Vesuvio Cafe

Vesuvio Cafe sits at the corner of Columbus Avenue and Jack Kerouac Alley in the North Beach neighborhood. It was founded in nineteen forty eight by an art lover named Henri Lenoir, who sported a trademark beret and intended the space to be a gathering spot for local bohemians. The building itself is an Italian Renaissance Revival structure designed by architect Italo Zanolini in nineteen thirteen. While its exterior is known for its distinctive murals and stained glass, the interior is famous for its two-level design, featuring a mezzanine that circles the main bar. This layout has remained largely unchanged for over seven decades, maintaining the atmosphere that once drew a generation of poets and writers to its stools.