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Categories: Pubs, Burgers, American (Traditional) [Edit]
Neighborhood: SOMA"I am a lucky lady- I've been to many bars throughout several states. I've been from fancy-shmancy to full-on-dive, favoring the latter to…" read more »
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I went here for the first time ever yesterday. This place has some serious character! Old school and kitschy, with a fat orange cat (I love cats!) and real live piano-player lady.
Our waitress was very nice and gave us a good deal on the drinks too!
Would be nice if they turned the lights down a notch, it was a little bright for my taste, but I'd come here again :)
I wish there was a way to put ZERO stars! So I went here for an interview to be a part time bartender. BIG MISTAKE! HUGE! You walk into the place, with a man hooked up to his oxygen tank sitting on the right, covered with cat hair with his stomach coming out of his shirt while smoking a cigar (WITH THE OXYGEN TANK ON!!!). He started off with questions like: "how tall are you, what does your father do for a living"? All of this was fine with me, until he (Norm) asked me...
Norm: "are you a JEW?"
Me: "Yes"
Norm: "Why are jews hated so much?"
Me: "because people are jealous of our success"
Norm: "Thank you ...we will contact you if you are needed"
Me: mouth dropped to the floor ...in disbelief that i have just been profiled and discriminated against.
I have not indured this kind of treatment since i was a 13 years old, growing up in former soviet union....as i think about this more and more, I get beyond angry at the ignorance of him, the people that visit this place and those that work there! Filing a lawsuit against this man for discrimination may be the route to take...and based on the reviews, this is how he treats others as well, who are not "up to his standard".
Just DISGUSTED!!!
Tons of fun, and a great atmosphere. It is our go-to place when we want more than a dive, but not a snazzy club.
We were very pleasantly surprised by the food, and variety of options. So far I have enjoyed the fish and chip (AND they have malt vinegar...an essential for a native Bostonian) and friend has had the skirt steak. He states it was cooked rare and just like he wanted it.
Both were very afforable.
Mixed drinks are creative and yummy. But they make a classic bar drink well.
Plus the motorcylce haning from the ceiling are fun.
Some, perhaps, are scared away when they walk in the door and immediately are greeted by the man hooked up to his oxygen tank, watching old re-runs of crime shows. But they are weak.
This place has personality and I love it. Great ambiance. very unusual.
Never had anything to eat here, just bellied up to the bar and met Mr. Higgins (the cat) when he walked across the bar and threw back a rocks glass of water that the bartender poured for him. My cat's name is Mrs. Gibbons and I am always thinking about ways to set the two up.
Well.....the bikes are pretty cool.
Other than that, this place is just a big, tepid glass of "not quite." Went there after work on a Friday, had one beer, and left immediately. No interesting people, a bitchy bartender, tv turned up way too loud, too bright. I didn't run into the oxygen tank dude, and I never will because I will not be going back.
Hey employees of Eddie Rickebacker's! How on earth do you justify earning a paycheck from this establishment???
Motorcycles hanging from the ceiling- check.
Emerald Chandeliers- check.
Old man hooked up to an oxygen tank sleeping in a bark-a-lounger- check.
30 lb cat named Mr. Higgins- check.
Gun Rack- check.
Stumbled into this bar on accident a couple of years ago, and have been back several times since. It's always the same... not crowded, no blaring music... a good place to grab a beer with friends. The decor is rediculous and entertaining in it's own right. Definitely one of my favorite places in the city.
To those that have been before, check out Mr Higgins fan page on facebook! :)
I needed some food since we had been drinking at 111 Minna.
It had been awhile since I had come here. I love the vintage motorcycles hanging.
I had the fish and chips. It was ok. I am still searching for my ultimate plate of fish & chips. They offer a variety of other food.
The drinks are strong and inventive. I had the "Grateful Dead" Vodka, gin, tequila, rum, triple sec, chambourd and ginger ale.
This is the last time I intentionally eat here, and likely will avoid any invitations as well, even if free. However, if the owner came looking for me trying to arrange a meeting between my knees and a lead pipe, I'd say I'd return then immediately skip town and go into witness protection. But the more I think of it, the less palatable it becomes.
I've eaten here three times now; the first was outdoors, and I tell ya, eating on a sunny and busy SF sidewalk really does much for a restaurant experience, but the second time I ate indoors and got to see how weirdly funky this place is, as if it was a garage that decided to serve food in it, and maybe drinks too. The most alarming part was the freely roaming cat. I still don't know how this passes health inspection. I know I should say the large, sleeping man should be the most alarming, but it's SF and it's not like strangely vagrant types who catch some z's in a public place is unheard of, let alone uncommon.
This third time, however, I could smell the cat. I've lived with cats in the past, and let me tell you, it can be unsettling when that familiar air of cat crosses your olfactory senses when your appetite is awake. I also found the food to be somewhat less than enjoyable, but it could easily be the cat. This time, however, a model train I never knew existed blared its way around the restaurant, so much so I couldn't order for a few minutes until it passed. An assault on the senses does not make for an enjoyable experience when the assault is as profoundly negative as this one.
Their servers are very nice, very quick, and they seem very attentive and ready to help. Their prices are a bit high, but I suppose nothing terrible compared to anything in SF. But really, most of the good points, of which there are few, aren't enough to anchor my interest in this place.
I've been here a couple times, mostly for a good ol' beer snack, and I haven't been disappointed. The beer selection is decent, but the only thing is you'll be paying $4.50 - $5 for one, and I've been able to find $3 beers at other places in the Financial District.
They have $5 food specials too; I got a good sized tuna melt with plenty of fixings and didn't leave hungry.
Of course, the vintage motorcycles are awesome, go here just to get a beer and check out the motorcycles hanging from the ceiling. Avoid this place if you suspect an earthquake as there are also large chandeliers.
I love this place. The bartenders there are a great bunch of girls that kick so much ass, and are not afraid to sass jerk customers. Say hi to Mr. Higgins!
kinda cool gimmick with all the bikes... but oh so depressing!
It was dead when we walked in. Understandably so, because it was pretty darn early. We drank in silence, listening to some depressing music as the bar owner (who was hooked up to an IV and watching a TV at the front of the bar) yelled incessantly at the bartender.
+1 for the cool fat cat, but not so much for the fact that he was freely roaming along the bar counter (doesn't that violate some sort of health code?..)
Dining under a suspended motorcycle is a rare experience. You really haven't lived until you've casually looked up from your surprisingly tasty crab dip and discovered the real wheel of a 500 lb. 1971's Triumph Daytona a couple of feet above your head. Oh, and then the strange piano-clarinet duo begin playing 1920's advertising jingles while the giant orange tabby paws your legs beneath the table, asking to be picked up.
It's a bit of a, um, surreal place.
Really nothing special but not exactly terrible, either. "Meh. I've experienced better" sums it up pretty well for me.
Eddie Rickenbacker's has bikes hanging from the ceiling and the whole place is a bit of a visual over-load, but if you stay long enough you see well through the gimmick, and you know that without these things this establishment would not survive in San Francisco, one of the most competitive restaurant industries in the world.
I've been here twice in three years, even though I work nearby. I think that's probably one time more than most people who have tried Eddie's.
This is by far the most unusual restaraunt/bar that i have ever been to. My co-workers & i went here to celebrate mine & my boss' birthday & had quite the experience. Everything about the place was kind of wierd & creepy... 1) The Garfield cat freely roaming around & jumping on tables to eat leftovers 2) The owner w/ the oxygen tank sitting in the corner on a couch that seems to be older than him 3) hanging motorcycles & decor.
They have a great fried food selection & a drink menu that is affordable. Our waitress was great & even gave us a complimentary appetizer & drinks for our birthdays.
Overall our service was great, food was okay, experience was very interesting...
I walk by Eddie Rickenbacker's everyday on my morning commute. I finally got to try it. The ambiance inside is nice--tons of bikes hanging from the ceiling, that's pretty rad.
Ordered a "The Works" hamburger and now have a stomach ache. It was tasty but really greasy, or was that juicy lol? Wouldn't say it was anything special, just that they used bread instead of a bun--that made it tough to eat. The steak fries were good though--perfectly crispy on the outside and soft on the inside. Don't think I'd go back--perhaps for Happy Hour sometime.
we came here after the giants game because nico had to take a piss. in an effort to look like actual "customers" we ordered a couple bud lights. they also have irish coffee here for $2.50 all day. not bad... they have a bunch of motorcycles hanging from the ceiling. very cool. the live piano player was nice as well.
but the main attraction was mr. higgins, the fat orange cat! we had seen pictures of him everywhere, around the bar, and we were all like "wow that's a cute cat!" then, we saw him being carried to the bar! he slept on the bar and let us play with him. there was a sign saying his weight and stating that he's an alcoholic, lol. screw the beer, i can't wait to come back and play with mr. higgins a little more!
Once my eyes adjusted from the visual overload, vintage motorcycles suspended from the ceiling, Tiffany lamps illuminating the bar, and a noisy toy train chugging around the perimeter of the place, the glorious sign Bill B had promised appeared above my head. PSA, yelpers: $2.50 for a bold Irish coffees with a delightful contrast of brew to cold, frothy milk. And the waves parted, and I walked down the righteous path of inebriation.
I can't speak to the food, but the taps are decent. Save a stool for me, folks. On blustery days, happy hour will never be the same.
I'm a fan of this place because they got cool motorcycles hanging from the ceiling!!! Classic bikes from all different time periods that you can actually buy. (of course they are crazy pricey since they're collector type items.) I had the fish and chips here and they were pretty good. Not over fried and the chips were not all crispy either. Service is good and they always refilled my Arnold Palmer pretty quickly. Food is a bit pricey but then again it's in the Financial District. Awesome place to have lunch in this area. Oh yes the cat... The cat is HUGE! Just watch where you step before you kick the cat ok?
Been here a couple of times and it has failed to win me over. The food is overpriced and run-of-the-mill, but you do get fairly manly portions - I once ordered a Cobb Salad for lunch and it totally took me out the game. It must have had several eggs, a brick of blue cheese and at least one whole pig's worth of bacon. The pulled pork sandwich is decent. Not much else to report. The only special thing about the place is the sweet motorcycles hanging from the walls.
The weirdest thing is that the owner, an older dude, resides in the corner hooked up to some sort of machine that I guess is keeping him alive (no word of a lie). He sent a waitress over to ask if we could keep the noise down when we were having a birthday dinner with about thirty people. Sure thing, granddad, I forgot this was a library because you took a dinner reservation for a massive group and served us alcohol all night. Open up a flower shop or something, pops!
Anyway, besides disturbing Father Time, we were mostly left to our own devices, as the service was pretty slow. It was a large group, granted, but we had to ask for our beers several times over on more than one occasion. Rubbish. Nothing worse than finishing your beer and then waiting half an hour for a new one because you keep being told it is on its way. I recommend ordering your drinks at the bar and not with your waitress unless you like playing the neck-craning 'I think she's bringing our beers...' game.
My friends and I wanted to grab a bite to eat after happy hour at Zebulon. Well, whaddya know...Eddie Rickenbacker's is right around the corner! This was my first time here, and it was definitely different compared to other bars I've been to. There are a bunch of motorcycles and bikes everywhere( http://static.px.yelp.... ). And there's a huge, friendly, Garfield-looking cat that roams around( http://static.px.yelp.... ).
I was done drinking, but some of my friends ordered Bloody Mary's( http://static.px.yelp.... ). I had a sip, and it was really good, but I stuck to my water. The food was pretty good. I had the fish & chips( http://static.px.yelp.... ). The fish was battered just right, and the fries were thick and crispy. I had a bite of my friend's Angel Hair Pasta( http://static.px.yelp.... ) and that was really good...lots of shrimp with good sauce.
The service was really good. They were very accommodating to my group of 8 drunkards. My friends said they're known for their burgers( http://static.px.yelp.... ). I didn't get to try it this time, but I'll be back for one after another happy hour!
A lot of the reviewers seem to be convinced that personality is enough of a reason to eat or drink somewhere. Yes, this place is oozing personality and the emphasis is on the word "ooze". You've read it all before about the cat and the man on oxygen so I'll spare you my story involving the cat, its dandruff, etc.
I stumbled upon this place earlier this month after a Giants game. OK, honestly, just walked by it and it looked interesting. There wasn't a big crowd and the fact that it was about two hours after a Giants game said something.
Today I actually stepped in for a drink after a Giants game. It was interesting inside. I didn't have any food or anything special to drink. There are motorcycles all over and some guns as well.
I don't know if I'd come back to try the food. I did notice an older gentleman in the corner as I was leaving hooked up to an oxygen like device. I guess others that have suggested it's the owner. I didn't see the cat that everyone was talking about, but I did see a stuffed one.
Strange place. Don't know if I'd return.
GRRRRRRR!!! If I could give them NEGATIVE 5 Stars I would!
SO about 2 weeks after I wrote the bad review about them I was hoping to never have to set foot in that place again, but my boss was craving a burger. So here I go downstairs to see them and one of the girls mentioned in the review either read my review or was told about it. So she confronts me about it! She says with a sneer on her face "what was up with that Yelp review" and I responded, I just wrote about my experience and hoped to never have to come back, matter of fact this food is not even for me. (oh and btw, they also took for ever to complete this one order) she just gave me a nasty look and stared me down for the next couple of minutes as she drying some dishes at the bar, she never took her eyes off of me.
Was she trying to intimidate me?
Ummmm was she trying to fight me?
Whatev! I could care less, I'm never going back there again.
The first time I ever went there I was soooo stoked to take my BF there because he and his dad are HUGE fans of Triumph Motorcylces (oh and Meaty sandwiches and burgers) and that's all they have hanging from the ceiling are antique Triumphs. What a waste.......they have shitty employees, a disgusting cat that sleeps on the bar and a racist fat man that lives there.
Food = four stars
Customer service = Negative 3 Stars!!
Cleanliness = 1 star (cat hairs, are McNasty)…
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this, my friends and fans, might go down as the most difficult review to write. I am both in awe and (to be honest) slightly creeped out by this establishment. maybe it's best to keep it short
In awe, because it is unlike anything I have every experienced. The bright lights, the bikes, the cat, the ramp, the couch......
creeped out for most of the same reasons.
the bartender was very sweet, which just added to the polarity I felt for the one beer we experienced in the confines of this pub. an institution it must be, and a story it will forever be
Strange place to go to for lunch, I'm a big bike fan so it was cool to be eating your lunch under a 600 pound Indian 4, I hope the cables holding them up are strong enough.
Pretty straightforward combination of pub and diner food ,the staff we had were friendly and helpful, I spotted the Garfield cat on the way out ,it's enormous and didn't seem to be sheedding to much hair.
It won't be to everyone's taste but its a solid choice .
What a surprise being served some appetizers while sipping beer.
A crostino with liver pate' and a red-sauced sausage.
Tasty and somehow perfect.
I mean it's a bar, but with the right gears...bike gears.
Sunday Evening at Eddie Rickenbacker's was like the Twilight Zone. I sat working on the Times crossword while eating my tasty, but greasy burger and well-made fries. Creepy characters kept walking in and out mumbling odd things and asking strange questions. Only a couple stayed, mostly to pester Liz, the great little bartender, who took good care of me while I stalled for two hours over dinner and a few beers.
The vintage motorcycles all over the joint are fun, and the only significant issue I have with the decor is the owner. He sits, infirmed with an oxygen tube up his nose on a recliner in the corner by the bar with a TV cranked up way too loud. It's his place, so he can do whatever he wants, but I can't help feeling like I'm walking into a nursing home as I belly up to the bar. Normally, the cat that lives on the bar would offend me too, but for some reason, I found that fat, lazy beast endearing.
The family is out of town so I am free for once for a Friday night out. I tell my buddy for a recommendation of a cool bar in the City. Well we end up at Eddie Rickenbacker's. Probably the coolest, quirkiest bar I have ever been too. I have been to a lot of quirky bars. Most tried to hard to be quirky. Eddie Rickenbacker's does not try, it is.
A giant guy named Norm with a oxygen take in the corner. A giant cat on the bar. And one of the best motorcycle collections I have ever seen!
If you want to impress your laid back friends from out of town. Go to Eddie Rickenbacker's. If your friends are the least bit stuck up, do not go to Eddie Rickenbacker's.
Eddie Rickenbacker was a famous race car driver and America's #1 Ace in WW1. The 26 German fighter planes he shot down won him the medal of honor.
The bar named after him is a crazy place. There are vintage motorcycles on the walls and hanging from the roof everywhere, by Vintage I mean between 50 and 100 years old and they almost never fall and crush people. The front section by the bar the owner has set up like a living room and he sits there watching TV hooked up to an Oxygen tank. The back by the bathroom is like an exhibit from a native American Genocide museum with rifles from the wild west and text praising "Indian fighters". finally there is a gigantic orange cat that would rather be left alone but is too fat and lazy to fight off all the ladies that want to hold him.
Even though everything is more expensive than it should be by about 25% I'd still have given it four stars if the place didn't reek of cigar smoke, I couldn't enjoy my beer because all I could taste was cigar.
Best Blue Cheese Dressing for dipping my fries i've ever had. Albeit i was at the tail end of a happy hour, but i remember it being really good. And when i asked for it in a cup, they brought a literal cup. Paste on the pounds... in a good way. I remember the burger being really good as well. Fit in the cup nicely.
Best blue cheese dressing i've had sober was at Ike's Place. Its not dippable. But it is scoopable like the one here at Eddies.
If my prior review isn't enough to permanently steer you away from this s%$thole, imagine anything you order coated with a thin layer of Tabby Hair. Tabby Hair is not generic 151, by the way.
Or, you could check Norman's most recent charming post on Craig's List, asking that applicants "have friends with names like Nan, Binks, or Muffy" and if "your father perused the Wall Street Journal by the light of a Tiffany lamp". If these are hiring parameters, I understand why the drinks here are so terrible.
The owner does live on a couch that should have been burned 15 years ago, the day after he bought it. He does allow his oxygen tank-ware to entangle barstools and your feet, and will get pissed if you get in its' way. The lighting is dim enough to deceive you into thinking it has ever been cleaned in here, which for the record, it hasn't. In the event of a minor tremor, you will likely die under the crushing weight of either the tackiest lamp in history or a lustrous, but grease-coated Harley.
A risk in every sense of the word.
I walked past Eddie Rickenbacker's on my way to the hotel. Immediately, it intrigued me. Context - one, I grew up where Eddie grew up (Rickenbacker AFB is in my hometown, Columbus). Two, my dad has taught motorcycle safety for 20 years. I have visited the AMA museum many times. I have an appreciation for bikes.
I read the other reviews and saw this place has character. It's quirky, eccentric. It has a personality and feels real, which I liked. You may not.
Food - all the entrees looked great. I went with the jambalaya. Sausage, chicken, prawns and in-shell clams were drenched in a spicy, tomatoey sauce. The rice was the only disappointment. I went with a colleague (business trip!) who ordered the fish and chips. They were great, though we pondered why fish and chips are served with malt and vinegar.
I plan to go back, if only to take pictures for my dad.
I might be absent from the Yelp scene for a little bit, and this is a fitting toast to all the Yelpers I've met.
Eddie Rickenbacker's is a little bit like the Yelp crowd I've come to know and love - offbeat, eccentric, kooky, quirky, and magically delicious. The owner sitting on the couch with his oxygen tank, methodically judging everyone that walks through the door, is a welcoming spirit both to my ego and well-being.
I plopped my weary body on the red barstool and yelled out "Miss, one LARGE Coke," which obviously meant a small bottle with a large glass filled with ice. I drank up, paid, and checked my phone messages. No one talked to me, there was a heady smell of cigarettes, and I placed my entire upper body on the long bar. Probably not the most hygienic thing, but I was sleepy.
I haven't seen the 25 pound cat yet, but I will be back...just you wait, Rickenbacker.
There's this really gigantic cat (as in the animal) that was hanging out here. And it being Halloween, the poor thing was dressed up in a tiny hat, like a Western sheriff...and looking very annoyed. And they provided some Halloween candy. And the workers were all dressed up, like the place was a saloon.
Everyone was friendly, the full-size motorbikes hanging from the ceiling are a tad unnerving, felt like a museum, but a good vibe overall. Oh, generous serving of fries.
I ate there a few times in 2007, I thought it was ok, a good place to hang out after work. The bartender was very nice. But, the old man on the couch is a racist AHole, I will never go back. He kicked out two friends who were Indian-Americans who were wearing India turbans, couch-man said "WE DON'T SERVE YOUR KIND". He also, got up just to yell at a girlfriend of mine because she was holding the door for the rest of our group when we were leaving. He got in her face and was extremely disrespectful. Too bad, seemed like a decent place, but I can't support a racist jerk. Some may say he earned the right to be a total JERK, but, I say I have the right to think he's a jerk, on those terms.
One Star for giving a cat a home, and the cool motorcycles and train.
Any place that has:
-Smoking after 9pm INSIDE
(great for your lungs)
-Old motorcycles hanging from the ceiling
(great for earthquakes)
-An old, overweight diabetic who eats pie and watches taxidermy shows on television in the front of the bar
(great for your appetite)
-and funny, lively bartenders
(great for eye candy)
Deserves nothing less than 5 stars. I think I want to work here.
i dont understand why all of these people are getting their panties up in a bunch over this place, geez.
It's seriously a decent bar -- sure, Norm on his oxygen pump right inside the door isnt the most attractive attraction to this place but come on - Rickenbackers has its charm.
What other bar can you name that has people walking around and giving away free appetizers and munchies, and uses fresh squeezed orange juice for the cocktails? I can name none, and I can tell you that I've had the best madras of my life at Rickenbacker's. I went there for happy hour a couple weeks ago and in the 1 hour I was there I was offered cheese and crackers, buffalo wings, chicken quesadilla and some weird toast with a piece of salami and melted cheese.
The other "real" food is good too... the French Onion soup is tasty and the burgers are really big and juicy.
This is, well this is a strange bar. And that can either be a good thing or a bad thing.
You know how every time you go into Chili's or Applebee's and they have all that crap hanging from the walls and ceilings? They all stole that idea from this place. This place has got freaking motorcycles hanging from the ceiling.
This place has got to have some stories. If bars could talk, this place would have a tale it could charge admission for.
The owner of the place (Norm I think?) is usually there, sitting up front watching the history channel in a chair that's about as old as he is. Trailing across the floor along the length of the bar is his oxygen tube, DON'T STEP ON IT! That really riles him up. Well everything riles him up. I think he'd be a lot happier with his bar if there weren't all these Goddamned people in it.
There's also a cat that wanders the premises and he's more than willing to hang out at your table while you eat or drink.
Seriously, a very unique bar here in the city. They've got some decent burgers and bar food and most of the bar staff knows their stuff. You'll definitely remember the place if you stop by and you'll walk away with plenty to talk about.
My own personal happy hour hotspot. I work down the street so on nice evenings, a group of us can saddle on up to the tables outside and watch the rest of our coworkers walk to the Muni stops on Market. I love the feel of a community like that. I've also been here during the day, on the weekends, and other random times. Tends to get a bit crowded during normal drinking hours.
Yummy fries, good drinks. Cheese and crackers at the bar. A really gigantic cat lounging anywhere he pleases.
If you think you're lost looking for this place, the sign says something like 40 cycles and has vintage motorbikes hanging everywhere.
$3 Pints and Appetizers
Neighborhood: Mission
All Day BEER Specials !
Neighborhood: Mission
Neighborhood: SOMA
Category: Museums
Neighborhood: SOMA
Category: Pubs
Neighborhood: SOMA
Category: Sports Bars
Neighborhood: SOMA
Category: Food Stands
Neighborhood: SOMA
Category: Pubs
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