Historic Chinatown Bar Red's Place in San Francisco Announces Closure: Opened in 1963, Run by the Chen Family for More Than 30 Years
Red's Place, a longtime bar in San Francisco's Chinatown that opened in 1963, recently announced it will close. Owner Jerry Chen posted a video on social media on October 20 announcing the decision, and local media coverage followed, drawing regret from old Chinatown neighbors and regulars. Located at 672 Jackson Street, Red's Place bills itself as Chinatown's oldest bar; it was bought in 1990 by Jerry Chen's parents, Herman Chen and Lisa Chen, and the family has run it for more than thirty years. The building's history reaches back to the late 19th century — it has served as a barber shop, a cigar store and a saloon, and its basement still keeps the cashier's window left from its gambling days, a distinctive relic of the old shop. The owner did not state the specific reason for the closure, and many customers commented online hoping it is only a renovation rather than a permanent goodbye. For the Chinatown community, Red's Place is more than a bar — it is a place where generations of neighbors have gathered and sung karaoke, and its departure reflects the difficult position of small businesses in old Chinatown under rent and operating pressures.
Source: GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 旧金山华埠杰克逊街（红屋酒吧所在街区），Wikimedia Commons，CC BY-SA 2.0
