Comments (0) Best Oceanside Dive - 2006
The Riptide
On the Riptide's Web site flashes the phrase "AT THE EDGE OF THE WESTERN WORLD," which is why we're lured to Ocean Beach and why we love the place. A moist ocean breeze drenches the outer Avenues in the smell of salt water, churning white waves pound the beach, and just about everybody in this joint seems to prefer this chunk of San Francisco — the one with front-row seats to the Pacific and its electric-blue horizon — to all the others. With its walls covered in lacquered wood paneling, a raging fireplace, and a jukebox cranking the only Wilco song worth hearing — sample lyric: "I'd like to rest my heavy head tonight on a bed of California stars" — the Riptide has become known as a cozy little watering hole for Outer Sunset denizens. It has even established itself as a decent place to catch live acts specializing in bluegrass and country, which only adds to the "on the edge" atmosphere.
