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Categories: Pubs, American (New)
Neighborhood: Mission"Two dinners and one brunch later, I have a five-star feeling about Maverick. Nothing screams five stars, but you know how the…" read more »
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News flash: happy hour 4-7pm. $3.00 well drinks $2.00 tecate or dos equis DRAFT.
More news: paninis, salads, burgers, nathans hot dogs, HOMEMADE chili! Calamari! WTF!
Tv's for just about anything and regulars from the neighborhood of all ages. You even see kids- this place has been around from the 1920's y'all! Backyard patio- smoke, smoke, great music. It is a piece of the mission/potrero gulch and I am proud to say it is on my bar crawl map!!!!
So I was a little leary of the location, since some of the Potrero Hill/Mission neighborhood that's close to San Francisco General can be a bit shady. That being said, it was quite convenient for a quick, casual, after-work drink. Can't really beat the cheap beers and little patio. Boo for running out of Stella; interesting gesture of them to give us the half glass of bottom of the keg Stella for free. Thank you? We did not sample the food that everyone seems to be complaining about.
Overall, a decent place to unwind after work, but I wouldn't go out of my way to come back here.
WOW. Big Change!
No more Marias Mole.
Calamari Salad!
Must be local!
Great neighborhood bar with a great burger. It also has an outside area for those nice evenings.
Come for the company and stay for the burger and beer.
Good choices for the beer, pool, food ...
It is a very nice neighborhood bar, and you can park your bike right outside. Thumbs up!
This is a cool neighborhood dive bar w/ a great back patio. Considering the lack of other drinking options in the area, it's a real gem!
A chill little neighborhood bar with cheap drinks. Went there with colleagues after work to celebrate St. Pat's. Tons from various walks of life hanging out all clad in green.
The biggest bummer there was that there were tons of kids there. When I am at a bar knocking back some booze I really don't want to see kids running around. It totally kills my buzz!
Whoa, Jay'n Bee Club... Are you OUT OF YOUR MIND?!?!? What on earth is wrong with you?!
I've been coming here regularly for the past year and a half or so, since I moved two blocks away. The bar was always okay, but it was the Mexican food that kept me, my friends, and the large majority of your clientele coming back again and again.
Tonight I arranged for four friends to meet me there who had never been there, and all who had to travel fairly far to get there. I hyped up the shrimp nachos as if they were made by the Baby Jesus himself.
I got there and a friend pointed at a small green cardboard rectangle and said, "Is THAT it?"
I glanced and said, "Ohhh, no! They have a huge menu with lots of choices... You usually just stick your head in the kitchen where a really sweet old lady gives you some menus, then brings out chips and salsa. It's the best."
When I went to the kitchen, there was a white guy cooking burgers.
Wait, what? Where am I???
I said, "Hi, uhmmm.... Do you have any menus?"
He says yeah as he reaches for more of those small green cards. I asked what happened to the other menu. He said, "Oh we don't serve that food any more."
He handed me a menu filled with ... Burgers, Bacon Burgers, Turkey Burgers, French Fries, Onion Rings... You know... All the shit food you can get every where else. Oh, but the only things that seemed like they might be good, Fish n Chips, Calamari, ... they were out of.
I had to break it to my friends that this was no longer the establishment I once knew.
So we left and went to Cha Cha Cha.
The food here was the only thing that had people freaking out for you!!!
Your new menu, for lack of a better word,.... SUCKS.
I might be biased because it is my local watering hole, but Jay and Bees is great for enjoying an… Read more »
I really, really, really wanted to like this place, I swear. Closes at 2am on Friday and Saturday, but the rest of the week at 11:30pm, which seems sort of early to me. Brought in a larger group in of non-regulars on a Thursday, and I'm not sure if they liked that. At first things seems great, but not so much as the night wore on. The main reason I won't go back is the fact they changed me double on my last drink and when I asked about it was told I was wrong. How does a beer go from $4 to $8 in an hour? Too bad :(
Love the Jay'n Bee. Strong drinks at a fair price, pool table, back patio... done. They used to have excellent (but very very slowly served) mexican food, but they've switched to a more typical bar menu. The fish and chips are stellar, the burger was just okay. The bartenders are great, and not snarky (as in Zeitgeist.... you know what i mean).
What a sweet little spot this turned out to be. It's a perfect neighborhood bar that happens to have pretty good mexican food. I had the deluxe burrito with chile verde and it was very tasty. Two other people had avocado tostadas which they loved. Of course I didn't have a drop, but they all seemed to enjoy the two pitchers of margaritas they went through. The little patio area we sat in was perfect for the warm night.
Also, the jukebox kills. Any bar that has Q Lazzarus' "Goodbye Horses" is good in my book.
The table service is lacking quite a bit, so I took off a star. I may readd that star post pregnancy, when I go back and get drunk on margaritas.
When the thermometer rises above 75 in SF, I'm all about being outside...or drinking outside, that is. Thus, the quest for outdoor seating begins.. Zeitgeist? Too crowded. Medjool? Full of Marina people slumming it in the Mission.
Then a little gem like the Jay'n Bee comes to mind. Cool, unassuming place off the beaten Mission path..has a patio, good beer on tap, Mexican food, and man-sized Dewars on the rocks for $5 all night (Thanks for the tip, Scott W).
Great, cheap drinks; perfect for happy hour with co-workers. Chill vibe, free chips and salsa, and no yuppies!
Delicious nachos! Can't wait to order more from their bar menu.
Alas, even if the fish'n'chips is good and so are the calamari, this place lost its vibe. And I don't even know if I like the white roof top they've arranged in the back: no more sunny days sipping beer in the back.
Great place before, during and after dinner an even late at night. Nothing more than a bar but the… Read more »
Deet deet deet da deet. Deet deet deet. This just in.....It has been reported that Marta's kitchen has ceased to be Jay'n Bees food purveyor. That's right San Francisco, no more perfect chips, rediculous salsa, or just plain delicious mexican food. No more Marta and the girls in the back, making fresh food, and serving it quickly at a great price. Apparently, it is the Bennigan's Bar Menu that has replaced it. Marta is opening her own place down on Van Ness. The city of San Francisco mourns. Back to you Brooklyn.
I was looking for a dinner and drinks place to hang out on a Friday night, before heading over to Mighty, and Jay'n Bee Club did the trick. It's in a pretty quiet part of the city, and if I hadn't found this place on Yelp, I'm not sure I would have ever made it over here. This place is a solid notch above your local dive bar, but still has that local watering hole feel to it, with regulars and bartenders that are real characters.
The margaritas were good, the music varies because of the jukebox, and there's a cute back patio area with "a" heated lamp (yes, just one). My favorite part of the night, was the food. My friends and I ordered enchiladas and tacos, and our orders came with rice/beans/salad, with complimentary chips & guacamole. The food is a little pricey but prepared to order (I watched them make it) by a small team of Mexican women in the back kitchen and it tastes very much homemade and it's not greasy. I finished everything on my plate and wanted more...so I would say the portion sizes are decent, but if you're hungry, go with two enchiladas instead of one.
We arrived at 8pm and staked out a table for about 30 minutes...so I would suggest going early or going at 10pm when it clears out again and seating is more available. Also, if you want to order food, you get a menu and order your food at the kitchen door and they'll ask you where you're sitting and bring your meal to you.
It does the trick. There's beer, pool, a back patio, and sports on TV, that's exactly what I need in a neighbourhood bar. Added bonuses are the ample space, generally good music (though last time I was there Sheryl Crow got played twice), and a friendly crowd and bartender.
What a pleasant surprise. It's like a local neighborhood bar mixed with darn hot and good mexican food.
We walked in to find a yuppie couple and their two kids eating dinner, a young couple chatting over beers and nachos, old men playing pool and speaking in spanish, and a mix of random locals and urban hipster scattered here and there.
I felt right at home. After the food came, however, I truly understood why this place so was damn popular.
The carne asada was very moist and reported the best in town by my meat loving man. Their enchiladas were super delish. And the salsa... to die for. I also liked the fact that they served their margaritas in very large glasses. Order just one unless you want to stumble home.
Check this place out. And don't fret. Weekdays are not too busy.
On one hand, I love this little gem of a neighborhood dive. It's got a decent selection of beer (though not as cheap as some other Mission bars), excellent homemade Mexican food, and an aweseome back patio that can sometimes feel like it's all your own.
On the other hand, I hate that Yelp has blown up Jay'n Bee's spot. Try going there on a Friday night now, and it's full of randomly big crowds (who I assume are different work groups from around the area) who stay way too long and take up all the seats!
I know, I know, call the waaambulance, a bar is crowded on a Friday night. But Jay'n Bee used to be all mine, and I hate sharing. I'm happy for the bar that they are doing well, but I enjoy some space and a nice, intimate outdoor drinking alternative to Zeitgeist (with clean bathrooms too).
Ever since the GF and I decided to go to visit friends in SF she's been telling me about this place where she got the best tacos and most incredible carnitas nachos ever. She just couldn't remember the name.
So my friend picks us up at the BART station and drives towards his house. We talk about the last time I visited and the places we ate. I said there was this great little place that we had good drinks at and ate some pretty good mexican food. We just couldn't remember the name.
The GF points across the street at the classic, old Jay'n Bee Club sign and says "That's were we get the tacos" right as I point in the same direction and say "That' the place we ate at".
The Jay'n Bee has been memorable in the past (the tacos and drinks were so good we couldn't remember the name). And it didn't disappoint this time either.
It was a beautiful sunny San Francisco summer day. We had already had bloody marys at Zeitgeist. We needed some tacos. When we arrived there were only two other customers. We claimed a patio table, went back in to order a round of margaritas, and put our taco order in at the window. More friends showed up. More drinks were ordered. More tacos and nachos were ordered. We spent almost 3 hours eating and drinking.
Everything was excellent.
Marta makes great food.
The bartenders pour good drinks.
Hell's yeah. I love this place. It's typically a very mellow backyard sitting margarita sipping kind of place. I've loved every bartender who's served me and the mexican food is really great.
About that food... don't go in there with your hypoglycemic fit. It takes seemingly FOREVER to get your food. Apparently they make everything from scratch.
It's worth it.
Some times my television will talk to me. It tells me things. Special things. Like, vote for Barack Obama (Any show on MSNBC). Hookers are funny (Rock of Love 2 - VH1). You're a fat asshole who will die alone (The Biggest Loser - NBC). I could use a "freak chair" just like the one 50 Cent has (Cribs - MTV).
99% of the time, what the magic box tells me goes in one ear and straight out the other. But when "Check Please Bay Area" told me I should go eat and drink at the Jay'n Bee Club, I listened. This time, they were completely right. I had 3 margaritas, watched the Warriors lose, and consumed probably the best burrito I've ever tasted from Marta's kitchen.
There was an old man sitting by himself at the window table. He didn't say a word the two hours I was there. He just sat there, with a plate of what looked like enchiladas in front of him. I kind of felt sorry for him. But then I thought, if there's a place like Jay'n Bees around when I'm his age, that wouldn't be so bad. 5 stars.
Sorry, but I have to cut this review short. 'Rock of Love 2' is coming on in a few minutes. Hookers are funny.
Good beer for okay prices in a decent bar atmosphere; your typical neighborhood joint.
Nice neighborhood bar. I like the outside patio (cute) and that it's neither too dark or too loud to hold a conversation....at least the night I went. I hear they do parties sometimes & it gets really hopping, but on a weeknight it was a great chill place to go.
I didn't eat the food (except for some chips and salsa - which was excellent but spicy!) but have it on good authority that it is yummy. I plan to go back and try it - it LOOKED really good.
Drink prices..average I'd say? Neither remarkably cheap or pricey, but I wasn't looking out for any specials, either.
OKAY! Just came by for a birthday and went home sober.
This place is horrible, you'll hate it. The bartenders are mean and ugly, the drinks overpriced and weak, it's smoky and full of scary old men. Just trust me, you'll absolutely hate it. The food is disgusting.
All right I lied about everything, but stay away anyway. I hate it when it gets crowded.
Why am I Yelping about one of my favorite bars in SF? It's not like I want to see this place overrun with hordes of hipsters or anyone else that'll lessen the near perfectness that is Jay'n Bee. Alas, this bar will probably hold it's own since it's a bit out of the way from the main corridors of the Mission. So I'm not worried, much...
I love the combination of simple yet great Mexican food, a wide variety of drinks, friendly bartenders, and an outdoor patio. The place has a pool table and although I haven't quite figured out how the jukebox works, the bartenders have played some great music everytime I've gone in there. One of them likes to play ska! Oi!
Jay'n Bee has a relaxed vibe with people that know how to enjoy a bar atmosphere - i.e. no chodes posing around trying to look relevant. Everything just seems to fit into place here.
Really, what more can you ask for?
Came here this past weekend for a friend's birthday shin-dig and was very plesantly surprised. It was super chill, drinks were cheap, and they serve food late. I did not order anything (which was simply poor planning on my part), but everything I saw coming out of the kitchen looked and smelled really good. They had a cool jukebox, a good sized patio, and a pool table. It never got too crowded, and it was just a laid back vibe all night.
It was a good, brisk walk from 24th and Mission BART, and if we hadn't gotten turned around (due to my craptastic sense of direction), it wouldn't have been bad at all. Thank goodness I wasn't wearing heels.
Good vibe, and a great outdoor area to hangout. The drinks were cheap, but down right bad. Too much booze, not enough balance. If you're looking to get crooked on the cheap, then this might be your spot. I prefer a well mixed drink over a glass full of booze, with a splash of mixer.
I did have a couple tacos, and they were delicious. I would give a 2 based solely on the mixed drink factor, but the vibe and food pushed the needle up to a 3.
Lemme break this down easily so you can understand:
Patio
Refried beans
Cabernet Sauvignon
Good music
Handsome/sexy men
Readily available parking
If that doesn't sell you, I don't know what will.
I once waited an hour for a combination plate. 'Twas alright by me because, and I repeat:
Patio
Refried beans
Cabernet Sauvignon
Good music
Handsome/sexy men
Readily available parking
Where, in this city, can you get all of those in one place?
Ya... didn't think so.
Get your ass to the Jay'n Bee. You won't regret it.
Most definitely a "neighborhood bar." As in it's the totally lone commercial establishment in a sea of Mission residences. I was like, "Wow -- is that a BAR?"
(Cue golden beam of light shining down from the heavens on this glorious surprise, as dude and I trekked back to Potrero Hill feeling parched from too much healthy food and exercise... GAH!)
Now, really, this alone makes it cool. Who doesn't love a great neighborhood bar? A place where you can wander in any old night, chat with some chill people from your 'hood, get really shitty, catch a ball game, stumble out, do a faceplant and land in your bed, yada yada...
But the cool factor is a direct corollary of how cool said neighbors are, let us not forget. And when the joint is jumpin' on a Sunday night because the majority of the neighbors ARE that cool, but then that one guy has to come in from next door and ask for the music to be turned down at 11:00...
That just sucks. Big time.
But alright -- it was Sunday. I'll come back on the weekend and I'll probably end up upping the starrage.
A great place to be on a lazy sunny sunday.
Relaxed here with a good friend and had enjoyable conversation while I got my buzz on. The Giants were on the screen, the cutesy girl-DJ was spinnin' oldschool faves, and the locals were droppn' in to shoot the breeze. Didn't try the food(had just eaten)but it looked and smelled fantastic.
Pooltable, patio, chill people, good vibes, and a damn fine margarita-no need to complain.
See Ed at the bar, he'll take good care of you. . . .
We had nothing to do for lunch on the 4th of July - our neighbourhood stand by, Puerto Allegre, was closed so we decided to take a walk and check out the Jay and Bee club. We arrived at about 1pm and the place was empty. We sat at the bar and ordered some yummy margaritas and took a look at the menu. the lunch menu is pretty sparse so we decided on burritos ($6) - my wife had chicken and I had a vegetarian burrito. We were promptly brought some yummy freshly made thick chips and salsa and our food followed shortly afterwards. The burritos were pretty plain but tasty nonetheless. My wife commented that the chicken in her burrito was all white meat. The burritos came with Mexican rice and re-fried beans.
It was a decent lunch but I think that Puerto Allegre could have done a better job. I'll go back again sometime for dinner
A fairly generic pub, but in a good way -- everything is cozy and comfy, a little on the loungy side but not edgy or hip. Good neighborhood-y vibe on a weekday. Nice back deck. The jukebox selection is quite broad (reggae, jazz, oldies, alternative, etc). Reasonable drink prices.
And then there's Marta's kitchen. Real Mexican food in a pub atmosphere -- as opposed to a pub that serves Mexican-themed snacks. How cools is that?
Well, I've got to say California microbrews and Guinness are not a good match for enchiladas -- they have Tecate on tap. Service and kitchen is a little slow but very sincere, everything cooked to order, and a pretty ambitious menu of Mexican steaks, prawns, lobster. Pricing was a little inconsistent and two steps higher than the taquerias, but still in the moderate zone. Free chips and salsa of course. Salsa was a little watery and bland, but homemade and fresh. Chips were very good, very fresh.
Hm, OK. Let's make a little checklist:
Atmosphere: Relaxed, friendly, only low-level sports-bar action sometimes
Bartenders: awesome. Friendly, responsive and cute.
Beer: properly priced, good assortment -- though sometimes served in annoyingly-logoed pint glasses (such as "GIANTS" or the one that tells you what kind of asshole man you are on a date)
Bridge & tunnelers: Strangely and delightfully either absent or behaving themselves.
Food: Marta's Kitchen is honestly some of the best Mexican food I've ever had, and I've lived in the Mission off and on since 1992. And: homemade chips with excellent salsa.
Hours: Closed Sunday nights! How weird is that? It's OK, though.
Patio: present, pleasant. I rarely go out there though, because I like the window seat that looks out on 20th St.
Pool table: present -- though blocking ATM and bathrooms.
I have never had a better stumble-home-from bar. Yay Jay & Bee!
This is an awesome neighborhood-type bar. There's a nice long bar with a good selection of beer and liquor, a handful of tables scattered around the room, a pool table, and a very pleasant back patio. There's a full kitchen with some great Mexican food, and the people who work and/or drink there are awesome and friendly (almost eerily so in some cases, such as the guy who offered to whore his sister/girlfriend out to me).
It's also one of the few places that reaches that perfect balance between dead and packed on the weekends. No one wants to be alone in bar with three drunk frat boys and a sullen 70 year man with a permanent whiskey face, but fighting through hundreds of Kilowatt hipsters at 11:15 on a Friday night is no picnic either. At Jay & Bee, there'll be just enough people around to feel like you're really out, but there's enough space to comfortably hang out with a couple of friends for the night.
This has to be one of the last gems of the mission. Just far enough out that the people climbing up and down Valencia stay at bay for the fear of being raped or something.
Anyway, if you can handle the walk down here you will be treated to a real home-like feel that is long lost in this town. Bartenders that want to have a drink with you, want to chat you up and are willing to go out of the way for whatever it is that you want.
Honestly, this is a great bar. Nothing more... it doesn't need to be.
This corner bar has excellent Mexican food! Not to mention the rockin' jukebox with very random, very excellent albums.
The bartender that is always there when I am is very nice and pours a beautiful sidecar that actually has a sidecar big enough to refill my drink a time or two.
I can't get over the full Mexican restaurant hiding inside this unassuming neighborhood bar. I had a great chile relleno burrito, and for so cheap! The nachos are also to die for.
Extra star for the pool table and back patio.
Admittedly, we often only head to Jay 'n Bee when we think that Zeitgeist is too crowded or just need a change of scenery. That said, the back patio at Jay 'n Bee is a great place to kick it with a group of friends. There's also the added bonus of Marta's Kitchen, the in-bar restaurant, which pumps out really friggin delicious Mexican favorites.
Depending on who's behind the bar, your experience can be awesome or not quite awesome. Ed is by far and away the best bartender, but if he's not working you will likely be subjected to one playlist on repeat. (The longer you stay, the more times you will hear Massive Attack and other tracks that should have been deleted from music history after 1999.) Additionally, the pitchers are, for some strange reason, expensive. Even usually cheap beer.
Pros: pool table, empty on weeknights, patio.
Cons: pricey pitchers, the occasional child running around the patio, and a jukebox that is rarely turned on.
In the mood for a friendly neighborhood bar? It's tucked away in the mission at 20th @ York, but it's worth the trip. Where most bars can get a little stuffy, this place has a small patio area where you can hang out and get fresh air (or smoke), you can play pool, or grab a bite to eat
The food is amazing, if you get there and feel hungry ORDER! Traditional Mexican food- the carne asada plate is a must try, but if I just want to nibble sometimes I go for a rice and bean plate to share with chips. SUPER REASONABLE, full dinner aprx $9 a person and you leave full.
They have FOX!! This makes all the difference. That alone is worth five stars...
Complimentary Bottle of House…
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