SAN FRANCISCO—The Russian Hill Royal Oak Fern Bar is on the market and being sold by its owner Katherine Papageorge. Tasha Delancy, the relator who is selling to the highest bidder at $8.5 million said that it could potentially be turned into something else by its new owner.   

The Royal Oak Bar is 45 years old and opened in 1975. The décor consists of velvet furniture, Tiffany lamps, and tons of indoor plants. It is the last remaining fern bar. Since Royal Oak does not serve food, the bar has been closed throughout the pandemic. In return, this gave Papageorge the opportunity to move abroad to Greece as she’d been contemplating for years. 

In an interview with the San Francisco Chronicle Papageorge said, “There was something magical in there. It was somewhere where people would meet and fall in love. Throughout the years we’ve had people come back with their children and grandchildren, sometimes knocking on the window and saying that’s where we met.”

“We had a lot of wonderful people who came in.” She added, “A lot of people talk about the celebrities, but I think every customer was a celebrity.”