded me of the kind of drink one would order on an airplane, when one is barely legal to drink, and any opportunity to drink seems like a big deal, however rotten the rotgut.
I originally gave this place a three for the swill they served us, but I've decided to give them a 4, since the atmosphere is worth 5 or more. Went back, stuck with beer, and it was great. Fantastic people watching, with an interesting mix of folks, chatting and looking out the windows. Drag queens, faux drag queens, old and young folks... Brits and SF natives... especially nice at night...
Stick to beer, and you could conceivably give this place high marks. They can't mess up beer. Much.
Fag Hag Rebekah went in here one night with her Sham Fiancee Bibby once.
Somehow I ended up being fed lines to Barbra & Liza songs to belt out. Then we started dancing to Madonna & these other random young people came in & Vogued with us as well.
Strange night & all I had was a Soda.
Twin Peaks is more a state of mind than a bar. Ever since the BAR went completely Hunters Point on us, I have prefered my infrequent Castro outings to include the GC (see above). Carpet, an expansive view of Castro Street, 2 bathroom (that lock, wink wink) and healthy pours keep me happy for at least an hour.
Best time to visit the Peak is on a Rainy Sunday afternoon. If a lonley fellow happens to be sitting at a huge table, dont be afraid to ask him if your gang can sit with him. He might be your next sugar daddy...
My friends and I were drawn in by the chill vibe. Walking in you can see why it's so chill. Most of the patrons sitting at the bar were 50+. If you're a young gay man looking for a sugar daddy this is the place to find one! Our adorable gay friend who is only 26 said he felt a little uncomfortable, but as a 'lady friend' who loves the gays it was fun to watch them stare at the young ones coming in. Loved the decor and the window seats. Great place to have a couple of beers on a weeknight.
Solid bar. Not too crowded on a Friday night. Prompt liquor delivery. Loungy feel. Great location.
I've heard the term the Glass Coffin before, and went there actually for the first time last night. Upon walking in, I thought it smelled familiar. Now bear with me! I immediately thought, wow, it's Gramma's house! No, that wasn't an old joke, I'm not that shallow. My Grandmother's house just smelled like coffee and Whiskey! The bar was wonderful. I would definitely prefer to be dragged there weekly than the BOC or Badlands. As a matter of fact, I think I'll do that :)
WE LOVE THIS PLACE!!!! And we love us some seasoned bartenders as well. And hands down.....BEST Irish Coffee in the City. Soooooo yummy. We never waited long for somewhere to comfortably sit, with front row seats to all the dramz going on outside. Worth a visit before or after your evening out!
Cool bar, and place to chill out. Good vibes all around here, safety in numbers for gays, lol.
so the other nite i brought a change of clothes--coming from a baby shower i was wearing the wrong outfit for the castro--and forgot to bring a bra. the shower outfit didn't require one, but the new one did. anyway, typically this is not so much a problem for me since i have a pretty small rack, but i wasn't super comfy with the shirt i had on and you really don't want to be nipplin out around the girls in the castro if you happen to be a straight girl not lookin to experiment--and yeah i speak from experience--so i asked the husband to bring me a bra. we met up with our best friends mark and jim here, they love the glass coffin, and i went upstairs to discreetly add my undergarmet in the women's room.
the thing you should know about the women's room here is that most likely it's not women in there, but boys, or older gentlemen taking a moment together. so it's not really my favorite bathroom. it was locked when i got up there and there were a couple women in line already. so what the hell, we're all girls right, and they were cool. so i just did a little improvising and put my bra on right there, keeping my shirt on of course, we don't want to get too crazy now, and we all chatted about the necessity of wearing one. one of them seemed very embarrassed about the whole ordeal and the other was pretty cool about it. and i mean, how many chances do you have to put your bra on out in public right? this is what i love about SF anyway. we're all one big happy family.
anyway, the point is, you'll get some good people watching in this place. and you never know what will happen. oh and the drinks are fine, bartenders nice, all that. but really, this is a castro insitution, so don't miss out.
Best Irish Coffee's in SF!
Is it normal for a straight couple to fight in a gay bar? Probably not, and probably a reason we ain't togetha' no mo'.
Back to Twin Peaks, I like the ambiance, I like the view of the Castro, and I like the fact that I don't get hassled.
Neighborhood: Castro
Category: Gay Bars
Neighborhood: Castro
Category: Gay Bars
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Category: Gay Bars
Neighborhood: Castro
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