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$1 off all drinks - every day, 4-7pm
Mon-Sun. 4:00 p.m. - 2:00 a.m.
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What makes a good bar? Hmm... Good music- best if spun in house, cheap stiff drinks, room-but-not-too-much-room, couches for you and friends, low light, proximity to food, and suede paintings of nude women. Check Check Check.
I love this bar, it's the go-to.
I have been reading the reviews here and apparently, this is a hipster bar. Well, the multiple times I've been here, I never seem to really run into any hipsters. They're always over at delirium. You get a much older crowd here, so instead of early 20s, late 20s to mid 30s. There really isn't a lot of interesting people here when I have gone but I'm a fan of this place because our bartender was really nice to my buddy. My buddy had flown in from the east coast and thought it was a good idea to walk through mission late at night to get to his hostel. Bartender suggested he get a cab because it just wasn't a good idea.
And my friend who was jet-lagged kept on falling asleep on the couch. Bouncer could have kicked us out but he just kept on telling my friend to stop it. Well, who told you to get such comfy couches?
Wow. I had fun at a hipster bar? Really? It's true. I really dig this place and, if I lived in SF, I would come here a lot. The music is awesome. It's like Dusty Springfield told her bff's to dj her house party after all the squares left. Every track made me feel as though I was in an early-era Tarantino movie. The low red lights/paint added to my experience. Rather than making me feel I should be looking out for backwards-speaking dwarfs, I felt like I was in the mood for a good dose of cool.
It is a divey bar, so there are some precautions you should take. 1.) drink your alcohol out of bottles. I don't care what kind of drink specials you offer, I am a crazy-@ss germaphobe. I'm not trusting my lips to your glass washing. It's nothing personal. Bottle choices: cider and Pacifico. I drank Pacifico. If I were more secure in my manhood, I would have had the cider. 2.) Pictures of boobies on the wall. It's art, not porn. 3.) The bathroom was a bit of a nightmare. I'd suggest going when you REALLY have to go and not any time before.
That said, I had a great evening here with one of my best, oldest friends and a new, Hawaiian mama jama amiga. We had great conversations, childish giggles, plastic couches and good drinks/cheers all around. No matter how old you get, spending a night drinking good brew and talking with good people will make you feel as though everything you're doing right then, right now...is right. I felt 'right' here. Like my girl Dusty said, "you don't have to say you love me, just be close at hand." This place is close at hand. I think you'll like it.
Each time I come here, I end up spending a grand total of five minutes or so before moving on. That's certainly no testament to the place itself, seeing as I really like the vibe I've gotten, regardless of my experiences in small doses. The lighting is nice and Skott (also of Hemlock fame) is kind of a babe.
But something about this places seems chill, and not overly ridiculous. And if it weren't for friends beckoning me to meet up with them elsewhere within minutes of stepping through the doors, I'd stick around a bit longer. In fact, next time I'm in town, Casanova will definitely be a destination for me.
The most amazing thing about this place is how unmemorable it is.
I've been sitting on this review for a while because I couldn't think of anything to say about it.
This is a boring bar in a neighborhood full of fun bars. I'd go back if someone wanted to but I'd never choose it.
Um..I don't get it. This place is hideous, even for a mission bar. It's a complete hole in the wall..in the ugly, not cool, way. It looks like they threw some red paint on the walls in hopes that it would detract from the rest of the place but that didn't work. It's like putting a bow on a bulldog, you can try to cute'in it up with the bow but the second you look down at it's face you realize it's still an ugly motherf*cker.
I reeeeeally want to like this place.
My best bud lives around the corner and it's usually our "meet up" spot before a night full of bad decision making. To be honest though, there isn't anything that would make me want to bring a friend or someone else here. I can't put my finger on it....
The bartenders are always super nice and friendly and when theres not a huge crowd I always find myself striking up a conversation but other than the nice people who work here I don't really have anything else to say.
Their deals and happy hour specials are awesome. Sometimes the crowd can get a bit on my nerves but that's just me ;)
Overall nice place good drinks decent people :)
I am not a big dive bar fan but Casanova has the right crowd and atmosphere for a good time. Mission is always a great area on a Friday night and it seems most people end up stopping by here.
The place has a good vibe, nothing fancy or outrageous. People here are not the same douches that you will find in like Union Square, but chill people in jeans and t-shirts just sipping on a pint. The place itself is just a traditional bar with some eclectic collection of art, pictures, lighting, etc but the randomness works. Drinks are also quite cheap; I got 3 drinks and was pleasantly shocked the bartender only asked for $15. That in itself merits the place 3 stars.
Before you even consider checking this bar out, be forewarned that Valencia is hipster central. If that's a problem for you, run back to Walnut Creek. (Sick burn!) However, if that's not a problem and you enjoy $1.50 PBR pints and $6 PBR pitchers at Happy Hour (4-7pm, bitches!), cool and random music coming from the jukebox, and 70s pornish velvet paintings of naked ladies (really, who doesn't?), then the Casanova Lounge is the right place for you. The couches are awesome, the decor is disarming, amusing, and kind of indulgent all at once, and the bartenders are fun, if a little loopy. It's not overtly pretentious, in spite of the street it's on, and, as with so many hipster-infused things and places, if one can shed one's prejudice, it's actually a really awesome, fun, cool bar.
I prefer to get weekday happy hour drinks here, when it's a little hoppin', but I still have a chance of snagging a couch or even a spot in the wikid little "VIP" alcove in the back (I loves to sit under that one naked lady velvet painting, oh yeah). On weekends, it's very crowded and standing room only, and that isn't really what I'm looking for in a place called a "lounge"--or in any bar, for that matter. But the Casanova is still a fun, cool little spot.
That said, I'm more than happy to brave the inevitable headache from drinking happy hour draft PBR, which, for the price, is worth the immediate regret that you feel in your mouth and brain. $6 pitchers don't make it taste any better, and, in true hipster style, the Casanova is too good for Bud Light, which is clearly superior to PBR (as is everything this side of Natty Ice and Steel Reserve), but proud of their Pabst. Go figure.
This would be a 5-star place if it weren't for the excessive crowding that almost always occurs, as well as the fact that they've recently painted over all of the really cool graffiti in the bathroom, which has long been one of my favorite features of this bar.
I've rolled through Casanova any number of times, but last evening was the first time that I (a) showed up sober enough to render a proper judgment, and (b) left sober enough to be able to regurgitate my experience.
Let me show you it.
I met a friend for drinks, and got there a little early, around 6. Casanova is set up like a mullet--all business in the front with the half-moon shaped bar right at the entrance--and the party in the back, with tables and lounging couches near the restrooms.
The bartender was really nice and called me "hon," which is a sure way to my wee heart. She was really good about eye contact and communication, big smile, and while I and my friend just had pints, I saw her mixing up margaritas and BIG UPS for the handcraftsmanship. Yay, bartender!
This is a bar that handles a crowd pretty well. There's a lot of space for standing, some counter space, and a rounded bar means more room for customers, and less walking for the bartender, always a formula for success.
By the time I left, there was a crowd of about 25 or so, and the place still felt room, with lots of tables free, music had ramped up the volume a bit, but was still manageable.
And the creepy paintings of anonymous lounge lizards and 70s-style naked babes? Icing. Or gravy, if you prefer. Gravy on the Casanova cake.
And I'm a man who likes his gravy.
DON'T GO HERE! Unless you like pretentious bartenders and bouncers. My group of friends didn't leave right when they said to leave at 1:45, we were finishing out beers, so they decided to come over and yell at everyone saying we were being disrespectful for not leaving right when they said to. The bouncer then proceeded to threaten a friend saying "I will kill you".
All the bartenders are so stuck up about their jobs, they just serve $2.50 PBRs to hipsters, they need to get over themselves.
I would not recommend this place to anyone, they clearly don't know how to treat paying customers. There are plenty of other bars in the mission that at least know how to deal with their patrons
I think I end up here just about every time I come to the Mission. Dark, sexy, decent strength drinks and nice beer selection. . . just bring your own make out buddy if that's what you're hoping for; it's not much the pick up joint despite its romantic name, though plenty of people seem to get smoochy on the couches. Maybe the pictures of nekkid lady parts put them in the mood?
Like most bars - I prefer it on the quieter nights when I can park myself somewhere comfy and talk to my friends or dance around, vs. Friday and Saturday night where people are crowd farting (I HATE THAT) and bumping into you and spilling your drink. And yet, I'm here on Friday or Saturday night more often then other nights. Go figure.
A little crowded on the weekends BUT what can you expect? Its in the mission.
good bar, good music, good looking folks.
The bartender named Nuri is awesome! She makes a damn good margherita.
I have a hangover that leads me to believe I either had a badass time last night at Casanova OR I got punched in the face repeatedly. I don't recall offending anyone to the point of a fist fight so I'm going to assume it was just an awesome night. I think.
Full bar, decent music, lots of pretty ladies. If you ask for more than that in a bar you're just being picky.
Neighborhood bar
even if you live across town
art work keeps you interested
in this low light setting
it has a feel of a victorian living room
friendly servers
#1 on my 5 Best Margaritas in SF list!
A margarita should be served in a pint glass (or a big fat margarita glass) with fresh lime juice, and a whole lotta love...that's what you get at Casanova. Plus some awesome decor replete with velvet oil paintings and a great DJ (if the DJ ain't there the jukebox is pretty tasty also).
This place a bit weird. When I cane with a bunch of friends, there was a huge crowd just chilling in front with a homeless guy. It doesn't get any more ghetto than this. Inside was a bunch of sittin area with old school music from the 80's playing. Bunches of naked paintings on the wall an a projector showing random videos and images from the 80's. Drinks are alright.
There are kind of a hippy like crowd and random people obviously flirting. I felt like I was sucked into the 80's with really bad flirting going on and random weird crazy people dance.
Something you want to stop and see.
Yet another "sheer luck" find. I stumbled out of a cab, finishing my phone call and following my friends into Casanova's.
I hung up the phone and looked around. Velvet paintings featuring topless women (the only kind of velvet painting that should exist, in my opinion), a packed crowd of youngsters set to party mode and Misfits playing.
I incredulously asked my girlfriend how we ended up here, to which she replied "I started picking bars by examining the crowd out front." Well, done dear girl!
The music and crowd was rockin' and we lucked out by scoring a table in the back. Bartenders were quick with shot and beer orders and no complaints: homey, energetic and good music=three thumbs up from me.
I have gone to this place several times and I am finally getting around to posting on it. While it's never been a main event spot for me, it's a great place to lounge and chill before the main event or even a Sunday. The music is usually house mix to 80's R&B which is cool for me. Drinks are flowing for reasonable prices. They have some cool art on the wall if you want to step away from conversation and just browse for a minute. It has always provided a good atmosphere and a relaxed social environment. Definitely worth a look!
Good music, great happy hour (the pint glasses of margarita are a worthy happy hour choice), chilled vibe, paintings of glamour-pusses with their boobies out.
I like Casanova as a starting out point for the night, or to get a few happy hour drinks and catch up with a friend early on, when it's not too busy. There's just something about how dark it is in there that makes me not want to stay too long, especially on days when it's nice out. That's ok though, as it's in a really convenient location for going on a bar-crawl!
Well stocked bar. Reasonable drink prices.
Nice layout. Good sized bar, lots of small tables, a couple of couches, and even enough space to stand by the wall w/o being groped, set your brew on the corner shelf, and admire the sweet nude staring down at you.
And what nudes they are! Tastefully done renditions of some seriously bodacious babes!
My fave is the one of the turquoise chick lying down against a black background in - very Noir-ish.
We headed off to continue the wondrous time that I call ..... "The Weekend of Heat". Yes, the past weekend saw SF and the surrounding Bay Area wrapped in a blanket of lovely, steamy 90 degree love. Ice cold beers were in demand and clothes got sparse. We were celebrating B's birthin' day and by the time we got to Casanova there were plenty of friends there waiting to pour her the liquid-age-reverser of her choice.
I'll give her this, the girl can drink. She got shit-housed and kept em' coming. The thing is, she hates heels but wore these 5 inch calf-killing monsters the whole night and her 6'2" ass hadn't toppled over once by Midnight. I made some bets to see who'd be the person that "bought the shot that brought down the rock." But hell no! That girl's liver is made of granite! Goddamn if she didn't Sum-bitchin' drink all those damn drinks and titter-todder home under her own steam.
Back to the bar. Casanova is a hipster hang-out. Mother-Hefer me timbers ..... if every mop-headed bastard in the place was wearing a plaid print shirt with dumb ass tattoos and boa-constrictor tight pants legs stickin' out everywhere. Whatever .... at least most of the people there smelled like they had bathed recently. Thank you hipsters for embracing the concept of western hygiene on a Friday night.
We did have one bad experience. A big Rasta dude got totally messed up ..... walked over to our table and basically fell, or rather passed out, on my friend Anna. Poor girl. All I saw were little wiggly hands and feet sticking out from under this huge pile of dreadlocks. Thank God, I was sober enough to pick up this heavy Bob Marley looking bastard and walk him out the door. There is no doorman of which to speak of so I play bouncer and set this weed-smelling mess against the wall outside where he can drool and jibber-jabber to himself to his heart's content. I walk inside and inquire at the bar... "Where's the doorman?" The tiny cute bartender gives me a blank look. OK .... self serve bouncer night it shall be!
Poor Anna, for the remainder of the night she's totally gun shy and inches away from anyone that teeters close to her.
The rear of Casanova has lounge type seats and tables in the back. There is a semi-circular bar in the front area. It's not a big place ... but definitely somewhere you and some hipster friends can hang out and yell at one another over the music. Beers are mostly tap, and they only carry one bottle brand, can't remember what though (hee hee). Shots being the mainstay of the day. Beware the smokers outside and the bathrooms inside, both stink worse than a huge freakin' dump, covered in a big ol' pile of crap, soaked in a jug of week old farts. and lit on fire.
Other than that, laugh at the table cloth shirt mafia, and avoid the leaning tower of Rasta ..... Enjoy the DIVE.
A mainstay in The Mission. Divey atmosphere (the toilets are some of the worst), cute bartenders and decent drinks.
Word to the wise, tho...if you come here on a date post-Yelp Elite event, don't tell your fellow Yelpers where you'll be. They're likely to come stalk you and your date.
Sex on the beach is usually amazing! You know, the warm sand between your toes, the frothy waves crashing all around you..... okay, just kidding ;) I'm talking about the drink.
This is generally one of those trusty drinks that is good at any bar. However, as GREAT as my first drink was at Casanova lounge, the second one was just as bad. Two nights, two drinks, and two very different opinions about this bar :\
The bartender last night hadn't even heard of a "Sex on the beach".. hasn't everyone heard of this?? I believe it was one of the first cocktails I ever ordered - right after turning 21. She attempted anyway, and it came out like cough syrup. So gross!
I still like the atmosphere, but I ended up leaving after only 10 mins this time. If I hadn't already been here before, I would have given them a 2 or 3. So my average review for Casanova lounge is now about 3.5, lol. Hopefully my next experience here will bring the numbers back up!!
I knew I went to an awesome bar, but forgot the name...now after some yelp research I have realized… Read more »
$2.50 PBR's - cool bar staff. Decent crowd. My only criticism is the music is alright but doesn't follow any pattern of trajectory. The tunes are rolling out like an almost bad request show. That said, I came in two nights in a row so I find it fun. Drink up Johnnie!
We walked up and down the neighboring streets passing bar after bar looking for a place that actually had patrons, wasn't pitch black, and maybe, just maybe even felt welcoming.
We were getting discouraged until someone said "oh wait, Cassanova!"
It was crowded for a Wednesday night, which felt nice. Although it did take an unusually long time for us to get drinks. And once I decided what I wanted then didn't have peach Schnapps for the first drink, or cream for a White Russian but I was made an awesome and strong Mudslide.
As it got later the music seemed to be getting louder and I couldn't really hear anyone in my party tell stories anymore, it was at this point we figured we should call it quits while we were ahead.
Ive always wanted a place that gave me an excuse to buy awesome yet possibly tasteless and showy decor items, Cassanova would be that place; velvet paintings of naked women and lovely, 1960s lamps paired with varying couches of fabrics you wouldn't want to see in day light.
Its a bar with a good, young feel and crowd that has good drinks in a popular and accessible spot of the city.
The owners of this place sure got the name right. It never fails, I come in and within 5 minutes I have some drunk guy hitting on me--even with someone else in tow.
Ah well, sometimes it is amusing, like the time the drunk Irish guy recited poetry (that I'm sure he cribbed from Robbie Burns or Yates) to me about my eyes. He even managed to rhyme "hazel". (Good on ya, mate, for that one.)
Oh yeah, they have some KILLER fresh-lime margaritas in a pint glass for $7. Sweeeeeet.
Since my initial review, I went through a brief love affair with this place, which has now turned sour.
It was all peaches and cake after I frequented the place a few times and grew to love the mission. This was about 2 years ago. Casanova was a staple in my nights out.
Fast forward to last Friday night, taking some visitors out in the mission. I actually thought, "anywhere but Casanova would be fine." My how things have changed. This place has turned into an extension of the Medjool or Blondie's crowd on the weekends. If you like either of those places, it's probable you no idea what I'm talking about.
Either way, during the week, this place is still a-ok by me but weekends are to be missed.
Based on the fact that I can barely recall my stay here, I'm pretty sure it was a good experience.… Read more »
Don't go if you're looking for a big, swanky night on the town, but go if you're looking for a cool bar with a fun atmosphere to grab a beer with some friends. The walls are hung with paintings of nude ladies (one that looks remarkably like Michael Jackson), and there are nice leather couches and tables everywhere.
And plus, they were playing the movie Fubar in the background, and that kinda made it for me. Best movie ever, eh :)
So, yeah, a meat market. Except it's like a freaky black-market meat locker where you're buying "grade d, probably fit for human consumption" meat.
I like the atmosphere and the naked girls on velvet paintings covering the walls, and they often have good DJ's spinning fun tunes here, and if you can score the little back sconce area between the bathroom you're stoked, so long as the bathroom smell doesn't start wafting out.
But man, the skeezefest! I always end up going here with my single girlfriends and we spend 5 minutes scoping the place out for hotties and it's just not happening. Except that one cute guy who is in the corner sucking face with his girlfriend.
And then there was the time some coked out dude stole our friends' seat and tried to pick a fight with one of the girls in a group of about 7 girls who tried to get him to move (I was the only guy there and, swear to god, I was in the bathroom when all of this went down) and he was all "who's got your back, who's got your back huh?" And then when she was like "I've got my OWN back, asshole" he THREW HIS BEER ON HER!!
Tres Romantique. The boys at Casanova really know how to woo a girl.
This bar is considered classy by Mission standards.
its ok.
Okay, so it's the night of my 21st birthday and I had just had a really bad experience at Zeitgeist. That was the first bar I had legally gone to and it was packed full of assholes. I swear, hipsters can smell the fear coming out of my pores. My party and I left after one drink and I was feeling really down as we walked down the street. Then, all of a sudden, I hear a burst of perky music and laughter-actual laughter! It was Cassanova! We entered and immediately I was congratulated by the bartender for becoming legal. He gave me a free drink and we proceeded to dance to peppy, upbeat music. I felt so invited and loved!
Plus their Long Island Iced Tea is RIDICULOUSLY strong. The strongest I've ever had and it made my Zeitgeist-induced depression dissipate almost immediately.
Mwah.
i don't understand why people like casanova.
it's mediocre on weekdays and so full on weekends you can hardly breathe. i've NEVER been able to sit down, except once in the far right corner, where the people next to us kept bumping into the table with their chairs and sloshing our beer everywhere.
the drunks here are often moody and aggressive, and the bartenders are holier-than-thou. once i came in after a few hours at dolores park and (understandably) had to make straight for the bathroom. the girl behind the bar screamed at me from across the room that she needed to see my ID as soon as i came out. needless to say, i wasn't in the mood to give her any of my money after that.
the only thing i like about it is the velvet paintings, but i can go to homestead for that.
I found standing room where people weren't pushing past me every 5 seconds.
Service was extremely quick, we had a second bartender try to help us after the first was getting our drinks. That's amazing.
Dark lighting was great for hiding the huge run in my nylons.
Okay...so I have a love.hate with this place i guess i love it cause im here all the time. good stiff drinks. couches.
UPDATE: Kristin, the bartender, is the best.
Who doesn't love to ogle velveteen portraits of naked ladies?
Answer: IDIOTS.
Thanks to my FAVORITE YELPER EVER, Sam S., I got to spend lots of time staring at the art on the walls at this weird hipster bro-bar. Yeah, I never knew hipster-bros existed, either. It's a new thing.
Now I feel like I have eye herpes.
There's a full bar. The girl to guy ratio is 2-to-1. And boobs are painted and framed on all the walls. A straight guy's 5-star heaven. A cool, drop in Mission bar for me.
I came in here once two summers ago, when I was in this experimental home-dyeing phase and my hair was this bizarre, Kool Aid orange color. As I was waiting for my friend to meet up with me, this scary fuckin' dude came up to me and, without so much as an introduction, asked me if "the drapes matched the rug."
Yeah, that about sums up the Casanova for me.
I love this spot. On the week days. I adore the couches, the rad naked chick decor, and the drinks are stiff. Perfect.
DO NOT COME ON THE WEEKENDS! I made the HORRID mistake of going with a gentleman friend on a Saturday eve. It was over run with yahoos. I could not get a seat, and getting to the bar felt like a Red Hot Chili Peppers concert, circa 1997. When my friend went to the bathroom, it was like vultures circling- about 5 guys descended on me, and began chatting me up in a yucky, "Swingers" sort of manner.
Otherwise, this is one of my fave bars.
I don't understand how a dive like this only offers one light beer. Meh. And despite enjoying the chance to catch-up with friends, didn't enjoy having to yell at one another over the way too loud angry rock/slightly metal soundtrack. My ears hurt afterwards, which says a lot coming from someone who has no problem dancing next to speakers blaring house and trance for hours. Double meh.
Elixir, Kilowatt and Gestalt all do it much, much better.
Neighborhood: Mission
Category: Lounges
Neighborhood: Mission
Category: Bars
Neighborhood: Mission
Category: Dive Bars
Neighborhood: Mission
Category: Nightlife
Neighborhood: Mission
Category: Dance Clubs
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