It’s official: The pioneering Haight Street craft-beer bar Toronado Pub (opens in new tab) is under new ownership. After 39 years, founder David Keene passed the torch to longtime patron Bill Lewis and his brother-in-law, certified cicerone Wall Pringle, who have promised to undertake some much-needed, behind-the-scenes renovation work, install a bigger television or two, and add wine to the menu. Otherwise, they’re committed to keeping things much as they are.
Toronado, with its 50 taps and reputation for introducing hard-to-find beers to San Francisco, is a local landmark, Lewis says. “It’s an institution. It’s my favorite bar. My friends, everyone I know — it’s their favorite bar too.”
Lewis has plans to bring back a parklet, meaning only one piece of the puzzle remains: the 300-square-foot space next door, at 545 Haight St. It was home to the second location of Rosamunde Sausage Grill until 2019, then had a series of short-lived successors. Side-by-side, serving many of the same patrons, the bar and sausage spot were interlinked for decades, as symbiotic as a sunflower and a honeybee…