Tosca Cafe at 242 Columbus Avenue has operated since 1919. The long mahogany bar, red leather booths, and murals of Tuscany have stayed through a century of owners, and the jukebox plays opera.
The house drink is the House Cappuccino, invented during Prohibition: steamed milk, house-made chocolate ganache, and brandy, with no coffee in it. The bar’s regulars over the decades have included filmmakers, North Beach writers, and city politicians.
Tosca closed briefly in 2012 and was revived by new operators who restored the room and added a full Italian food menu. It opens in the evening; the front bar takes walk-ins.
Part of a self-guided walking tour
