Dear Mom

2/2/2015

This is my first time at dear moms and I like it so far. There is plenty of seating, and the drinks are good. The prices are average, but the overall atmosphere was really great.

They have a jukebox with a really decent music selection under the one credit plays which was a major plus.

I had the kale tacos, my goodness they were delicious! They were made just right, and had a really good spicy kick to them.

They have a great beer selection as well. So you can pair your beers to your food really well.

The bad: the service at the tables was average, the server took forever to come check on us.

That's really the only bad review I have was the slower service at the tables. The bartenders were definitely on point though.

3/6/2015

Came here after work for drinks and a bite to eat with a friend from out of town. There was 9 of us in our party. We had reserved a table in advance knowing the bar would most likely be packed around 6. Took forever for the waitress to take our order for drinks. Then after 20 minutes she brought our drinks but completely messed up the order.

20 minutes after that she took our food order. The runner brought out a "BLT." No one had ordered the BLT. after waiting another 10 minutes more food started coming out. Then the waitress came back with a "veggie burger."

IT WAS THE SAME BURGER AND FRIES AS THE BLT.

The fries were cold and the burger looked nothing like the menu and was cold as well. At this point we gave up. I won't be back.

2/1/2015

I pass this place every once in awhile so I decided to come here with my friend. It's kinda confusing when you walk in if you haven't been to Dear Mom before. There's a bar in the center of the room and I think most people just come here for a drink, but there is an option to be seated if you approach a waitress and say that you want to eat something.

The menu is disorganized and doesn't make sense. It looks like someone just threw everything onto a piece of paper. It's not in order of price or separated into appetizers and entrees. Nevertheless, we ordered the Papa Fritas and Buffalo Burger. YUM the Papa Fritas ($8) are cut potatoes with cotija cheese, chile, tapatio aioli, green onion, cilantro, and lime. The tapatio aioli makes this dish AMAZING. I already know I'm going to have specific cravings for this later. The Sriracha Buffalo Chicken Sandwich ($12) has lettuce, onions, tapatío aioli, and scallion sour cream... served with waffle fries. The waffles fries are okay but I love the sufficiently spicy buffalo chicken. So tasty! Good place to lowkey come in and just get some upscale bar food and a beer... granted they don't run out of the beer on tap like what happened to me.

3/22/2015

Came here for a gathering with coworkers. Certainly not the worst place I've ever been (in terms of cleanliness), but the service wasn't great. We had to flag the waitress down numerous times for things like forks.
I'm a gin drinker; however, the waitress informed me that they didn't have Sapphire (after I clarified what that was). So I ordered a whiskey and ginger beer but received a whiskey and coke (after a solid 10 minute wait). Probably won't be going back soon.

11/22/2014

"Dear Mom, I came to this bar because I have been walking past it the last two years and I finally decided to stop in. Remember how you always used to say,  go with your gut instinct? I should have listened! No wonder I have passed this place for so long. It's totally wack!"

First, who told you that Jameson & PBR should be paired? I think the Jameson family and the Ricard folks would be appalled. Second, why do you have PBR on the blackboard like it's champagne? PBR is worse than Coors & Miller combined. Yes, I just said that.

My gin & tonic was more akin to diluted rubbing alcohol sprayed with lime perfume. Just downright awful.

The atmosphere reminded me of the bars near UCSB and Pepperdine. What the sign should really say, is Dear Mom, please send more money so I can party it up at the bar with watered down drinks.

No thanks, I think I'll stick with Señor Casanova.

12/21/2014 Updated review

Smart lady.

Perhaps it was a special. Or perhaps Dear Mom is super special for offering vodka tonics for only $5 on a Saturday night.

For all the reasons in first two reviews they get four star stars. For this reason in my third review Mom gets a fifth.

Smart choice.

3/30/2015

I am so sorry. Really, I am. It's true that none of the beers we asked for -- listed on the menu -- were actually on tap and that the $14 burger that we ordered was worse than McDonald's and that the $12 BLT consisted of just a dry bun, two pieces of bacon and a Kraft cheese slice, but still... We did get our food within a reasonable amount of time and I did get a few sprinkles of spinach on my BLT after I mentioned the lack of lettuce to the cook, so I really should have given a decent tip. But I didn't, and I'm really sorry about that. Still, you see, none of you showed any interest in the food that you served us, nor did you seem to care that it was of substandard quality. I know you didn't cook it, nor are you responsible for the menu, but apart from this review, the tip is all I have to give your establishment feedback. I hope that you will pass this on to your employer and that you will be adequately compensated by them nevertheless. If you don't, I sincerely suggest that you find employment elsewhere where your services are on par with the quality of the nourishment provided.  As for me, I will likely never return to Dear Mom ever, if I can help it.  Oh yeah, and the finger you flipped us as we departed was a really nice gesture too. I hope that made you feel better, I really do. I was close to giving you two stars, but now I really see no reason to. Thank you for that.

• 

  Dear Mom's B(L)T, $12.

  Dear Mom's B(L)T, $12.

6/2/2014

I came here because i heard the food was good. i didn't know what to expect when i decided to try this place, but upon walking in, it reminded me of every bar in mission - very hipster and grungy.

Upon writing this review, i decided to urban dictionary the word grungy; because the word itself sounds dirty, but i wanted a more accurate description of Dear Mom. As UD puts it - not just dirty. Army boot dirty. Men's room floor dirty.

I guess i wouldn't say this bar was "men's room floor dirty", but it definitely gave off that vibe.

When we sat down at the bar, the servers were a little slow - ignored my friend and I for some time even though I was staring right at him. We finally got his attention and ordered 2 beers, their potatoes, kale taco (i dont know why, it sounded and was too healthy for bar food) and their chicken bao.

the best thing was probably the bao. everything else was just ok. they gave a generous cereal bowl sized of the potatoes, which i thought was nice if i wanted to gain 10 pounds.

Would come back for drinks, but not food.

• 

  Chicken bao

  Chicken bao
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  Kale taco..meh

  Kale taco..meh
• 

  Potatoes

  Potatoes

10/5/2014

I like straight forward establishments like this. "This is what we have and do. Like it or don't" is in the air. Grab a beer and have a seat.

They have a large and worldly beer selection and the staff is knowledgeable.

However, according to the internet they have a large Connect 4 game (nerd alert!) They do not any longer I'm sad to report.

1/12/2015

This place used to be one of my favorite bars. It was a great combo of good beer selection, a full bar, and incredibly tasty pub grub like carnitas tacos and papas fritas. For some reason the menu has changed drastically and gone too upscale for this place. The prices went up and the food quality went wayyy down.

Without that fantastic bar menu, this place is just another middling bar with a decent beer list. Those bars are a dime a dozen in this town. Guess I'll be heading back over to the Sycamore for now...

PLEASE bring back the old menu!

2/19/2014

When you walk into Dear Mom your first impression is "This place is SO Mission". It's divey yet hip. It's industrial yet chic. It's, well, very hipster.

This joint is a fairly large open space with a pretty big bar sitting in the middle. With large tables littered all of the place, Dear Mom is a casual spot to grab a bite - perfect for big parties. Decked out with distressed wood, dark tones and little hints of color throughout (they have a few bouquets of fresh flowers), this place is screaming "kickback". Think of the ideal place to grab a bite with your closest buddies before hitting the town. That's exactly what Dear Mom is.

SHOT OF WHISKEY & A 24 OZ PABST BLUE RIBBON ~ $8 ~ 4 stars: I thought this was a great deal. You get a shot of mid-shelf whiskey. Not sure what kind it was but I did see the bottle and it wasn't well. Usually a shot will run you $6-$8, at least. So it was pretty awesome to get a 24 oz Pabst Blue Ribbon on the side to enjoy after you main vein the whiskey.

THE BURGER w/ BACON, WHITE CHEDDAR & FRIED EGG ~ $17 ~ 4 stars: The burger by itself is $12. After adding bacon ($3), white cheddar ($1) and fried egg ($1), my tab came out to an even $17. I love how tax is already built into their pricing - I hate carrying loose change. The burger also comes with a side of fat home fries. They were the perfect starchy compliment to my ultra juicy and delicious burger. The bacon, egg and cheese paired so well with the FAT burger patty. Cooked medium rare, it was the perfect burger to soak up any booze you plan on consuming that night. Served on a soft bun, pickled cucumbers and lettuce, this thing is a must have. I absolutely loved it. Excuse me for the slightly blurry picture. I was already buzzed. yelp.com/biz_photos/dear…

Everyone got the burger except for my friend Adam. He got the Sriracha Buffalo Chicken Sandwich. Although I didn't try it, I must say it looked and smelled amazing. He also scarfed that thing down in a flash so I'm assuming he dug it. A few other Yelpers have also given the chicken sandwich props so I'll be sure to try it next time.

Don't be afraid to pick your favorite tracks on their jukebox and play a game of foosball while waiting for your food.

Awesome place. Good food. Nice bar.

Dear Mom, I love you.

• 

  The Burger with a fried egg, two strips of bacon and white cheddar. Side of fat homefries.

  The Burger with a fried egg, two strips of bacon and white cheddar. Side of fat homefries.

10/2/2014

Come for the great beer. But come back for the Kale Tacos or Sriracha Buffalo Chicken.

This is a solid place to meet a large (7-20) group of people for affordable dinner and drinks. They offer much better options than your standard, heavy, pub food.

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  3 Vegan Kale Tacos. Sautéed kale / white beans / queso fresco / pickled carrots $9

  3 Vegan Kale Tacos. Sautéed kale / white beans / queso fresco / pickled carrots $9

12/17/2013

Dear Mom,

SF is great. It's so diverse. Kind of expensive to live here but whatevs.
There are tons of great places to grab drinks and tons of great places to eat.

Oh, but probably one of the best places to do BOTH is a "hipster" spot called Dear Mom (I'll explain hipster another time). There's an amazing Sriracha buffalo chicken sandwich that changed my life. If you don't believe me then you've got to get out here and try it. The hipsters might be a bit too loud for your liking late at night so maybe we will go for an afternoon beer and grab a bite?

I'm probably going to gain some weight. Oh, my wallet is a lot thinner though. This place is ca$h only.

Love and other indoor sports,

Susy.

P.S. Rum & coke floats for dessert sound good?

• 

  Sriracha buffalo fried chicken sandwich!!!

  Sriracha buffalo fried chicken sandwich!!!

7/24/2014

I'll admit it- I rolled my eyes when my friends wanted to go to the Mission for drinks. I can't take the surly bartenders, the entitled tech geeks, etc. Wound up picking this place since we had a few vegans in the group and they have vegan options on their bar bites menu.

The bartender was really nice and attentive. She also put credits in the jukebox which I love. I was with a group but probably would have sat at the bar if i was not. Also the food was really good! We had lemon-sesame edamame, and papas fritas. My co-workers had the fried chicken bun, and a burger and raved about both.

I would totally come back here, and they're really close to BART.

7/30/2014

I came here for a friend's birthday a few Fridays ago and was pleasantly surprised. We were with a huge group (30 people) and when we showed up at 6pm it wasn't too crowded. There was a big private room with one person sitting in there so my friend and I walked up and asked if there was anyway we could use the room. Turns out it was the owner and he was SO nice! He let us have the room and bought a birthday beer for our friend.

This was a great place to do a big group dinner becasue you walk up to the bar to order your food and drinks. There was no need to split up the bill at the end and people could come and go as they pleased. I got the chicken bao and it was SO good -- like thinking about it the next day becasue it was so good. I also tried the patatas bravas and the kale tacos, both were delicious as well. Their wine selection was minimal, as in house red or house white but they had lots of good beers on tap and cocktails.

The crowd is to be expected for the Mission, pretty hipsterish. But the staff was all so friendly and accommodating (which honesty can be so hit or miss in the Mission with people thinking they're too cool). I would definitely recommend this if someone is looking for great food in a bar type environment. Definitely a repeat!

12/13/2014

ATMOSPHERE
Has ping pong table in the back! I think they put it away last time tho. Middle of Mission area, I've stumbled in here few times whilst on the drunken mission. har har. Otherwise, a spacious basic place for drinking.

11/1/13

1/12/2015 Updated review

Still a great place to get a drink, drinks are still pretty darn affordable.... I love that they take card now so more of my money goes down the drain.

But what the hell happened to the damn food menu?  It's full of a bunch of healthy crap?  What happened to the tater tots or the tacos?? And what happened to the burger?? a slice of lettuce as extra?  Don't get me wrong the patty is still good, but no bacon? No tomatos? pickles? onions?

As for food, this place has taken a big dip, maybe its because to satisfy all the lame hipsters that go here?  change your food menu back to something that taste better... after a days work, I ain't trying to go to a bar and eat wood chips and kale.

2/20/2015

Great bartenders, unpretentious. Try the papas fritas if you are here for happy hour.

11/9/2014

I walked with a friend one Friday night and to say that the exterior does not match the interior is an understatment. I was pleasantly surprised at the vibe and this is a spacious, cool place to hang out with friends, grab a drink, eat a meal, or just kick it. I only had a drink while I was there, but the food menu, as small as it is, looked really appetizing and I would definitely come back.

9/14/2014

Sometimes the best bars are the ones playing the angriest music.

Big, open space, some booths, a pool table (I think?), some angry metal music, but solid beer selection if you're into IPAs (who isn't?!).

Nice place to come for an evening to catch up with some friends. And they have a juke box so you can actually play whatever you want if you don't like the angry music.

11/25/2014

nice place, fairly easy parking by car, much easier parking by bike, as there is a space full of bike racks right out front!

Bartender was super busy, didn't look like he had much help.
It was kinda weird though, he was eating food from a bowl on top of the bar in between serving drinks and taking money. Like take a couple bites, serve some drinks, take a bite, etc.

drinks were good, average prices, but on our 2nd round of drinks we each had a bug in our glasses, so that was bad. Dude was very cool to take them back and give us new drinks in clean glasses though.

totally plus 1 star for having the Hella Vegan Eats girls making some really good food back in the kitchen there.

9/13/2014

Awesome burger if a bit overpriced.  Beer selection will appeal to IPA lovers.  Happy to have this place in the neighborhood.

To my original review I would add the following:

Outstanding burger.  Rivals the the best in SF (may be the best; another trip will tell).  Terrific bartender.

Still though, I wish the beers weren't $6 each on a Saturday with few patrons.

9/8/2014

We went because the burger was on a 'top SF burger' list. Our group was disappointed: dry, no additional topping options (such as cheese, bacon, onions). The bun was good, but it stops there. Tator tots served with it - boring.

The bartender service was friendly and good.

The music was cranked up really loud about 30 minutes into our stay.

9/29/2014

I'm going to review Dear Mom from a single person's perspective and then my own.

Single perspective: the drinks are stiff and the clientele is attractive. SOLD!

Me: it's too loud to carry on a real conversation, sometimes the bartenders can't keep up with orders (not their fault), the bathrooms are clean, the beer list could be better BUT you can always find parking within a block. SOLD!

7/22/2014

I dig this place! BUT I went at a time that wasn't crowded and we had a big table to sit at so that could've made a huge difference. had it been an extra crowded night I might have a different story. it seemed pretty spacious and chill. the food was more than decent and the bartender wasn't a hassle to get a hold of. I've yet to come for a popup but fully intend to.

7/24/2014

It takes 30 minutes to get a drink. No waitress, no hostess. No one cares to take your order. There is no cocktail that require any garnish such as mint, only the very basic one you get from a club like jack and coke. Beer selection is also minimum. People are not nice and don't seem
to give a s* about you. Crowd is like all hipster. You can't pay me to go back there.

1/22/2014

I used to work nearby, and often swung by Dear Mom either for a work happy hour or for 'on-the-way-home' drinks.

I have lovingly commented to friends that this place is called 'Dear Mom' because of all of the babies who hang out there. (I'm about to turn 40, and most of the clientele is in their 20s, maybe 30s. I'm thankful I look younger than my age!)

Despite my initial reservations about this place (a place for hipster babies and bright-young-things), Dear Mom has grown on me and my fiancé-who is even 10 years older than me and a bar owner! The ambiance is cool, and it's a great place to have a shot and a beer back. Their food is super tasty--it would be great if they opened for lunch.

• 

  Cool anonymous artwork on coasters.

  Cool anonymous artwork on coasters.

9/22/2014

Preface: We went to this place with a group of about 30 people. Each kind of in their own subset, so about 3 groups of 10. One of those groups included children and babies. We have awesome kids in our group, so don't think that they were running around the place spilling drinks and knocking over chairs. They behaved as any drunk patron would have: they told tall tales and lacked fine motor control.

When a restaurant or bar has dozens of people show up all within about 15 minutes of each other, it usually means that their service crumbles apart and their attitudes aren't very far behind them. Not so at Dear Mom. We put in food orders and within about 10 minutes our food started streaming out from the kitchen. Our drinks were served up at the bar by great bartenders that were plenty attentive for a fairly busy night. The music was loud and awesome. Seriously, Metallica, My Bloody Valentine and Buddy Holly all fit in just fine throughout the evening. The well drinks were generous (comparing prices to a few other bars in SF, some nearby and some not). The beer selection was more than adequate. The Foosball was epic.

I had a chicken sandwich thing, it was spicy and awesome. The homemade corndogs were epicly corndoggy. The Curly fries were curled just like the hair where as a child I'd hide and pray for the thunder and the rain to quietly pass me by-yigh. The Jalapeno poppers were poppingly spicy.

Can I mention again how chill and cool the staff was? Yes, I can? Then I will. Maybe they just had the A-Team on that night, but all of our needs were met and the one flub ( a forgotten fried egg) was rectified quickly. A buddy of mine loved his burger which had the fried egg included on first attempt. Typically there's a coldness when staff see children being brought into a bar & grill... you know... like their cool spot is being encroached upon by breeding yuppies. We experienced no such cold hard stares or sneers. Instead they applied the age old practice of smiling and waiting for people to prove that they are assholes before treating them as such. Considering there's not an asshole to be found in our bunch, we had an expectedly good time and the staff were happy to have us around.

Go to this place happy and ready to enjoy a bar that at least for us on that Sunday night delivered on all the promises a bar can make: Staff that is timely, food that is not complicated and tastes great, and libations that flow nearly freely.

Kids are ok until 10pm, in case you were wondering.

5/13/2014

This place definitely has a hipster vibe! I came to meet a friend around 5pm on a Monday so it wasn't as crowded.  The place itself looks relatively clean, but the back table we sat at had a horrible smell of vomit.  I don't know how else to describe it.  Plus it was warm outside, so the smell was really gross

I wouldn't come back unless a close friend really, really, really wants to have a drink here.

They don't accept American Express.

1/25/2014

Dear Mom has a solid dive bar vibe.  Before midnight, this place wasn't too crowded or loud.  Although the bar area was packed, the other areas of the room were not that bad.  Of course, after midnight, the place really gets packed and walking to the bathroom really becomes quite the challenge.  

This is a perfect place to hit after hitting a fancier bar earlier in the night as they are not fancy micro brewed things but canned beers like Negra Modelo and PBR.  There's a hand written menu for food which looked pretty affordable although for the life of me, how do the staff here find and deliver food in this dark cave-like atmosphere?  

I was the DD so I was drinking sodas most of the time here.  I'm hoping to be back here to try the food and a PBR on a weeknight.

8/21/2014

First timers need to try the Papa Fritas which also can be substituted if you get a burger and fires. The lamb burger is also good.  Tons of parking especially if you drive a big truck for work.

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  Papas Fritas only $7 and they fill you up.

  Papas Fritas only $7 and they fill you up.
• 

1/31/2014

Four stars or five? Can't decide! Came here on a date last night and I realllllllllly liked it. I've walked past here so many times and it way surpassed my expectations. Though we were laughing over the 8$ kale tacos (*eye roll*)
Cash only !

• 

  Bathroom stall

  Bathroom stall

12/22/2013

Cool looking bar, pretty empty on a Sunday morning for brunch. This review is just for the food though. Probably way cooler as a bar on a fri or sat night.

Fried chicken sandwich had a nice crispy crust and tender enough, but the slaw that came with it had too much mayo for my tastes. Also the chicken batter appeared to rely more on the korean chili sauce for flavoring than spices in the batter itself.

The chilaquiles verdes was a tasty messy-looking bowl of stuff. Avocado on scrambled egg on pork shoulder on tortilla chips with salsa/sour cream/cheese all over it, and a lime on the side. Seemed like a pretty good hangover dish if that's what you're looking for. The dim interior lighting would help that, as well. ;)

We were really hoping for the fall hash as shown online, but the menu of the day was different from the example on their website, oh well. Prices are alright, however, and we definitely left full. Seems like a good spot for people in the neighborhood esp if you want something less frou frou than a mimosa to pair with your brunch, but there are lots of other interesting brunch places elsewhere in the city!

12/1/2013

Cash Only. Divey, but not really. Kitchen's open until closing. Last call's at 1:05 am.

Good place to go with a group of friends. There are huge tables/booths. It's not too crowded.  There's a full bar. Jukebox with great music. Great people watching! A bit too brightly lit.

5/16/2014

If we had one last day to live, we wanted this to be our last meal.  
Me  - Kale Tacos... It doesn't sound very appealing, but they were Absolutely amazing!    
My boyfriend - Siracha chicken sandwich.  He ate the whole thing in four bites and he didn't give me a bite... but he almost ate his hand it was so good.  He's still freaking talking about it tonight and we went last night.  
Drinks - We only had beers, but the bartenders were awesome, beers were cheap and it was all around awesome.

9/17/2013

Dear Mom is like the hipster version of a frat bar. Think laid-back, sports-inspired atmosphere, only without the douchey crowd. But whatever the clientele, a frat bar is a frat bar. I prefer a place with dimmer lighting and an emphasis on cocktails, not draft beer and gargantuan shots.

Of course, my review of their cocktails may not be fair because I hadn't brought cash ... yes, Dear Mom is cash only. Boooooooooo.

I'm certainly not opposed to coming back, and perhaps I'll up my rating after sampling more of their drinks and food.

6/22/2014

Bars to love are really easy to choose for me...Here's my check list...
DO they have ....
*Good/interesting beer selection.... CHECK
*Good snacks....UHH yes ... (The menu's bomb, so far I've tried shoyu eggs [soy-marinated hard-boiled eggs with cucumber kimchi] & they were AWESOME...I'm in the process of trying more)
*Good venue....yup...HUGE with large tables & a large backroom (with a picture of Sophia Loren I might add which if you know me ... beautiful ladies on your walls are a plus to your establishment)
*Great location - very close to all the Mission happenings & to public transit & is very convenient to me ...
*A mellow crowd
*& a juke box....

What else is there to ask for???

I am kinda sad that they tore down all the awesome vintage photos & 'roids in the bathroom though...I always thought Dear Mom had the coolest bathroom bc of that but not anymore...:(

11/18/2014

I went here last weekend and ordered The Burger. It blew my mind, it was so good. The ingredients were so fresh and the combo together was so tasty. My friend ordered the Papas Fritas and they were delicious as well. The atmosphere was chill and welcoming. I will DEFINITELY be going back soon.

3/11/2014

I really like this place.  It is definitely not a happening block and the space feels big and a bit cold, but the food is really good - sort of everything you could want in SF/fancy bar food.

Drinks are good and they have lots of good beers on tap.  You can also get in and get served, which I definitely like in a bar.

They are oddly often out of things - like coke - not what I would expect for a bar.  It is also cash only which is a bit annoying when the drinks are $10.

There are not a lot of great places in this neighborhood and this one is good.  Definitely worth checking out.

8/15/2013

I drive up and down 16th St. a lot and always wondered what's up with that odd building on the corner - part bar, part dump, part art project.  Well, Ante Meridian did a pop-up brunch that sucked us past our doubts and into DM.  What a pleasant surprise.  This feels like it would be a great hangout. The room is open, not cramped, with a nice big bar and some bar entertainments about.  

The AM pop-up was great.  Especially the rice porridge with pork, poached egg, kimchee and spinach cream.  YUM. One of the best congee-style creations I've enjoyed... WINNER!   Check out Ante Meridian if the pop up on your radar, and don't be a dork like me and prejudge a place by it's neighborhood and facade.