It's the last call for Bloodhound, a beloved bar in San Francisco's SoMa district, which has shut down after a 15-year run. The owner cites a "dead" downtown and the lingering effects of the pandemic as the cocktail for their closure. Mike Goebel, co-owner of the erstwhile establishment, says sales plummeted to 30% of what they were before COVID-19 hit. "The business wasn't making money," Goebel told The Standard, "The neighborhood is just so dead."
Bloodhound, positioned at 1145 Folsom St. since 2009, was known for its unique "hunting lodge feel." Its drinks menu now immortalized on an archived web page, featured whiskey and gin potions like an old-fashioned sweetened with maple syrup. Efforts to keep the bar afloat included an attempted sale over the past six months. Still, landlord Dipak Patel stepped in to buy the space, relocating Bloodhound's liquor license to a different property. According to Goebel, Patel’s move left them no choice but to close up shop, a development communicated mere weeks before the shutdown.
Mourned by its patrons online and offline, the closure of Bloodhound has etched a somber note in the city's narrative of recovery and resilience. As one Reddit user, @Due_Statement9998, pointedly put it, "This is such a horrible rerun from the sitcom San Francisco and Oakland have become." Meanwhile, others like @mfcrunchy reminisced about the bar's impact, saying it "was truly special and will be missed." The community reactions were obtained from a Reddit thread following the bar's closure.
Bloodhound bar on Folsom Street closed after 15 years. Last day was Thursday 1/18
byu/Pandalism insanfrancisco
The renowned LGBTQ+ bar, the Stud, is tipped to make a comeback on the same block. A new joint, Sinombre, has already dipped its toe in the local scene with a soft opening in August at 312 Harriet St. "I'm bummed. I loved that bar," Goebel lamented over the closing of Bloodhound, "It's sad the city hasn't bounced back."
