Zam Zam

Legendary San Francisco columnist Herb Caen once described Zam Zam as, “a place that time forgot, its curving bar filled with worshipers sitting in silent contemplation of the silver bullet in its graceful stemmed glass.” And Zam Zam, with its art deco-tinged aura of Middle Eastern decadence does feel like a carefully preserved piece of Hollywood-influenced history. Originally called Persian Aub Zam Zam, the bar opened on Haight Street in 1941, and stood strong under the iron fisted-ownership of Bruno Mooshei until he passed away in 2000, at the age of 80. (Getting kicked out by Bruno was something of a rite of passage back in the day.) The glowing circular bar is still one of the sexiest places to drink in the city, thanks to the gorgeous backdrop—an oil painting detailing the love story of Princess Shirin and King Khosrow. It’s not all about looks here, though; the Martinis are tops, too.