Faith & Spirits: San Carlos’ Version of Cheers?

Live Music is Back in Downtown.

I can't recall a restaurant or business in downtown San Carlos that has been more of a lightning rod for both positive and negative reactions than Faith & Spirits at 765 Laurel Street in San Carlos. For those of you not familiar with this venue, it's a new piano bar (actually a dueling piano bar, since it houses two baby grands pianos) that specializes in upscale cocktails and highballs. They had the extreme misfortune of trying to open during the pandemic, but they've been able to survive the shutdown and appear to be thriving now.

On weekend nights, they feature one or two different pianists that play popular music of many different genres. You can always count on rousing, audience-backed versions of Neil Diamond's “Sweet Caroline” or Billy Joel's “Piano Man”, and there's even a small spot close to the stage for dancing. The pianist even take requests, which usually results in a hilarious and impromptu interpretation of a popular song. Their drink menu is comprised of some of their custom creations (the Bittersweet Affair is one of the most popular), along with the normal mixed drinks of choice.

Faith & Spirits' presence is notable because it represents the first place to offer live music on Laurel Street since both Piacere Restaurant and Trattoria da Vittorio shut their doors a few years ago, and the first live piano music since the heyday of The Carlos Club many years ago. But all of the buzz surrounding Faith & Spirits hasn't been positive, and that somewhat puzzles me.

From what I have seen, the weekend crowd at Faith & Spirits has been pretty well behaved (full disclosure: I frequent this place and enjoy it). Sure, there's always going to be the patron or two that has probably had one too many, but that's really no different than any other bar. I've never seen a fight there, and generally everyone seems to get along great. The owners of the establishment are very visible on busy nights and they do a good job of keeping things light and positive.

There are so many San Carlos people that go there routinely for the music, vibe, and good drinks that it has almost become analogous to the famous Cheers bar on TV. Maybe not everyone will know your name there, but odds are very good that someone will. And that's really what makes the place fun. It's uniquely San Carlos, and I hope they continue to thrive.

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