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Amber - CLOSED
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- No
- Parking:
- Street
- Price Range:
-
$$
- Outdoor Seating:
- No
- Best Nights:
- Fri, Thu, Sat
- Happy Hour:
- No
- Alcohol:
- Full Bar
- Smoking:
- Yes
- Coat Check:
- No
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
Ying F. said: "One of my favorite causal bars in the haight. Actually, there is nothing super fancy in the haight. Everything here is pretty relax and causal. It's nice for me to break out of the financial/soma/marina yuppy scene once in a while…" read more »
253 reviews for Amber
Review Highlights
"great place, and you can smoke inside."
(in 27 reviews)
"BARTENDERS: definitely the best reason to visit amber."
(in 50 reviews)
"Cool bartenders, variety in patrons and good drinks."
(in 9 reviews)
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253 reviews in English
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Review from Frances W.
Eugene, OR
12/12/2009
Best way to kill your lungs and die, with all that secondhand smoke and urge to smoke. Worst place for quitters who are constantly around friends who do smoke and wanna come here. Sigh.
I quit smoking like, what, 40+ times? Oh well, I'm just a social smoker anyway, you know :)
I like this place a lot actually.. Really chill environment and cool place when you want to be with your friends (who smoke, that is). There's a bar and a lounge. It's red lighting inside..
It's in the Castro, so yeah there's a lot of gays and lesbians who frequent the place.
What I love about here is that Bar on Church (what used to be Transfer) is literally right next door!! Awesome.
What I don't like is that I always come out smelling like ass (with a cigarette butt in the cheeks) and very impaired vision.
Can you imagine that? Small little asian girl who walks out of the lounge looking like some dumbfuck..
Ok, you'll see me here again :D -
Review from Jessica t.
San Francisco, CA
10/19/2007
True.
I smoked my first and only cigarette at the age of 5.
It was in Indonesia. I had wandered right outside my house and noticed a gardener taking a long drag off of a cigarette, which he promptly threw onto the ground still lit.
I watched it still burning and smoking on the ground and ever so slowly walked up to it, picked it up, and took one deep breathed long hit off of it.
My mom caught me mid puff.
As I exhaled, I could feel my lungs struggling to breathe. My eyes were watering, and I threw that nasty cigarette down amidst a series of whopping coughs. From there I proceeded to stomp all over it - spitting on the pavement with each stomp.
I knew then that I would never smoke again.
My mom didn't even yell at me. She knew I'd never smoke cigarettes again.
So yeah - I'm not down with cigarettes. (I even reluctantly puffed on those candy ones as a kid)
But I am down with Amber. Even though my eyes water and my throat constricts when I'm around too much smoke - Amber is a great venue. It's low-key, naturally cool, comfortable, and there's always a fun mixed crowd.
The bartenders are easy-going, the drinks are strong, and it's dog-friendly.
I don't think Amber will ever be a regular hangout due to my distaste of well...choking... but if you are a smoker, or are just looking for a down-to-earth - yet still relatively swank place to meet with friends...
Amber glows bright.Listed in: My favorite bars
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Review from Joe C.
San Francisco, CA
8/16/2008
Super comfortable seating, nice lighting, friendly bartenders, good drinks, almost-but-not-equite stumbling distance from my house - really my only gripe about Amber is the smoke - the smoke - all the smoke.
My clothes smell like smoke, and than makes me unhappy - although I suppose I really ought to wash them once in a while anyway . . .Listed in: Bars At Which I've Never Puked
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Review from Pamela D.
Updated - 9/29/2008
As my lovely boob - I mean FRIEND, dammit, FRIEND - Pilar D said below....The good folks at Amber were a little less than punctual upon opening on a Saturday evening. Look, bitches, when I wanna drink, I don't wanna wait for it. When it comes to drinking, I am a little bit like a teenage boy on prom night. I will tear a bitch apart if I am not given what I need! Do you understand me, Amber? Are we clear?
When the bar did open, I delighted in walking through the doors whilst puffing on a delicious cancer stick. Then I got drunk off of gin & tonics.Listed in: The Hobbyist
1 Previous Review: Show all »
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8/19/2006
Oh my god, like...so my friend totally told me to go to this bar, right? He told me that people… Read more »
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Review from Pam S.
8/16/2008
One would think that growing up in Reno and working in a casino would give me the strength to handle the smoke. Not so, but as I tend to stalk Matt H. and his girlfriend wherever they go, if this is where he wants DYL, so I will go.
When I arrived after my bartending shift of slinging drinks at the geriatric crowd, there were only a select few left, lounging on one of the many couches provided. Which is good, because that means there were less witnesses to what was to come.
I was given a Hawaiian Iced Tea, and immediately after that first delicious sip, the games began. Some people might get upset by what happened next, so if you're a prude, quit reading. If you're a sad little lame guy who just sits at home on Fridays watching porn, the rest of this may be arousing to you, but that is to gross for me to think about.
Lets see...I molested, I got molested (although I don't know if it's true molestation if you are a willing participant) and I gave a quasi lap dance to several people at one time on the couch when I took off my bra under my shirt. Except the shirt had to get rearranged to be able to pull it off. Use your imagination.
All in all, a great place to hang out with the hot DYLers...but I will only go to this mass of smoke for Matt H. And he alone. Actually, I lied. I'd go for his gf Kate too.Listed in: Dirty Girl
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Review from Jaime C.
3/23/2008
Two words: Smoking Indoors.
:D :D :D :D :D
Oh yeah and its fuckin SEXY in there. The bathroom is also cool.
Then again I don't remember much, since by that time things were doing mostly spinn-y stuff. -
Review from Jeremy W.
San Francisco, CA
1/11/2007
Last night I was grandfathered into Girl's Night Out, Yelp style. Did it involve a Beat Down? Would that it were so. Visions of Pookie body slamming me or a Margaret T. moonsault fill my apple cheeks with a rosy glow. When I found out the Jumping In would be overseen by Heidi A., however I chickened out. She is part Cougar and all Cobra. I want to live, thank you. I want to live. So my admission into Girl's Night Out would be filling a giant Kate Spade clutch with as many tampons as it would hold. The damn thing had wheels on it and beeped when you turned or backed up.
[SF/X; Grace Jones - Back Up To My Bumper]
Plush, open and full of smoke. Some beers, cocktails and a TV tuned to Yule Log. A chatty dude stood afront the tube and I admonished him. "Hey man, I was watching that. Down in front.".
Smokeasies are anomolous, and I, tolerant enough of smoke that I'm fond of Amber just for giving smokers a non-leper colony place to do their thing. As gross (and cool) a habit as cigarettes are, running puffers out of every last space to the Earth's end gets the Bozack, if not the Gas Face. Definitely sorry that my beloved Heidi A. had to split the scene for less deliterious pastures, so plan your group activities here with Amber's ambience in mind. Fucking Usefulness. Bah!
They serve Magner's here, a cider I am fond of. There are no encheapened drinks for the Happy Hour. Usefulliciousness of review now approaching saturation levels. Must add sass.
I got so drunk here I couldn't tell Al Green from an Isley. For me that's pretty gottdamn drunken. I'll take the World's Greatest Singer Who Had Hot Grits Thrown At Him for $800 Alex. Fantastic! Pure non-sequitur, where I belong.
So much went on here during The Ladies Night (oh what a night) that I won't go into here. I know it's the R-rated stuff and up that really puts UFCs butts in seats (or at least FCs), but you can read reviews relative to every Yelp Happy Hour and get some of that hot sturm and drang. Against my best judgement I kept a gentlemanly, if way stupid, veneer. I now curse Mom and Sister for making me somewhat reconstructed.
That said, I'm now a bigger fan of The Community Of Women than at any time prior. Says a bunch. Celeste, no-one can say you don't have my back! Yay Ladies! And I'm ready to be jumped in... -
Review from diana y.
4/7/2008
This one time I took a box of yogurt and two pound cakes home from work because it was about to expire, and I figured with all the homeless folks in my neighborhood I could try to give it away.
So I'm walking up Sanchez and then around to Belcher St. with all this yogurt and pound cake and I could not for the life of me find any takers. Even accordion guy did not want my goodies. Finally, I rounded the corner onto 14th and as I was passing Amber, this homeless guy goes, "Hey, miss, do you have some spare change?" And I'm like really excited cause this guy's talkin to me and I go, "No, but I have some pound cake!" And he looks down at it, then back up at me and he taps me on the shoulder and he goes, "Nah, I'm stayin away from carbs." And leaves me standing there, in front of Amber, the smell of sticky, alcohol-soaked pleather and cheap cigarette smoke billowing out in waves from the bar, holding a flat of 24 Dannon yogurts and 2 Sarah Lee pound cakes, wondering why everyone is on the South Beach diet now except me.
P.S. They have PBR here. Also, come here if you need to get some booty. It's very dimly lit. And watch where you sit down, because one time I got a mystery stain on my pants from the pleather seats and it took three washings to get out. Mystery stains are baaaaad. -
Review from Ryan V.
San Francisco, CA
8/16/2008
You're probably noticing a common theme: people who don't smoke still like it here.
Sure you have to wash the smoke out of your clothes, but you just might have to invest in a smoking jacket because this place is happenin'. I come by here every so often to hang out with friends and enjoy some bourbon or beer and maybe a cigarette or two. Or three. Er, quit judging me.
Sofas galore, fake vintage TV. Hip crowd and not too loud. Friendly doggy who shits on the ground. -
Review from tinna h.
12/31/2007
Loungey, nice set-up of seating, art on walls. Not too crowded. Plenty of elbow room. Certainly a nice follow-up to a night of hopping from dive bar to karaoke bar in the San Francisco drizzle.
I am not a smoker. Amber leaves me congested and turns my dried nasal mucus [aka "boogers "] black. I probably won't be returning soon, but I know some friends of mine will be back. -
Review from Catherine O.
San Francisco, CA
7/14/2008
I think I just got the black lung hanging out here.
I give it an extra star, only because If I was an avid smoker this place would be quite ideal for me, especially since smoking is allowed inside.
Comfy couches and drinks just like your living room at home. The decor is fairly nice, and I enjoyed the artwork on the walls. Service wasn't bad at all, and I got helped right away.
So once again, if I smoked like a chimney this would be my second home. -
Review from Lauren F.
Oakland, CA
12/22/2006
Great Mojitos!
Comfy couches!
and sometimes i feel like bringing it back to the days when it was legal to smoke inside in California, and i like to come here, have a mojito, sit on the comfy couches and smoke.
good times -
Review from Celeste M.
San Francisco, CA
1/11/2007 1 photo
The first Drunk Ladies Night happened at Amber last night, thanks a bunch to Margaret T. for organizing it :-)! My friends and I rushed after work, took the Muni train down to the Castro from SoMA. It was 6:12p, after introductions were made, we were informed that it won't be open until 6:30pm, so we got a few drinks at Transfer.
Great mojitos, PBR in cans, guys willing to pay for drinks, fake fireplace, comfy (but low) couches and cool fellow Yelpers... nothing could be better. Wow, I thought I was dreaming, but it's true... I didn't have to pay for any of my drinks ($7/each, total of 4 mojitos) because a guy named Bryan (with a "Y") started a tab for us ladies -- every time we would order drinks, the bartender would say, "it's taken care of"! SWEEEEET!
Bar allows smoking and dogs inside, I don't like dogs, but I didn't mind it since it was on a leash. Big space, not too crowded, perfect place to hang out with a big group of people. Everybody is drinking, some are smoking, while others are chatting, people watching, playing Cribbage or Spades and there was even some kissing going on (I'm not mentioning names). Being a non-smoker, Amber didn't get too smoky for me, I've had a worst time at Delirium's smoking room.
Definitely deserves 4-STARS... I had an amazing time with everyone, plus the bartender is awesome :-)!Listed in: Last Call (Gettin' my drink…, Mo-mo-mo-MOJITO :-)!
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Review from Maria D.
3/25/2006
When I was a smoker, I loved this bar & since I'm all East Coast & shit, I still don't really mind being around indoor smoking (I mean, I understand you can't smoke indoors in NY anymore, but you used to be able to). To those who complain about getting the smell out of their clothes & hair, may I suggest the tool that all high schoolers who try to hide smells from their parents utilize: Febreeze.
Sometimes I crave that gross smell, smell of booze & cigarrettes, that smell of bar, it always felt so illicit, like you've been out doing naughty things. Coming home with clean clothes is so sanitary & boring. But that's just me. -
Review from Todd E.
Oakland, CA
8/6/2006
It's been said before but I will reiterate it - if you are a rabid non-smoker, quitting smoking or just generally don't dig being around people who do smoke this is NOT the bar for you.
Personally, I love this place...It's fun, laid back and unpretentious plus you can smoke inside (you gotta love that employee owned loop hole in the new laws)...The venue is like a well laid out 70's apartment...you walk in to a great bar area along with couple of nice loungey couch areas and a TV that is always playing some random Kung Fu or Western movie for ambiance. All-in-all, I highly recommend Amber and I will be going back...Listed in: The places I go to drink my…
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Review from Steve S.
San Francisco, CA
6/15/2006
Amber is one of those places that I have been told about ever since I moved to San Francisco. "Oh, you should go to Amber, they let you smoke there." And I always said sure, I need to check it out, but I never did. The reason? I could never find the damn place. I knew it was Church and Market, but I never could find it tucked away on 14th. But Teddy D took me here a few nights ago and let me tell you I'm glad he did.
Being in the Castro, you can expect the place to be GLBT friendly. And it definitely is, but not in an overly in your face way. Gay or straight doesn't seem to matter here. Everyone was really really friendly. The staff, the clientele, everyone.
I could attribute this to the strong, cheap drinks. Or, I could attribute it to the fact that Teodros knows everybody everywhere. But I won't. I'll say Amber has a good vibe because its a good place to go.
Want a dive bar but sick of the obnoxious mission hipsters? Amber's your girl.Listed in: Smoker's Delight
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Review from Rebecca H.
San Francisco, CA
5/30/2007
I have to put my clothes in a containment unit after I go here. They reek of cigarette smoke -- and that's a lot coming from me who lives with a pack a day + smoker. Why the hell is it so damn smoky and hot inside?
The bartenders are rude and inattentive (one told my friend that he would get to her after he "talked to someone hotter") and all the drinks I have had been watery. I'm not sure why my friends love it so much, but I inwardly groan and outwardly protest every time they suggest it.Listed in: Oh Hell No!
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Review from Quinn S.
6/2/2007
I'll start by stating that I support the ban on smoking in bars. It's shameful that bar staff and patrons were subjected to the smoke of others if they would prefer not to. At the same time, I appreciate that a precious few have skirted those pesky laws in order to provide refuge for the addiction afflicted. I think it best to offer an alternative that keeps smokers off the streets.
Amber feels welcoming in many ways. They are a dog-friendly establishment to begin with, the majority of the seating is squishy sofas and the bar is thickly cushioned, which is a boon for those of us with long legs who tend to bang our knees. Drinks are reasonably priced, the bartenders are friendly, the music is usually pretty good and there is kitchy stuff hanging on the walls. -
Review from stephy s.
San Francisco, CA
2/21/2008
Wanna get lung cancer in one night? Then you are in luck, because Amber is a health condition waiting to happen!
I had heard rumors of this place before I even arrived in SF and while I am not a smoker anymore, I figured, how bad can it really be. The answer is pretty bad and this was on a school night, can't even imagine how smokey it would be on a weekend. It might have been a lot harder on me last night because I am in the process of getting over bronchitis, but even still, yikes, I definitely prefer the smoke free bars.
However, if you don't mind smoke or are a smoker, then you will adore this place. The people were definitely friendly and the permanent cigarette in mouth owner is just as cute as the rumors report and if you like dogs then you will love it since there are plenty of friendly pooches around to pet and play with. I do feel kinda bad that they are being forced to hang out in all that smoke though.
I don't know if I will be coming back solely due to the smoke, but I did like this place and I wouldn't rule it out for future stop ins.Listed in: San Francisco Date Spots, San Francisco Bars!
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Review from Nicolas H.
San Francisco, CA
11/24/2008
Hey...I have a question?
Why is it that no one ever mentioned this place to me?
Honestly...LOOOOVVVEE this place.
You got the hipsters chatting with the "pretty girls" who walked in with the rap-stars. They're all sitting on couches and sharing a table together with the emo kids and the mo's. This place rocks.
And furthermore...smoke indoors? Yeah...that sounds good to me!
The vibe is amazingly sweet and mellow, and you get along with everyone there. And even if you don't want to talk to someone, it's fine. Everyone here knows that it's just a laid-back vibe and everyone is there to hang and relax.
Plus, my favorite part of this place is that it reminds me of hanging out with my friends in high school in their garage - just has that comfy, "what-the-fuck-ever" vibe to it, ya know?
Definitely check it out. :) -
Review from Drue C.
San Francisco, CA
1/1/2007
This was my final New Years Eve destination so I am not sure I am qualified to write a review on it but here it goes, based solely on what I remember of this place;
They only take cash, which is just a bad thing to tell a really drunk person, with no cash, AFTER you have poured them their drinks. The tender handled it well by suggesting that the orderer ask around to his circle of friends to get some cash. So....Chris turns to me, and of course I have just given the last of my cash to the cabbie who got us there, and at that point the tender just gave us the eye roll and the drinks and walked away. Free drinks score points.
There is smoking allowed in this bar which takes a few of those hard earned points away in my book. I know it is nice to have a few bars around town where inside smoking is an option, but being as I went through the very tough struggle of quitting 2 years ago I dont like to be in said establishments where the carrot is dangling right there for me.......especially one where they serve alcohol. Its just a bad combo.
So, that is what I remember, along with really icky bathrooms where the men dont get mad when the women cut in line (or maybe they do, and I was just too drunk to notice). -
Review from Thel D.
San Francisco, CA
8/12/2008
I'm not a smoker but I still enjoy hanging out at Amber. You just have to accept the fact that whatever you wear here will reek of smoke. The staff isn't exactly friendly, but they are by no means rude, they get you drinks and move on. They allow dogs here so there is normally a big friendly dog posted up by the door pseudo greeting you as you walk in. I personally wouldn't bring my dog here though... way too smoky.
Amber is normally packed on the weekends but Monday night has a good crowd too.Listed in: A good Monday night!
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Review from Starla D.
San Francisco, CA
8/12/2006
Smokey bar, hot crowd, slightly tipsy, Stella on tap. Pretty much sums up the awesomness that is Amber.
My drunken brain did not remember to try beer with orange slices in it. So that means, another visit here shortly. Maybe for happy hour. -
Review from Jillian W.
Berkeley, CA
9/2/2007
I can say without reservation that I have never had a boring time at Amber. I was kidnapped by a couple friends to go on a mission the first time I went, and the second was for my friend's 27th birthday/first time vomiting from alcohol.
I like the fact that I can smoke my cloves without hassle, but my contacts were burning badly at the end of the night. The crowd is varied and a little on the hipster side toward the end of the night... not so much my thing. But the couches are comfy and the bartenders are very friendly and nice. They make really creative, custom-made shots, and my friends and I have never had a bad time at Amber.
Dear Amber: Please improve your ventilation system, and keep up the good work otherwise! -
Review from Mimi T.
1/3/2008
I used to love going to Amber--always met the most interesting peeps there and the bartenders were delicious...
Then I stopped going....as I recall..each time I went I was racking up unnecessary dry cleaning charges--my clothes and hair wreaking of cigarettes..some of which I smoked..only because I couldn't stand consuming anything second-hand.... -
Review from Wes M.
San Francisco, CA
8/29/2007
I went here for the same reason as everyone else--because I have an addiction. An expensive, unhealthy addiction that will no doubt drive me to an early grave.
That's right, I'm a Yelpaholic. I'm up to 2 Yelps a day now.
And if I have to spend an hour inhaling secondhand smoke to feed said addiction, then so be it. My suede jacket needs a new coat of seasoning anyway.
No really. I was the only person in here not lighting up. But why should I be surprised? Amber is the mother of retro. Their beer menu design is straight out of the 70's, their TV is inside one of those 50's TV cabinets, and it's playing Pretty in Pink (no sound, but the Depeche Mode they're blasting works just as well (and poor Dickie, will he ever win?)) There's a selection of old tattered couches that would make any college dorm common area proud. And of course, smoking is still legal.
Luckily I am a master of retro, as evidenced by the following fictional (but entirely accurate) conversation:
Me (as Bogart): Say, what kind of happy hour specials you got around here?
Bartender: Hey, we're always happy here. [This means they don't have a happy hour]
Me: With drink prices like that, I'm not surprised. All right, make it a Manhattan.
Bartender: Straight up or on the rocks?
Me: What do I look like, a dame?
Bartender: On the rocks it is. That'll be 72 bits.
Me: [Hands him 10 dollars] Here you are sugar, buy yourself a cigar.
Bartender: Say...where's your smoke, anyhow?
Me: Who me? I don't smoke. Not tobacco anyway.
Bartender: And of all the gin joints in all the neighborhoods in all San Francisco, you walk into this one. Doesn't the smoke bother you?
Me: It's killing me. But look, if I don't Yelp this place, I'll regret it. Maybe not today, maybe not tomorrow, but soon and for the rest of my life.
Bartender: Wow. How about a cigarette on the house...whaddaya say?
Me: I say it's a custom loathsome to the eye, hateful to the nose, harmful to the brain, dangerous to the lungs, and in the black, stinking fume thereof, nearest resembling the horrible Stygian smoke of the the pit that is bottomless. I'll take one. [Now as Sean Connery and/or Roger Moore, leaning cigarette into lighter, then taking a puff, looking into the distance and shaking head slightly] The things I do for Yelp...
[freeze frame mid-exhale; cue title sequence from The Spy Who Loved Me]Listed in: The Castro & Duboce Triangle
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Review from beth l.
San Francisco, CA
4/18/2008
5 stars for being 1 of the only bars that was still open late on a thursday night...
1 stinkin' (literally) star for having to shampoo my hair 3 (yes, 3!!!) times the next morning, to get the cigarette smoke completely out!!
2 stars for some of the most uncomfortable "sofas" I've ever laid this bottom on...
but 5 stars for HAVING sofas to begin with!!
(could have done with a few less kids from highschool there, but hey - makes me feel more "wise" in my old age!) -
Review from Ben W.
Manhattan, NY
6/9/2008
What a great hangout! Visited Amber a few years ago with some friends and thought it was kinda cool that I found yet another of the rare bars that you can still smoke inside of. Now that I live even closer, Amber has become one of my favorite places to chill...thanks Emily X.
As one reviewers wrote, the atmosphere is like "your parent's basement," filled with some cool kids that might be up to no good. Because of the ample couch seating--accompanied by awesome coffee tables made of vintage loudspeakers--and lack of juke box (house-provided music) the mood remains relaxed, for the most part. If you're lucky and get there early enough to stake out a seat on the comfy front corner couch, you're in luck.
Minus a star for how dingy this place really is. The furniture smells like an ashtray, and so will you after sitting on it smoking and drinking for hours. The bathroom walls are covered in a dense pattern of graffiti and other random pen strewn scribbles and notes; didn't that go out of style years ago?
Basically a great place to start the night, which I will likely do this very weekend. Well, Amber, I'll see you soon. -
Review from Halley B.
San Francisco, CA
8/18/2009
I went on a Monday around happy hour time.
The appeal of this place is that they allow smoking and dogs.
Mixed crowd including one crazy hippie girl who gave me a flower. There were a neat array of original cocktails. Not a great beer selection. The bartender with bettie page bangs was not super nice or helpful. The furniture is like your grandparent's basement: Its old and smells like smoke.
If you're a smoker who wants to drink with your dog, I guess this is the perfect place. -
Review from Janney B.
San Francisco, CA
9/13/2007
Hmm.. so maybe I missed something here? I thought smoking was banned in all Cali bars?? Guess that crap can get grandfathered in or something.
When dwelling on my failed attempt to quit secondhand smoking, I found the bar reminded me of the paternal grandfather I never knew. I bet he was a smoker or liked secondhand stuff, at least.
I sat on a weird vinyl (is that what it was?) bench by the window. Perfect. There's nothing like wearing a skirt-suit and feeling your legs stick to smoke-covered upholstery.
My passionfruit mojito was delightful, although the bartender was not. Maybe I scared her by sending mixed messages? You see, my mouth said, "thank you so much, i'm very excited" but my eyes said, "i had a long day Lady, fork over the booze."
The drinks are listed on the walls and detail their ingredients. I bet it would be fun to get trashed and watch the words blur.
An extra star, because a guy outside looked at me and said, "damn girl. you make me wish I was straight." -
Review from Eric E.
San Francisco, CA
12/26/2007
I risk my beautiful, sexy lungs here from time to time because out of the zillion bars in the Church/Market area, this one has the friendliest staff and the least annoying clientele. I've met some great people here...and I generally do not bother talking to people I don't know. Well, that and they generally don't bother talking to me either. Probably because they are intimidated by my roguish good looks. I don't blame them. I wouldn't talk to me either!
The only downside to this place is that I can only come here when I know I'm doing laundry the next day. This is because any trip to Amber ultimately leaves you smelling like you've been hanging out in a casino all night.
I don't mind the smoke, and I'm glad that smokers have a refuge in what is an increasingly hostile world for them. I also won't screw them out of a star for the smoke factor because if it really bothered me that much, I could just go to another of the thousand bars in the area.
Their beer selection is pretty limited, but I get by with Blue Moon. -
Review from LaSha G.
Oakland, CA
3/11/2007
My sister came in town from Texas for the weekend and I had recently moved to the Lower Haight and didn't know a nice local bar where I could take her, as I thought a place like Noc Noc just might freak her out a bit. So I ask my roommate (who has lived in the Lower Haight for 4 years):
"Roommate Jason, do you know of any nice bars in the areas where I can take my sister?"
Roommate Jason asks "What do you mean by "nice?"
"Somewhere kind of "chichi" where she can get something with Greygoose vodka in it."
Roommate Jason is puzzled for several minutes and says most bars in the area only serve beer, and suggests that I "go to Amber for cocktails. It's a great bar."
So I take my sister to this armpit of a bar, and discover that everyone smokes inside, the furninture was dingy, the decor was the complete opposite of "chichi" and we couldn't find a freaking seat. I spent literally 20 minutes apologizing to my sister because I told her Cali bars were smoke free, but I didn't know where else to go, so we stayed. Drinks were decent and the tamale lady showed up, but none of it was worth smelling ike an ash tray on the way home.
Note to self: never ask roommate Jason to suggest anything ever again.Listed in: 1's and 2's
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Review from Stumbalina b.
San Francisco, CA
10/26/2006
Even the dogs smoke in there!
Nice gimmick for out-of-town smoking visitors, I suppose.
Pass! -
Review from david b.
San Francisco, CA
4/18/2009
Date & Time: WEEKS AGO LOL
Company: mY FrIEnD lol
Crowd: not crowded
Vibe: annoying, hip
Music: bleh, dumb
Decor: ding
Service: not great
Imbibe: nothing this place sucks
Devour: LOLZ
Total: nada lolz
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this place is like sitting in someone's chain-smoke, tailpipe-fume-filled garage on dingy scummy couches with hipsters and crap paintings on the wall. why do it? -
Review from Stephanie p.
San Francisco, CA
8/5/2009
I wish I could clone Amber and open a second, identical non-smoking version next door. I do LOVE the feel of this bar -- it's like a hip version of your trashy friend from childhood's livingroom, where your mom always felt uncomfortable letting you sleepover at... but with booze! Unfortunately, I've never managed to stay beyond one drink (and yes, one cigarette) before I just have to take off and get some air.
It's great for a short and sweet post-work wind down, but I don't recommend Amber during peak party hours (weekend nights) unless you want to wake up the next morning feeling like your lungs were trampled by a herd of baby dinosaurs. -
Review from Jenny T.
San Francisco, CA
8/11/2007
There's always a place to sit here.
It's lit enough, and I can always talk to who I'm with and see them.
Nice bartenders. You could smoke if you wanted.
I never thought I could move around in any bar, comfortably as Amber. -
Review from Nicky K.
San Francisco, CA
1/21/2009
Amber = most likely the color of your teeth if you're a regular
*hint: indoor smoking -
Review from Tom C.
San Francisco, CA
2/11/2007
I am so unhip. My hip friend dragged me here after dinner Sat. night. I was wearing a black blazer and some blue & white striped shirt. I looked like a banker. It was awful. I was fairly certain I was going to be shot on site at Amber.
But, you know what, it all worked out. Everyone was friendly and unpretentious. No one was staring at me - except for when I convinced my entire group to play the Punching Game, which is quite literally exactly what it sounds like.
Oh, they also played the song You Are My Shining Star, which I unhiply referred to as the song from that Kodak commercial. Of course, this reference probably appalled 93.2% of the people in my immediate 5 ft. radius. But that didn't stop pretty much the whole bar from singing in unison to the song - which really was pretty cool. -
Review from Megan D.
San Francisco, CA
5/10/2008
This place feels like your parents' basement -- complete with ratty, saggy, ugly old couches, cabinet TVs, a poured-concrete floor, a haze of cigarette smoke, and old speakers to set your beer on.
I have to admit, I kind of like that it's a smoking bar. It's nice to indulge in a couple cancer sticks over a couple drinks every now and then, and getting a whiff of my clothes the next day makes me appreciate the smoking ban so that every night out isn't like that.
Not too packed at 11 on a Friday, and the crowd is more Lower Haight than Heart of the Castro. The assortment of beers on tap could be wider, but overall, this is a nice alternative to my usual neighborhood haunts. -
Review from Olu J.
San Francisco, CA
10/11/2007
Amber is the most simple bar in the whole city (maybe Zeitgest might be more cut and dry).
Amber might not like you, forget if you like Amber.
So don't go to Amber if:
you don't like smoke, people who smoke, or the fact that cigarettes exist
you think "hipster" is serviceable way to subdivide the population
you don't like "teh gays"
you don't party
you're gettin' "crazy" or as they say, "off the chain"--BUT for one night only
you can't handle your liquor
you feel intimidated easily
you want to get laid, (you can get laid here- but nobody at Amber goes home with "those" people
you suffer remorse the morning after
you aren't afraid to get hit on by either gender
you normally hang out on the other side of twin peaks, there are other places to go, which you'll like better, like the Beauty Bar, and Anu.
In short, it's not for everyone, so read the reviews carefully. Because instead of us all having a bad time. Lets. Do. The. Exact. Opposite.
Everyone wins. Yay!
