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21 Club
- Price Range:
-
$
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- No
- Parking:
- Street
- Good for Groups:
- No
- Outdoor Seating:
- No
- Music:
- Juke Box
- Best Nights:
- Fri, Thu, Sat
- Happy Hour:
- Yes
- Alcohol:
- Full Bar
- Smoking:
- No
- Coat Check:
- No
- Noise Level:
- Average
- Good For Dancing:
- No
- Ambience:
- Dive-y
- Has TV:
- Yes
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
61 reviews for 21 Club
Review Highlights
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"Frank is a great bartender and friendly guy." In 23 reviews -
"PS- Cheap drinks, great jukebox." In 4 reviews -
"Conway Twitty on the Jukebox." In 10 reviews
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61 reviews in English
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Review from Alexander R.
San Francisco, CA
2/23/2012
There are dives and there are dives, this is the latter. 21 Club is no hipster cool spot; it's a place where real drunks with that sad unable to help themselves look come to feed their addiction.
With that said I had a blast here.
Like true baller I took a date here, a first date no less. She was down for about five minutes when she realized that we were surrounded by zombies. She said she wanted to go but I put a couple dollars in the jukebox and made her stay, after all a dollar is a dollar! Also she wasn't about to head out into the tenderloin at that hour. Maybe I was being a jerk but she wanted to experience new things! She may have though we would try a restaurant with weird menu items but I like to go for new and mysterious social settings. By the third drink we were laughing and even conversing with the regulars (I have no clue what they said to us but no knives were drawn so . . . yeah)
21 Club is the best bet for a pre concert drink if you're heading over to the Warfield or if you need to get your courage up to go to the Crazy Horse.
Party on!Listed in: Let's take a Dive
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Review from Heidi M.
2/10/2012
A friend introduced me to this place as a pre-show drinking spot for gigs at the Warfield. Couldn't love it more. Tiny. Super dive-y. Very cheap drinks. (Invariably tipping the bartender well results in unreasonably strong, or simply free, drinks. Destroys my pacing for the night). Hilarious people watching - both in the bar and in the street outside.
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Review from The Boy I.
San Francisco, CA
9/23/2011
No telling who you'll run into here. From local politicos, to rock stars & movie stars, to those who could use a little more luck in their lives. Drinks are stiff. Hard liquor usually is. Why do I come here? Well, I'm one of the locals. No, I'm not the deaf guy, the cab driver, or the guy with the hole in the back of my drooping sweat pants. I'm the pretty boy with all the beautiful babies. I can't count how many times I've gotten lucky here. And I've gotten more than my fair share.
In the days of yore & yesteryear, when Original Joe's was next door at 144 Taylor, Frank's at 98 Turk was the spot. The 21 Club was like Casablanca, with Frank acting as our own Rick Blaine. Only there's no gambling in the back room.
Come here after a meal at Farmer Brown's. Come here after a show at The Warfield or The Golden Gate. Come here if you're just in the neighborhood to get a lap dance at Aunt Charley's. You have had a lap dance at Aunt Charley's, right? If not, ask Frank for directions to Aunt Charley's, tell him you want to go there for a lap dance. -
Review from matthew r.
San Francisco, CA
5/27/2011
Here's how to do the 21 club shuffle:
First, head down to the 21 club on turk and taylor and get good and drunk. Frank will help with this, as he's a great bartender, and it won't cost you much at all. This part is important, because the shuffle requires a certain mental and emotional state. You can't fake this stuff. Sooner or later, someone will put some money in the jukebox and a song will come on that tugs at something deep inside you, like a pentacostal at a tent revival, and you'll have no choice but to stand up and do the shuffle.
So anyway, here's how to do it. Stand hunched over at about a fifteen degree angle with your head down. Swing your arms back and forth, both together. Now take a big step forward and to the left, still swinging your arms. Take a step backwards and step forward again, only to the right. keep stepping back and forth, left and right, swinging your arms the whole time. This is the only way to dance at the 21 club.
If you're confused, head down there and watch the old guy in the red windbreaker and learn. -
Review from R M.
San Francisco, CA
2/7/2011
I love this place. It's a true dive bar, and it's especially awesome when you've had a bad day.
On the day that I was laid-off, I decided to feel better about myself by visiting the 21 Club and it worked!
-I was instantly the cutest chick there.
-I was reminded that I should be grateful that I have all of my teeth.
-I enjoyed the "Hey Soul" classics on the J-box
AND...
-A homeless man bought me a drink.
I'll admit that I was thrown into a moral quandary, then I asked myself, "What would Miss Manners do if a homeless man offered to buy her a drink?" I quickly rationalized that Miss Manners would accept.
Because even at 21 Club...MANNERS MATTER. -
Review from Chad P.
San Francisco, CA
3/7/2011
I *LOVE* this place. Always a great dive bar to go when you want to just get a drink by yourself (and not feel creepy) or go with a friend or two. The 21 Club is at the intersection of Turk and Taylor, which is definitely a high-traffic intersection, which in the Tenderloin creates for an endless stream of amazing possibilities (literally, I have seen just about it all).
I recommend going with just a friend or two and sitting at the intimate bar among the regulars (most who seem to come from a few blocks away at most).
The bartender Frank is amazing and takes good care of the Tenderloin locals as well as people who drop in from elsewhere (pretty much always local). Occasionally there will be the drunk "character" from the outside who comes in or someone at the bar who causes disruption, but Frank is quick to put them in their place.
The people watching here (inside of the bar and out though the window on the street) is incredible, definitely up there in my mind along with 16th/Mission and 24th/Mission, and Castro/Market. Definitely one of my favorite places overall in SF.
Drinks are pretty standard and cheap.
Loves it!!! -
Review from Christopher K.
San Francisco, CA
6/27/2011 1 Check-in Here
You will probably know before you get in the door if you love or hate this place. Yup, the neighborhood is shady, the patrons are partly insane, but I like going here because I always see or hear something interesting that I don't get from the other parts of my life.
The drinks are cheap and Frank the owner is a champ. Order a budweiser, grab the stool by the window, and enjoy yourself. -
Review from Tom R.
San Francisco, CA
9/13/2010 2 Check-ins Here
This is a typical TL dive bar. It's tiny; they have cheap drinks, crazy regulars, etc.
It's too bad they don't have any good beer choices.
A woman with a puffy alcoholic face but a really nice body tried to get me to dance with her, unfortunately I wasn't nearly drunk enough or I might have a more interesting story for you. -
Review from William C.
Brooklyn, NY
2/24/2011
My high rating is for Frank, the saint of a man who owns and runs a bar in such a shithole area.
I guess he knows what he's doing, cuz where else can you find business people, white people, blue collar workers, farmers, retirees, crack addicts, and homeless people all drinking together?
All this, plus cheap drinks, and immediate buy-backs on drinks? Gotta love it.
Quote of the night (from Frank (roughly remembering it, not verbatim)):
"I'm sorry guys. That guy smells like piss. We bought that guy a bus ticket to leave town and go back home, but he claims he lost it and just came back here." LOL
Special thanks to George, one of the regulars who is a really good dude. He's a retired chef and takes good care of many of the patrons who dont take care of themselves. -
Review from Holly B.
Dublin, CA
1/4/2011
Best of Worst Dive Bar 2010
With a lot of mixed feelings I walked down here on Christmas Eve's Eve with Erin S, whose fondest Xmas wish was to finally have a drink here. We got a lot of nasty comments from some rough characters on the walk down in the TL and surprised looks when we entered the bar, and not the "so glad you came" look, more like "are you in the wrong place" looks.
Never the less, the barkeep was friendly and the price was right- $6 for two nice cold Coors Original. We got a nice seat at the picture window but everyone looking in on us actually made us the main attraction of the day since we weren't exactly mixing in so well with the crowd that afternoon. Erin S asked what a "stink-eye" is- it's like an evil eye but with less evil and more attitude and judgment. We got plenty of those from the other side of the glass. We chatted with some Glide employees and made a couple new "friends" who eagerly cheered on the Xmas holiday with us before I had enough and dragged Erin S out.
In the end, I would say I'm not scared of the place itself, in fact I had a nice time for awhile before we got too much attention, but I would recommend safety in numbers for people set on visiting the Best of the Worsts! -
Review from Erin S.
1/1/2011 1 Check-in Here
This is the epitome of a dive bar. It has all the characteristics: location in the worst part of town, clientele all look like they spend way too much time there, very limited alcohol selection, old & dusty wall decorations, and the feeling that you just might not make it out alive. This is definitely not the place that 2 blond women should visit alone. But yet, we did, and we had quite an interesting time.
This was stop #1 on our Christmas Eve Eve pub crawl. I had admired the 21 Club from afar for a few years now but never had the guts to go in. So I dragged Holly B. there with me last Thursday & I was determined to get a beer & sit right down at that large window looking out on Turk & Taylor.
I've been around the TL enough to know that a female by herself is basically left alone, but if you get one or more in a group you're fair game. Immediately after stepping in to the bar we were greeted by an overly friendly bar patron who was determined to get our attention. It wasn't hard seeing that it was dead quiet inside & everyone was looking at us anyway. We got our beers & sat at the window while I tried to diffuse the situation as best I could. Luckily we were saved by a guy from my former workplace, so we ended up chatting with him and the other guy eventually gave up. It would have been a fairly successful first stop on our pub crawl but we still seemed to be drawing way too much attention just by sitting there so we chugged our Coors & left.
I give the 21 Club 3 stars because I doubt I'll be back, unless I'm with a guy or two. The beers were nice & cheap, and later in the night the crowd might get a bit more diverse (according to previous Yelp reviews). This is definitely not the place to go & have a quiet drink with a friend. On the plus side, you will probably make a new friend or two.Listed in: Dives, dives, & more dives
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Review from ruggy j.
10/3/2009 2 Check-ins Here
Now THIS is a dive bar!
Too many bars that don't fit the bill of a nightclub, wine bar or lounge call themselves a 'dive bar,' when in reality, they're not a dive bar at all. If those in-between bars need a real description of what a dive bar entails, I recommend you spend some quality time at 21 Club. It's small, most of their beers are served lukewarm at best, their clientele have been known to sneak off to the bathroom to vomit in between consuming bottles of PBR (and not because it's 'cool,' either), and you get to mingle with everyone from hipsters, alcoholics, women with mustaches and the occasional out-of-towner that just read Esquire Magazine's list of the 'Best Bars in America' circa 2008 at the same time. http://www.esquire.com...
While obviously a magazine geared towards men, I've been reading Esquire long enough to understand they have a more sophisticated demographic than say... Maxim subscribers... so it's funny that they'd steer their readers towards a super duper dive in the Tenderloin like 21 Club. In fact, the publication in which this honorable distinction was bestowed upon the bar featured (then presidential candidate) Barack Obama on the cover... which makes it even more magical to me.
Liquor is cheap, beers are cheaper... and the windows to the world are absolutely priceless. I've only been here for short periods of time in the handful of visits I've paid, but I'd seriously love to spend an entire day observing life as it unfolds outside the large windows facing the intersection of Turk and Taylor streets. What I've seen in observing just 30 minute increments both inside and outside the bar is worth a blog of it's own, really.
For a day or night of drinking where you're likely to feel equally intrigued, dubious, and scared for your life withing moments of walking through the front door... you'll love 21 Club.Listed in: Dive In!, The 'Loin!
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Review from Nancy R.
San Francisco, CA
10/9/2007
Site of the most bizarre Christmas Eve ever:
Twas the night before Christmas, and all through the 'Loin
All the creatures were stirring, and begging for a coin
To savor a drop, of sweet nectar from the 21
Of Wild Turkey, of Olde English, or some kind of rum
Bring me your winos, your legless, organless, and homeless
Fill another glass Danny, it's a long walk to Van Ness
Kumbaya, crack mama, let me buy you a shot
You're looking a little skeevy, honey that dress ain't so hot
But in the spirit of Christmas, I hope the pimp is tender
And maybe won't go off on a rage-filled bender
Oh Christmas Time with the bums and the hoes
In a place where it never snows, I may have hit a new low
For I am sharing my whisky with a one-eyed friend
On a bizarro Christmas, it feels like we're at the world's endListed in: My Neighbors Think I'm a…, You Don't Own Me
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Review from Maria D.
San Francisco, CA
2/5/2007
Please read Omid T's review of this fine establishment (http://www.yelp.com/bi...).
I would like to state that I am the Maria he is referring to in that review and that it did indeed happen. She tried to give me an impromptu tip on the use of the vibrator and I kindly informed her one was not necessary (I would repeat what she said but that kind of talk from me usually costs 3.99 a minute). She also made a comment on how i was standing that I honestly did not really understand. Perhaps she thought I was trying to compete with her clientele? I hardly think that there is much of a demand for chubby bespectacled ladies with messy hair at this corner of the TL but perhaps there is. In any case, please read his review and vote on it. I would like nothing more in this life than for that review to be ROTD. Please? Here, another link: (http://www.yelp.com/bi...)
PS- Cheap drinks, great jukebox.Listed in: Seedy San Francisco
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Review from Lauren F.
Oakland, CA
4/30/2007
When the gentleman sitting next to you at the bar offers to buy you a drink, just say no. Shots of Smirnoff on an empty stomach are not a great idea.
When staring out the window, and you see two fine local tenderloin women fighting in the middle of the intersection, and one steals the others cane.....don't get in the middle of it. They will sort it out on their own.
When a woman waves at you from one end of the bar, and then approaches you on your end, calls you Denise, and claims that she's met you before....just go with it. Its for the best.
When you wake up at 6am, with no pants on, and wonder how you got home into your bed and are amazed that you don't have a hangover...take it from me, you are still drunk.
This bar sucks. This bar rules. This is why i gave it three stars. Don't come here. I don't want you taking up my barstool. -
Review from Drue C.
San Francisco, CA
2/4/2007
This is a cool little spot in the heart of the TL. Streamers hanging from the celing (and I must say, someone went to a lot of effort to hang them so symetrically) odd masks and dolls behind the counter of the bar, reasonably priced drinks.
This place is pretty small, so you have to be prepared to throw down to get a seat at the bar!
But, lets get to whats really important at any good dive, the clientelle. There is some crack whore who will give you the dagger eyes if you so much as breathe the same air as her girlfriend (which is odd, because I get the distinct impression the girlfriend is selling more than the air around her). A mix of young and old, broken and still hanging in there, nice and mean and everything in between.
Good people watching = good bar, but not great....... I expected a little seedier considering the neighborhood.
They get an extra star for the bartender. I was offered a glass with my beer, and my water glass never saw an empty moment. That dude was on it!Listed in: Drinking and Diving, Early Morning Drinking
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Review from Deep C.
Compton, CA
3/12/2008
When I contemplate suicide, I go drinking here.
The bar tender is a jolly ol' guy who pours a mean stiff drink. The patrons are surly, belligerent, full-time alcoholics. When you sit there and you're drinking a greyhound that taste like it could pull the the paint off a muni, watching young girls hawk rocks to toothless men, wearing hospital bands, while a woman squats between a Buick Skylark and Caprice Classic to either piss, or base some caine, or both, all with the sound track off some angry vet arguing with some professional drunk about which Cat Stevens song to play on the fucking jukebox, you know you're alive, and it feels great -
Review from Christopher K.
San Francisco, CA
2/10/2007
I found myself at this fine little enterprise during our recent walking tour of the drinking establishments of the Tenderloin. This is the finest specimen of a "dive bar" that you'll ever find.
Bartender over the age of 40? Check.
Regular patrons who probably were in the Korean War? Check.
Stiff drinks at a fair price? Check.
Crack whores? Double check!
Conway Twitty on the Jukebox? Game, set, and match.
But wait! There's still more! The ceiling of the bar is covered in a rainbow spiral of paper streamers. You know, the kind that your school bought to decorate the gym for the junior prom? Some serious effort went into that bit of decoration.
Then we have the row of books that sit behind the bar. I saw many a useful tome that clearly had been accumulated over time to settle various bar room arguments, like a baseball encyclopedia and the 2003 Guinness Book of World Records.
Everything at the bar reminded me of my grandparent's basement. Well, except the crack whores. -
Review from Paul S.
San Lorenzo, CA
8/22/2007
This place is a real seedy shit-pit of a dive. That's why it's my cup of tea. The best thing is the large aquarium window facing the corner of Turk and Taylor. Through this window one can watch the motley assortment of Tenderloin denizens: booze-addled crazies, strung-out junkies, and septic prostitutes.
The interior has all the accoutrements, aromas, and characters that one would expect. Make note of all the torn naugahyde barstools that constantly bleed out thier tired and crumbling cushions. -
Review from Eric S.
San Francisco, CA
1/7/2008
I'll admit something: I look pretty wholesome. As much as I try to urban-up my appearance, my smiley Midwestern self always has a way of showing through. I was even told recently that I look like an "all-American Wheel of Fortune contestant." Whatever.
So when I walked into the 21 Club with a group of co-workers the other night, I was worried the crowd there wouldn't take too kindly to what could have appeared to some as a party crash by a bunch of geeks.
But instead I got one of the warmest welcomes I've gotten at a bar in some time. Sure, there were some surly characters at the bar and a lot of them appeared to have been there a few hours. But they were all so friendly. People came up to us to chat, the bartender introduced himself to me, and then there was Stephanie...
Feeling like it fit the mood of the place, I ordered up some James Brown on the jukebox, which was much to her liking. She clapped her hands and walked up to our posse looking for a dance partner. Who am I to turn her down? So, I did my best to get down, and it was awesome.
Sure, you have to keep your wits about you if you're walking to this place late at night. But don't let that keep you from experiencing the friendly times at this pub of the people. -
Review from Justin B.
San Francisco, CA
10/18/2008
As a new resident in the Tenderloin I had been searching for a dive bar to call my own for a few weeks before I stumbled upon Club 21; simply put, the best dive bar in America. What makes it so special? Why do I keep coming back? I'm glad you asked.
First of all, unlike most dive bars, this place is teeming with life. On my first visit, a friday afternoon, the place was packed. My lady-friend and I grabbed the last 2 seats at the bar and got ourselves some beers. While we were the only 2 people under 40 (and from the looks of it non-lifetime-alcoholics) no one seemed to mind. We were there to drink and thus accepted as one of the group. People began chatting us up and I knew I was going to like the place.
Secondly, the amount of entertainment one gets while at this place is out of control. A seat next to the window will provide more entertainment than most movies coming out these days (and at $3 a beer its cheaper too). Within the first few minutes we saw a crackhead fight that ended with a woman sticking her head in the bar and yelling "that bitch stole the phone Ray-Ray gave me." No one seemed to notice; just another day at Club 21.
Finally, Frank, the owner is a f'ing cool dude. He made me feel right at home on my first visit and gave me a free beer before I was half-way through my second. He's a nice guy and will chat you up if you like or leave you be if your not in the mood.
Be warned this place is in the heart of the Tenderloin and could be quite overwhelming/scary for the faint of heart. I would strongly discourage late-night solo trips to this place, otherwise enjoy this gem of a bar.Listed in: The Tenderloin
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Review from Shayne H.
Redwood City, CA
11/16/2007
When my roomie asked that his birthday be a Tenderloin bar-crawl, we knew this would be the place we would all meet at. It's close to the Powell Station -- although be careful walking to this place at night. I suggest walking the middle of the street as the sidewalks are full of SF's finest.
So we walk in to this little gem and ordered up a round of Jager shots -- the owner/bartender rocked it!! Not only was he nice and appreciated the new inhabitants (us) - but he can pour a mean shot.
My favorite time had to be before the Marilyn Manson show that was at the Warfield (right around the corner) that night. We all came in dressed in gothwear. This type of thing rolls right off the back of the peeps of the 'loin.
Don't get me wrong: this is a tough neighborhood -- keep your head about you and don't F*&* with people too much. I mean, we're all human, right? -
Review from craig c.
Downtown, Los Angeles, CA
1/23/2009 3 photos
oh, the 21. At the hotel we stayed at
the front desk said do not go right!!! so
the first thing I did was go right. I was
warned yet again by a homeless
looking guy and continued. I soon
ended up at the 21. The police were
cuffing a guy right in front. Promptly
greeted by Frank nice guy. There was
many levels of intoxication Crack etc.... STIFF
drinks. good people. cheap .and hookers oh my -
Review from Curran J.
San Francisco, CA
10/21/2008
Turk and Taylor baby! It don't get no better than this mane! Or shall I say shadier than this mane. If you do make it past the the exterior of this bar, you will be pleasantly surprised. It's a get ya swerve on type of place to have a stiff drink.
Watch the crazy's go round the bar like sardines in a fish tank and every sociology class you took in college with be bestowed in front of your very eyes. Speaking of tank, Frank the tank (*Elaine) is the best bartender in the city. A wealth of local knowledge in a city full of transients with about 30+ years of bar tending at this joint under his belt. To get a real feel of The Loin, this is an essential stop. For liability issues outside the bar... call judge Wapner. -
Review from yeeman n.
1/4/2009
J - Have you been to Frank's?
YM - No.
R - This is no place to take anyone if you want to impress them.
J - We have to take her to Frank's!
And that's how I found myself in the TL in the middle of the night. This bar is surrounded by crazies and crackwhores and people that look like they would kill me just to watch me die. But I made it out alive, and I'm here to yelp about it.
This is THE dive bar. It's cheap, it's grimy, and the bartender only serves stiff drinks. Frank is the nicest guy around. He'll chat you up and serve you another shot just because he thinks you need one. There's nothing fancy about this place or the crowd. Hipsters are nowhere in sight. I met a retired man from the neighborhood, and we danced to whatever was playing on the jukebox. And I met a beautiful brazilian girl who gave me some of the best advice I've gotten.
This grungy little corner bar found on one of the shadiest corners of the city is deceiving. There's magic in these walls.Listed in: Dangerous
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Review from brian j.
San Francisco, CA
6/12/2008 1 photo
All-pro water hole,
For alcohol fanatics,
Ship's tight thanks to Frank. -
Review from Fady A.
San Francisco, CA
10/19/2007 1 photo
The best bar ever!!! This bar is the spot for the Company that shall not be named, due to the fierce market we are in!! I suggest this place to anyone who like to watch crack addicts @ work!!! God Speed
NWF -
Review from Lemmy C.
San Francisco, CA
10/31/2005
According to the san francisco department of public health, the 21 Club has no reported health violations. That is encouraging if not a little surprising.
My housemate told me about this place, so we met up with some folks here before a show at the Warfield. The bartender/owner asked me right away what show I was going to see. I can usually blend in pretty well at any given dive bar, but this compact little nugget is pretty much a regulars only kind of joint. I don't find myself going to the Warfield much anymore, but this is where I will meet up from now on when I do. No draft beer that I saw, but you can smoke inside. -
Review from Rocco B.
San Francisco, CA
2/4/2007
Spam puzzle, cat fights, iron workers, and hookers.
That was my introduction to the 21 Club. I'm glad that we stopped there earlier in the night, because the hooker was a black beauty, surprisingly hot, actually female, AND had most of her teeth.
The bar patrons were mostly 55+, but some of them enjoyed talking to the hot chicks in our group. A couple seemed annoyed with our bar-crawl, but it's kinda like we were invading their bar.
I didn't determine whether the Spam puzzle was cardboard or actual pieces of SPAM meat that were cut out into puzzle shapes. It was probably the former, but really, how cool would it be to have a meat Spam puzzle? -
Review from Nancy B.
San Francisco, CA
7/27/2011
I love dive bar the people our not stuck up. you could be yourself and have fun that the kind of this is. The drinks our poor well and the bartender our friendly. it a fun bar to get some friends together and have a good time
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Review from Ian T.
San Francisco, CA
7/10/2009
Few bars compare to the 21 club. It's located at one of the worst intersections in the TL, so when I first saw it, I couldn't imagine actually walking in. But upon setting foot in this place Frank immediately made me feel like family. The kind of family that pours you an extra big glass of eggnog at thanksgiving dinner.
The sense of community that I felt at the 21 club was unlike any bar I have ever been to. Everyone is a regular, everyone knows Frank, everyone loves the place. On New Years Eve there was a home video playing on the TV showing clips of patrons from forgotten years. I was so moved by the of whole thing that I almost shed a tear into my huge glass of Makers Mark.
You will notice that just about every single review mentions Frank. Well, that's because he's a genuine guy and runs an authentic bar. Without question, the 21 club is the best dive bar of all time. -
Review from Songbae L.
San Francisco, CA
2/26/2008
A co-worker thinks that you have a 50% chance of getting mugged everytime you visit this bar.
I'll take those odds. And to clarify, he's talking about while walking home, not in the bar itself. True, it's easier to get dropped off in a cab there then get picked up but another option is to go back in for another drink. It's a little out of my way so tough to make on a regular basis but guess could be dangerous if the location was too convenient.
Friendly spot, you can watch home videos, and they are generous with the drink pours. I try to bring all my co-workers for a visit (though usually it becomes their first and last visit - I must be in the wrong business).
Reminds me of a place I used to go to in NYC behind the Port Authority where I met a woman who said she liked the fact that should could go to the bathroom and not worry someone would slip her a mickey. -
Review from robert a.
San Francisco, CA
9/14/2008
The 21 is a great local/dive bar. Nothing fancy, just good drinks at great prices and a street scene that is not to be believed.
Frank runs a tight ship and that lends itself to a feeling of safety which is amazing considering the neighborhood.
There use to be a bar kitty-corner that believe it or not had an older clientele, it's been closed down, which is really a shame as it was quite the adventure running back and forth between the two the whole time dodging the street urchins -
Review from Joey S.
12/4/2008
This is the grimiest bar I have ever been to in my life. I couldn't even order a $2 beer it was so nasty. I think I saw a supertranny. Never heard of it? Well me neither, but she looked like a woman who became a man and turned back into a woman just because she had a buy one surgery get one surgery free coupon in Thailand.
This place got into the FHM Top 100 Bars in America list.
Its in my top 100 grimiest bars in the TL list for sure!
It's probably like Vegas... if you're on crack. But then again, I'll give the place another shot and a star since I went here on a Thursday at 3pm. -
Review from Colleen B.
San Francisco, CA
2/11/2008
Man, if you spend a few hours at this bar you will go directly home and cancel your cable subscription. There is a nice, huge window that acts as the best flat screen HDTV in town! Endless hours of entertainment to be watched at this delightfully amusing corner of the universe.
The bartender we had on Saturday was awesome, with an attention to detail that you might not expect from a 'dive bar'. To top it all off, I danced with a priest to the Saturday Night Fever soundtrack. -
Review from Mag N.
San Francisco, CA
8/29/2008
The best dive bar in the city. Look outside the window as you drink and watch the real "Greatest Show on Earth". Frank is a great bartender and friendly guy. The best people in the world come here.
Not for the timid. -
Review from Mike W.
San Francisco, CA
4/23/2006 2 photos
Flat out, this is the coolest bar in the Tenderloin. It's the real deal. No cheesy neon lamps, no overabundance of vendor-supplied beer advertising, and no trendy decor. Everything in the place from bobble-heads to SPAM cans has a time-honored place, be it on the walls or the shelves. It's all arranged haphazardly in a manner that suggests a slow process of chaotic evolution rather than one of pre-meditated placement. The end result is a near perfect preservation of a working-man's bar from 25 years ago...and a priceless environment that oozes soul from every square inch of it's being.
Recessed lighting sits behind a school-bus-yellow shade that circles the top of the walls, directing incandescent bulbs up to an avocado-green ceiling. It sounds hideous...but when it's seen in person the odd color scheme has something of a soothing charm to it. The counter behind the bar displays a diverse collection of amusing kitsch. Everything in the 21 Club looks like it was haphazardly stuck in it's place 20 years ago...and hasn't moved since. Bric-a-brac decor covers most of the walls, but on spots where the walls are bare one can see ancient wood paneling that radiates a feeling antiquity and history.
Unlike any other Tenderloin bar, the night-time patrons often outnumbers the available barstools. I came here on a recent Friday night, and there wasn't a seat in the house. The bar was at near-capacity when I dropped by at high-noon on a Saturday....only one seat was available, and it was just to the left of a snoozing Patron. The clientele is overwhelmingly male, largely retired, and vocally loud. The preferred method of expressing one's self at the 21 club is by yelling. It's one of the few places I've been to where the level of ambient noise from conversation actually drowns out the music. A constant barrage of well-intentioned foul language mixes with oldies radiating from the jukebox, while the ever-present sound of rattling dice and slamming cups never stops coming from the area near the window.
A snowy-haired gentleman named Jim sat to the right of me. He was a retired graphic designer that had been drinking most of the day. Jim is a regular devotee to the 21 Club, but expressed his disdain for the constant yelling by saying "Why is it that those with the least to say are always the loudest." I chatted with Jim during my consumption of two Bud long-necks that were bargain priced at $2.75 each. He filled me on the bar's history, and spoke of an owner named Frank who had run it for over 25 years.
Check this place out while you can. It's got a look...a feel...an ambiance that comes only from the distant past, and develops slowly over decades. It has a timeless aura about it that no remodel or retrofit can duplicate or fake. Similar watering holes used to dot the city like dead bugs on an August windshield, but alas...the insatiable beast of change hasn't been kind to them. If you're into the neighborhood pub scene, give this one a checking out. It looks safe for the time being, but one never knows when the sinister claw of urban gentrification might take hold of it's being, thereafter extinguishing a soul that's been 25 years in the making..... -
Review from John K.
San Francisco, CA
3/29/2010
I'll have to come back a second again. I bought a German friend here for the first time and I'm not quite sure what his take was on this place. I think he was scared. But I got four shots of whiskey for less than $15. I paid $7 once for a shot at a bar over on Polk St. I do remember the patrons were friendly. So was Frank. And a nice lady man named Veronica suggested we try out Saigon Sandwiches (which I LOVE).
Cons: it's in a pretty intimidating area for out of towners. -
Review from Jason S.
San Francisco, CA
7/2/2009 1 Check-in Here
This place lives up to the 5 star reviews! The bartender Frank is awesome. There where 5 of us drinking (some had 4 drinks some had 2) and the tab was only $25!
The people there where super nice if a bit down on their luck. I'm sure at first they figured we where just some hipster preppy assholes but once we started talking with everyone they had some great stories. -
Review from Eggs M.
San Francisco, CA
10/31/2005
If you want to drink cheap whiskey and make believe that you don't live in a city where parents give their children Prang soy-based crayons instead of those sordid oil-based crayons, then the 21 Club is like a tiny jewel nestled in a stir-fry of ground beef and pineapple. Also--the jukebox has the shittiest songs in all of shitty songdom--nobody bats an eye when you play Billy Joel or Bon Jovi. They do grumble a bit if you play "I Like Your Smile."
