Two bars, two different fates. Over in Bernal Heights/La Lengua, next-door bars El Rio and Virgil's Sea Room, which almost share a backyard were it not for a fence, have arrived at diverging moments in this COVID year.

A priest has died of COVID-19 at Saints Peter and Paul Church in North Beach, 27-year-old Muddy's Coffee House has closed at 24th and Valencia, and an East San Jose gym that had remained open in defiance of health orders has temporarily closed.

Like all neighborhood restaurants and bars around the city, the businesses of Bernal Heights/La Lengua need your support — and there's no better time to go check out the scene again than this sunny weekend in SF.

After over 26 years in business, the family-owned-and-operated J. Georgie's Donuts & Chinese Food (2799 16th Street at Folsom) — which, over the decades, has been known for dishing out generous orange chicken plates and dozens of glazed donuts — is on the market.

After sitting vacant for a year and a half, the space formerly occupied by popular Mission District brunch spot Mission Beach Cafe at 198 Guerrero St. (at 14th St.) is now home to a new location of El Capitan Taqueria.

Reem's (2901 Mission Street), the Arab bakery-restaurant that opened earlier this year in the former Mission Pie space at 25th and Mission, just suffered another setback in a year of setbacks for the restaurant industry when its primary deck oven apparently exploded.

The Bay Area has lost its only Deaf-owned and operated restaurant, Mozzeria (3228 16th St.), due to the ongoing pandemic downturn. Deaf owners Melody and Russ Stein say they will continue operating their food truck, but the time has come to give up the brick-and-mortar restaurant in the Mission.

Rainbow Grocery is offering extra-socially-distanced shopping hours by reservation only, for everyone who's nervous about trying to do Thanksgiving grocery shopping amid the usual crush of humanity.

Popular dive bar Zeitgeist will soon be bringing some much needed comic relief to the city. Starting this Sunday, November 15, the bar will host a live, recurring stand-up comedy night in its beer garden with performers from local comedy group House People.

Dishing out generously portioned, cross-cultural street food, Señor Sisig’s signature specialties are now available with a plant-based bend at their vegan food truck, Señor Sisig Vegano, which debuted over the weekend in the Mission District.

French bistro and wine bar Aquitaine has opened at 216 Church St. after a months-long delay due to shelter-in-place restrictions. Aquitaine's first day of business was on Election Day Tuesday, November 3.

After a seven-month closure, beloved Mission dive bar Bender’s Bar and Grill is coming back to life. Its doors will swing open on Wednesday, October 28 at 2 p.m. for business, along with some notable changes to its set-up.

Even though indoor dining is back on in San Francisco, albeit in tandem with a long list of COVID-19 safety protocols, locals have grown to love our city’s burgeoning al fresco dining scene.