Zeitgeist

And I have been to A LOT! Drinks are reasonably priced and not skimpy. Patrons are cool and for the most part friendly. Staff has been nothing but professional and on top of things. If you don't suck, you won't have a problem. As with the rest of the world, be cool and not a douche and you will have fun! Some of my best times in life have been getting drunk IN THE SUN in San Francisco at Zeitgeist with a bunch of punkers I did not know. Awesome hamburgers and really good veggie burgers, btw. Pretention is required to take the day off here. Otherwise you get what you get! More XL zippies...my only criticism.

The smell of the bbq is what reels in the outsider, but ultimately it's the outdoor patio in the middle of the city and the beer selection is what keeps you hanging around this fun and unique bar. Definately a great place to spend an evening or more, especially if you want to avoid a cramped and stuff indoor bar.

Sorry if many of the reviewers here had a bad time at one of the gazillion bars in the city. I think the thing that they fail to understand is that staff members at most restaurants and bars in the marina are fickle wimps that will lick your boots for a pittance, but if you are gonna come to the 'dangerous mission' to party it up with your ol' frat pals it might be wise to realize that some of us could give a damn if you're having a good time.

Also, businesses typically 'reserve the right to refuse service to anyone', and when you start sassing a guy who has been dealing with idiots for the last five hours, it might not seem so cheeky and cute to them. But, alas, in your world the customer is always right, so the guy wearing the beanie at the grill shouldn't be annoyed when you walk into the kitchen as if you do that at every place you eat, or bouncers shouldn't get annoyed when you start standing on tables or having your own booze in the open.

I think it's really centered on common sense: you either have it or you don't. If you do, Zeitgeist will treat you well. If you don't...

I went here with two friends and ended up being kicked out about 10 minutes after buying the three of our drinks because one of my friends had the *nerve* to bring a water bottle in with him. After the meathead bully, er...I mean, bouncer, sniffed the water and found some empty bottles in one of my friend's backpack (from a movie in the park that we'd just walked from), he tried to pick a fight with me (a 120-pound female) and kicked us out. I've been a paying customer for 5+ years, and this is how I'm treated over a bottle of water and some empties from earlier in the night? We didn't even have time to finish our round, except a second meathead "bouncer" told us that we should be somehow happy because we now have a good kicked-out-of-a-bar-story and we should come back the next night when the coked-out meathead wasn't there. Um...I think not.

So the 2005 Santacon started here.
On a sunny day this is a piece of heaven with the rows of tables and benches. Beer and chicken sandwiches are the order of the day.

They call this place a biker bar. Probably because at any given moment there are a bunch of bikers sitting by the bar drinking (sometimes) directly out of pitchers of Pabst Blue Ribbon, or shooting pool. But that's about one tenth of the crowd here. The majority of its patrons seem to be comprised of bohemians from around the Mission and SOMA, "art-types" who by and large manage to carry themselves unpretentiously. What's even better is that there's a giant outdoor picnic table area that gets crowded in the afternoons. A great place to meet strangers.

This beer soaked joint with a big outdoor patio caters to local bikers, bike messengers and various wannabees. The makeshist kitchen churns out hearty portions of grilled meat & potato fare. The staff range from surly to silly depending on what time of day you enter.