Mission Street has always had a drink waiting for you. From the saloons that lined this corridor in the 1880s to the neighborhood liquor stores that anchor it today, the street and alcohol have traveled together through every wave of San Francisco history. We have been part of that story since 1959.
A Working-Class Street From the Start
The Excelsior Homestead — the formal district that includes the stretch of Mission Street where we sit — was platted in 1869, drawing immigrant farmers and dairymen to the valley south of the city proper. Italian, Irish, Swiss, and German families settled here, raising livestock along Islais Creek and growing produce for the downtown markets. Mission Street was their main road south.
By 1894, the Market Street Railway had extended streetcar service along Mission Street from the Ferry Building to Excelsior Avenue, and the corridor filled in quickly. Hardware stores, bakeries, grocers, and saloons lined the sidewalks. The 14-Mission line that runs today follows roughly the same path — still one of Muni's busiest routes, still a working-class lifeline through the southern neighborhoods.
Saloons Along the Corridor
Drinking establishments were a fixture on Mission Street long before the neighborhood was fully built out. In the Outer Mission, a German immigrant named Henry Michaelis opened a grocery saloon at 3202 Mission Street around 1881 — a dual-purpose shop that sold provisions and poured drinks, common in that era. The building still operates as a bar under a different name today.
Closer to downtown, the Mission District had saloons at most corners by the early 1900s. These were not fancy establishments. They were neighborhood pubs in the truest sense: somewhere to come in from the cold, talk to neighbors, and buy a drink after a long shift. Alcohol was woven into the social fabric of working-class San Francisco in a way that maps directly onto the city's immigrant character — a place where people had come from somewhere else and needed somewhere to land.
Prohibition, SF-Style
The Eighteenth Amendment took effect in January 1920 and remained law until Repeal in 1933. In theory, that shut everything down. In San Francisco, it was more complicated. Historians have noted that Prohibition was treated as something close to "only a rumor" in the city. Enforcement was notoriously weak — the law was unpopular with residents and the police alike — and speakeasies operated with little pretense of secrecy.
The city's geography and port access helped bootleggers supply the city's many unlicensed barrooms. Neighborhood saloons went underground but rarely closed for long. When Repeal came in December 1933, San Francisco's bars and liquor stores wasted little time getting back to business.
Italian Storefronts and the Mid-Century Shift
Between the world wars, Mission Street's commercial strip was heavily Italian. Businesses like Ferrera Hardware, which ran from 1914 to 1992, and the Royal Baking Company anchored blocks alongside macaroni and pasta factories and, of course, the neighborhood bars. The street had a particular texture to it: bread and garlic in the morning, the clink of glasses by evening.
By mid-century, the demographics were changing. New families from across the city moved into the Excelsior, and the old Italian storefronts gave way to a broader mix of businesses. It was in this period — 1959 — that Mike's Liquors opened on Mission Street and took its place in the neighborhood's daily rhythm.
The Street, Then and Now
The Excelsior has changed several more times since 1959. A large Latino community arrived beginning in the 1970s and '80s, followed by a significant wave of Asian families over the past few decades. Mission Street adapted each time: new restaurants, new markets, new faces behind the counter. What has not changed is the character of the street itself — a working commercial corridor built around neighborhood life, not tourism or nightlife.
That is the street we have served for over 65 years. We carry beer, wine, and spirits for walk-in customers and for restaurants, offices, and event planners across the Bay Area. We rent and sell keg equipment and deliver across San Francisco and out to the East and South Bay. We stock local producers — Fort Point, Almanac, Junípero gin from Anchor Distilling, St. George Spirits out of Alameda — because local has always been what this street runs on.
If you have never stopped by, we are on Mission Street in the Excelsior. Same address, more or less the same mission, since 1959.
When did the Excelsior neighborhood develop?
The Excelsior Homestead was formally platted in 1869. The area built out steadily through the late 19th and early 20th centuries, driven by immigrant communities — largely Italian, Irish, and Swiss — and the arrival of Mission Street streetcar service in 1894.
Did Prohibition shut down Mission Street's bars and liquor stores?
Prohibition ran from 1920 to 1933. San Francisco had a reputation for extremely weak enforcement — the law was treated as close to "only a rumor" in the city — and speakeasies operated relatively openly. When Repeal came in December 1933, licensed establishments reopened quickly.
Does Mike's deliver to neighborhoods outside the Excelsior?
Yes. We offer same-day delivery anywhere in San Francisco for orders placed by 9 AM (flat $8 delivery fee, $125 minimum). We also deliver to the East Bay on Tuesdays and the South Bay on Wednesdays. Free in-store pickup is always available on Mission St.