Original Joe's
San Francisco, CA Photo courtesy of Justin Montano
Original Joe's is a restaurant and bar that serves up American
and Italian food (I believe). It's in the "Tenderloin" neighborhood,
but it has had it's better days. Many thanks to Justin Montano for info.
The sign for Original Joe's was a familiar sight on Taylor Street in San Francisco's Tenderloin. For anyone passing by hungry, it pointed toward steaks, Italian American favorites, and a seat at the counter. Joe's had been drawing people through those doors since 1937.
Original Joe's
San Francisco, CA Photo courtesy of Justin Montano
The restaurant started with just 14 stools and grew into a San Francisco institution. Customers could watch their meals being prepared in the open kitchen, then settle in over a burger or a plate of pasta. After so many decades on Taylor Street, it was hard to imagine Original Joe's anywhere else.
A fire in 2007 changed that. The old location closed, but the restaurant's story didn't end there. The family found a new home in North Beach, bringing pieces of the original place and its familiar atmosphere along.
UPDATE: Original Joe's reopened in 2012 on Union Street, overlooking Washington Square Park, and is still serving customers there. The Taylor Street restaurant is gone, but its name remains part of San Francisco's dining scene. 09-26
Alioto's (Demolished)
San Francisco, CA Photo courtesy Justin Montano
Look up at Alioto's on San Francisco's Fisherman's Wharf and there's the famous neon fish, glowing above the crowds. With the restaurant's name stretched across the building, it was a sign you could spot while making your way along the waterfront. Justin's photo gives the fish a moment all to itself.
Alioto's began as a fish and crab stall in 1925 and grew into a longtime Wharf restaurant. Generations came for seafood and a view of the bay, while that fish kept watch outside. After dark, its bright colors gave the waterfront one more reason to look up.
The restaurant closed during the 2020 shutdown and never reopened. For a few years, the building and its signs remained in place, familiar sights above a quiet dining room. Then came the difficult job of taking the old structure down.
UPDATE: The Alioto's building has been demolished, and Alioto's Plaza opened in its place in September 2026. The neon fish was carefully removed and put into storage by the Port of San Francisco. There's no announced date for it to return to public view, but at least the old fellow was saved. 09-26
Spenger's Grotto (Closed)
Berkeley, CA Photo courtesy Dave & Debra van Hulsteyn
Looking for seafood and plenty of neon? Spenger's
Grotto on Fourth Street in Berkeley had both. Its signs made the restaurant easy to spot, while the dining rooms inside offered enough nautical decoration to keep you looking around long after you sat down. Even before ordering, there was plenty to see.
Spenger's began in 1890 as a small clam and beer stand run by fisherman Johann Spenger. Over the decades, it grew into a sprawling seafood restaurant known for its clam chowder and busy dining rooms. Quite a journey for a little stand, though the seafood stayed at the center of it all.
Inside, ship wheels, anchors, paintings, and polished wood gave the place the feel of a maritime collection. A visit could turn into a tour of the walls between courses. Outside, the neon signs kept doing their own job, calling attention to the restaurant from Fourth Street and promising a good place to stop when dinner time came around.
Spenger's Grotto
Berkeley, CA Photo courtesy Dave & Debra van Hulsteyn
For generations, Spenger's was a Berkeley destination for family meals, celebrations, and anyone with a craving for fish. The bright signs were part of that experience, a welcome out front before the seafood and nautical scenery took over.
UPDATE: Spenger's closed in 2018 after 128 years. The historic building remains as redevelopment plans move forward, and its exterior neon sign has been preserved. The dining rooms are quiet now, but the sign recalls the days when a seafood dinner waited inside. 09-26
Bender's Escalon Home Bakery (Gone)
Escalon, CA Photo courtesy Dave & Debra van Hulsteyn
The sign for Bender's Escalon Home Bakery once projected over Main Street, giving downtown Escalon a little neon flair. In its bakery days, “Escalon” appeared across the top with a separate “Bender's” panel hanging below. That was a useful sight if a stop for something fresh from the oven sounded good.
Bender's opened in 1931 and became a familiar place for local customers and travelers. It offered a bakery and a place to sit down for a meal. The storefront later housed another eatery, and the sign changed with the times: the Bender's panel disappeared, while “Restaurant” took the place of “Escalon.” Even after an insurance office moved into the building, that altered sign stayed above the sidewalk for years. It no longer pointed to a bakery, but it still hinted at the meals once served inside.
UPDATE: The projecting sign has since been removed. Its whereabouts are unknown, and the former bakery storefront has been repurposed. This photo preserves a look at Bender's before its familiar Main Street sign was gone for good. 09-26
Gold Spike (Gone)
San Francisco, CA Photo courtesy Dave & Debra van Hulsteyn
Looking for an Italian dinner in San Francisco's North Beach? The neon sign for Gold Spike could point the way. It rose above Columbus Avenue in the shape of a railroad spike, a name and design that might leave a hungry passerby wondering what was on the menu. Pasta, as it turned out, was a good place to start.
The Mechetti family opened the place in 1920 as a candy store and soda fountain. It later became an Italian restaurant where generations came for minestrone, garlic bread, and cioppino. Inside, signed dollar bills and family photos covered the walls. Outside, the glowing spike made the restaurant easy to find.
That unusual sign gave Gold Spike a look all its own among the storefronts of North Beach. It might not have said “Italian dinner” at first glance, but it was memorable enough to bring someone over for a closer look.
UPDATE: Gold Spike served its last meal in February 2006. The restaurant interior was later gutted and the neon spike was removed; its whereabouts are unknown. This photo catches the old sign while it was still lighting the way to dinner. 09-26
Original Joe's
San Jose, CA Photo courtesy Adriene Biondo
After dark in downtown San Jose, the script neon on the side of Original Joe's makes a fine sight along South First Street. The letters have just the right glow for a night stop, calling attention to the restaurant before the thought of dinner has quite settled in.
Original Joe's opened here in 1956 and became a familiar place for late meals, steaks, and Italian American favorites. Inside, the open kitchen gives diners something to watch while they wait. Outside, that sweeping neon script gives the corner a show of its own.
UPDATE: Original Joe's is still open in downtown San Jose, and its neon remains on the building. It marked 70 years in 2026, still giving evening visitors a reason to look up on South First Street. 09-26
Bender's Escalon Home Bakery (Gone)
