Bar#3 Bender’s

after being disappointed that Elixir was not a new bar, we headed out to place called Bender’s. walking inside, we were relieved that we didn’t recognize anything inside… surely a good sign that we had never been there before. From the first second, we liked this place more than the last bar. i dont know what it is about dive bars but there’s just something about them that is damn appealing. is it the seriously unpretentious atmosphere? is it that you feel like you can do whatever the hell you want and it’s ok? is it that the more low-key a place is, the more it is conducive to drinking? who knows and who really cares… all i know is that it works.

Bender’s had a similar atmosphere to Zeitgeist or Kilowatt. there were 2 pool tables, a pinball machine, and a jukebox filled with 99% heavy metal stuff. i tried to find something to play and could barely find anything i even recognized. i dunno if that’s a good thing, but it definitely matched the place’s atmosphere. they had Hoegaarden on tap, which as i’ve mentioned before, is definitely bonus points in my book. tom and i played pool and despite all of his bragging i almost beat him. man, if you’re not much better than me, than you must suck at pool!

the rest of the night was consumed by Natasha’s game. you know, that game where they show two half-naked people on either side of the screen and you are supposed to find what’s different about them. sheez… that game is so damn addictive. it’s so damn basic, it never really changes, and yet for some reason it’s practically impossible to drag yourself away. it just sucks the quarters right out of your pocket somehow.

eventually, we were able to drag ourselves out of the bar. we’ll definitely be coming back. cool bar, cheap drinks, and it’s a bit off to the side of the main Mission area which keeps it close to the action but a little secluded. plus, i totally love the name. really, what can be a more perfect name for a bar than Bender’s?

Bender’s is at 806 S Van Ness Ave in San Francisco