A true 1920's waterfront shack
Written: Jul 13 '00
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Greasy, limited hours, gruff, old
Cons: Classic, warmhearted, belongs to my Dad
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| frwhiskey's Full Review: Red's Java House |
The most important thing about Red's Java House is that it belonged to my Dad, Big Red (with his brother, Little Red) since 1956. Together they put eight children through college with those greasy hamburgers, hotdogs, that chile, honest coffee and morning donuts for the cops. Dad loved working there because it was his own place - if one doesn't think about the Port of San Francisco at any moment confiscating the lease and converting it to a cruise ship facility - and because he could see all his waterfront friends daily when they came in. He grew up on Potrero Hill, hung around the docks during the Depression, was a merchant marine for 13 years and then looked for a business around town where he'd have a steady income and could settle down, marry and raise a family.So he did that. And here we are! As for the food, what can I say? Since I work as a tourguide, when my groups are driven past in buses, I advise them to go there to get the true nitty-gritty old waterfront style, namely, a friendly blue-collar gruff disrespect for any customer that doesn't knwo exactly what he or she wants. You could have seen real longshoremen chowing down in there well into the 70's, but now business men in expensive suits risk ruining them with mustard and grease. Long ago the salt shakers were stolen so often that Dad took the old classic Coke bottles and popped some holes in a bottle cap on top. If you want onions on your burger, that is your only choice - he'll scream the choice at you from behind the grill. You can answer anything you want. HE lost his hearing frm all the shouting, so you get onions no matter what. It was a longshore drunk, Onion John, who used to come early to peel and chop all the onions, in exchange for beer. Since onions are cheap, you get them anyway, and if you don't like them, well, scrape them off yourself. Spoiled rotten Americans! That's Dad's philosophy.So if you're tired of being spoiled in downtown restaurants and hotels, if the spiffy modern motifs of Starbucks bug you, get on down to Red's.And do it soon... the City may well move the joint somewhere else, depending on developer's money and say-so, which seesaws.By the way, the exact address is PIER 32, right underneath the Bay Bridge.As for decor, yes, you might well be amused to see the old black'n'white photos of the old wharf shipping days, and the sight of the Piers 30 and 32 burning away one night in the 1980's, while Red's stood steadfast and stalwart in a sea of dying San Francisco working class history.Meanwhile, the best deal is the view of the Bay, and the seagulls outside, the joggers, cops, tourists, business people and general bums who hang around add to the atmosphere.
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
frwhiskey
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Location: San Francisco,CA
Reviews written: 167
Trusted by: 17 members
About Me:
Curmudgeonly yet whimsical, I'm a San Francisco tourguide full of vim and vinegar.
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