Chinatown is getting a splashy new nightclub Friday, a throwback to ’50s-era glamour By Janelle Bitker
For the first time in more 40 years, a splashy nightclub is debuting in San Francisco’s Chinatown.
Lion’s Den, opening Friday, is an attempt to return to old times in the neighborhood: The goal is to bring back the glitz and glamour of Chinatown nightclubs from the 1950s and ’60s, when venues drew celebrities as famous as Frank Sinatra. There were live bands and showgirls; patrons wore tuxedos and fine jewelry.
This history is on loving display inside the new club, which was co-founded by Steven Lee, an owner of Chinatown’s legendary Sam Wo Restaurant, who also spent years in the music scene. There’s a wall full of photos from that era, and cocktails created by Garrett Marks, bar manager of Michelin-starred neighbor Mister Jiu’s are named after former Chinatown venues, such as Forbidden City and Twin Dragon.
S.F. Chinatown is getting a splashy new nightclub Friday, a throwback to 50s-era glamour
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The entrance to Lion s Den, a new nightclub in San Francisco Chinatown.Janelle Bitker / The Chronicle
For the first time in more 40 years, a splashy nightclub is debuting in San Francisco’s Chinatown.
Lion’s Den, opening Friday, is an attempt to return to old times in the neighborhood: The goal is to bring back the glitz and glamour of Chinatown nightclubs from the 1950s and ’60s, when venues drew celebrities as famous as Frank Sinatra. There were live bands and showgirls; patrons wore tuxedos and fine jewelry.
San Francisco s historic Chinatown is at risk of vanishing
Ariana Bindman
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Lanterns along Grant Ave., Chinatown.Kate Beale/ Special to SFGATE
Since lockdown, life has been rather quiet behind the Dragon Gate. Cocktail lounges and cafes have dimmed their neon lights. Red lanterns solemnly sway in the wind; shop doors firmly remain shut. Once a popular tourist destination and beacon for Chinese immigrants, the oldest Chinatown in the United States is now at risk of vanishing due to financial fallout from the pandemic.
The neighborhood is no stranger to hardship. COVID-19 is just one hurdle that the community has faced since it was first established in 1848. For over a century, Chinatown has collectively endured the Chinese Exclusion Act and the Black Plague, bloody turf wars and devastating fires. A potent combination of xenophobia, natural disasters, and corporate interests have relentlessly threatened the neighborhood’s existence. Now, Chinatown’s merchan
Bay Briefing: Saying goodbye from the other end of the camera
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Naomi Tzril Saks, chaplain at the UCSF Division of Palliative Medicine, helps comfort dying patients in their final moments.Yalonda M. James / The Chronicle
Good morning, Bay Area. It’s Friday, Dec. 18, and a famous Chinatown restaurant is being staffed by one man. Here’s what you need to know to start your day.
‘This is not what Steve Jobs had in mind’
Across the country, many COVID-19 patients are forced to live out their final moments alone in a hospital bed, a handheld digital device their only way to say goodbye. Visitors are largely barred from seeing COVID-19 patients some hospitals have found safe ways to allow a few visitors inside though it’s unclear whether that will change as cases and deaths continue to climb.
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Longtime owner of Chinatown institution Sam Wo doesn t want to stop working - but he might have to
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The B.B.Q. Pork Rice Noodle Roll at Sam Wo s in San Francisco, Calif. is seen on Friday, December 18th, 2015.John Storey / Special to The Chronicle 2015
This is part of The Chronicle s Landmark Watch series, where reporters check in on the Bay Area s longtime businesses during the pandemic. If you have a suggestion, write us here
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At 112-year-old Chinatown legend Sam Wo Restaurant, longtime owner David Ho is doing everything these days.
He’s buying all the ingredients, lifting 50-pound bags of rice up the restaurant’s steep stairs. He’s cooking every item on Sam Wo’s menu, from the rice noodle rolls stuffed with pork to the jook studded with preserved egg. He’s washing dishes and scrubbing the floors.