El Rio
Categories: Gay Bars, Music Venues [Edit]
Neighborhood: Bernal Heights3158 Mission St
(between Fair Ave & Powers Ave)
San Francisco, CA 94110 (415) 282-3325
- Hours:
Mon 9:00 a.m.-1:00 a.m.
Mon-Thu 5:00 p.m.-2:00 a.m.
Fri-Sun 3:00 p.m.-2:00 a.m.
Fri 4:00 p.m.-2:00 a.m.
Sun 3:00 p.m.-10:00 p.m. - Price Range: $
- Accepts Credit Cards: No
- Parking: Street
- Good for Groups: Yes
- Good for Kids: No
- Wheelchair Accessible: Yes
- Outdoor Seating: Yes
- Music: DJ, Live, Juke Box
- Best Nights: Fri, Sat, Sun
- Happy Hour: Yes
- Alcohol: Full Bar
- Smoking: Outdoor Area/Patio Only
- Coat Check: No
101 reviews
Neighborhood: Japantown
"Without a doubt, this is one of the BEST places to see music in the city. They have a steller record of bringing in great talent and if…" read more »
248 Reviews for El Rio
Oh boy. So long ago it was, when I wrote that. I now live three blocks away, and I work from home, so I know that it's going to open in 21 minutes, and I will be inside of it. The only downside is that the front of the bar usually smells like puke for some reason.
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1 Previous Review: Show all »
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09/18/2006
If I lived around here, I think I'd hang out at El Rio a lot. As it is, I only come when a friend's… Read more »
It's Salsa Sundays, y'all!
I don't make it here enough -- I wish I could spend every Sunday afternoon here. Luckily it's in my neighborhood!
So, the cover is $8, the margaritas are $6 (I think a little steep)...but the vibe is priceless.
Picture a mix of sexual orientations, ages, colors, salsa ability levels, all dancing and reveling together on an intimate little deck and concrete patio with a great salsa band...and you're there!
I have been dancing for about a year -- and I always leave feeling exhausted and yet energized and uplifted at the same time!
Lessons early, I believe 3ish. Stays pretty quiet until the band kicks up after 4, and gets progressively more festive and boisterous as the afternoon flows on. And there's a raffle!!
Disclaimers:
Drink line can wax excruciatingly long at peak times. Patio can become difficult to dance on due to crowds of happy people. But at that point, you're happy too, and it's Sunday, so who cares?
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El Rio is a pretty fantastic bar. It's eclectic - there is a tree with an old burner embedded in it on the patio, in addition to year round christmas lights, pool and shuffle board in the main room, and a a second room for live music. The clientele is also eclectic, with neighborhood people (particularly on Fridays for happy hour) and also people coming out for the various shows. Good prices on the drinks, a fairly good selection of beer on tap, friendly bar tenders.
Well, it's time to board the Galactic Urinal, so I will end the review here.
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I LOVE Salsa Sundays; well worth the cover charge and long-lines for drinks. One of the major disappointments though, is that bartenders won't make their DELICIOUS bloody marys when it's busy.
After spending about an hour or two looking for an open bar at 4 in the afternoon, we finally came across El Rio to enjoy their happy hour and play some pool. We were there for about an hour or so.. waiting for my sister to get out of her last midterm. It was fun, it was pretty empty..but then again it was 4. The bartender was nice and the beers were cheap. I'm just going to come out and say this.. I had to poop twice while I was there.. I don't know why.. and I'm not usually that poop-like.. but I felt comfortable with doing my business there.. and that's what I look for in bars.. so because of that.. I give it four stars.
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The last time I was at El Rio I met a really drunk friend of a friend who did that "I'm going to the bar, anyone need anything?" thing, to which I replied "Sure, grab me a Stella." Twenty minutes later he comes back with no Stella. This was not surprising--as I mentioned, he was really drunk--but when he saw me he was like "Oh your Stella! I totally got it!" He looked at his empty hand like it should be there, and then the light-bulb popped over his head: "I left it at the bar!" (like I said, *really* drunk). We went back to the bar and the bartender totally just gave him another Stella when he explained what had happened. I was like, "wow, cool." Then we danced to some salsa music and later I wrote this haiku:
Beer below treetops
Summertime is ripe for fun
Drunk voices clatter
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come to El Rio and spend the whole time on the patio with a cheap beer and a taco from one of local joints, and then smoke your face off under the banana trees.
also a cool place to see a show, they have this back secret room that i never even knew was there until i came on a night when there was a show. i've seen music and burlesque here, plus a few drag shows where they've opened the stage up toward the patio as well. it's fabulous!
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I love El Rio b/c they always support local groups, non-profits, and music in their space! A great place to hang out on a nice day with a patio.
My friends and I went on the same night, but had very different experiences. All the bartenders were very nice to me, all, especially one woman with short hair, were VERY MEAN to my friends. They all gave me happy hour deals WAY past happy hour, but wouldn't give them to my friends even during happy hour. They complained about a line to the bathroom, I had to wait for one person once. So even one group of people there at the same time can have a very different experience. I can't remember what they had, but I was pleased with the beers on tap. Maybe Leffe? It was at least 4 months ago...
Anyway, I'm really confused because I'm usually the one getting crappy service, but I certainly can't complain. There was lots of room to move around, they let my friend take over the place to fundraise for her film, there's shuffleboard (I didn't play but I'm intrigued), the patio is pretty rad...it is completely out of my way so I won't be heading there every week, but I will happily make the trek to meet a friend or if I have someone to keep me company on the bus.
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" I gotta get me some of this" . . . Were a few words I heard being mumbled behind me from a cute girl at El Rio last Sunday.
First off, I'm straight but I was flattered so I let her freak me for a minute because quite frankly, it took me back to my Jr. High freak train days and for about a mili second I felt young again. ANDConsidering I have yet another birthday coming up these thoughts were much needed this past weekend.
Andy and his salsa band were playing in the patio, your 8 dollar cover included free BBQ ( um, hello? is this not the greatest idea ever? ) and margaritas were being poured freely. We hung out for a couple of hours but in all honesty the BF and I could have probably stayed for a long time since they had all of the essentials.
Drinks, Free Food, Music,Pool and a nice staff . . oh, and apparently, there was a raffle too and we didn't walk out of there winners but it was nice too know we could have . . . .
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El Rio is a cool happenin' Sunday Dance Outside spot. I love the diverse crowd and the music. Love the $8 cover, and love that its close enough for me to walk home. What I don't love is the ridiculous lines for the bar. I have never seen people que up to order a drink at a bar. I guess it's ok to help keep the order, but Pleeeeese... get an extra bartender or two for those busy warm Sunday afternoons!
There was a DYL here that I decided to skip one night and just drink champagne and watch movies instead. Yes, that was fun, and yes, there was groping involved, but it just doesn't feel right when you do it to yourself.
So one night I drove home from work, propped myself on my computer *immediately* and Adam M. was online.
Me: AAAADDAAMMM!!!!
A: Hey you, whats up?
Me: Nothin, really really really really bored.
A: Me too
Me: You want to go to that Dog Benefit thing at El Rio? I could use a couple drinks.
A: Pick me up?
Me: Awww are you fucking kidding me?!
A: Please?
Me: Anything for you, baby. Anything for you.
I end up driving to his place and picking up him and his roommate, whom I'm now completely in love with. HAIIII JOHHNN! :D After taking forever to find parking and even walking past El Rio, turning around and going in, we are immediately greeted with cute doggies and Yelpers. YAY! My favourite combination.
Brian B, the dear man he is, pays for my drink. Apparently when compared, he looks younger than I do. Whatevs, I got my Stella for a rockin' 2.50. BOOYAH BITCHES. I win.
So we grab our beers and head outside so John, Brian, and Adam could blow smoke rings around my face. It was warm out for a little bit, but then it turned cold. There was a space heater but it either burned your hair off or did absolutely nothing, so hooray for that (-1 star).
Towards the end of the night someone gave me too many beers and I was passed out on the benches/Adam's lap/John's lap/Brian's lap. It was so flipping cold by the end of the night I was shivering and couldn't drive home. But it was nice to, while I was still conscious, sit around and shoot the shit. When it was time to go, someone really really awesome and sweet picked me up so it was all good.
But my car got towed the next morning.
MOTHERFUCKERS.
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I really like this place. Why don't more bars in SF have patios? This is like a less dirty, less homogeneous Zeitgeist. The vibe is laid back (how could it be otherwise with that fabulous patio?) and sorta like someone's decked out basement (complete with dingy carpet. Who's call was that?). There's pool, old-school shuffleboard, colorful string lights, and it's connected to a small space on the side for live music. Plus, two spaces= twice as many bathrooms! With the recent string of hot days and warm nights, this place definitely came to mind. A word of caution: they have live salsa music on Sunday afternoons, so expect to pay a $7 cover if you go during that time.
this place is definitely one of the stops if me and the gang don't feel like going too far. even though this place is labeled as a gay bar, i'm pretty sure it attracts all types of crowds. heck, one of my besties brought her parents here for a drink. but i like the backyard set up a lot and its definitely one of those places you should hit in the summer when it gets warm enough to chill outside with your drink. the shows charge a cover but i've heard that they generally rope in some pretty good bands. its worth checking out, although they lost points for the "your dive" sign. any bar that refers to itself as a dive bar is immediately douchy.
Worst. Service. Ever.
Ok and word is the bartenders (one male, one female) passed me up for other people while I was waiting first because I'm a straight guy? I really hope that's not true and they're just poor bartenders.
I mean c'mon, I actually look really gay! I spike my hair and work out... I mean, gay.
I went to see my friends band, that's all.
And just so we're clear, I work in customer service for UC. Very friendly all day, serving the needs of our customers, then after a long work day I just want a beer and expect to be treated the same. Maybe thats shooting high. Literally 15 minutes before I was served, no long line, people after me getting served first, very unfair.
I wasn't the only person either, three of my friends (one actually gay, so maybe it wasn't discrimination) same experience, I told them to write on here also.
Listen my buisness get's slammed on yelp, sometimes fairly, sometimes unfairly, that's life.
Please don't go to this bar until the staff learns some customer service, or some manners.
Very cool venue. Crowd is pretty diverse. Nice layout. When you walk in, there's a pretty long pub/bar and once you get to the end, you enter a fairly large outdoor patio. Next to the bar is the actual venue. Kind of small but I don't expect many well established bands to play here. This is not a review of the music/bands; just the venue and overall vibe. Sound was pretty solid as well.
ok, I just moved to the neighborhood and have a couple of friends who frequent the place all the time. So, tonight I was excited to go celebrate an upcoming vacation with a drink on the outdoor patio because it's so beautiful outside and they tell me i have to pay $7 to get in because there is an event an hour and a half later that I won't be there for!!!! I can understand if you want to walk around maybe an hour later and say hey, there is a show starting that requires you to pay a cover, but an hour and a half is plenty of time to have a few drinks and scoot. OR if I decided to stay, I would pay you your damn $7!!! Your door man sucks and so does this policy! It won't be my favorite neighborhood bar.
BEST BLOODY MARY EVER. Holy crap that is good, and it's cheap too. Although it may be a gamble when made by a new bartender, it sucks -- tomato juice and vodka alone does not a bloody mary make.
Sound guy for the bands is sort of a dick (I'm not in a band, but I saw him cut off a few bands which is sorta rude).
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I only go here on occasion for the monthly Mango party when my visits home coincide with this event. It's packed and always fun!
The place itself is a local neighborhood bar kind of place that has a pool table. The patio space in the back is what makes it awesome, especially when the weather is nice and warm out!
El Rio is totally my new favorite neighborhood bar!
The staff (especially the pretty and fabulous blond bartender) are great, and despite the fact that the crowd can either be dirty, smelly, and annoying or interestingly mixed....
I totally made out on the back deck (the best part of the bar) for like 4 hours. Srsly.
Much fun to be had here. Cheapo drinks...funy mix of music...its a good time if you live closeby!
Eh. Couldn't understand why they were charging $7 at the door last night. But, the drinks were mega cheap, and the back patio was great since we finally are having some good weather. Just be prepared to pay to get in, which I find annoying.
When its good, it's really good.
I've been going to el rio from when I first moved to San Francisco. From my first visit I knew the place was cool. The vibe has never felt bad to me. The people are sometimes different than a typical bar you'd seek out (ok, different = older - I know, ageist here, it's society telling me a bar isn't cool if it's not hip. This place has old people and is awesome!
Anyway, I've had a few misses but I rarely regret a trip to El Rio unless there's an unsightly cover. Their benefits are great, and it's always a chill place to chill, the outdoor is nice for us smokers and non-smokers to breathe. And when it's great...
My very, very first impression of El Rio was "They have karaoke??". Then the person with long, blond hair carrying the Cooter cake, (Amy R.), zipped around and said "We're in the wrong bar!".
I continued to follow long-haired-blondie to the real El Rio, next door.
Once inside the real El Rio I said "hey" to Chris S. who I hadn't seen since Ween (he looked exactly the same), bear hugged Cooter, molested and smoked out Adrienne, philosophized with Cooter's gay boss Michael, found out the true identity of JAAPIE, met Jason K- resident Yelp event photog, confiscated googly eyes from Neil, ordered a couple cranberry vodkas, shared wake n bake lemon bars with those who shall remain nameless and Karen K, high fived Suzanne, laughed until I couldn't breathe in the bathroom with Yo Adrienne, bitched about the powder soap in the bathroom with Yo Adrienne, watched Yo Adrienne steal the sign that read "Please Be Gentle With Our Antique Toilets".............. and ultimately and sadly got lost in the bar next door for over an hour, thinking I was at El Rio.
The outside area is rad, almost as cool as End Up's outdoor lounge but with no waterfall or crackling fire. (hint hint)
Final thoughts on El Rio:
Kinda far from my house but loves it! Au revoir, Cooterz of love = (
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Oh man. Bud bottles for 2 bucks everyday and only a buck on Mondays?! Is that even legal? Where's Chico at!!
They got the long shuffleboard at the front, that made me curious, that's new to me and so I tried to sit there by the bar long enough to pick up the game, but ended felt weird and left when them dudes thought i was checking them out. Relax dudes, I'm only here for the booze. Why I gave 4 stars? They played European football on their TVs, and Barcelona was playing live at that time. See that's smart business!
So Cheeks, where you at? The buds were calling for you!!
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El Rio is the shizzah... especially on a Sunday afternoon. On a fine sunny day, it almost feels like heaven. This is my first Yelp review, and I wanted to do El Rio the honor of being my first.
The best thing about this place is that it puts everyone in a good mood. San Francisco's cultural rainbow shines here, and everyone is happy to say hello, or sorry for stepping on your foot. Of course, the margaritas don't hurt.
Yes, the lines can be long (both outside and at the bar), but it's all worth it. If you want to experience a real and unique San Francisco treasure, this is the place to go on Sunday afternoons.
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An appropriately rednecky place for Cootz's farewell party. I arrived at the bar in my redneck finest: Cinch shirt, Wranglers, and my freshly-cleaned Ariats. No hat and no belt buckle, because I'm not trying to fulfill EVERY stereotype. El Rio's Saturday special: $2 long-neck bottles of Bud. Well smack my ass and call me salad! No redneck honky-tonk bar is complete without a half-dozen assholes sucking down Bud, so I grabbed a few and waited for 5 other guys to start drinking 'em with me.
Most of my time was spent on the patio out back, which was really well done. Chairs, tables, Christmas lights hung up long after Christmas is over----throw in a broke-down truck or two and a few toilets sitting on the ground and El Rio would've looked like the backyard at some of my old friends' houses.
I don't know much about the band, except that they don't play salsa music. I know this because they explained that to a lost salsa dancer, probably seeking the salsa dancing place three doors up the street. When the band consists of fiddle, string bass, banjo, guitar and mandolin, I start getting interested. Unfortunately, the band turned out to be more Garth Brooks and less Charlie Daniels, so I eventually tuned them out. 8 more Buds and I woulda stood on the table and screamed "Play Still in Saigon, you sonsabitches!" Sorta a redneck long distance dedication (the distance being from my table to the band, which is too long to walk after 18 Buds, and the dedication being my dedication to hearin' some Charlie Daniels music).
Anyways, a good time was had by all (or at least by me). When the Bud to food ratio deep in my belly tipped too far in the wrong direction, I wandered out in search of sustenance.
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they gotz lemons!
HUGE lemons!
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I frequent this other bar in Noe called the Dubliner on 24th street. Every Friday, we have an off-site and explore the various buroughs of the city. This last week we explored the Mission/Bernal Heights area and found ourselves at El Rio. Dios Mio! This place is heaven on earth with $2.50 Stellas and well drinks, free oysters and BBQ, a pool table and an outdoor patio. Our crew made an unfortunate mistake of sitting next to the grill, so after 6 hours of drinking the smell of pork BBQ permeated every particle of my being. There was some sort of burlesque show that happend inside, but the smoke from the grill and our laughter clouded the performance. Parking is pretty easy on Mission, especially if you get there at 4pm on a Friday like I did and leave/pass out by 10p.
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On the last Saturday of the month, the monthly women's Latin dance party, Mango at El Rio, boasts great food to go with your salsa. Show up at 3:30 p.m. for a salsa lesson, pay $8 at the door, and let the DJ move you.
I want to love El Rio, I really do. I mean, it's pretty gay, and gay is good, right? A far cry from the Castro...but I'm still crying. The crowd is different every time and the pseudo-radical queer activists filled it this Saturday with their un-deodorzied bodies, un-talented singing, and un-inspired, hackneyed politics.
I'll be back; I mean, different every time is better than Aberzombie every time. So it's 1 star for Saturday and 5 stars for Sunday, which is easily the best day to go as it's a heaven of salsa and smiles!
On the plus side though, you can off-handedly and bitterly swill a spicy and huge Worcester-sauced Bloody Mary until the cows come home for only $6 regardless of the day of the week
I'm a goober and wrote a review for this place but put it under 26 mix.... what was i thinking... sheesh! Anywho- This is what I wrote:
sweet coolio, I love this place! I was only there for one beer, but I will def-o be going back to this wonderful joint. The bar was a tad hard to get to, but patio is so nice- complete with twinkle lights! There's a pool table, hot stylish (or at least they think they are) people, and the jukebox is hilariously fun. Me likes!
$2 PBR every day, and $1 PBR on Mondays. The patio with heat lamps is great on any day. Free Oysters on the half shell at 5:30 pm on Fridays.
I can say this is one of the few truly "gray" bars (gay and straight) that I know of. It really is a mixed bag, and you never know whose going to be inside.
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The El Rio does not pass the "stinks like many different cheeses" dive bar test. In other words, when you walk in the front door, it smells like many different cheeses. Also, there is a thick curtain you have to walk through which probably has many different strains of the plague on it.
The bathrooms? Well, the men's urinal is a two-fer, and when the door is open, you are all of a sudden putting on a potty-training exhibition for the other patrons.
After the show, we had to carry our gear through the incredibly narrow corridor between the bar and the shuffleboard table. The regulars didn't move so I had to just plow through them as they grumbled.
The place is a little better on the weekends when they open up the back room. It's more spacious. During the week though, blech. The employees should make an effort to clean the place up just a litttle.
Make-Up's Checklist for a Good Night Out:
*Low Key Atmosphere
*Good drink specials
*Nice Bartenders
*Good crowd
*Good music
El Rio had all these things in spades. Plus, it had the added (mega) bonus of a nice bunch of cute rockabilly boys running around when I went. (Note to fellow groupies, I mean, "professional girlfriends of musicans", rockabilly boys are the cutest boys in music. Not the bands per se, but the male rockabilly fans--HELLO!)
Ahem, moving on...El Rio has a lot going for it. Great back patio, removed enough from the other Mission douchebaggery, friendly female bartenders who don't overlook girls in favor of guys when it comes to getting a drink. The only reasons it didn't rate 5 stars was the pungent smell of vomit near the bar (they blamed it on a sour tap) and the bar area is so narrow that trying to get in/out is a 5-minute litany of "excuse me's" as you try to get past people ordering drinks.
Didn't pay cover as was part of a party group. Didn't pay for drinks as had a little red heart sticker (it was a Valentine's day party).
Once you squeeze past the bar there's a nice little dance area and a HUGE back patio. Very cool, fun place. Unpretentious people. I'd definitely go back.
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el rio,
thank you for providing my warm weather days with good music and good people. you are my favorite place to dance in the city!
I love them for many reasons.
1. Because they are such a community joint. Dawn is amazing and really opens the place up for the community to use for performances, fundraisers, whatever.
2. For the most part, except for the guy who wouldn't make me a bloody mary the other day at the beginning of mango when like nobody was there, I love the bartenders. Y'all rock and you're pretty cute too! ;-)
3. The outdoor area.
Having come from NYC where there are few outdoor areas at bars this place was a refuge to me. And even though there are others with great outdoor areas, I like El Rio's because I always feel welcome there.
4. Bloody Marys or Marias since that's how I like 'em. Spicy and not watery. Floater of Guiness. Need I say more?
AHHHH EL RIO!!!
I must say this place is one of my favorite places in the city.
Especially Sunday afternoons!!
Live music, Margaritas and an overall great diverse crowd!
Get there early on Sunny Sunday afternoons the line can get kinda long!
"There was something in the air that night, the stars were bright..."
I love el Rio. I love the outdoor space. I love that it's just down Precita from my house. I love that a Taqueria Cancun is nearby. I love that they do benefits. I love the free oyster people (though I don't love oysters) on Fridays. I love that anybody (queens, butches, straight peeps, stressed out teachers) can go here and feel comfortable. And most of all, I love "Fernando."
I don't love that it takes forever to get a drink sometimes on a Friday. I also don't love the rats that run along the fences and such- but that's not really their fault, this IS a city after all.
Overall, el Rio is a wonderful way to end your week. Or to start it with a little backyard salsa.
El Rio is a neighborhood bar/hangout that is relaxed and unpretentious. You don't have to be cool at El Rio, or even mildly hip. Although, that doesn't mean hipsters are unwelcome. In fact, all are welcome, even your four-legged friends. I've only seen dogs there, but if your cat was cool and chill, they'd probably let it hang too. Meow...
There's a traditional (dive-ish) bar feel at El Rio's narrow entrance. This flows into a larger room with a pool table and a jukebox with awesome tunes waiting to be played. Was that Modest Mouse I heard, just loud enough to feel energized by the music, but not so overwhelming you can't talk to your friends?
Proceed further and take a step onto their spacious back patio. Who would have guessed there was this much space back here? Sit back and relax as the live band lays down some Latin beats. Feel like dancing? Go ahead. This isn't the type of place where you get scoffed at for being spontaneous.
You'll be tempted to drink way too much, as their drinks are very reasonably priced. No, the bartender didn't undercharge you, that's just how things are at El Rio.
..oh yeah, if you get cold easily, just stand under the outdoor heat lamps. They're so cranked up that you'll have a St. Tropez tan in a matter of minutes...oh, fiery goodness!
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