San Francisco bar-goers will soon be able to legally sip drinks on Valencia Street; no festival, no permit, and no special event needed.
Starting Thursday, a new “entertainment zone” between 16th and 21st streets will allow patrons of select bars and restaurants to carry alcoholic drinks onto the sidewalk between noon and midnight, Sunday through Thursday. If the pilot goes smoothly, Friday and Saturday may be added later.
Valencia’s zone is one of 21 active or planned entertainment zones citywide, but marks a San Francisco first: It’s the only area where public drinking isn’t tied to a specific event. People will be able to openly drink in public as part of their regular bar crawl, not just during street fairs or festivals.
The launch coincides with the Valencia Live night market, a separate monthly event held every second Thursday through October, from 5 to 10 p.m., between 16th and 19th streets. Unlike the night market, however, the entertainment zone will run weekly and stretch further, from 16th to 21st streets.
How it works: To participate, patrons must show ID at a participating bar or restaurant and receive a branded wristband. Drinks must be served in special branded cups, and participants can enjoy them outdoors within designated areas. They can’t bring drinks bar to bar, but can take them right outside.
The initiative includes a coordinated security plan developed in partnership with the San Francisco Police Department to ensure rules are followed, according to Manny Yekutiel, the owner of his namesake cafe.
Participating businesses so far include Blondie’s, Casanova, Puerto Alegre, The Chapel, Curio, Tacolicious, Et Cetera, Manny’s, Lolo, La Cumbre, Fort Point, Gola, and Beehive.
“I’m not sure the entertainment zone is for me; it doesn’t sound exciting to a 53-year-old like me,” admitted Joe Hargrave, owner of Tacolicious. “But it does to my 24-year-old daughter.”
Unlike other zones, the Valencia program operates without closing streets. That’s a key detail, says Nikki Dewld, owner of Blondie’s and one of the initiative’s organizers: “It allows for regular traffic flow and easier access for both businesses and visitors.”
The move reflects a broader trend in San Francisco’s post-pandemic recovery efforts. Mayor Daniel Lurie has leaned heavily on public social spaces — and, yes, public drinking — to attract younger crowds downtown, while the city cracks down on public drug use.
“We’re turning a page,” said Manny Yekutiel, proprietor of Manny’s Cafe. “Valencia will become a place where, if you’re 21 or older, you can enjoy a drink five days a week.”
Correction: An earlier version of this story stated patrons would be able to take drinks between establishments. They can take them onto the sidewalk, but not to other bars or restaurants.
After everything our local politicians have put us through over the past several years, I believe we’ve earned the right to drink a beer on the street!
Thank you Mayor Lurie!
BILLION DOLLAR DEFICIT SOLVED! So easy!
It will be the removal of the center bike lane that brings prosperity back to Valencia.
Just what we need, more people drinking in the streets!
For the longest time I been wondering what this business expectations are besides making money for their pockets. Not portable toilets, not trash cans! How this projects get approved without any neighbor/ community input??
Does this business owners realize that adjacent areas/alleys become public restrooms and messy streets? It’s easy to blame homeless people for this mess!!
So a person who can afford the cover and cost of a drink can walk around and get drunk but a person who can only afford a malt beverage from the corner store cannot. Another example of separating the haves from the have nots. I support most of what the mayor is doing. Not this one
Not sure if you’ve actually been to 16th and Mission, but openly injecting drugs, smoking meth, and walking around with visible open alcohol with cops standing ten feet away makes it seem like they can do whatever they want without needing a wristband or a branded cup and being required to stay in one five block stretch.
You already could do it discreetly for decades, selfie-absorbed transplant hipsters.