San Francisco Bar Guide
This summer I took on the arduous task of finding the best bars in San Francisco so that I could provide a guide for Eagles fans making the trip this week. In seven days, I visited over twenty bars that had been recommended by friends who had lived in San Francisco, friends currently living in San Francisco and Oakland, as well as lists from various publications.
This list is the best of the best from my endeavors. Hopefully, the list will keep you out of tourist traps, over-priced trendy spots, and make your stay in the Bay an enjoyable one. Of course, an Eagles win would help.
MILKKELLER BAR (www.mikkellerbar.com)
I’ve long been a fan of Mikkeller beers so I was stoked when my buddy Matt suggested we go here. I had no idea they had a restaurant in the US.
Mikkeller is a gypsy brewery based out of Copenhagen. They don’t own their own brewery, but instead collaborate with other breweries to produce their beers and experimental one-offs. Their most popular beer may be the Beer Geek Breakfast. It’s an Imperial Stout at 7.5% ABV brewed with coffee. These guys have some of the more unique beer recipes in the world. If you thought Dogfish Head had some wild beers, Mikkeller may blow your mind. Their Beer Geek Brunch is brewed with the one of the most expensive coffees in the world by collecting droppings of civet cats, which contain the broken down, digest and expelled beans.
The bar is modern with high ceilings. Everything they brew is world class, but the menu is ever-changing. Food is decent and reasonably priced, but not a lot of vegetarian options. I would definitely stop and have a couple of beers here. Any more than that and you’ll probably be hammered. This is in the Union Square area.
FOR FANS OF: Monk’s, Standard Tap, Belgian Café, High ABV Brews.
LEFTY O’DOUL’S (www.leftyodouls.biz)
Lefty O’Doul’s is rumored to be Harry Kalas’ favorite bar on the road. A couple of people have told me they had read that in Harry’s biography. I can confirm that Harry spent time at this bar named after the old ballplayer and former Philly Lefty O’Doul. I wrote a piece about Harry and his time at Lefty’s earlier here.
Anyone will feel at home at Lefty’s. It’s an eclectic mix of people of all ages and definitely not a hipster scene. The décor hasn’t been changed in decades. Baseball memorabilia is everywhere. Oddly enough, there is a buffet and satellite Starbucks stand located within the bar. Some nights they have karaoke and some nights they have a piano bar. Either way the place feels like you’re at a fun wedding. This is definitely low key fun and should be visited just because Harry Kalas used to sing karaoke here. If you stop in on a Thursday or Friday ask the bartender Frankie about Harry Kalas. You won’t regret it. Lefty’s is located a few blocks from Union Square.
FOR FANS OF: The Pub, The Irish Pub in Atlantic City
CELLARMAKING BREWING COMPANY (www.cellarmakerbrewing.com)
Cellarmaking is located in the SoMa (South of Market) neighborhood. This brewing company does small batches and makes them available in their tasting room, which holds about twenty-five people. It’s like a neighborhood bar that happens to brew their own good beers. I had an IPA and a Pale Ale that were solid. Their brews vary day to day and week to week. Beers available in tasters, half pints and pints and they have plenty of session varieties. This place closes at 11 most nights. There’s something to be said about the intimacy of the tasting room and the beers.
FOR FANS OF: Grey Lodge Pub, Race Street Cafe, Sassafras
SOUTHERN PACIFIC BREWING COMPANY (www.southernpacificbrewing.com)
This brewing company is located in the Mission District. Mission has a ton of spots to eat or drink, but this place is perfect for large groups who like good beers and traditional pub fare with a West Coast flare. The brewing is located in a one-time machine shop that feels as large as an airplane hangar. There is a mezzanine level and nice outdoor seating. As with Cellarmaking, this company makes a decent amount of session beers.
FOR FANS OF: Kraftwork, Spruce Street Harbor Park, Frankford Hall
VESUVIO (www.vesuvio.com)
This gem is located in the North Beach section across from the famous City Lights Bookstore, which just might be the coolest bookstore in the country. It’s also a short walk from Chinatown.
Vesuvio was by far my favorite spot in San Francisco. I do have to disclose that I’m a fan of the Beat writers such as William S. Burroughs, Jack Kerouac, Allen Ginsberg and this was one of their hangouts so I could be bias here. The walls are lined with pictures of their literary history.
Vesuvio has a comfortable, chill vibe with a steady mix of locals and fans of the Beats. If you’re lucky enough to stumble into Vesuvio while Mike is bartending consider yourself lucky. He’s a cool dude and a solid baseball fan who can talk for days about the game. He’s also a Giants fan, but don’t hold that against him. I ended up watching an afteroon Phillies/Giants game with him. Of course, I go to San Fran while the Giants and Phillies play in PHILADELPHIA! This place felt like my own neighborhood bar. Don’t act like an annoying tourist and you’ll be treated like gold.
FOR FANS OF: Good Dog, Fergie’s, Dirty Frank’s
HAIGHT ASHBURY
Ya have to check out Haight Ashbury when you travel to San Francisco. This is the home of the hippy movement, the Summer of Love, the Grateful Dead, Amoeba Music and more. Being in the record industry, I had to check out Amoeba Music. It did not disappoint. The place is like a Walmart filled with albums, CDs, and cassettes. I had also heard about a bar in Haight Ashbury that welcomed Philadelphia sports fans called the Kezar Pub.
KEZAR PUB (www.thekezarpub.com)
The Kezar pub does in fact have a group of Eagles fans that gather on Sundays to watch the games. I joined their Facebook page and they also organized a group to head to this week’s matchup. Kezar may have more televisions per square foot than another pub I’ve been to. This is a basic Irish Pub and should be supported just because they give relocated Eagles fans a home away from home.
FOR FANS OF: O’Neal’s, Irish Times, Murph’s,
HAIGHT ASHBURY CRAWL
The Crawl is from the recommendation of an 85 year old guy named John that I bumped into at these bars. John is retired and has lived in the area since 1970. He walks five miles a day and he just might do the crawl each day as well. I spent three days in Haight Ashbury and saw John each day. These are the bars on his crawl and they should be on yours. He’s basically the mayor of the area and knows his shit.
MURIOS’S TROPHY ROOM (1811 Haight St, San Francisco, CA 94117)
A great shot and a beer place with a good jukebox and a pool table. There are some couches and chairs in the back, but they kind of felt like they needed to be steam cleaned. The bartenders were friendly and the customers kept to themselves.
FOR FANS OF: Tattooed Mom’s, Ray’s Happy Birthday Bar, Doobie’s
HOBSON’S CHOICE (www.hobsonschoice.com)
Hobson’s Choice is a free choice in which there is only one option. It’s also a quaint, neighborhood bar on Haight Street. The bar has a great happy hour (5-7 weekdays) with $3.00 draft beers and drink specials. They call themselves a punch bar and have large bowls of special flavored punches each day. They also claim to have the largest selection of rums in the country. The staff and customers were extremely friendly here. Shots were flowing here.
FOR FANS OF: New Wave Café, 700 Club, Ten Stone, Fishtown Tavern
ZAM ZAM BAR (www.zamzambar.com)
This place is awesome. They serve high-end classic cocktails in a dark, dive-bar vibe that hasn’t been changed since the 1950’s. There is a newspaper article from the 50s or 60s hanging on the wall and the place looks identical to the photo in the article. My female friend had a Cosmopolitan and I had a Manhattan. Both were excellent. They have beer available, but get an old fashion or whichever is your classic cocktail of choice. The prices are reasonable for the quality of drinks. I think they even have shag carpeting. There is a half moon shaped bar and then some tables. Get a seat at the bar because the conversation with the patrons and bartender is half the charm. I think the place is cash only.
FOR FANS OF: Southwark & Franklin Mortgage & Investment Co mixed with Oscar’s or your favorite dive bar
GOLDEN CANE COCKTAIL LOUNGE (1569 Haight St San Francisco, CA 94117)
I never made it to the Golden Cane, but it was on John’s list. He assured me it’s one of the old school Haight bars filled with good neighborhood people. Others at the pubs we were at agreed with him and mentioned the jukebox and pool table as part of its charm. That does it for John’s Haight Ashbury pub crawl.
ZEITGEIST (www.zeitgeistsf.com)
This spot is probably my second favorite on the list. It’s on the edge of the Mission District and has the largest draft list that I encountered. Zeitgeist could be considered a punk rock/biker bar, but don’t let that intimidate you. The food it good. The jukebox is great. The outdoor beer garden is huge and makes the place worth a visit. Things don’t get much better than sitting in the garden on a cool San Fran night at Zeitgeist.
This list should provide a solid foundation to build a game-plan for drinking in San Francisco. Several of the bars had signs for their citywide special. Here in Philly the citywide is a PBR and shot of Jim Beam or other whiskey. In San Fran, the citywide special seemed to be a PBR and a Fernet, which is a bitter aromatic Italian spirit. If the idea of Listerine, cold syrup and Jagermeister sounds appealing then you’ll probably like it.
For eats I’d recommend two places. The Plant Organic in the Embarcadero and Gracias Madre. Heads up on Gracias Madre is that it’s a vegan place, but my carnivore friends left satisfied and full. The owners have a farm outside of town and grow their own food. Good stuff!
If you have time, ride a bike over the Golden Gate Bridge, check out the bath sutros, and visit the Japantown Mall. Have a great time.
FLY EAGLES FLY!