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"What a great dive bar. Small, crowded, friendly, lots to see and people to meet. Every time I roll into San Francisco I hit this bar. Have…" read more »
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My friends and I were walking back to our car from the Vin Club and discovered this small, cramped karaoke bar. I was already pretty buzzed (actually probably already drunk) and my friend asked if I wanted to take a shot. How can I possibly resist? We walked in and this place was packed! I didn't even notice that it was a karaoke bar until she noticed a bunch of drunks singing. There's a tv screen hooked on a wall all the way in the back and people were singing singing singing!
The asian lady (I'm assuming was the owner-Cindy Wong) was quick and attentive. A really cool place to get drunk and sing in front of other drunks who probably can't sing either!
http://Comedy.com just ranked this as one of the 20 worst bars in the nation, but frankly, that is what makes it amazing. The staff is a little odd, the karaoke is never of the highest caliber, the patrons are an odd bunch, and it's always blocking my path on the way home from North Beach.
Mama Candy is sweet and always takes care of us with bowls of nuts and little shots of things she thinks are yummy, and you never have to worry about how you look, because everyone there is blind-drunk anyway.
this was a total random find but completely awesome.
just a completely insane time!
i love the karakoe machine, its so fun because its uber ghetto but funny as shit. songs play, and mystical scenes flow like the drinks on the tv screen, you can be singing "welcome to the jungle" and the tv will have some chinese woman laying in a field of flowers.
though some of the patrons are hard to communicate with, you feel the love/warmth in the air.
the best is getting completely smashed and rocking out on the ghetto karaoke machine. i felt like the star of my own show and the best thing is nobody there cares how awful you are or if you are even singing the song that is being played. i felt like the SF rockstar at this joint. well, one time the waitress sort of ripped the mic out of me/my friends hand but it totally cracked me up. they still let us continue to sing. :)
they feed you peanuts.
the decor is a total trip.
the bartender Cindy :), busted out the mic and just started singing. it was totally amazing. she was super cool, so here is her shout out!
very random, i had a blast here!
w00t w00t
My cousins frequent this place for decently priced drinks and cheesy karaoke. There's really not much to say. If you want a dive bar, Bow Bow is your spot.
I used to like this place when I was a smoker, but only during the weekdays. It's chill on the weekday nights. You can come in, smoke, drink a beer, and watch people play dice.
On the weekends, though, this bar is filled with the worst, most shameless Marina chodes ever. Avoid.
Well..there's not much to say. Positives - They have cheap drinks and karaoking..5 stars. Negatives - the place is cramped, tiny and ugly and the bartender creeps me out..1 star. While I think the positives outweigh the negatives be prepared to punish your senses before going in.
Thick drink, smoking indoors (not my favorite part, but popular with all my "I only smoke when I drink" friends), free peanuts/pistachios.
Mama is this crazy looking Chinese women who is constantly drunk but smiley regardless. Gave me extra pistachios in case I got too drunk.
Favorite part: ghetto karaoke machine. Like any 80's Taiwanese import, the footage has nothing to do with the song/lyrics. Occasionally in between ordered songs I'd see songs my parents used to sing, in Mandarin. That's when I'd excitedly scream "holy shit I understand every single word!!"
Random Chinese people drinking shots and playing dice on the side. I consider that great scenery that comes with this divey gem.
Hidden find for the folks who want something that is not average. The ladies behind the counter were quick witted and slinging drinks left and right.
This place draws all types and was unique enough that I would go back again. Only part I do not like is the ability to smoke inside. I am not a huge fan of that.
The karaoke is so casual that I even gave singing a shot. Who would have thought.....
Things that will most likely occur while visiting the Bow Bow:
Mama Candy will say:
Last one! Last one!
Don't get drunk, just get "high" (not in the illegal sense) or
He the man, he pay!
The entire bar will sing in unison to the karaoke songs, "Angel" by Shaggy and "Living on a Prayer" by Bon Jovi.
Mama Candy will show you her baseball bat from behind the bar
Folsom will tell you an awesome story about wanting to be in a motorcycle gang.
You will get drunk and have an awesome time!
I echo the majority of positive reviews.
My bro has been coming here for about 5 years and it is seriously the most random bar one could choose. It is one of those small, hole in the wall bars where the most out of mind stuff can happen. Candy, or Mama as she said, is incredibly hard to understand. I just shook my head and nodded with whatever she was saying. She handed me some peanuts and a Miller so I could sober up.
I'll be back for sure.
What a funny little bar. I have taken note of this place for future gallivanting in North Beach and Chinatown. It is a great location.
There is Karaoke offered in Chinese, Vietnamese, Hindi, Tagalog and Thai. As well as English and Japanese.
Yeah I sang a bit. The bartender made my drink much stronger after the 1st song. I think she liked my voice.
Love. Love. Love.
I love this place. And it loves me.
I once ambled in of a Saturday evening (already five or six sheets to the wind, if you must know) to a packed house and was immediately handed a microphone and instructed to serve up my own deeply personal interpretation of Black Sabbath's 1971 offering, "War Pigs". I did so and promptly brought down the house.
I also love the way Mama Candy will say as you're leaving, "Wait, I buy you drink," (at least I'm pretty sure that's what she says) and then charges you for the drink.
And of course I also love the way you can smoke pretty much whatever you want to.
If that ain't love, baby, I don't know what is.
Last night we rocked the socks off The Bow Bow Lounge. Now with a larger flat screen TV, The Bow Bow is probably the ideal place to practice your fav. Karaoke song. The English song choice is limited for this China Town dive...but when my friend's and I looked at the selection, it was hard to find a song we didn't know! From Wham! to Hank Williams...Aretha and (my favorite) Whitney...Bow Bow is an amateur singer's paradise.
Some other reasons this is a beautiful gem of a find...
1 - If you are a smoker, feel free to light up right there in the bar...
2 - Never more than 2-3 people before you in line for karaoke -- most likely due to it being a week night that we went...but I've been there on the weekends and you still get to sing your heart out much sooner than if you went to The Mint or Encore.
3 - Mini bottles of wine. (supa fancy...ha ha)
4 - "cozy" and TINY environment that just doesn't put on any fancy clothes for it's customers...it is what it is and no one gives a crap. Being around those who don't give a crap is sometimes refreshing!
Love this place. Located on the cusp of North Beach and Chinatown. Mama Candy is a sweet lady and a very forceful, if not sometimes tipsy, hostess. I know it's a girly drink that is commonly used to subdue a date, but she makes the best Tokyo Iced Teas. Down that and some peanuts, light one up, thrown down some dice, grab the mic and you've got one entertaining night.
Somehow ripping "House of the Rising Sun" from the gut seems very appropriate here if you know what the song's about.
This place is really really fun! This is the kinda place that you can pack a big group of your friends into and have a great time. Momma is a great bartender - she'll definitely take good care of you! The selection of karaoke songs is limited, but at least there's nooooo line to sing (the place is too small to make for a big line). This is definitely a place where you'd want to bring your own crew to. We did my birthday here last weekend and Momma made sure to keep me rolling in the Patron, and we were singing all night long. Definitely a blast!
Screw this place.
I stopped in for a sec to see some friends before I hit the Hemlock for a show. I wasn't yet drinking that night. No big deal, right? Just being social.
My friends pressured me into singing a karaoke song. Why not? I picked the theme to the Love Boat. Great tune.
After scoring an 87 (not bad) and getting the crowd riled up (laughing at my cheesiness?) the owner confronts me:
"What are you doing?"
I told him I was just singing. He asked me where my drink was and I told him I wasn't drinking. He was pissed. I offered him two bucks or so for use of the singing machine but he scoffed at me.
"This is a business you know." He said and stomped off.
The female bartender (who had Tammy Faye Baker levels of makeup) approached me a few minutes later with a different approach. She smiled and asked me if I needed a drink. I said no. She asked if I needed a coke or a water. I replied no. She frowned and instructed me to smile more.
By that time I needed to go to catch the show so I left. My eight friends were drinking strong and spending plenty of money on drinks. It shouldn't have mattered if I was drinking or not.
Screw this place.
Listening to the karaoke singers at Bow Bow is like having your ear drums assaulted by a three hole punch.
It's bad. Like so bad it's BAD.
When I graduated college, my good friend Figs and I took a trip to the cheapest place we could think of (cough, South East Asia, cough) and spent two months traveling on $40 a week. During a three week stint in Vietnam, we visited the American War in Vietnam Museum (cute name, huh?) in Ho Chi Min City. After gagging at preserved Agent Orange babies in jars we got caught in a torrential down pour and started looking for a coffee shop to wait out the storm in. We ducked into the first place that had a "cafe" sign.
This "cafe" might have been the scariest place on earth. It was two stories of black lights, business men chain smoking and watching karaoke, accompanied by videos of Asian woman crying and running in fields and shit. We were the only Americans, as well as the only females. We ordered two $5.00 Cokes, drank them like shots and got the fuck out of dodge.
Bow Bow was like the "cafe's" American twin, but smaller with less expensive drinks and more taunting.
DAMN my long island was strong... great bar tending at this place :D
Karaoke at it's finest - you choose and play your own songs, no tipping some DJ who will call you up to sing two hours later. Take your 4 tequila shots, work up you liquid courage and prepare to serenade the 3 other chinese patrons sitting at the bar.
I love the old man with the tumor/lump on his head that runs the karaoke.
I love the bartender with the gun on her hip.
I love the owner who is as friendly and as accommodating as can be.
I love the pistachios/peanuts/cashews... NUTS.
I love this bar. I love that it is THE place to walk in and sing. It's the "no expectations" karaoke bar.
This is a no-frills bar, and if you walk in? Walk in with respect. It's not fancy, but if YOU are, you'll be finding your way out shortly.
Bow Bow? Gimme more.
Yes, it is a dive bar. And, yes, there is karaoke.
On the positives:
*Cheap drinks - I think my vodka soda was $5. What?
*No need to bribe the karaoke maestro (just wait in line!)
*A low key environment for karaoke...with plenty of drunk back-up. My friend really wanted to karaoke, and last time I was there, the other people in the bar were singing waaaaay louder than she was!
Negatives:
*Not very good translations on the karaoke TV...or in the karaoke song book (a bit to be expected)
*Small, narrow bar makes navigating tough
*Karaoke machine and TV is right by the bathroom. A bit awkweird...
Candy calling me Honey all night = AWESOME.
Requesting that Folsom sing House of the Rising Sun for the 10th time = AWESOME.
Free peanuts = AWESOME.
Buying shots for some bachelor party and Candy taking care of me when closing my tab = AWESOME.
Drunken Karaoke = AWESOME.
I think Bow Bow is Chinese for AWESOME!
This was my first time stepping into Bow Bow, but it will not be my last. I wasn't there for very long, but I can see how people would come here and never want to leave. The place is small so only bring your closest friends. There is multilingual karaoke in the back. Quite impressive. The bar keep is awesome. We had her version of the lemon drop. Yummy!
Oh and don't worry if you smoke...because everyone in the bar does too!
Wow... MAMA CANDY is Crazy!!!
After bar hoping for a friends birthday, we ended here b/c he loves karaoke. I had read previous reviews about this bar, and all the things they said about it and Mama Candy & decided to take a chance.
Man, this place rocks! Mama Candy is just as wild as everyone says. I was a little tipsy when we got in, after all the drinks Mama fed me, I was faded. It was a great atmosphere, my buddy was loving the karaoke, and he got the whole bar to sing 2-3 of his songs with him.
My only gripe about this place would be the smoking inside. Hence the
4 stars.
Overall, if you don't mind the smoke, and are out to drink a lot and have a good time, then this is the place to go. Show Mama some love first, maybe even twice, and she'll definitely get you back.
I have gone here for my birthday year after year and I have always had the most amazing time here. The atmosphere, the drinks (I love it when you go to order a vodka tonic and Candy says, "No you don't. I know exactly what you want." And then it comes out flaming and somehow it is exactly what you want...) Folsom is great, you can even get Budweiser ice cream next door. Perfect. Right??
This year there was an article written in the Guardian or SF Weekly about how this is one of the best hidden spots in the city. The past many times I have gone, it has been over-run with yuppy asshole Marina folks that have taken over the bar and turned it into a horrible experience. This year on my birthday, I had to leave after singing one song because I just couldn't take the 25 year old Marina b-day party. They sabotaged every song my group picked out, took the mike, punched in numbers so they came out in Cantonese.... just total assholes.
It is just so sad when you experienced how great a place was and then once again, the Marina takes over and ruins it. Sorry to Candy and Folsom for the two stars... it is not you but the annoying invasion that has soured a hidden gem.
After enough drinks you'll be singing "Karma Chameleon" by Boy George in a heavy and broken Chinese accent too.
Do you like cheap drinks? Do you like friendly bartenders? Do you like to play dice? Do you like to eat peanuts? Do you like to smoke cigarettes indoors? Do you like homegrown karaoke?
If you answered yes to all of these questions, go to Bow Bow. I love the place because it's small, friendly, and sketchy,
Even if you're not drunk, you will feel like a drunkin' idiot at this very tiny dive bar. If you're looking for a serious karaoke experience, this is not the place for you. If you want to do karaoke at a place where you it will actually be your turn to sing in 2 minutes or less and you can care less about your singing abilities (or lack there of), this place is awesome. They have a wide variety of songs in English, Spanish, Tagalog and HINDI! But make sure you're not talking at the start your song or the owner will take the mic away from you and give it to someone more prepared to take on this serious karaoke challenge.
Mama Candy serves up some serious drinks and it seems like it is her mission to get everyone sh** faced. You must get into conversation with her when you go...you will not regret it. She's an eccentric Taiwanese woman who makes each and every one of her customers feel like they have been coming to this bar for years. She's great!
I deducted a point for the amount of cigarette smoke surrounding that place.
P.S. If you're lucky, you can tap dance with the gentlemen at the corner of Broadway and Columbus. He enjoys the company and you'll have a good workout.
I was LMAO reading all the reviews about this joint. ITS ALL SOOO TRUE lol!
I've had my share of dive bars, but this by far takes the top spot. Mama Candy never shuts up ... and I can't help but stare at her mangled teeth when drunk! She has a habit of conning your money too, but will give you loads of free shots to make up for it?
And yes, the atrocious singing was drowned out by the groupies of old, skeezy asian men in the front. And I was, too, had to keep ducking from the crazy drunk Burmese dude trying to cop a feel. And yes, I also loved how the karaoke machine "rated" every silly singer.
But I loved how they let us do our thang. We got to reprise Total Eclipse of the Heart ... three times!
Had some good times, but it's not a place I'd frequent regularly.
Great place to check out if you're looking for an interesting experience.
I randomly stumbled into this little gem and had the best time. Who knew getting drunk on Tsingtao and singing karaoke in a dive bar would be so fun?
The highlight of the night was trying to do Eye of the Tiger on their karaoke machine. The lyrics on the disc were so ridiculously wrong that I couldn't even "sing" because I was laughing so hard :D
I am in love.
I am in love with the "karaoke" setup in this bar which consists of a microphone and plasma screen tucked in the corner of this skinny small space.
I am in love with the bartendress who locked the door to the bar and was selectively letting in only those she wanted to.
I am in love with the fact that the same bartendress was completely hammered by the end of the night.
I am in love with the fact that you will be yelled at if you are short fifty cents but will still get your drink.
I am in love with the people who actually applauded my singing here....oh, wait, I think they were applauding that it was finally over!!!
Booze, Ciggies, Candy and Folsom keeping everything in check. The potential for the hard boiled egg gift from Candy, all the while making sure you've got a fresh bevy. Total mix of patrons. You GOTTA love this place!
Did this place have a gong? For a tiny bar such as this, you would not think would have a gong, or Karaoke, the sound system proved to be quite amazing.
Amazing, like the bartendress, who rocked the feathered mullet and chain smoked behind the bar. The true champion of the night. We are all a bunch of a-hole rookies in comparison.
http://www.yelp.com/bi...
Three gold stars for her, and one for the gong! GONG!
Some bars are fancy and image conscious. They're like the popular kids in high school who carefully mind what brands they wear. They're professional and pleasant (to your face). They carry fancy boutique vodkas. They have drinks with names like "appletini".
Other bars really don't give a fuck. They're the art kids hanging out behind the school smoking and drinking. They'll tolerate your bullshit with a bit of a sneer. Kinda. Then again they might just lock the door on you.
Bow Bow is squarely situated in the second category. You can sing karaoke, if one of the regulars isn't watching a samurai drama in Chinese. Cindy might have had a couple of drinks before you get there. Tipping is genuinely appreciated and may result in better service and possibly peanuts.
IT's A DIVE BAR! and what do most dive bars have in common, lots of weirdos.... but in our case, we had approximately 1.
Guess who??? The bartender. all dress all slutty like.
Woman Bartender: "Hey baby.....how you doin?"
Stanley: I'm ok.
Bartender: "Honey, what can I get ya?"
Stanley: I don't know.
Susy: "What are you getting?"
Stanley:" I don't know, I'm thinking beer. What do you want Susy?"
"Hey bartender, I'll have a Fat Tire and a Citron Vodka with Cran for the lady"
Bartender: Anything you want honey, you want me to make your g.f. drunk?
Stanley looks confused: "She's not. and no, just make it good."
Ed walks in the door and everyones quiet. " HEY ED!" screamed everyone.
Stanley yells :"Hey ED, I'm buying you two a drink!" CHEERS!
Outside:
Conversation with Keane, " You see any cute girls around?"
Keane: "No, do you?"
Stanley: Let's go somewhere, I'm tired of this place, the crazy bartender tried to hit on me."
That's all I remember! What a night....
ps. i REMEMBER ONE CUTE GIRL KATE K!
"Dive bar" has somehow become synonymous with slightly run-down or older joints that still serve top-shelf alcohol and have couture-clad clientele (500 Club *cough*). Maria D., Darla C., and laura b. are all REAL dive bar pros, so they may disagree with my assessment. But I would definitely place Bow Bows in the true old school dive bar category.
I don't know why my dear friend Julianna loves this place and insists on going every Valentine's Day with a group of women to belt out "he did me wrong" love songs. The place smells of an unwashed frat house dance floor, rotten eggs, and throw up. The endearing alcoholic that runs the ancient karaoke machine, Fulton, works in exchange for drinks and enjoys singing The Doors songs every hour or so. The first time I saw him take the mic in his own hands and saw his song choice (Break on Through), I thought, "Oh dear Jesus, what kind of fool is this diminutive Asian guy going to make of himself?" And then out of this broken man's body comes a voice better than any LA cover band I had ever heard! The man can SING!
The mistress of the bar just nods to the music and keeps Fulton liquored up, but gets suddenly snappy when people get up and suck. It is the one and only time I have ever been "gonged" and I can tell you that it is wildly humiliating to be out shined by a jim morrison-loving alkie who can barely stand. The proprietress also practically kicked me out when she realized that I was only drinking water (a rare detox phase I had a few years ago), even though I was tipping.
So even though I'm not really popular at Bow Bow, it still holds a spot in my heart for, almost Tao-like, staying true to it's dive-y nature.
you really have to know your song here - the words are off both in content and in the timing so you can't rely on the prompts to get you through. The music is also not the actual track but some kinda casio keyboard rendition - real old school Karaoke.
The mic is kinda brutal - you really need to be able to sing here as the synthed-music tracks are not good cover if you're an amateur like me. But honestly - nobody gives a crap how you sound here, its great.
the guy managing the Karaoke is awesome buy him drinks he's good people one of those unique characters you meet in life that you'll never forget, great fun to talk to
the crowd was awesome - hot girls everywhere and no shortage of people willing to back up vocal through the tough spots. I got drunk with the karaoke master, got some really deep advice on girls and dating from a complete stranger, met a (self proclaimed) mobster, and had one guy ask me why I didn't want his wife. good times good times :D
despite getting the shake down from 2 dicey gentleman and one dude trying to kiss me this place was the most fun i'll NEVER have solo again. I mean, I had a kick ass time but when I left i was glad that I (1) i still had my wallet, (2) was still in one piece, and (3) was not being hauled off in a paddy wagon :P
I left with the odd feeling I had just lived some mashup of the movies Barfly, Goodfellas, and Duets
it was a late wed night, totally dicey, totally divey, not sure I'm heading back there anytime soon but wouldn't have missed that night for anything.
Love this place! It's like eight feet wide and maybe 80 feet deep and it is filled with awesomeness. Wandered in here after dinner with some friends who wanted to get some scotch and sing some 80s power ballads (I mean, when do you NOT want to do that?) This is a total dive bar with one janky karaoke system in the back and really what more do you need in life. My friends and I got down to business singing Peter Cetera, Heart, En Vogue and some Carpenters for good measure. We thought we were doing pretty well and then crazy bartendress lady picked up the mic and busted out like she was Chinese Celine Dion. Girl can sing! My new favorite Chinatown dive bar.
Last night a DJ saved my life!
Well, maybe just my job (which is not my life), but it was still a very nice thing to do. The best part however, was that he didn't intend to save my job. His intent, when he stopped playing our song requests and instead played songs that were clearly not karaoke, appeared to be to get my drunk ass friends and me to, at the very least, quit torturing everyone with our "singing", and quite possibly to get us to leave the bar. Mission accomplished! Not only did we stop singing, we went home. Woo-hoo!
Thus he saved my job --- instead of continuing to sing, drink, and smoke (WTF?! I don't smoke! I have asthma --- which means he DID save my life!) until closing time on a Wednesday night and be hung over and most likely late for the 9:30 a.m. meeting with my manager this morning, I went home around, uh, sometime earlier. I got enough sleep & water to recover sufficiently to get to work early and finished the spreadsheet I needed to present to my manager at this 9:30 meeting.
For that alone I would give 5 stars. Additionally, unlike the Mint where karaoke appears to be an American Idol wannabe purgatory filled with aspiring Simon Cowells, the other bar patrons were quite, well, quiet. Except when I told them to applaud the fact that I'd stopped singing. Not applaud my singing (I was quite clear) but to applaud the fact that my singing had ceased and their ears, for the moment, were spared. I would also give 5 stars for these gentlemen doing just that --- and doing it pretty exuberantly.
Minus one star for the lack of ABBA & Madonna songs (Take A Chance On Me and Like A Prayer --- that's it? God help us all) and a list that is by song only (not by artist).
Why I love this place:
1) Tequila shots with Mama Candy.
2) Bad karoake background music makes my singing sound good in comparison.
3) Even worse background video makes my singing sound great in comparison.
4) The karaoke machine tells me I'm a "SUPERSTAR! 99".
5) Tequila shots with Mama Candy. (did I mention it was Patron?)
6) When I stumble my way through one of the 6 songs they have in Russian, no one knows that I've screwed up half the lyrics and instead, they give me compliments.
7) The little old men that dance with you.
8) A generally friendly crowd, even when a packed bar has to share the only 2 song books.
9) Tequila shots with Mama Candy. (nuff said?)
We were at O'Reilly's drinking ALL night
let me start the review out that way.......
you know O'Reilly's the dark woody very irish bar........
and we decided to go to the Bow Bow for a little Karaoke
most of my group hadn't been there before
so in we walked
and I love this divey little bar.
The owner/bartender brought us the best pork ribs, and you can't beat Vodka cran's for 250
and I don't even like Vodka cran's
at the end of the bar was the Karaoke screen and eveyone was singing
and my dad got up and sang House of the Rising Sun
we had a few more Vodka crans and I said to my sister " do you want to go back to O'Reilly's or get something to eat?"
she looked around and in all seriousness said "you mean we aren't still at O'Reilly's"
Bow Bow is the anti-oreilly's if there ever was one
needless to say ..... we went to get something to eat.
I love the Bow Bow
Dragon & Launch party of Wet &…
Neighborhood: SOMA
Happiest Hours
Neighborhood: Hayes Valley
Neighborhood: Pacific Heights
Category: Lounges
Neighborhood: Potrero Hill
Category: Sports Bars
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Category: Karaoke
Neighborhood: Financial District
Category: Karaoke
Neighborhood: SOMA
Category: Bars
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