By Sydney Williams

The creaky door to the Riptide bar, on Taraval Street between 46th and 47th avenues, swings open revealing the hum of light conversations, clinking glasses and the occasional burst of laughter. Stained-glass lamps hang above tables and red LED lights under the double-sided bar create a dim ethereal ambiance.

New faces introduce themselves to their neighbors and build new connections that feel as though they have known each other for years.

Sand dollars found down the block on Ocean Beach are displayed over a brick fireplace. A carpet creates a makeshift stage where the Riptide hosts its Monday open mic nights and live weekly music events.

As the clock hits 7 p.m., musicians with various instruments line up to secure a spot in this week’s open mic, hoping to showcase their talent to the Sunset neighborhood.

In the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Riptide, has reemerged as a vital hub of community and camaraderie. After many months of canceled events, the treasured dive bar’s doors have re-opened, and the neighborhood’s well-loved honky-tonk bar’s live events are back in full swing. The bustling atmosphere remains the same and once again provides the Sunset with live music and an inviting space for people to enjoy a drink or two with neighbors.

“One of my favorite things about this bar that makes me laugh a lot is people will walk in because we’re two blocks from the beach and ask, ‘Is it okay if I have my dog in here?’ I tell them, yeah, there’s a water bowl right by the front door,” said Danny Sando, who has worked at the Riptide for 12 years. “We’ve literally had dog birthday parties here. It’s very, very neighborhood here. It’s like a living room.”

At the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Riptide had to adapt to the new bar regulations enforced by the City of San Francisco. In order to abide by the new rules, the Riptide had to make the hard decision to stop all indoor services, including its live events.

After being closed for a month or two, the Riptide staff decided to operate the bar as a drive-through – one order window and one pick-up window – and host its live music events outside on its patio.

“Our street was under construction at the time,” said Jean Hamilton, the Riptide’s bar manager. “So, people had space to spread out and hang out and take to-go drinks. And then, when we finally were allowed to make a parklet, we did music outside. It made a really cool sense of community.”

Now, the Riptide is able to operate without enforced restrictions and can continue to host indoor open mics and live music events.

Open Mic Mondays was the original event hosted at the Riptide by the two owners more than 20 years ago, reflecting their love of live music. Their goal was to bring music to the community and give musicians a safe place to perform and experiment.

With the original owners’ mission still in mind, Charlie Kaupp has since taken over hosting open mic nights for the last six years.

“We’ve created a community here that doesn’t exist really anywhere else,” Kaupp said. “This particular community has spawned a lot of other bands. People have formed friendships. People have gotten married who met here at the open mic. And I think it’s a really special place and a special event. I truly do it because I love it.”

After the six weeks of online Zoom open mics during the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic, Kaupp is thrilled that he can now host his open mic events in person. He is also glad that not much has changed since moving the event back to in-person.

“I’ve noticed in the songwriting that the original artists do, a lot of great writing took place during COVID because we all kind of grieved together. It was a shared experience,” Kaupp said. “Open mic with the community becomes a place to showcase that shared experience.”

Open mics allow musicians to gain exposure, grow creatively and practice performing in front of a live audience. The Riptide welcomes any musician at any experience level to use their stage and share their music with a supportive audience. All they have to do is show up and sign up.

“Everybody here is super encouraging,” Sando said. “And in just over a month or two, seeing the progress that that one person makes, they get more confident playing in front of people. They get more comfortable. They get better at their instrument.”

From folk rock to Reggae and Rap, the Riptide’s open mic showcases a variety of musical genres and talent.

Holly Cunard, a self-taught musician living in the Richmond District, was encouraged by her sister to participate in open mic nights after adding pickups to her acoustic guitar to amplify the sound. When her sister found out about Monday’s open mic showcases at the Riptide, Canard built up the courage and decided to take to the stage for the first time.

“Of course, I’m nervous,” Cunard said. “I love playing in front of people, but I also don’t love exposing myself in that way. But the people here made me feel so comfortable, just hyping everyone up.”

Nick Maitoza has been performing at open mic events since May 2023 and has secured a permanent performance slot every first Thursday of the month. Maitoza’s ’90s and early 2000s cover band brings a new vocalist to each of its shows and allows other independent artists to explore the stage while also gaining performance experience for himself.

“You feel like a real professional when you get a recurring monthly gig. It’s just fun,” Maitoza said.

The Riptide, located at 3639 Taraval St., is open daily from 3 p.m. to 2 a.m. Learn more at RiptideSF.com.