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Mon-Fri. 3:00 p.m. - 2:00 a.m.
Sat-Sun. 12:00 p.m. - 2:00 a.m.
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This is a pretty cool place to add to your Mission bar crawl.
Towards the back of the bar there is a "Pin the tale on the donkey" game, which is actually really fun when you're drunk. There is also one of those cool photo booths. Oh ya, and an old school Ms. PacMan video game table.
Very reasonable prices - $3 PBR, $5 Redbull n' Vodka...
Nice bartender...mission hipster crowd.
super chill place, a little loud, no creeps, friendly bartender.
drinks were super cheap! $10 for a martini & chambord/sprite combo.
I have been told a lot of things about the 500 Club. I have been told that, Friday, during an impromptu pub crawl involving me, my brother and his wife, and 2 of their friends, I led the group here. I remember happy hour at Chaya, where I had about 6 drinks and left feeling good. I remember dinner at Tokyo Go Go, where Wifey, me, my brother and his wife split a bottle of sake. I remember Wifey leaving us after dinner, because she had to work the next morning. I remember going to Elixir, and having a few more drinks there, which is when my brother's 2 friends joined us. I remember going to The Phoenix in search of food, only to be told that their kitchen closes at 11 (admittedly, it was later than 11). I remember portions of our meal at Taqueria La Cumbre, where I engaged in a burrito-eating contest with my brother (the challenge consisted of eating exactly 1 burrito). I have been told that, after the burrito challenge concluded in my favor, my brother and I engaged in a college-educated-white-boy battle rap throw down, wherein I apparently performed well enough to achieve Living Legend status in the eyes of my brothers friends.
These things, I remember (save for the battle rap). I have no reason to dispute the notion that we also went to the 500 Club. I remember wanting to go. I realize that it is located geographically between Elixir and The Phoenix. I have vague recollections of a bar decked out all in red. But not...exactly what one would call memories. I have been told that, shortly after arriving at the 500 Club, my brother and I began loudly calling for Jaeger Bombs, a drink that I actually abhor. Thankfully, the bartenders knew better than to accede to our demands. Apparently. I have been told that my brother and I stood in the middle of the bar, with our arms wrapped around each other, deep in private conversation. I remember snippets of conversation with my brother, including at least one bit of fascinating information that I remember clear as day. But I can't say that I wholly remember the 500 Club. Although, if their bartenders cut my brother and I off, as I'm told they did, then I salute the place.
Some people, maybe even many people, perhaps even most people, would consider this entire episode something to be ashamed of. But those people still have a healthy dose of self-respect, and I lost my last vestiges of that years ago. Makes for funnier stories. And the occasional formal, written apology letter or court summons.
While my memory of the 500 Club may be fuzzy, and rounded at the edges, my memories of Saturday morning are sharp and distinct. And while I may not remember everything I should about the 500 Club, I remember enough to be glad that my discussions with my brother didn't cause me to lead the group to the Elbo Room. I make a lot of mistakes (midnight burrito with extra-hot sauce??? What was I thinking??), but there's a line between excess and the intentional infliction of injury. The 500 Club was safely on the correct side of that line.
Place was medium crowded for Friday ...beer was good...bartender was attentive - no wait for beer.
Too bright - expected slightly darker place.
Will come back.
Hey Trashbag!
The sun is shining, the dogs are pooping, the bikes get stolen, The Hipsters find their way to Dolores Park The Cecilia has a 5$ Bloody at 500 club and it's pretty damn good, the evenings here can be overcrowded with Dickheads and I am probably one of them.
the 500 club is one of my favorite bars in the mission. I usually wander in on sunday funday, after Dolores park. I just love cheap beer and drunken kareoke (is there any other kind?)
it's not a rare novelty to sit in one of the booths with friends and drink the afternoon away. and the panini sandwich guy can make a pretty damn good sandwich, which is a nice trade from the usual taco's that seems to be all i can get around here!
Oh 500 club. She's always been good to me and I live two blocks away, wasn't always that way, and I stayed away for awhile because of relations with a bartender, but I still love this bar. The drinks are usually on point and there's sure to be a cute boy or two to look at. The jukebox is pretty rad too.
Sucks.
They over charged me for 2 drinks last night. How come my friend bought 3 Irish Car Bombs and a Tecate and paid $25 but I bought 2 Irish Car Bombs and paid $18. Oh and this was 12:00am so he didn't catch the happy hour. I was full on ripped off. I will write a more discript review later but this will do for now. Never again.
I love dive bars. I'm not a club guy and I can't stand places that are full of hipsters, posers, or Barbies. If I'm going out drinking with friends, I want a place with comfortable booths, skanky ambience, and regular people who are more into fun and good conversation than trying to look and act "cool."
A friend met me there last week and that was the first time I've ever been in the 500 Club. I was immediately impressed with the layout of the room, the comfortable booths, and the low key vibe of the place. I have no idea what their cocktails were like since we were drinking beer, but I can definitely see myself visiting the 500 again.
I felt at home as soon as I walked in. The karaoke, the drinks, the cute boys, the photo booth...
really, I can't get any better. GO!
If I wasn't working right now, I'd be there.
Five stars for watching Packers games at 10 am on Sunday mornings, three stars for the rest of the time. The crowd is on the weird side of eclectic. The karaoke is gleefully shameless and painful.
Staff is still not nice. That is all.
I always ended up at this bar somehow. I don't really know how or why, but there I'd be at the 500… Read more »
This is the bar where we went to get completely hammered in the nineties.
This is the bar where we went to have drunken relations with punk rock mission chicks.
This is the bar where we played pool until a fight broke out with some drunk maniac.
This is the bar where we listened to grunge/ punk music like Soundgarden, Alice and Chains, and Social Distortion.
Now that I have fallen off the wagon.
This is the bar where I will return to relive the sleazy divey nineties........
I hear its the same old 5 Hundy.......I.E., one of the best dive bars in the city.
Like the wise man once said, "The more things change, the more they stay the same."
Cue Soundgarden Intro:
"Black hole sun, won't you come, and wash away the rain......
Black hole sun, won't you come......won't you cah-ummm........"
I feel as though I spent most of my time in SF settling in only to head to a different neighborhood. We ended up at 500 Club after enjoying a drink at Harvey's (that's Castro to Mission? It's all a jumble at this point).
My what a difference a cab ride makes. I found this place to be a pretty generic dive - though I was happy to have a place to sit with three others in one of their few larges booths on a Friday night. The bar seemed hopping all night, and bartenders were quick. But other than that, I can't say I would go out of my way to go back.
There is a time and a place for dive bars, and although last night might not have been time, the 500 Club was certainly the place!
Lets start out with the fact that a cosmo was only $6 AND it might've been the strongest I've ever had. Clearly nothing to complain about there!
Moving on to the juke box. If I can put on Born to Run by Mr. Springsteen and dance like an idiot (you know, when you don't really dance, you just make over exaggerated gestures and sing along) in the middle of a bar without anyone blinking an eye, I'm clearly in a good place. Maybe not mentally for making the decision to do that, but that's another story. Even though I'm more of a fan of clubs, if you can cut loose at a place without feeling judged (I must say, kind of a rarity for most places in the mission) it's going to be good times.
Finally, and maybe most importantly, the photo booth. Having a photo booth can only make a place cooler. In no situation could you be at a bar and think, "Man, I wish that photo booth wasn't here." I'm sorry, it's just not going to happen. Nothing is better than waking up to ridiculous, fun, drunken photos from the night before, and there is something special about having ones that have been printed and aren't digital. You can't retake them over and over to get the "perfect" shot, and you are left with whatever memory is printed. I think that is just plain awesome, and therefore, I think this bar is
just. plain. awesome.
Why did the bartender give me tequila with soda and a lime?
I'm still not sure because I asked for a scotch. I was so pissed because tequila and soda is not even a drink. I asked for McCallan and the bartender didn't know what it was. Once I tasted my drink, I waited forever to exchange it for what I wanted. I was waited on by a different bartender who acted like he didn't believe me when I got the wrong drink. He looked at me disbelievingly and said "Whattttttt?" I passed him the (undrank) tequila and he glared at me when I didn't tip him for the corrected drink.
I actually do really like this place but I'm not sure why - maybe it's vibe. Or the photo booth. Just.. AVOID THIS PLACE ON KARAOKE NIGHT unless you're self loathing/way drunk off whatever the bartenders feel like giving you.
I always get a kick out of the (drunk? or just out of it) bartender that just names their own price whenever you order.
"Four shots, four beers... uhhhbbrrrrrggghhhbleehhh... twenty."
Hahahaha... Every. Single. Time.
Adding this to the list of dive bars I've somehow stumbled in to.
It's small, seating is limited and…
Read more »
Dive bar that's, well, not really a dive bar. Gotta love it.
I love this place. Cheap $5 Jameson and Gingers, fast service, great jukebox, and loose women. I often go there alone and always have a good time. No douche bags, some dirt bags, but no douches.
Who knew this place got so packed?
I really like the 500 Club even with its faults. I'm pretty sure the bartender gave me a beer with puke on it, the bathroom is disgusting and when I asked my friend who put on these ridiculous fake Ray Bans with gold trim, "Who do you think you are a f*cking hipster?!" I got mean looks but hey, isn't that what hipsters do. They give mean or bored looks, no biggie.
Last Saturday was no different. There was some sort of party where they kept ordering 20 beers and shots at a time. No lie, I saw them all set up on a table. It was actually nice when the bartender said, I'm tired of whatever game you guys are playing, NO MORE! The party also plugged in their very own boom box even though 500 has a jukebox with a very good music selection. (Don't ask me, I was just a voyeur.)
Even with all that I will still go back. I like the lay out, I like the dark corners and I like the other clientele.
This place is totally unique in our experience of dives (which admittedly isn't huge). The tattooed lady is worth the price of admission (she pours mean drinks too). And the laid back, hang around in the next room, karaoke action was great. Impromptu group sing along, more like! Too bad we are aging hipsters and kind of stick out...still no bad vibes, no age-ism.
Spicy, peppery Bloody Marys.
Crock pot of corned beef and cabbage
Draft Guinness
Banquettes that are "old," not "retro"
Old friends
Nice staff
Six years between visits
PBR that's not ironic
Sunday morning drinks
Dog-friendly. Also bacon friendly.
Back door to let the sun shine in
Dark enough to blink a lot on the way out
A bad influence in a good sort of way
This place makes me happy. So happy that I had my boyfriend's welcome to the city party here. Its a Mission institution and brings me joy that years before my love frequented its beaten black booths. Additionally, during Easter a group of bunnies and one anti-bunny (moi) convened on the 500 backroom for an hour or two of debauchery.
Awesome Bloody Mary's for a dive and one of the only places with a Jukebox and photo booth (but at $5 a pop its a major SF-style ripoff).
Furthermore, this is a mid week stop, because unfortunately the Marina creep has made its way to the 500 and unless you want to be completely frustrated I say stay away and hit up something else (or a friend's backyard).
It's a good, off the main street, sort of bar.
It's easy to get drunk here if you're into liquor, unfortunately somebody else probably already beat you to it and their group of friends are so drunk, they're going to make your visit uncomfortable.
The 500 Club is a classic! I had a excellent birthday party here once that ended with a crawl through a human spanking machine... so awesome!
Beware of the bathroom... I know two babies conceived in there...
Dive = afraid to put my hand in the bar pretzels bc, well, they didn't exactly look clean.
Ever worked in a fast food place where the new product goes behind or underneath the new, so that the old is served first? esp important at Chinese all you can eat buffets, and pretty imp at a bar. don't dig deep is my best advice.
Bar = all the drinks you need, served sharp and hard without a lot of fuss and mid range prices. if you say something dorky, you know, implying that you are not an alcoholic in your spare time, be prepared for a wee bit of snippyness. this is for those most def in the "know".
lots of seating options, amazing location near all the Valencia street thrift shops, so you can drink up before fawning over things you don't need and aren't sure fit.
amazing people watching bc there are all types in here. ALL.
most definitely a repeat for me!
Pros:
=PHOTO BOOTH!
=Jukebox
=Cheap
Cons:
=Cash only
=Kinda pretentious hipster crowd
=Dirty
I've been waiting to review this place until after the New Year started because I didn't want to give away my little secret. This is my favorite spot to spend New Years Eve.
This is a decent back up bar most of the year. Divey enough for those militant about drinking in a down scale establishment but not so divey as to scare off the squeamish. You can't argue with two-dollar pints of Shiner Bock during happy hour.
For NYE you can spend a small fortune getting into a club and spend another small fortune on over priced drinks at a fancy party, or you can get here early to snag a booth and sit in the best people watching spot in town.
If I see you all here next NYE and you're hogging all the booths I'm going to be pissed!
***** Just a reminder! This is a cash only establishment!
I really feel it, I really do.
I have been dying to try the 500 club for so long now. I knew once I saw that giant neon martini glass blazing over Guerrero St that I would be a big fan. A friend warned against it, saying that it was all homeless, old people or trannies. Instantly I wanted to go even more because that sounds like a good scene, but it turned off all of my other friends. What losers. I didn't want to come alone, because that's so alcoholic, so I had to put my dreams on hold. After months of whining, along with the great yelp reviews, I convinced my friends to tag along. So glad we finally went.
I loved it. It was a very mixed crowd. The whole place had a very chill vibe, very comfortable. The drinks were great, almost ALL booze and only like 4 dollars. I had fun. Loved the space, will be back again and again.
I'll jump it to 4 stars.
I always find myself here, whether it's in times of celebration like my birthday, inauguration day (!!), or just regular nights when a friend is in town for the weekend.
Need more?
-You can see that Vegas-worthy sign from blocks away on Guerrero, and it'll make you happy every time you see it.
-Brand-spanking-new photo booth is fun, but pricey ($5 for two identical strips of four frames). But, most importantly, it works. Unlike certain other machines (here AND at Elbo Room) that were colossal examples of FAIL on my birthday last year.
-There's always a dog in here. Maybe it's the same one?
-Open at 6 a.m. after your all-night bender.
-Great vibe and mix of folks.
Thanks, 500, for being there in the blurriest of times, and the not-so-blurriest of times.
Not bad. Not amazing. Good 'hood bar and decent drinks. I love when you can order from either side… Read more »
One of those places that always makes me want to run to the ATM machine to withdraw cash.
Always a good time, and who can't love a place with fabulous red carpet and interactive attractions like a photo booth and donkey pinning?
It's probably silly to review a place based on very little...but it's a dive. An honest to goodness dive, unlike some of which strive to be a dive (hey, that rhymed) but in actuality are the epitome of trying to hard (TTH) which basically describes my life right now.
Moving on...
The layout of this place makes it difficult to navigate, but it could have just been the fact that it was getting late, my body was begging for bedtime, and I had a blister forming on my foot due to my super cute shoes.
The bartenders can sling them just as well as the best, and I think the price was reasonable. Actually, I have no idea who paid for my drink. It might have been me.
Although others have intimate knowledge of the photobooths in the city, I was a photobooth virgin up until now (in SF, anyway). I guess $5 is reasonable for two copies of 4 pics...my copy is proudly displayed on my refrigerator so I can be reminded of how much fun I usually have. My cats also now have someone to blame if I stay out too late.
Why only 3 stars? 50 cents a pop to play the atari game. While I spent many a day wrenching my joystick (not in THAT way) trying to get the yellow man around the maze or that stupid frog to the other side (why does he need to go there, anyway)...but now I pretty much suck. If it was SMB, it may be different, but my Atari skillz are now in the gutter. As I still like to play, I would be much more inclined to pay only a quarter to lose all 3 lives in 5 minutes rather than 50 cents. What can I say? Quarters are a precious commodity when it is laundry day.
I'll probably be back eventually...with a whole bunch of quarters. And I'll of course be practicing in the mirror for my next photoshoot.
I don't get it.
Why does a self proclaimed "Dive Bar" have such attitude? Non attentive bar tenders, and it wasn't that cheap. A vodka tonic was undrinkable. Bathrooms were disgusting and too small for a place that size. Super crowded on a Saturday night which is to be expected, but people kept stepping on my toes!
This place is not special. Much better bars in the Mission.
What a beautiful sign! A nice mission spot a tad off the beaten paths of Mission and Valencia. Dark and woody and just dirty enough. Went for a friday happy hour my first day in town. a good place to start a weekend of drinking. decent prices. nice booths.
Fantabulous Dive Bar in the Mission!!
I've been to 500 several times, and just recently helped celebrate a friend's birthday here. Stoked that we managed to snag a booth.
Cheap beer (on tap and draft) and such a cool vibe. Bartenders are super friendly and nice. As the evening progressed, the crowd got larger and I suspected a long wait as my friend went to the bar to order another round of beer. One of the guy bartenders made immediate eye contact with her (how that happened is beyond me as she was behind a bunch of dudes), and she indicated the beer and within minutes she was back at the booth with them. HOLLAH, that's how she rolls! Maybe the bartender was sweet on my friend, and hopefully the dudes weren't pissed off that she got served before they did. We didn't care as we were happy drinking our very ice cold beer (BTW, the beer fridge must below the usual refrigerating temp, as we needed a napkin to hold the bottles as they were icy cold)!
Love the fireplace towards the back of the bar, and wonder if it's ever used. There's another door, which is actually the fire exit door, but smokers and non use to enter/exit. For a dive bar, I wasn't expecting the hi-def tvs, Bathrooms are tiny, and one staller for the gals.
Nice, diverse crowd of bar patrons of mainly locals.
Seems to be packed during early and later on in the evenings.
Cash only, but there's an ATM inside by the front door.
I'll be back to 500!
So. If you're interested in checking out this bar because you like dives and you like the Mission, maybe you should NOT pick Superbowl Sunday for your initial visit. Learn from my mistake, in other words. I was already in the city and it was on the way to my destination, so I thunk to myself, "Why not?"
I'll tell you why not.
If it's not bad enough that EVERY dive bar in the known world has apparently been co-opted by hipsters, who are often neither poor NOR alcoholics (and often ARE one or the other, depending), the NFL, which you'd think would pass unnoticed by the hipsdar, seems to bring them out in droves. The main room of the bar was packed. It was hard to even order my drink, and finding a seat in there was out of the question.
Luckily, there's a second room. Where chips, etc, seemed to be being offered gratis (?), and there was a really hot guy with dreds watching the game (and I, in turn, watched him).
The drinks were relatively reasonably priced, I suppose. My Shiner Bock (draft) was only $3, and they have $2 PBRs (hipster brew of choice!) and other bottled beers. But, being not quite cool enough to be a hipster, I felt a little overwhelmed by the presence. All things in moderation, that's my motto. Hipsters included.
Hell yes 500 Club is another amazing dive I'd like to add to my favorite dive bar repertoire. I went for the first time last night and I was into it.
First of all, I kinda felt like I was transported back to the 70s when I was here. Not that I know what the 70s was like, but this is what I imagine dives in the 70s to be like. It was dark and dank, but amazing all in the same.
The bartender had a heavy hand with the vodka. Thank you, bartender, sir. And to boot, drinks were dirt cheap.
500 Club defines a mixed crowd. There were people there from every walk of life; all shapes, sizes and colors. There's people like me (clean cut twenty somethings). Then there's people who are my parents age, but look to be having as much fun as me. There are also your typical Mission hipsters. All welcome, all having a blast.
I love San Francisco. And 500 Club.
I can't tell if the smell of shit is coming from the carpet, overflowing toilet or the bartender.
The sign is the best part. No need to go in.
This place is a bit of a trek off from the mission... about 2 blocks. I know right? Anyway came here for my friend's birthday and it's a sweet little place. Good crowd but there was enough space that I was able to get from our group's tables to the bathroom and back without having anyone spill beer on me so that's already an extra star right there.
And then there's the great deals at happy hour and then the $2 PBRs the rest of the night so that's one more star.
And there's a photo booth. +1 more star.
I lost count so I'm just gonna give them 4.
Neighborhood: Mission
Category: Dive Bars
Neighborhood: Mission
Category: Bars
Neighborhood: Mission
Category: Dive Bars
Neighborhood: Mission
Category: Bars
Neighborhood: Lower Haight
Category: Dive Bars
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