In a world of bottle service, dress codes, and overfed bouncers standing guard at velvet ropes, it’s easy to forget that a night on the town used to get right to the point. At the dive bars in the Tenderloin and the Tendernob, it still does. A licensed mental-health professional might encourage talking through a problem to reach its core, but at these lowbrow booze shacks, pulling up a barstool and working your way to the bottom of a glass is the in-house form of therapy.

Perhaps the finest of the genre is the Summer Place. The bar’s location, midway up the Mason Street hill, deters Union Square tourists and most post-frat pub crawlers, leaving seats free for loyal regulars at the bar and at tables scattered around a fireplace. Sue, the owner-bartender, plays server and psych­ologist, pouring comfort on the rocks and refilling bowls of pretzels while half-listening (or pretending to listen) to stooltop ramblings. A stellar jukebox offers its own aural solutions: Sue gladly makes change for selections from the bar’s top-shelf jukebox catalog, which features tunes to suit every mood, occasion, and situation.

The Summer Place
7:05 p.m.

THE SCENE
A motley assortment of clearly tanked drinkers settles in for a night of serious boozing, while the jukebox doles out bona fide ’80s and ’90s classics.

THE CROWD
Office types, retail workers, students, and retirees drink and puff (smoking is allowed in this owner-operated bar) like there’s no tomorrow—without a hint of irony.

THE LOOK
Nary a designer garment in sight, and you could count the number of iPhones on one hand. A cigarette and a tipsy smile are the accessories of choice.

EAVESDROPPING
“Do you come here often?” A sloshed suitor attempts to revive a pickup line that’s as retro and cheesy as the fake stonework on the bar’s walls.

The Summer Place, 801 Bush St., S.F.

Elsewhere
21 Club
On one of the city’s sketchiest corners, the 21 Club affords adventurous drinkers a taste of what locals call “realness.” Its partylike mood is a testament to the hood’s undying spirit. 98 Turk St., S.F.

Kum Bak Club
The neighborhood may be unsavory, but the Chinese takeout is not. Friendly barkeeps occasionally dole out free snacks (they’re otherwise for sale). 486 Ellis St., S.F.

Yong San Lounge
Attractive bartender­esses pour with con­viction at this charming Korean dive. Regulars don’t come

for the conversation—they come for the Friday-only buffet of fried chicken and deviled eggs. 895 Bush St., S.F.

---

Main photo: Choose your poison: At the Summer Place, the well-curated jukebox is as fundamental as the stiff drinks.