5 historic SF restaurants and bars added to legacy business registry

Mitchell’s Ice Cream, a Noe Valley institution that offers 40 different ice cream flavors daily, recently celebrated its 70th anniversary with 70-cent scoops and a new mural. Mario’s Bohemian Cigar Store Cafe was founded in 1971 in North Beach and is known for its oven-baked Italian sandwiches on Liguria Bakery focaccia.

“A huge shoutout to the Crismani family who have kept Mario’s legacy going and a BIG THANK YOU to all our staff throughout the years and our amazing patrons for the past 52 years!!!” shared Mario’s on Instagram in a post celebrating the establishment’s addition to the registry. “Could not have done it without you.”

The Irish Bank Bar & Restaurant is an authentic Irish pub in Union Square that dates back to 1996. The Dubliner is an over-25-year-old Noe Valley neighborhood sports bar; Italian bistro Frascati Restaurant has been in Russian Hill since 1986. 

The non-food additions to the registry were sailing company Adventure Cat Sailing Charters, flower market Delano Nursery, music store Ellie and Eva Company, shipping company Enclosures International, social club San Francisco Go Club and picture framing shop Underglass Custom Framing.

Since its inception in 2015, The Legacy Business Registry has honored 376 businesses that have operated in San Francisco for 30 or more years (however, some businesses that have been around for more than 20 years but less than 30 years can still make the registry if they face a risk of displacement, according to the San Francisco Small Business Commission). To qualify, businesses must contribute to the neighborhood’s history or identity, and are required to preserve their own physical features or traditions.