Overview
The Moss Beach Distillery sits on a cliff above the Pacific south of San Francisco, opened in 1927 by Frank Torres as 'Frank's Place', one of the most successful speakeasies of Prohibition-era California; rum-runners landed whiskey on the secluded beach below, the clientele included silent-film stars and politicians, and mystery writer Dashiell Hammett set a story there. Now a seafood restaurant, it is inseparable from the legend of the 'Blue Lady', said to be a young woman in blue who died on the beach below in the 1930s after a doomed affair and who is reported to linger in the building — a story featured on national television. Honesty requires noting that a 2008 investigation found some effects inside had been artificially enhanced as entertainment, yet staff and diners have continued to describe unexplained experiences, including a woman's figure, moved objects and cold spots. The legend should be presented as folklore, the death story handled with care, and the staged-effects history acknowledged. Current opening and reservation details should be confirmed from the official site before publishing.