Now four years sober, I found non-alcoholic paradise in this Outer Richmond tavern
I stopped drinking four years ago; what began as a sober month sort of just snowballed. My drinking habits rarely became serious, but the boozy antics and long hangovers felt worthy to discard. I initially gave it up to focus on writing a ridiculous gay haggadah, but inevitably preferred my clear head and better sleep, and I relearned how to be sociable without the assistance of a buzz. Eventually.
Friends are never just happy when they discover I don’t drink: they’re proud of me, but it’s not as fun when I don’t fall off my chair. There’s an inherent theater to going out, and announcing you’re sober is like telling the group you’re not here for the show. My teetotaling ass gets fewer happy hour invites nowadays, and I don’t altogether blame them.
I still miss the taste of alcohol and also the ambiance of nightlife venues, which is why I happily discovered Ocean Beach Cafe, an Outer Richmond spot whose namesake overshadows the special concoctions poured by founder Joshua James.
James initially sought the largest selection of non-alcoholic drinks in the world, but his ambitions scaled back over time to just the U.S., then the West Coast. Now it’s not about holding the record: “I’m focused on having the best selection,” James said.
I am unfashionably late to this party: the beachside tavern that opened in 2021 has enjoyed fanfare from The San Francisco Standard, the SF Chronicle, Nob Hill Gazette, even the South China Morning Post, and many other stories in between. What stirred its popularity?
“A perfect storm of circumstances,” James said, referring first to the rise in non-alcoholic drinkers, but also, “There was already a trend toward lower-alcohol drinks. Then COVID happened, and Millennials had enough time to make a business plan.”
Low- and non-alcoholic drink sales boomed worldwide the past five years, surpassing $11 billion by the end of 2022, this study said. Gen Z in particular is drinking less, and with non-alcoholic beverages, “There’s a feeling of, ‘Oh I can socialize without making a mess of myself,’” James said.
I was once a tacky drinker, haphazardly swaying with whatever rum and Coke they served on dollar drink nights. To call these drinks cocktails is an insult to the word, but I learned to enjoy the bad taste and biting burn of the booze. Non-alcoholic spirits lack this gritty experience; they’re also harder to find and more expensive, making me less inclined to order a $45 bottle of something I’ve never tried.
James makes sampling approachable with “temperance tastings,” which he describes as an hourlong preview “of all the best things to come out in this new market.” I stopped in last night to try some brands; while I enjoyed some experimental flavors, it was the ones that mimicked liquor — a Ritual rum alternative, Monday zero alcohol whiskey, and Prima Pavé, an NA sparkling rose — that held my interest the most.
A longtime bartender, James quit drinking several years ago after tiring from the long hangovers. He moved to San Francisco from North Carolina into the Friendship House, a Native American-led rehab program in the Mission. He dropped by Ocean Beach Deli on one of its final days in business, and the owner offered to sell it to him on the spot.
He negotiated an inexpensive monthly rent and secured a $9,000 loan through 168 contributors on Kiva.
“I am finally using the talents and full potential I always knew I had but alcohol had kept me from,” he said in his campaign.
The media fanfare keeps the doors open but it’s not always easy: Ocean Beach Cafe announced it would close sometime last year. James clarified when we met that he almost sold the space, and he paused business while the sale was pending for two months.
“I was so ready to open. At the same time, I was so ready to complete the sale … it’s a really, really, really tough industry,” he said, adding that even though the deal fell through, he was happy to take the time to reflect. “I know now what I want to do here.”
Ocean Beach Cafe on 734 La Playa St. is open Wednesday-Sunday with varied hours.
Food and caffeine options are on the menu in addition to NA spirits. The venue hosts private events, tastings and mixology classes; book the latter events here.
Saul Sugarman is editor in chief of The Bold Italic.
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