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Mon. 5:00 p.m. - 2:00 a.m.
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as we walked by on our way to eat mexican down the street, some crusty looking guys out front smoking leaned over to check out my sister's (admittedly voluptuous) ass, and croaked out "hot damn!" there's a reason she never wears pants.
since one of the friends i had dragged with me is on a liquid diet (aka he's alcoholic) he decided to pop in here while the rest of us ate. we came back to find him, but ended up staying for about an hour.
it's the kind of place where there are many more dudes than chicks, and i had the feeling it would not be hard to get laid. as long as i didn't mind the smell of stale beer and alcohol on my potential date's breath.
we ordered anchor porter on tap for $4, and watched "wipeout" on abc, and laughed at all the out of shape people making fools of themselves by face-planting into mud. oh yeah, great music too. good times, good times.
very unpretentious. although the bathroom looks sketchy, it was in fact quite clean and well-stocked. cash only.
A dive bar in the Mission that's not full of hipsters?! What is this, bizarro world?!
I wandered into this place at the direction of a very gracious local host. It seems to be a tad off the radar, but hat could be due to the fact that it was a Thursday night, and not in the full weekend swing.
I was confronted by a small, dark space with cool rounded booths, an awesome selection of liquor (including Old Potrero18th Century Style Single Malt at $15 for a healthy shot), friendly, unpretentious service, a cash only bar, and a chill crowd that consisted of a mix of old and young professionals alike (professional drinkers, that is). There are 2 flat screens above the bar, which turns this from a dive bar into... well... I don't know what kind of bar to call it, but I like it. A divey lounge? It's not a sports bar, and the higher-end selection of brown liquor makes me shy away from the dive category. Whatever. It defies categorization, and that's probably why I liked it so much.
Plus, I got to watch the Lakers lose on their home court in the playoffs.
There's a pool table in the back, and the juke was playing some classic rock... not top-40 classic rock, but some quality lesser-known jams. Some of the older dudes were dancing around the bar to the particularly rockin' tunes. Everyone seemed to be down.
There's a pool table in the back as well, which is another plus that would keep me coming back to Dirty Thieves time and again.
This is a place for alcoholics, those on the fast track to joining them, and those that only want to spend a night with them (and the next day regretting it). I think the former leader of the SF Hells Angels was stabbed outside. I too have received a permanent scar here, I think I've ended up bleeding twice actually. So, thirsty-enabler-user-bloodbath might be appropriate? But, to be fair that happened back when it was the Treat St. bar. The bartenders are efficient and usually conversational, it's reliably not-too crowded, there's space to talk and think, and I'll never oppose a stop in (just make sure you have someone to pull you out).
*******Updated 5/21/09****
Due to a very nice PM from the owner, and an offer I don't think I can refuse, I'm bumping this place back up to four stars. This is a nice and friendly bar that I do enjoy drinking at. They have a jukebox, a pool table, and a decent selection of beer and spirits.
This may not however be the right place to bring 70 people for happy hour.
********************************
Dive bars are notorious for being badly managed. Someone inherits 50 grand and decides to buy a bar having little or no management or service skills and that's par for the course. Dirty Thieves however is owned by a guy that used to co-own a bar, Two Thieves, and he worked at Crow Bar on Broadway for years so I would expect something more..
I like this bar and wanted to introduce it to my dive bar group. It has a decent selection of beers, a pool table, and a nice open space. I posted the event and about three weeks before tried to contact the bar and let them know we were coming. I sent them an email on their MySpace page and didn't hear back. About two weeks before the event I called and tried to get any contact info for the management and they said they couldn't find it. The week before I went in to try to at least warn the bartenders we were coming because the RSVP's were growing. Finally I talk to the owner and the manager. I described my group and told them between 40 and 50 people were coming. I negotiated an extended happy hour and felt satisfied that I'd finally got through to them and everything was arranged.
The day of the event comes and I show up a bit early to introduce myself to the bartender I slap on my name tag and say " Hi I'm Tom from the Mission dive bar group" and she just looked at me like I was crazy. I said, "I'm expecting about 50 people tonight". Her eye's get big and she say's, "WHAT!!! I'm here by myself". I told her that it was all arranged as well as the happy hour agreement, she should call the manager to verify and that we were a patient group so she shouldn't worry. She did a great job, and probably had a great night tip wise but that isn't really the point. This whole thing was a communication cluster f*ck.
The event turned out to be bigger than I expected and there was more like 70 people that showed up for it. I conservatively added $750 dollars to their receipts for the night and $150 to the tips. I feel like all my drinks should have been comped but I wasn't even floated a single one for free.
I like drinking here but it's too disorganized for me to ever use it as an event venue again.
This is a good honest no frills drinking establishment with a decent jukebox. It's pretty divey but… Read more »
Yes i like it here, even though this is one of those spots where you get serious drunk, I am not really sure why, i get handed beers and shots and of course I drink them.
What happens after that is blurry, I always miss the bus and end up in cab.
I LOVE the bartenders here, tip them good!
Please, yea as they suggest- just head on down the road to Pops will ya?
Their bartenders are less friendly and more Williamsburg, perhaps you'll feel more at home there than with us dirty ones.
Let me enjoy my Merle Haggard on the jukebox, seats for me and my friends and the entertaining antics of drunken locals without you getting in my way.
Thanx.
very nice place...cool bartender...good scotch ...good beer...excellent company...bit too loud - couldnt hear all what was said but that's a detail...
Hate Hipsters like me, but want to hang in the Mission? Like drinking "the brown"(whiskey,bourbon,scotch,rye?) They have most of the good ones.
Cheap, cold PBR.
Awesome Soul, Punk Jukebox.
Saturdays have some hipsters hanging out, but during the week this place is the spot.
Treat Street Lives!
Wish the taxidermy was still here, but the art is getting better.
Awesome.
Decided to go here for a nightcap.
Monday night is (apparently) movie night. They were playing Gremlins. Good choice... In the holiday spirt and all. I was kind of tripping about going in this joint because I used to live less than a block away when it was still Treat Street Bar. I had never gone there, but saw a lot of strangeness go down outside.
Anyhow... I found a stool and pulled it up to the bar. I ordered a Jack and Coke for only $5! SWEET! The bartender (female - didn't get her name) was not only personable, but checked in a few times to make sure I had plenty to drink.
The other thing I really like about the place is that there are comfy looking booths and they aren't directly smashed up behind the bar stools, leaving only an isle for a walkway. This place actually has room enough to dance, should one be so inclined.
A friend of mine suggested we start a list of at least 5 bars/hood that we frequent that are our "go-to" bars. Dirty Thieves would definitely be on the list for The Mission.
My fave local dive. Seriously, it's like 20 drunken steps from my house.
They have a full bar, awesome bartenders, an even awesomer jukebox, a slew of sexy lady pictures on the wall, and don't seem to mind when i start to slur my words. Err....
My only complaint is that this bar is usually a dude-only, sausage fest. Where are all the cool ladies in my hood?
I love going to this place.
In the Mission I find that there are either too many people, not enough people or just a bunch of a-holes at every bar. This place is always just about right and it has everything I want. First, there is a big tv in the corner. Why is the Mission so anti-tv? It sucks that I have to drive across town or stay home to watch a ball game. Second, everybody who hangs out in there is pretty mellow and cool. And finally, they have a juke box and a drunk guy that blasts stadium rock in there all night.
This really has become my favorite place to hang out and drink beer in the city.
Treat Street used to be my favorite dive in the Mission. It was never packed, the jukebox was always available and it had a 4 square Polaroid photo booth. Oh, and they served Stella for cheap in goblets as is proper and makes one feel downright fancy. It was hip in the most unhip way possible. There was always at least one dog in there. It almost felt like a secret bar.
But then... it became Dirty Thieves.
First of all, how embarrassing is it to ask your friend to come out and meet you at Dirty Thieves? Seriously, no better names were available?
Secondly, and most importantly, the photo booth? Gone. That's right. The only thing that could usually convince a group of people wanting to go to Pops to go to Treat Street was that it was usually closer to wherever we were coming from and they had the Polaroid photobooth. But alas, booth gone, new terrible name and... I'm not digging it.
DT is sadly officially crossed off of my mission dive bar crawl list for good.
After the grace and aplomb with which the staff handled our takeover-size going-away party and all if its attendant personalities, not to mention the shockingly huge Mexican buffet that sprung up around the pool table, I've gotta go with five stars for this place.
Though I've always been a Thieves fan, I wasn't totally sold on the most recent addition to their mini empire until last Saturday. The bartenders were friendly and fun and they tolerated our loud, obnoxious (and I'd like to think nice and good-tipping) group not only with excellent demeanor, but with genuine good nature. We shredded their bar with bad dancing and drank all the Fernet and had a blast and if they had bad feelings about the experience, they waited until after the bar doors closed behind us at 2 a.m. to utter them.
Yes, yes, the old dirty Treat Street bar and its beheaded animals are missed by many--I loved that bar, too. I've watched my share of perfectly fabulous dive bars get heartlessly sold over to new owners who give them the inevitable face lift and soldier on under slightly classier conditions. It happens. Get over it. Dirty Thieves is a perfectly respectable establishment for drinking hard and long and rocking out.
When I'm sick of drinking in my living room I drink on my porch. When I'm sick of drinking there I head to the Dirty Thieves.
3 stars only because I was plastered and can't remember much of this place during my first visit.
What I can recollect is sticky table tops, a drunk and stumbling sixty-something year old woman falling out of her bar stool, and New Castle all over myself.
I am, however, willing to come back and try this place again.
(Creepy old man starts following us around during Carnaval.)
BarmanPaul: That's what you get for bringing your own Tanqueray into Thieves Tavern.
(http://www.yelp.com/bi...)
Keane: OHH......
(Karen K.: You have a fucking rep now!)
BarmanPaul: Are you paying for both of these drinks or just yours?
Keane: Just mine... I don't even know what this other one is.
BarmanPaul: It's straight tonic and lime... cuz you brought your own gin, right?
Oh, SNAP!
Playa done serrv'd me good...
Friendly and fun staff and doorguy: a billion stars.
Creepy clientele: a trillion leave-me-the-FUCK-alone stars (yes, they make those).
Stop me if you've heard this one...
Two yelpers enter a bar.
One with a hangover the other along for the ride
...until Newcastle is spotted on tap. By the way, Newcastle on tap earns an automatic four stars and turns me into a sloshed, day drinkin', foul mouthed drunkard. (Awesome) Add some Whiskey and I just turn into an ass-hole. (I'm OK with that)
Here are the quick and dirty details as I'm far too hungover to be clever.
These are skilled bartenders! They're gregarious and knowledgeable and generous with their knowledge of Whiskey. Dirty Thieves is part of the thieves legacy.
Whiskey Thieves
Thieves Tavern
and Dirty Thieves
Whiskey appears to be their thing. So, you'll find more top shelf Whiskeys here than any divebar has a right to have on hand.
I was introduced to a Whiskey that didn't make me want to puke called 1792( Hey Paul I totally remembered!)
The J-box is pretty fantastic as well.
I don't care what this place used to be. Its a pretty great place now!
This bar has cheap drinks, a WORKING pool table, a great jukebox, and two brightly colored flat screen televisions for your viewing pleasure.
Not lots of sitting room, but plenty of standing/dancing room.
Definitely a happy hour-watch the game and chill dive kind of place.
Oh, if you really like Pabst, go ahead...order one...because it MIGHT BE FREE. Pabst has random playing cards printed on their caps. The bartender usually lets you take a guess and if you get it, it's free. Yes...I never win anything, anywhere, except for Pabst at this place.
A good local dive bar. Friendly bartender, $3-5 beer, though at $4 for a Anchor Steam Porter why bother with $3 commercial beers. They also have Chimay for $6. Happy to have it stumbling distance from my house.
poo.
I liked it when this was called "treat" and there were taxidermy animals on the wall and I was almost sure to get into a scrap over the pool table.
I earned a wife beater in a frisky way. I like that sort of thing.
I walked in here a few weeks ago and figured I probably needed to shower before coming back in. I'm not that tidy.
it's the same layout but the spark? she is gone.
So you take over Treat Street Cocktails...
...and you remove all the inherent charm of the familiar decor (most notably the impressive collection of taxidermied animals, which constituted a veritable zoo of random [albeit motionless] wildlife)...
...and you raise the price of Treat Street's signature beer + liquor special...
...and then, on top of it all, you seem to do NOTHING to compensate for this blatant shift towards blandness.
If I could yawn loud enough to shake apart the walls of this newly dulled drinkery, I would. Frankly, I don't get it. Why remove the decor of one bar without replacing it with something new? That's like going to a friend's dorm room in college, ripping down his "Scarface" and "Reservoir Dogs" posters, but putting up nothing in their place...thus leaving a box of empty concrete-block walls with no soul or personality to speak of.
Frankly, I first discovered this "new look Treat Street" immediately after the new owners took over the former Treat Street location. So I intentionally stayed away for many, many weeks...thus giving them the chance to make their own personalized mark on the space. When I finally returned this week, NOTHING had been improved. It was still the same lifeless void. And, to make matters worse, the old Treat Street Cocktails sign is still hanging outside!
Frankly, these "Thieves" owners and their chain bars have all the personality of a Banana Republic. They seem to think they can be simultaneously classy and communal. BZZZZ! Sorry, kids. You're bland, you're boring, and you're bringing the entire charisma level of San Francisco down to your own flatline level.
Have you thought of buying some bars in San Jose instead? That city already sucks. Maybe they won't mind your inherent milktoast sensibilities. I, however, certainly DO NOT want to see you put your stale and lifeless mark on any more bars in San Francisco.
yeah yeah, i give everyone 5 stars...so what. I, unlike some heartless bastard yelpers, don't want to see businesses fail - unless I really think they should.
I know the owners of these bars almost too intimately. Ask Mike about the time at Emmy's Spaghetti Shack AND ask Paul about one fine New Year's spent in with some grappa and the broom closet.
Thieves is close to the boys house so we end up here a lot and its always a good time. We came here on election night and had some $2 pabst. Good music, the bartenders are cool and this was the place I forced said boyfriend to do a jaeger bomb. Good memories! Oh and the touch screen games at the bar are always entertaining.
The ol' Treat Street has movie night on mondays. How this escaped me I don't know. Saw 'True Romance' last night with a complimentary snack, and a 6 dollar Bullet and PBR special. YEAH! The bartender didn't kick me out...BONUS!
This is a cool spot. Drinks are reasonably priced, the bartenders were friendly and just the right amount of "dive-ness" for me. And to soak up all that alcohol, El Farrolito is walking distance son! Chimay on tap!
My favorite bar in San Francisco. It just is. If it still had a photo both it'd be paradise, but I swear, this is my St. Elmo's. They have Chimay on tap, there's usually a table open, there's an ATM, a place with veggie tacos across the street and my closest SF friends either live close by, or always seem willing to come here.
I really do think this place does something to people. It's like the beer is magical and suddenly we are all in good moods, the night last forever, last call never comes and I really like that it has a dutch door. I like dutch doors.
But really: the staff is nice, and, since I'm very sure NO thought went into the design or seating arrangement, it just worked out well, because it's very conducive to conversation, the juke box is FABULOUS (T-Rex, Fleetwood Mac, Bruce Springsteen, Wings...it's the BEEEEEST). It makes me hapy just thinking about it.
I used to like Treat St. on sunny afternoons for BBQ. It was always pretty scummy, but good times. Now known as Dirty Thieves, ala the great libation throwing team of Whiskey Thieves & Thieves Tavern, it's got a bit better vibe and extra special wonderful bar staff.
Super Sunday BBQ times!!! They new folk know how to keep it goin' Treat Street style! (they pour 'em strong)
"ALL RIGHT - LAST CALL FOLKS! Y'ALL GOTTA GET OUT OF HERE SO WE CAN GET GOIN!"
I looked at my watch and it was 10:45, on a Saturday night!? WTF? This was even after a few "stumbles" by the barkeep at this point. When we first got there, the guy was talking to his buddy at the end of the relatively empty bar for at least 5 minutes before I could order a Bud Light (I'm watching my figure these days) and a premium G&T for the lady.
He gives me a Miler Lite instead but makes the G&T pretty stiff so I give him the usual tip.
Later on, the guy tries to engage us in a conversation about the "Hair Band Special" playing on VH1 on the tele. Unfortunatley, he was talking under his breath and so incoherent we just smiled at him and hoped he'd move down the bar to talk to his buddy.
Strange bar...unlike my girl though, I'd still give it another chance.
The stars don't represent "Dirty Thieves". They represent "Treat Street".
Pros: Jessica and Mike still bartend there
Pros: Mike will serve you no matter how many times you say "I'm not as drunk as thinkle peep I am.
Pros: Most of the Treat Street regulars still go.
Pros: Yep still grimy
Pros: The new chick bartenders are super cool
Cons: Fucking Raised PRICES!!!
Cons: They really are Dirty thieves
Cons: Male bartenders need to be teabagged
Cons: It's changing into a meat head sports/crappy bar
Cons: The few young people that used to go there don't
Cons: No more dollar busch Mondays
Cons: Still a sausage fest even with the staff change
DIRTY THIEVES BLAH BLAH BLAH
I walk by this place every day on the way home from work. I've been in a handful of times, and the one positive trait that stands out about it is the pool table and punk rock juke box.
It's definately divey.
Alot of times when I walk by there are beautiful nerdy boys with beards and tattoos out front smoking cigarrettes. My loins quiver and my heart flutters, but I keep walking anyway. Shame on me for being such a pussy.
Supposedly used to be one of the most dangerous corners in all of SF. Times have changed, it's still a little sketchy but an excellent place to meet decent folk. Hell of a lot better place to hangout than the phone booth or pops. Radderberger is excellent on tap.
I don't know what it used to be, all I know is what it is now: A serviceable Mission Dive with cheap drinks, a phenomenal jukebox, & plenty of elbow room. I don't live nearby & doubt I'd make a special effort to hop down from the West Add for a beverage, but every neighborhood needs a dive, & this place qualifies. If for nothing else, then for the fact that a drunk old guy got pissed that I washed my hands before leaving the restroom. SOLID!
Kronenberg (spl?) on tap..mmmm yes! cHIMAY ON TAP!mmmm , i have been when its been dead and at night when its been alive. I prefer dead, just because I prefer drinking in solitude. J.k either way the crowd is cool, bartenders are "aite" and its overall my choice off the main mission crowded spots and the box...has a sweet selection. Parking is always available and for some reason I was walking around there the other day and it sounded like I was walking in the tropics of Vallarta, crazy amounts of birds in the trees right around. (ramble ramble). hmmm I did get a cute kiss there once.. hmm so overall good experiences.....
Big Chris has taken to coming over once a week to "keep it real" and offer support, advice and ass-slapping. He's like my therapist, his pearls of wisdom are so fantastic. Although I must admit, I've never had a therapist who sported Air Jordans and openly discussed my boobs.
Anyway, Chris is pretty insistent that Dirty Thieves become our new hangout and I have to admit, this place rocks. I was initially afraid to enter this place, but I was soon converted by the strong ass drinks, awesome bar staff and friendly regulars who look like they'd kick my ass, but are really quite lovely.
Sure, a couple of the characters scare the shit out of me, and the last time we were there, a fight broke out by the pool table. But all in all, I always have a great time.
And, it's so close to my house and the drinks are so packed with alcohol, Chris always gets drunk enough to agree to hang out until the wee hours and watch Muriel's Wedding.
So, you know, bonus...
This is a fine neighborhood dive. A lot of people are writing, "this place sucks because it's not like when it was treat". Who cares? The pool table is always free, happy hour ends at 8, and the jukebox is good. Plus the bartender last night was awesome and gave us happy hour prices even though we missed the cut off by 15 minutes. I think it aspires to be like Pop's which is a little annoying, but until coked-up scary girls start showing up I'll continue to frequent Dirty Thieves.
I live right around the corner from dirty thieves, and i think it has become my go to bar for any occasion. I never did sponsor treat st. bar very much, but for some reason now that it changed i go there all the time. i think it may be because it has better staff and it's not so gross in there anymore. Jasmine and Justin are my favorite.
this is where the treat st bar used to be. still has a great jukebox and the french-only atm machine. pool table, cheap drinks, friendly bartenders. i like it! plus a great taco place right across the street for your late night fix.
imagine, if you will, dear reader, treat st. cocktails with no dead animals on the walls, fewer beer-oriented decorations, no jesus or virgin mary candlelighting on the tables, and a photo booth. or maybe treat st. did have a photo booth. it doesn't really matter. at any rate, it's more or less exactly like treat st. but distinctly lacking in the dead animal department.
well, that isn't quite true. the redneck special is now $6 and includes a tall glass of radenburger, or some such german import. there are no longer $2 drafts of busch, which is a definite downside in my opinion but not everyone has a palate as discerning as mine, so i leave you to your own opinions on the merits of $2 busch.
granted, it's still cheap, the vibe is decent and they let me eat a torta from tonayense inside. i guess the floor was probably cleaner (read: had been washed, ever) and more interesting decor is probably forthcoming, etc etc.
what i am really wondering about is what happened to all of the mounted animals. did the former owners hold on to all of them, where they now languish in someone's garage or a storage unit? were they handed out to former bartenders and regulars as tokens of appreciation and remembrance? or, most disturbingly, was there some sort of dead mounted animal yardsale that i missed, thereby squandering a golden opportunity to hang dead animals in my house with the intention of recreating the scene in "evil dead" where the animals mounted on the walls of the cabin come alive and sing, or talk, or some combination of the two? come to think of it, maybe it was evil dead 2.
$4 drafts. that's cool. the booths are nice. I went there on halloween...its dark and sometimes when i walk by the place, it creeps me out. i'm on the fence about if i would ever go back there again.
Neighborhood: Mission
Category: Pubs
Neighborhood: Mission
Category: Dive Bars
Neighborhood: Mission
Category: Dive Bars
Neighborhood: Mission
Category: Dive Bars
Neighborhood: Bernal Heights
Category: Dive Bars
