Golden Gate Saloon (Holbrooke Hotel)

The Golden Gate Saloon was established in 1851-1852 by Stephen and Clara Smith during the Gold Rush, with the Exchange Hotel annex added behind it the following year. The saloon burned in Grass Valley's devastating 1855 fire and was rebuilt with fieldstone and a brick facade; the property was renamed the Holbrooke Hotel in 1879 after owner D.P. Holbrooke. It is recognized as the oldest continuously operating hotel and saloon in California's Mother Lode and was designated California Historical Landmark #914 in 1978. Guests over the years included Presidents Grant, Garfield, Cleveland, Harrison, and Hoover, along with Mark Twain and Jack London. After an 18-month restoration, the hotel and saloon reopened in 2020 and continue operating today.

After the 1855 fire leveled Grass Valley, the saloon's owners were back in business the next day, selling whiskey and beer to loyal customers from a tent pitched amid the rubble.

What to order: The Gold Rush-era barroom itself, billed as one of the longest continuously operating barrooms west of the Mississippi, serving classic and seasonal cocktails with regular live music.