Zeitgeist

none

Pros: patio, beer, tamale lady

Cons: none

Posted 08/15/09

What more do you need? Tamales? Oh wait, she comes here every hour or so. This place is nirvana. I also love the beer selection, and the bloodies here are top notch. The only thing I could do without is the smoke of the grill and the stink of the portapottys but that is part of the ambience.

Pros: Outdoor seating

Cons: portapotties, surly service

Posted 11/19/08

The beer garden in the back is my favorite place to down a pitcher. There's never a wait to use the bathroom because there's a row of port-o-lets right there in the patio. You also don't need to worry about your bicycle, because you can just bring your ride in with you. The Tamale Lady is usually there selling her delicious pork tamales, which go perfectly with the beer.

One thing to watch out is that they kick everyone out at 1:45am sharp. They'll literally grab you and toss you out onto the sidewalk.

Pros: Bike parking and port-o-lets

Cons: smelly hipsters

Posted 11/18/08

Great Burgers - great patio - the only thing i dont dig about ZG is they have an issue with folks taking pictures back there that they defend rather rdiculously - whats the deal with that?

Pros: Great beers, great prices, great people

Cons: cant take a picture of my peeps

Posted 06/19/08

I love this place the atmosphere is always fun and lively. I always have a great time here, the staff is fun, the crowd is low-key and the atmosphere is a tad grimy but welcoming. There are benches scattered outside for strangers to sit together and find some common ground. The pitchers of beer are cheap and if you get tired to being out in the cold, go inside for a game of pool and some food. What could be better?

Pros: Drinks and place

Cons: only two bathrooms in the entire bar!

Posted 06/09/08

Warm Beer
Cold Women
Stay Away

Zeitgeist used to be a great hangout for bikers and bicyclists, but these days, once the sun hits the beer garden, it's packed with young urban professionals who complain about having to sit on a keg. I usually don't flame existing posts, but c'mon "pammierae" you say it's not a biker bar, then complain that it's dirty. What kind of biker bars do you hang out in. Oh, I just saw, you're a Harley rider. I still love the place and come 4:30 AM on Easter morning, I'll be hanging out there eating doughnuts and drinking coffee getting ready for the ride up Mt. Tam, but I've got to give it one star to help keep away the hordes.

Posted 03/19/08

We had to check this bar out being that we ride(harleys) and apprecaite good music and people. This bar is not what I consider a biker bar, however the people were very friendly, but if you are looking for a biker bar this is not the place to go. We saw a multitude of bikes there (the non motorized sort), but no real BIKES. Maybe the bikers don't ride down here in January, in Oregon we ride all year around. This bar was also dirty with empty kegs sitting around all over (I guess they were supposed to be stools) but it was substandard.

Posted 01/02/08

After being away from the Bay Area for 3+ years it was great to go back to Zeitgeist. All the people we went with had a blast and it made me want to move back to SF more than ever. I think we all had such a good time because we weren't a bunch of whining sissies. If you got thrown out it may have been because of your sense of entitlement or your looks of contempt for your fellow bar patrons. Or it has even been suggested by another reviewer 'Maybe you're just a douche'. Whatever the case, I've been there hundreds of times and never once had a problem with the people who drink there or the people who work there. I'll go to Zeitgeist as long as the doors are open.

Pros: Great Jukebox, lack of pretentious snobs

Cons: Last call is 2a

Posted 12/10/07

I first must say that I have had very good days here. The food is good, the backyard is awesome . With that being said I will never go hear again, I boycott Zeitgeist. On two occasions I have gone there in a good mood and left in a very bad mood. On these two occasions I did nothing out of the ordinary and I had people with attitudes yelling at me and treating me as if I did something horribly wrong. That is how the place operates. There attitude is that you are at their bar and you live by their rules. They don't respect you and they treat you as if you are always wrong. Some people like this kind of service and that is fine. But I don?t.

Pros: Good Food

Cons: Horrible Service

Posted 12/04/07

My friends and I walked a while from where we were chilling to visit this bar since it came recommended by a few others. As soon as we get there we get yelled at to form a line to the left (even though there is absolutely nobody outside...and the bar itself is half empty). Anyway we get in line and get ready to have our bags checked as we were instructed. Apparently they are really paranoid of people sneaking in alcohol from the outside. We were clean though so we weren't concerned about getting into the place. The bouncer checked my first two friends and lets them in all the while ranting about how HE is the final say on who comes in and who does not. It was pretty obvious the guy had some serious issues but we let it go. He gets to another one of my friends who is right in front of me and before she opens her bag she says to me in another language "Cool he's checking bags...at least that's security? Unfortunately, the guy had a huge problem with her speaking another language and flipped out. As she tried to explain she was not saying anything bad I couldn't take it anymore and let him have it. Needless to say we didn't get in but considering the bar was dead on a Saturday night at midnight, I don't think we really lost much. Beware of the bouncer's insecurity issues when in line if you want to go in but I'd say just avoid the place in general. There are much better places to spend your money at.

Posted 10/28/07

These negative reviews are completely off the mark. The staff at the Zeitgeist are "edgy," sure, but if you're going to complain about getting kicked out for being a douche, well... well. Actually, that makes sense, you're a douche.

The bloody marys are indeed fantastic. The staff will be nice to you if you're not a douche.

Pros: Drinks, vibe, people, patio

Cons: not really any I can recall

Posted 08/24/07

I would have loved to give this bar a high rating, awesome patio, good food and a great beer selection. But I ended having the worst experience in 15 years of going to bars and clubs all over the world. It happened last Friday. I just got a pitcher of excellent beer, ordered some food and was sitting at a side railing by the stairs with a friend eating and drinking. My friend went to the bathroom and I was in the midst of sending a text on my phone when the next thing I know I have this bouncer in my face shouting at me ?You are out of here buddy?, I shouted back at him ?What did I do? I am just sitting here!?!? He reaches beside me and amidst a pile of glasses pulls out two mini wine bottles. ?Sneaking booze in! Get up!? he tells me. I told him it wasn?t mine, showed him the pitcher of beer and the food I just bought. He demanded to see my bag. So I showed him and he started rooting through it like he was airport security. All I had in the bag was my laptop and some papers from work, no booze. Then he tells me ?Well you were busted with them, we don?t sell this brand so you have to go!? I argued about how stupid it was that I would be expected to know what they sold or didn't sell (it was more of a shouting match actually) until I got tired of the whole thing and just wanted to leave and never come back. When he finished his search of my bag I walked out the door leaving my pitcher half full and my food half eaten (he only followed me a few steps and then went off somewhere else). I would *not * suggest going to this place ever! It has some nice features but you run the risk of a potentially violent confrontation with one of many mentally unstable staff members with each passing minute you spend there, even if you are trying to mind your own business and have a couple of pints.

Pros: great patio, good beer selection

Cons: aggresive and confrontational staff members

Posted 08/20/07

I have been to Zeitgeist a few times one of the times it was great we ate food, drank good beer, sat in the sun and played the amazing juke box. Another time it was way to crowded and we left after a drink. But the last time was truly the last time. I met up with 15 friends there all of us dropping a lot of money on drinks and food. My wife and friend ordered food that was not coming out. I asked the cook how much longer he yelled back ?when it is done?. So I asked if he had a time estimate he throws my money back at me and has me thrown out. That is so screwed up and so is the staff. The cook is proof that substance abuse and mental illness don?t mix but for the manager to go along with it I don't know what to think about that. There are other dive bars in this city no need to get treated like that for a micro beer and a burger.

Pros: good Juke Box

Cons: The Staff is the worst

Posted 08/04/07

Zeitgeist is hands-down the best place to go to drink in SF. You can be who you want to be. You can talk about cafe bikes. You can smoke, you can not smoke, you can dance on a picnic table, you can hear husker du, you can hear uncle tupelo, iggy, and lucinda. what's not to love. If you don't love it emphatically, poetically, and without reservation, I mean truly, madly, deeply, you're a hater.

Pros: The bikes inside and out, the people inside, the people outside

Cons: N/A

Posted 03/27/07

Chances are, if you end-up at Zeitgeist, you've probably already heard many things about the place...and most of them are probably true. Everything from being kicked-out from no "good" reason," to waiting over an hour for a burger. Nevertheless, this is where you should go in SF if you want a variety of beers, cheap good food off the grill, and a place where you can basically light-up a joint without anyone hardly noticing or saying a word. Yes the staff can be rude, but I have never experienced any problem over many years. Be patient and polite, enjoy the atmosphere, and don't sweat the small stuff.
You owe it to yourself to give Zeitgeist a chance, but either way....they'll do just fine without your business, and the staff just might let you know that.

CHEERS!

Pros: Affordable food and beer.

Cons: The wait for the food.

Posted 03/23/07

I'D HEARD SO MANY GOOD THINGS AND BAD THINGS ABOUT THIS PLACE THAT I HAD TO CHECK IT OUT FOR MYSELF. I CAN'T SAY I WAS THERE LONG ENOUGH TO SEE WHAT THE GOOD THINGS WERE, BECAUSE THE AGRESSIVE, COKED-OUT BOUNCER KICKED US OUT BEFORE WE EVEN HAD A CHANCE TO ENJOY THE AMBIENCE. MY FRIEND TOLD HIM AN INNOCENT JOKE, AND HE CALLED HER A B***H, AND HE COMMANDED THE BARTENDERS NOT TO SERVE THE REST OF US ANY MORE DRINKS. HE DIDN'T EVEN LET ME FINISH THE ONE I HAD JUST BOUGHT. I'VE WORKED WITH COKE ADDICTS BEFORE, AND I KNOW WHAT SIGNS TO LOOKS FOR, AND HE WAS DEFINITELY IN THAT ALTERED STATE OF MIND. IF THE OWNERS AREN'T CAREFUL, THEY'RE GOING TO HAVE A LAW SUIT ON THEIR HANDS SOON. DON'T WASTE YOUR MONEY.

Pros: SPACIOUS

Cons: THE JERKS THAT WORK THERE

Posted 03/09/07

Went here once with a couple of buddies and had a great time...chilled, smoked and waitin for days for some burgers, by them time we got them anything would have tasted good. Went back recently and the cook was a real pansy (think soup nazzi on seinfeld). Someone should tell the burger boy that wearin a beanie while cooking over a hot grill will make any gig hell. TotalHit or Miss. I'm not eating there again and don't recommend that you do.

Pros: patio on a sunny day

Cons: the pros that work there

Posted 03/03/07

A great daytime drinking experience. The beer garden is big and filled with eclectic people. One of my favorites.

Pros: Outdoor Seating, Big

Cons: Crowded

Posted 10/26/06

Best grilled cheese sandwich anywhere, and you can't beat their bloody marys! Great atmosphere, plenty of room for large groups, and out doors so perfect for smokers. Favorite SF bar hands down.

Pros: Large outdoor area

Cons: Very small indoor bathrooms, alternative is the port-o-potties outside.

Posted 09/25/06

This weekend was my first time going to Zeitgeist, but man i am glad i made the trip. When i walked in i was impressed with the bar, but then i head out to the back and POOF a huge crowd hanging out having a great time... besides the Port o poties this place was a Great!

Pros: Great Atmosphere, Fun Drinks, Great Staff!

Cons: Smelly Port-o-potties

Posted 09/25/06

This Biker Bar is definitely one of my favorites. I love their huge beer selection, their Russian River IPA is the goddess of all beers! Not only is it heavenly, but it's also dirt cheap at only $12 a pitcher. Their grub selection is very limited, usually burgers and homefries, for $6. the burger has a great outdoor smokey flavor since it's cooked in the patio on an outdoor grill. The food and drink is a great reason to take a trip down the Mission. The ambiance is funky and dirty; I'm sure this place has never seen 409 since it first opened, but that makes it all the better. I've also been lucky enough to have been in the patio late at night and have someone throw-up chunks of their dinner next to me...yum...this bar is not for the faint at heart!>>>>Now, to the staff... well, what can I say? The bartenders are normally indifferent to their customers, it takes forever to get their attention, but once you do ger that cold beer was worth the wait. The guy serving up the food is an A-Hole, he actaully asked me to leave him a tip. What's up with that? Not fitting into the fold of a biker might get you some strange looks, but ignore that, rude bartenders and the A-Hoel behind the counter and this bar is the mecca for burger, good beer and great times!!

Pros: Huge Beer Selection, Cheap Burger, Funky Ambiance

Cons: Slow Service, Rude Bartenders, strange looks if you don't look like a biker

Posted 09/23/06

I went there after work to meet up with some friends and I thought,"this place is great! Why don't I come here more often?" An hour later my friends and I are getting hungry so I go up to the food counter and I smell this great bbq and grilled potatoes and the guy starts yelling at me saying "were f*#king closed, Get the f$*k out of here, I can have you thrown out!" I was blown back. Why this attitude? I am sorry I was having a good time and wanted to buy some great smelling food that you were cooking. Bartenders good, cook can s*ck on this here weasel.

Posted 09/13/06

get your grub on and drink pitchers of Brew!!!!! Tamale Lady rocks! two for $5 and pitchers for $12..

Pros: cheap beer, Good Grub

Cons: if your a pansy u won't last a chance there! LOL

Posted 09/13/06

Being a big fan of bloody mary's all around the world, i say with confidence that this is the best i have ever had. Anybody who rates a place higher than this hasn't had one here yet.

Pros: best bloody marys, best outdoor seating, interesting crowd

Cons: only takes cash, a long wait 4 drinks, kitchen staff can be rude at times.

Posted 09/06/06

I love the picnic tables. I love the customers. (Bike messager styles abound.) This place is a must. Go as soon as you can.

Pros: Great for after work, Informal, Outdoor backyard bench seating!

Cons: Port-a-toilets

Posted 09/06/06

awesome place to hang out outdoors in the mission. ambience is unbeatable in the city. unfortunately you have to wait hella days to order a drink at one of the very orderly lines at the bar. i just don't think it's worth it most of the time. i mean, if i already have a couple in me... maybe. good place to hang with a group, or meet new people.

Pros: Ambience

Cons: Wait for drinks

Posted 08/02/06

Good beer selection, but not good enough to make up for the horrific service and rundown, dirty atmosphere. If the the bartenders weren't so rude I would have maybe thought this place to have a bit of gritty charm, but because of some uncalled for violence that myself and my guests recieved from one of the bartenders this place is just not worth anyones time. That is unless you like being treated badly, maybe simply because you don't fit a certain profile. Don't waste your money there are plenty of other bars to spend your hard earned money and get great service.

Pros: good beer selection

Cons: bartender service

Posted 07/29/06

The Patio here is great, the pretentious attitude is not.

The reviews on here are ridiculous. Just because you have tattoos and piercings doesn't mean that you are somehow immune from being pretentious. You are judging people in the same way that you criticize those "plastic OC types" for doing. The hypocrisy of it all makes my skin crawl.

Now that being said, the Beer is cheap, the music is usually pretty good and the patio rocks. Definitely worth a visit whether you fit the mold or not.

Posted 07/03/06

All of my friends used to love this place, but whenever I've gone here it's been kind of a let-down. There IS a patio which is nice, but you'd be better off in one of the parks. The food is mediocre and the staff is rude (which I know is part of the charm, but I guess I'm just not into that) so I don't see what's so great about it?

Pros: patio, serve food, neighborhood

Cons: bad service, crowded

Posted 05/21/06

I have no affiliation with the bar. Still, as an old rider of an old bike (similar to the one in the bar) I've never been to a better biker bar. I've only been there twice: once in 1991 and once in 2005. It's quite amazing that it was great both times. As an East Coaster, I'd like to hear if any can compare....

Posted 04/29/06

When you're jonesing for a cheap PBR and a deliciously dirty atmosphere, this is the place to be. Also, you have to love the outdoor junk yard-style courtyard. Perfect on sunny days ... or when you want to scare your prissy sister from Wisconsin. (No offense to my big sis, of course.)

Pros: outdoor seating, cheap beer

Cons: Can be crowded

Posted 04/23/06

Zeitgeist is, in my opinion, the best pub/bar in San Francisco. The jukebox rocks (loud but doesn't blow your eardrums), the crowd: courier cyclists, students (not immature irritating ones), office workers, older happening people, gay/straight everything in between EXCEPT trendy-yuppie-plastic-OC types. Dress code whatever you want to wear, you wont feel out of place. A great atmosphere because everyone is there to enjoy the company of friends/meet people rather than to be seen. Yes, the service is slow when its busy and the staff doesnt try to be your best mate (they are REAL people!!) but I like that. The place has a great feel to it and, to be perfectly honest if you didnt get it you shouldnt go back. In short if you love Jennifer Aniston you won't like the 'geist. Please stay away - your butt will be taking up valuable real estate.

Pros: Unpretencious, GREAT jukebox, Cool atmosphere

Cons: Long wait at bar

Posted 03/09/06

I've been to this place three times. The first time, the bouncer wouldn't let us in because one of my friends didn't have his ID. He was 40 years old, and was almost totally bald, but fine.. rules are rules. The second time, I got in and had a couple of beers. It was a totally average experience. The last time, the bouncer wouldn't let me in because one of my friends was wearing petchoulli oil. That friend happens to be a total gearhead, not a hippy in any way except his frangrance, but we were denied entry nevertheless. The bouncer was incredibly rude about the whole thing.

Cons: rude, pretensious

Posted 11/09/05

...or any other day, if your schedule permits it, of course. Terrific (spicy) bloody marys, beer selection, unpretentious vibe, and unparalleled people watching! The food selection is very limited, but good, too. The perfect place to defer the back-to-work blues that seem to start setting in around Sunday afternoon.

Posted 09/21/05

Finally went here after 1 year in SF, and a zillion recommendations from people who's opinions are worth listening to. What a vibe. The music is rockin' and everyone in this place is friendly and cool, regardless of what they are into. All types here: Bikers, Punks, non-pretentious professionals, chicks, rockers, gay, straight, you name it. You will make friends here. Great, sunny back patio with long benches and a BBQ. While you are at the bar, you might as well get 2 pitchers, because it can take a while and you wind up sharing.

Pros: Great Beer, Great Crowd, Patio rocks

Cons: Packed Bar / Service

Posted 05/15/05

I must admit, i was a little scared at first coming to this place - but everyone is really friendly here. A refreshingly change from the usual scene. Great beer selection, awesome patio, and the food is great - freshly bbq'ed right outside on the patio. Worth a visit.

Posted 03/08/05

One thing you should be warned about is that at the chow window, if you give them any silver as a tip, you will get it handed back to you (if you're lucky) or thrown at you (if you're typical). I'm not kidding.

Probably this is supposed to be a dramatic anti-establishment statement but it's just a sad little show: These same people are not above trying to upsell you a $1 slice of cheese for your burger.

It's too bad, because most of the people who work there aren't psychos at all.

One of the bar's slogans is "warm beers and cold women" but that's not accurate: In my experience the beer has been nice and cool and the clientele unpretentious. The beer selection is good. And occasionally, the tamale lady stops by. Don't miss trying those.

Posted 10/31/04

This place is great if you want to avoid yuppies, sit outside, and have some great coctails. Great deal on the pitchers ($11 for about 4+ pints worth of microbrew). An added bonus if your into motorcycles.

Pros: great venu, great prices, no yuppies

Cons: small indoor space, bathrooms dirty, cash only

Posted 03/21/03

Zeitgeist is one of those rare bars in SF that is seriously cool without being self-concious. First of all, the biergarten is fantastic. Sometimes the bar is a little hectic, but where isn't? And the BEST burgers in town, brautwurst, & quesadillas that are just so damn good. And the guy that cooks uo the yummy grub is a very cool character- i love him. Maybe if some of these folks who gave negative reviews would themselves be nicer, they'd get better service. You catch more flies with honey than vinegar, sugar.

Pros: burger heaven, no yuppies, yard

Cons: no food after 4!

Posted 11/29/02

Some of the bartenders really suck which makes the Zeitgeist experience hit or miss. To the bad little bartendress...maybe people are impatient because you don't pay attention to who's next in line? Serving out of order creates a bad scene when people are trying to be polite so don't blame it on the customers, honeypie.

Pros: Yuppies stay home

Cons: Rockabilly posers, Cowboy hats...dotcom

Posted 07/21/02

Yup, it's a biker bar. No, it's not scary. The outdoor patio is HUGE and perfect for enjoying a sunny day. The bartenders aren't exactly attentive.

Posted 07/21/02