Latest news with #RikkiStreicher
San Francisco Chronicle
7 days ago
- Sport
- San Francisco Chronicle
My favorite new S.F. bar is unlike anything else in the city
While conceptually I'm a Valkyries fan, I must admit that I have yet to attend a game at Chase Center, and I cannot name a single player under duress. I'm pretty sure the coach is Japanese American? That's all I've got. But the Valkyries-Aces game was a highlight of my July, not necessarily because of the game itself (a nailbiter, we lost 104-102), but because of where I was watching. Rikki's, San Francisco's first bar dedicated to women's sports, opened in June, and it's one of the most special spots in the city. Rikki's warns on its website that game days can get packed and so, rule follower that I am, my party showed up more than an hour before the 1 p.m. tip off to secure a table. Within 10 minutes, new arrivals were jostling for the last remaining seats. The crowd was heavily kitted out in purple and black Valkyries swag with a smattering of 'Everyone Watches Women's Sports' T-shirts sprinkled throughout. At one point during the first quarter, I started noticing pops of baby pink punctuating the sea of lavender. An entire queer softball team had arrived, names like 'Morgasm' and 'Masc Dana' emblazoned on the back of their jerseys. 'Hearthrob,' stay away from my friends. While there were definitely male sports fans in attendance (including a solo patron valiantly trying to watch the Sweden-Germany women's Euro Cup game while the rest of the bar cheered on the Valkyries), the crowd leaned heavily female and, I would wager, heavily LGBTQ. I've patronized my fair share of lesbian bars, but it's rare that I've encountered the type of intergenerational camaraderie on display at Rikki's, a bar that is not explicitly a queer bar. On my visit, a long central table was occupied by a dozen or so gay elders — and not in the sense that I've been called a 'gay elder' by Gen Z coworkers (ouch). There were walkers present. Several of Rikki's regulars are former employees or patrons of Maud's or Amelia's, the two lesbian bars owned by Rikki Streicher in the Haight-Ashbury and Mission District respectively in the '60s, '70s and '80s. I can imagine that, if you're a gay woman in your 70s, a dimly lit queer bar with loud music and pole dancing nights might not be your first choice for a local hangout. But a bar right on Market Street, easily accessed by public transportation, open during the day with women's sports always on? That's a recipe for a more age diverse community. In the bathroom, a handwritten sign affixed to the toilet read 'Please be gentle, I'm not so young!' Underneath it, someone had graffitied, 'Neither am I — I am 73!' And the food? …Did I mention how great the camaraderie is? The food is not the reason to come to Rikki's, although I'll say on my visit, the kitchen was absolutely slammed and was probably not turning out its finest work. It's standard bar fare, burgers and hot chicken sandwiches, with some thoughtful vegetarian options mixed in. I'll give them another shot at a calmer time — I will definitely be back. Rikki's. 2223 Market St., San Francisco.
Axios
03-06-2025
- Business
- Axios
Rikki's to open in San Francisco amid women's sports bar boom
Bars dedicated to women's sports are having a moment — including in San Francisco. Why it matters: With viewership and attendance for women's sports soaring — including with the debut of the city's first WNBA team — fans are building new hubs that are about more than simply watching games. Driving the news: Six women's sports bars have opened nationally this year, with as many as 17 on the way in various stages of funding and construction. At least eight have announced plans to open by the end of this year. Others have indicated 2026 or haven't specified a timeline. Zoom in: Rikki's, San Francisco's first bar dedicated to playing all women's sports, is expected to open in mid-June in the Castro. The bar is named after Rikki Streicher, a community leader who owned several lesbian bars in San Francisco for many decades — including the historic Maud's, the city's first, which operated for 23 years and inspired a documentary after it closed in 1989. Streicher's bars served as cultural beacons that were especially meaningful in a time when lesbians were often unable to openly express their sexuality and women were legally prohibited from bartending. What they're saying: Rikki's aims to honor the late gay rights activist's legacy by serving as an inclusive space to find community and convene to cheer on women's sports, its co-founder Sara Yergovich told Axios. "People are so excited — the response has been phenomenal," she said. "It's the perfect time with the Bay FC, the Valkyries and this increased professional-level interest in women's sports in San Francisco. It felt like all the stars were aligning." Zoom out: Beyond San Francisco, The Sports Bra in Portland opened in April 2022, followed by Rough and Tumble Pub in Seattle and Whiskey Girl Tavern in Chicago later that year. By the end of 2024, three more had opened: A Bar of Their Own in Minneapolis; Watch Me! Sports Bar in Long Beach, California; and The 99ers Sports Bar in Denver. What to expect: The fun and camaraderie of team sports with an atmosphere that's welcoming to everyone, including non-traditional sports fans and the LGBTQ+ community. The bottom line:"They've become centers of social, economic and political power in the communities where they exist," said Kaitlyn Laabs, who is making a documentary about women's sports bars called "Untapped."
