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Categories: Restaurants, Breweries, Pubs [Edit]
Neighborhood: SOMAMon-Sun. 11:30 a.m. - 2:00 a.m.
"What else really is there to say about a place that has nearly 200 reviews, with a solid collection of five-star reviews? Quite possibly…" read more »
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This review is a excerpt from my full blog post with pictures on http://www.biteandbooz.... You can follow Bite and Booze on Twitter @biteandbooze.
The 21st Amendment Brewery showed up with a couple of their beers, the Brew Free of Die IPA and the Hell or High Watermelon Wheat Bear. Both were pretty good, but neither was exceptional. The watermelon beer was rather, well, watery, and not all that flavorful. I preferred it over an extremely sweet or way too fruity version, but this beer really had nothing on the perfect combination of fruit and beer that is Abita Strawberry Harvest. The IPA was a decent brew, but I didn't like it as much Friday's selection from Speakeasy.
I can't drink beer... that would normally put me and 21st Amendment off to a bad start. Even so, after going to Oktoberfest (ha, even though beer and I don't get along we still hang out) it is a convenient place to wind down the night. Or really get the party started~
Our motley crew arrived an hour before last call on a Fri night. Knowing this, we ordered as many drinks as we could. As I recall, each person had 2 or 3! The bartenders were quick and friendly, and I got a free shot for being dressed as a St Pauli girl :) Needless to say, we got the whole bar chatting just as the place was closing down. This bar attracts a good mix of people, I had a great time.
In summary, a cool bar, close to AT&T Park, good beer selection and they serve food. I'll never get to have the beer but I heard the garlic fries are good. Maybe they're better than Gordon Biersch's for the price they charge?
Since I hardly ever drink alcohol, I had no problem with the 18th amendment. But, I suppose people need their pre-baseball game beer. So, if the 21st amendment is the new law, I suppose it'll have to do. This place always looks way too crowded before Giants games, reasonably busy on weekdays and damn near dead on weekends.
My friend and I came here last Sunday to watch the afternoon football games and get some lunch. We showed up after the games had already started and went upstairs. There were 3 TVs: a 60'', a 50'' and a 36'' LCD showing 3 different games. We only saw three other parties on the mezzanine for a total of 11 people including us. Some people might call it boring, but I call it peaceful and quiet. If I wanted to hear people arguing all the time, I'd just watch the game with my family. Just kidding.
We sat at a long table meant for 6 and rearrange the chairs in such a way as to allow maximum freedom of movement and a posibility of slouching and or lounging at the table. Since everyone else was doing the same, the place looked like a mess. The busboy tried to rearrange the chairs, but the mayhem was restored before he had a chance to hurry back. We ordered a couple of non-alcoholic drinks, and our waitress kept refilling them without our asking.
We also ordered a plate of BBQ sliders and a thin crust prosciutto pizza to share. The plate of sliders consisted of TWO mini sliders with shredded BBQ pork. They were similar to the pulled pork sandwiches you can buy at the ballpark, although the 21st Amendment sliders were very artfully presented. The pizza was OK, although a little oily for my taste. I felt like blotting it with a napkin, but decided against it. We even decided to go all out and order a peach cobbler for dessert. The cobbler wasn't particularly exciting. In retrospect, I am not sure why I was surprised to have gotten canned peaches in my cobbler. It was in November...in San Francisco...at a bar. I blame myself for a somewhat poor decision.
By about 3 pm, the upstairs was closing. I mean, they weren't kicking anyone out, but there was no more service upstairs. A few folks got their beers downstairs and invaded our space - nothing wrong with that.
Oh, there's plenty of parking around there on weekends. If I desperately wanted to watch an out-of-market football game on a Sunday, I'd definitely consider giving my business to 21st Amendment.
Came here last Friday for a burger and beer. I had been wondering about this place since I've been seeing the Watermelon Wheat all around town and I am happy to have made it in! Since I'd already had the Watermelon Wheat, I went for the Darkness . . . dark AND not to filling . . . YAY!!!!!! Got a burger with cheddar, jalapeno and avocado (had just helped some friends move, so was super hungry) and some fries, delicious!! Will definitely be back!!
The discerning beer nerd really can't go wrong with 21st Amendment. Well, maybe going on a baseball game day would suck. It's crazy on any given weekend night, too, but it's spacious enough to accommodate big, obnoxious groups just fine.
Beers here tend toward the expensive $6-ish side, but hey...big brite tanks stored at San Francisco rent. The brews are VERY worth it if you've got the scratch. If times are tight, you'll want happy hour: $2 off house beers weekdays 2:30-5:30 except game days.
Also, during football season you can get a can of Live Free Or Die IPA for $2 Sunday during the game and Monday after 5:30pm. You want this. Don't snob it out because it's in a can. They pour it into a glass for you. (Cans are actually better for beer than clear/brown/green glass bottles, but I digress.)
Along with Magnolia, 21st Amendment rocks the hell out of the strong beers in February. I can't wait!
I totally love the beer here. Even the watermelon beer, which basically just tastes like someone accidentally dropped watermelon jolly ranchers into a big vat of hefeweizen. The upstairs bar area is always open, with seats in front of whatever game I want to watch, and with a friendly and helpful bartender.
Minus one star for the food. I've never had anything stellar here, and usually end up just picking at whatever I'm eating.
Yay Beer!!
21st Amendment is a cool place to grab a bite to eat and a drink. I wanted to try the Watermelon Wheat but they were out of it the night I was there. That kinda sucked but I decided to try the cider because it sounded alright. The cider was nice and crisp but nothing amazing.
My pulled pork sandwich was decent and had the perfect combination of meat and sauce. The sandwich also came with a side of fries and salad. The menu says fries or salad but I got both somehow.
Ecanomy Monday! $2 cans (watermelon wheat or IPA). You can't beat it.
Also, they have decent food. But I think it's secondary to the beer.
I love the burgers. The brew isn't that exciting. The rest of the food is pretty good. I've been here several times. My friend had her engagement party upstairs -- good finger food. The staff is nice.
I really liked this place.
Food was ok and the beer was fine. The IPA hit the spot. SWMBO loved the watermelon wheat.
This place is basically just Gordon Biersch with a slightly shittier menu. Somehow or another, it ends up being a convenient place for me to meet up with people from time to time. That's probably because the people in question seem to be able to find it without having to search around much.
I suspect that this is an acknowledged virtue this business, in case there are any would-be restauranteurs reading this.
Really interesting beer list and menu. Everything tasted fresh and great. Comfortable and lots of TVs for sports. If I lived here, I could imagine being a regular.
This is a great place for fish and chips. The batter is light and crispy and the fish is tender and flaky. Loved the garlic aioli and perfect for dipping the fries. Cubano sandwich is hearty with just the right amount of saltiness from the meat, tanginess from the pickles, and gooey cheesiness.
It's a casual establishment that is usually overflowing on game days. It's one of the only places open on Sunday evening and a great option when you're looking for something warm and satisfying paired with a big glass of beer.
I have yet to visit their location, but I tried their Watermelon Wheat at Seattle's Fremont Oktoberfest and fell into some kind of love. When I was drinking it, I was thinking about how I could (probably) down a pitcher of that delicious substance... and this is coming from a gal who usually has someone finish the last 1/3 of her beer glass!
Also, since I was hanging out at the Yelp booth, I got a chance to chat with the folks of 21st Amendment.... and, well, they were pretty awesome. They were especially excited about the Yelp beer kozies because their beer comes in cans. They said they think that most breweries will switch over to cans in the next 2-3 years. I forgot to ask why that's a good idea, so I guess I'll have to look into it later. (Unless someone reading this happens to know, and wishes to enlighten me?)
Also, I found out that their beer can be found in Seattle! I've never been to any of the bars they mentioned, but they said that they're available at a store called Bottleworks.... which happens to be within walking distance of my home. SCORE!!!
What else can I say? I love people who love what they're doing and I love their Watermelon Wheat. 5 stars it is!
The watermelon beer is awesome per Team D. It has a good atmosphere. Its a nice place to chill with a small crowd of people.
Love the beer, especially the Primus when it's available.
Food is pretty good, blackened salmon is one of my fav's. Good place for meetings and general dinners out before hitting the town.
I wouldn't recommend going when a Giant's game is happening, it's way too crowded. Also on game days they change the menu to include everything that isn't my favorite items :-P
I recently moved to the neighborhood and felt that this was almost a rite of passage...whether you like the place or not, you've gotta go. Okay, so I went. I liked it!
My buddy and I walked over around 11 pm on a Friday night. It was quieter than expected. I'd heard about their Monks Blood from another friend but didn't see that on tap, so ended up going with their Blonde. It didn't disappoint at all...wait, i take that back. It was damn tasty! We were getting towards the bottom of our first pints and the waiter was coming by to clean up around us. He accidentally knocked an empty pint glass over near by and the broken glass landed about 1' from us. He was super apologetic, though we clearly knew it was an honest mistake...no biggie, it didn't effect us. 1 minute later, we were given fresh pints of the Blonde on the house! Twice as nice! I'll be going there again in the coming weeks...broken glass or not.
Food isn't amazing but is solid and not too overpriced. Fairly good burger, decent sandwiches. Beer was pretty good [although watermelon wheat beer seems like a waste of a good wheat beer], the belgian ones were nice. So three stars for food, four or five for beer, call it four overall.
Great place for a greasy burger...washed down by a drink of your choice. Service is casual and friendly..
This is officially my favorite bar in town. Actually, ever.
My friends and I went right before a Giants' game let out, and so we all scored free watermelon beer from the friendly bartender. It really sucks when there's a game, because then it's majorly packed, and then it's impossible to find a seat or have any sort of conversation.
My old roomie and I came here on a random Friday night and we were disappointed to find they didn't have any watermelon beer on tap, so I asked the bartender what was "good." He asked me what I wanted, so I told him "something girly." He recommended one of their beer cocktails, and he said, "it comes in a champagne flute and it's really PRETTY." Hah.
Anyway, it wasn't too crowded and my roomie and I stayed here for a few hours, had a few drinks (all their beer cocktails are delicious, by the way) and had a great conversation. People are friendly, atmosphere is nice and cozy, and it's super awesome in general. Hooray for living close by!
Let me just preface this by saying I hate beer. All beer.
Why does this place get 4 stars then?…
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Monks Blood, Brew Free! or Die IPA, Double Trouble Imperial IPA, I love you all ;)
Huge fan of IPA and extra strong brew. The Monk's Blood is my fave so far. Glad to see those cans around various sf stores too. The menu has pulled pork, mmmm. Cool space, good bartenders, fun atmosphere, me likey.
A group of mine had a small happy hour celebration after hours. We were expecting outside seating to utilize the usually warm evening weather. To our disappointment there was none, only inside seating. Booooo. I had never been here but my friend notified me that they usually have outdoor seating.
The overall feeling of 21st is solid and polished. It's like a San Francisco styled Gordon Biersch? They even have a disco ball in the beer room. The seating leaves something to be desired. The front of the brewery is for appetizers and drinks, then there's a TV bar area, and finally a dining area in the main part of the room. Upstairs there's another bar area that feels claustrophobic. This is where we ended up.
Ordering upstairs is awkward but it works. I ordered the Hell or High Watermelon Wheat due to the WTF factor. I prefer darker beers but this was crisp and refreshing although I probably wouldn't get it again.
For appetizers we had the quesadilla and fried calamari. I'm a bit surprised how many times people order fried calamari. I love fried calamari but can we please try something different? lol. Appetizers were decent.
____
A fine place to go after a game or work, just not a special occasion place.
This brewpub could've been 5 stars except for the fact they don't offer Happy Hour on Giants game days (they're located about four blocks away from AT&T Park). How could that be? I could understand if noone else offered Happy Hour on Game Days but the competition does and consider the lousy economic environment, I can only imagine this hurts business instead of helping it. Even when I came in around 3:30pm, way before first pitch, there was no Happy Hour. Totally silly and if it wasn't for the fact I'm such a beer snob I had to try the place, I would've left for ThirstyBear.
I first saw 21st's brews in canned form at a BevMo in LA. Didn't buy them because the choices were IPA (and I'm not an IPA fan) and a Watermelon Wheat and considering how bad fruity beers usually are, I didn't want to take the risk. Instead, I came to try the beers on site.
Good call.
Their Belgian Ale is about as good as you're going to get. Almost on a par with Magic Hat #9 which is saying a lot. I sampled their Pomegranate Beer which surprisingly was nowhere near as bad as i thought it might be. Actually was pretty refreshing. It should be because at $6.50, it's the most expensive beer on the menu. The blonde is only three bucks a glass by comparison although it's only a seven ounce glass. So there's your tradeoff.
Tried the chicken wings which come loaded with a very wicked BBQ sauce and were some of the best wings I've had in awhile. They should be at 10 bucks for just seven wings. There aren't a lot of other food items on the menu. Mainly burgers. I don't think there's even a dessert choice. The one page menu makes Houston's look like Cheesecake Factory by comparison. So you better like beer, wings and burgers or go somewhere else because this is about all you can get. For a great beer city like San Francisco, you expect a great brewpub locally in town and this doesn't disappoint. Just the prices do.
I went here right before a Giants-Dodgers game with some friends.
It is a few blocks up from the stadium but it was worth the walk ( I needed the excercise anyway).
I liked how they had a beer gardeno outside in the alley.
The food was awesome. I had the pulled pork sandwhich and it made me jizz in my pants. They had a small selection if beers they brew themselves but they were all good. Well with the exception of one that I honestly cant remember the name of. Back in black or something like that. Sorry I was there drinking for a while.
The Brewery is in an awesome location. It's close by AT&T park and right down the street from Ubisoft. I can tell it's a regular spot for a lot of their employees. We didn't stay here for food, but only got drinks. I did look at the menu though and while the food sounded good, it also was pretty expensive.
Their watermelon beer is delicious. If it wasn't so widely available at Whole Foods and Trader Joe's I would give this place 5 stars hands down. But it is, and if I can go down the street from my home in LA and get it, why go all the way up to SF for the same taste? They didn't have the watermelon beer on tap and it was served to us by the can. Another boo-boo :(
Still it is admirable that they brew A LOT of different selections. Fans of both light AND dark beers can come together and experience them all.
You're okay 21st Amendment, but I think I'll only be back for Happy Hour. No hard feelings, okay?
I had my first beer tasting here and it was a fantastic experience. Not being a beer drinker, it was really fun. The food was also good although I didn't choose the "healthy" options, which were plentiful. I had the fish and chips, which were delicious.
Not a huge fun of this place in general, BUT, the bloody mary is delicious and effective. Heavy on the horseradish, AI steak sauce and spice.
I like to go here before a Giants game, although it gets a little crowded. Go upstairs for tables and open seating. Be sure to go to the bartender and order food.
Good selection of their own beers. I like the IPA or the Watermelon Wheat. Food is reasonable pub food - just had the fried green beans and hot wings with my son. The "hot" wings were just sweet and barbequey, but not hot at all. The green beans were fantastic.
Beer = 5 stars
service = -1 stars
I walked from Eden to get here and was dying for a good beer. I get there at 9:50. the host asks us if we want food or beer. we say beer. he says you can sit at the bar downstairs, the bar upstairs, or any of the tables. (uh you mean anywhere I want?). we look downstairs, no seats. we look upstairs, no seats. we take a table on the main floor. sit. wait. sit. wait. then at 10:05 the host comes up and says "we don't have table service after 10pm"..... What? On a Friday freakin night? At a bar? that brews it's own beer? when there is no where else to sit? After trekking over 4 neighborhoods to get there, I was ready to leave without having a sip. My wife grabbed an ipa and a watermelon beer. Terrific IPA! pretty good watermelon beer. If I ever get back to San Fran, this AHA member won't be back 21st amendment.
So I walk by here every day and it seems like a legit place. Last night I wanted to go somewhere for a quick drink and in case of being extremely silly and drunk I'd be close enough to walk home. OH and it's open until 2 am on Sundays. :)
The place is WAY bigger than I expected. A fun bar in a horseshoe shape in the middle, some booths and tables in the back and a "mezzanine" area on the second level (on non-event mondays, $2 gets your popcorn, any can of your choice, or a cheap well drink and a movie.. can't beat that).
My friend got two rounds of the Over Hell or High Watermelon wheat beer which I took a sip of. Interesting- he loved it I'm not a huge fan of watermelon but for 6 bucks it got the job done. I got Double Trouble IPA which was extremely good. We got there around 10 and it was last call for food so we got fries and a pizza to munch on while we waited for our friends to get there. Super quick and friendly service and the food was super yummy.
for 3 beers, a medium sized pizza and fries coming to $28 including tip it was a good way to start my night. I'll be coming back :)
I have mixed feelings about this place. The food was solid, they had a really good beer selection, and the bartenders were really cool, but for some reason I didn't really connect with the place. I think maybe the room was too big, it felt more like a restaurant, and it was too bright.
I think this would be a great place to hang after a Giants game, but otherwise I'm kind of ambivalent about visiting a second time.
1...hour at the Giants game
5...hours at 21st Amendment "post-game"
10ish...IPAs consumed
"Oh what a night..." After a company outing at a beautiful Wednesday day game, one is faced with the decision to, A) go back to the office now that it's about 3-3:30, or B) not. It's been a while since I made the walk from the ballpark back towards downtown but I knew this watering hole was in our path. So I recommended this place for an alternative to the office and what a call THAT turned out to be.
First, what a welcome sight it was to see the alley beside the bar closed off, forming a beer garden. And the sun was - and would be for a while longer - splashing said alley. It's days like these that make me appreciated the City. "Round of IPAs!" And I had no idea how many more times I'd hear that phrase on this day/evening/night.
So I better mention something about the beer....this is a review after all! I love the IPA at the 21st Amendment. I know they also serve food - and Lord knows I could have benefited from a dinner - but we charged on through supper and continued with the beers!
This continues to be a solid spot, great beer selection and it's all made better by a sunny afternoon following a Giants day game.
I came here after a Giants game for a brief respite from the cold, and it was toasty warm inside and pretty packed.. It's a pretty nice sized spot, with a loft area where you can find a 2nd floor bar.
I tried their double IPA and had a taste of their watermelon beer, both were pretty good and definitely recommended after watching a game.
As with most places in the area, it's going to be pricier than average due to it's location.
Great beer, good food, staff okay. Nice interior/good atmosphere. I definitely recommend the Watermelon beer! Any of the darker beers were very delicious as well.
With 700+ reviews, nothing I say will make an ounce of a difference, but I love to rant and rave, so here it goes!
AWESOME beer! OMG awesome beer. Unfortunately, I have no idea what I drank. I know i tried some watermelon beer that tasted more like a mixed drink (ick). I remember liking some coconut beer- didn't taste like coconut so much as a really nice lager...Then I had a bunch of darker beer... sorry can't be more help- but really all the beer was noticeably delicious.
This place goes hand n hand with catching a Giants game- like soup and sandwich, love and marriage, you can't have one without the other...
So, I went there with some coworkers happy hour at around 5pm and there was a game sched for 6pm. It was crowded but fun. They can handle the crowd pretty good. The have an outside bar and patio on the alleyway if you want to chill out outside which we did cause we had some folks that hit the cancer stick.
Anyway, the place was way cool with lots of ladies and pretty ones too. I was in heaven.
The drinks are A+ and only 6 bucks. Not sure about the beer, but there were lots of people drinking it with Watermelon.
I also went there for lunch yesterday since it's by my office and the food was good. The burgers are awesome and they serve them with kettle chips. The prices were what you usually pay in this area. The most expensive thing on the menu was 15 bucks.
Avg per person 12-14 dlls.
I am a fan and will keep going.
This place should be the cat's meow, but the food is not good and the service is non-existent.
Beer = 4 stars, food = 2 stars, service = 1 star.
We arrived outside and grabbed a table outside. Strangely, there is no service outside. After sitting there for a while, we went up to the beer tent and ordered, and grabbed some menus. Then we went back to the beer tent to order. Later, someone brought out our food, and later bussed our table, but every time we wanted beer we had to fetch it at $4 a can to drink their beer outside -- same cans you can buy cheaper at local liquor stores. They wouldn't allow draft beer outside, god know's why. Finally, we had to go inside to drink some -- some nice hits, some near misses.
The food is really pricey with all apps starting at $10, and entrees just being average pub grub-type options of below average quality.
I guess they figure that since they're near the ballpark, they'll get drunken crowds anyway, so the food and service don't matter.
I must say i am a fan. The brews and food (appetizers) are good and the bar tenders are nice... What more do you need?
I dig this place for two reasons:
1) its a fun place to celebrate a Giant's win
2) the Bitter American is so damn good!
Definitely coming back here for the Hell or High Watermelon Wheat after having a tall sample to quench my thirst; it had this satisfying aftertaste with infused watermelon on the backdrop. I had a glass of their Primus with my dinner. I ordered the red snapper tostadas and fried green beans.
True story, this happened on the evening we dined in here: While waiting at the bar, a walk in ordered a Bud Light and the bartender smirked at him and said, "We are a brewery, we carry everything on that black board." He walked out. o_0
I wouldn't have walked out like douche did but hey, I would've stayed for a bit and ordered something comparable or even better than Bud Light.
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