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Mon-Sun. 4:00 p.m. - 2:00 a.m.
"i like it, i like it alot. Been here a few times, this past time went to see our friend Elay spin.. great music! The drinks were perfect..…" read more »
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I love this bar. I feel like I can come here and order any drink and it will be delicious. The neighborhood is great and the staff is great as well.
Minus 1 star for the awkward seating behind the bar. The place could be way more comfortable if they lost some tables or arranged them differently.
The drinks are ok priced, they could be a little cheaper.
Overall great bar!!
Life is all about balance. For example, this morning I received the Employee of the Quarter award at work, but the only reason I was there to receive it was because I forgot about a jury summons, my group was called, and I consequently received a failure to appear.
Irish car bombs are about balance, too. It's cool to chug them faster than your friends, but not-so-cool to throw them back up on the bar (sorry Elbo Room).
Sundays at Lone Palm are unofficial Irish Car bomb competition days. So sit back in one of the comfy seats and drink your liquid courage with your buddies until you're ready to challenge the gorgeous gal behind the bar. They say she's undefeated and will buy you a drink if you win.
I came here on a Monday, but I'll be back on a Sunday.
Try not to puke on the bar, but if you do, then there are free snacks on the tables and rosewater in the bathroom to help reclaim your feminine scent (Hi, mom!)
OK, so this place sort of kicks ass. Its a really hard one to describe.
You'd think a place called "lone palm" with a single palm tree out front in a zit-on-your-ass area of the mission (a place you don't normally look) with a neon pink sign would scream sketch dive bar hell.
However, on entering the place, you've got white tablecloths, and carpet, and a really really hot bartender from somewhere in europe against a pretty stocked bar. Very James Bond.
Actually, that above contradiction sort of sums up this bar. I mean, they are just everywhere: TVs are playing old skool black and white movies. The soundtrack is chill music, but all over the map from trip hop to beck. You've got candlelit tables, but graffiti-ed restrooms (I think?). All the crazy contradictory input confuses my brain, but I just can't help but love the shit out of it. Oh yeah, the stiff pours for reasonable prices help to confuse my brain too.
Just go to this place. You'll totally fit right into the contradiction: you'll feel like a secret agent even though you're in a hoodie and jeans.
From our rooms we can hear everyone leaving the Lone Palm, so we had to check it out. It has the 80's Miami Vice Deco thing going on which is unique. The crowd isn't a typical Mission crowd- its more laid back and groups sit at tables but you always meet someone new at this bar. Drinks are pretty cheap, its always packed (in a good way) and the lighting makes everyone more attractive. Or is that the drinks?
Check out this bar, but please, don't have boring bitch fights while leaving.
I am always down for Lone Palm, yet sometimes I don't understand why it's not more 'poppin'... after all, they always play dope background music and lord knows everyone looks good in candlelight. Drinks are a little weaksauce though, if you ask me. In the end, it's a great option when you're looking for a (slightly) more mature neighborhood bar in the Mission where you can actually hear the people you're with. Bottoms up!
This place has an odd Miami Vice vibe going on, like it was a leftover set from the show stuck in the '80s. But that's not exactly a knock. I like it. I like that dogs can hang out and roam, and that there's snacks on each table (jalapeño potato chips!), and that each table has tablecloths and candles. And a sexy bartenderess.
And with all that class, beer is just $4.50. Love it.
I feel like I've just stepped into a film noir.
Everyone looks so nice by candlelight.
Make mine a whisky sour.
"Get me to that bus stop and forget you ever saw me. If we don't make it to the bus stop... "
Carry me home.
Nothing special...just another neighborhood bar.
Perhaps I should give this bar 3 stars, on account of the fact that, not too long after exiting its premises and taking a bus from the Mission to Potrero Hill, I found myself face-down on the sexy San Francisco cement, a victim of mild drunkenness and goddamn motherfucking uneven pavement. Yes, I got a fat lip. Yes, I scraped my hands and bruised my knee. Yet I am still giving the Lone Palm 4 stars? Your guess is as good as mine.
I never would have entered--or probably even heard of--this bar had I not been walking up towards Guerrero on a creme brulee mission. However, mission accomplished, I spot this unimposing, divey-looking bar and immediately told my friend that we were entering. And enter we did. What greeted us was a surprisingly nice-looking bar, complete with white cloth-covered tables with candles and individual bowls of snacky foods (which had just been put out, so I munched on mine without worry of semen and fecal matter).
It was relatively dark and very chill, and there were two adorable and friendly dogs in the bar. Any bar that allows dogs scores points with me. I don't much remember the alcohol choices, but suffice it to say that there's a full bar (obviously) and a decent selection of beer on tap (by decent I mean that you can actually get Stella if you want, not just crappy American brews, though I'm pretty sure that those are on draft too). Not too expensive but not too cheap either, and definitely a relaxed atmosphere for having a drink (or more) in the company of friends or unimposing and friendly regulars.
Due to its location up by the corner of 22nd and Guerrero, this isn't really in the part of the Mission I usually hang out in, so I probably won't be at Lone Palm except on very rare occasions, but I'm happy to know that I've discovered a "new," clean bar at which to have the occasional drink. Maybe after the next time I eat at Papalote?
Oh yes. That sounds like a plan.
I first came to know of the Lone Palm when the Mythbusters called it out as one of their favorite joints in their Weekly Yelp interview. Without that, I could have continued living merely blocks away without ever thinking of entering. I finally did though and had a decent experience. Nothing all that memorable, except for the wide range - and I mean wide, like the ocean - of music and white table clothes. I couldn't piece together any particular logic or theme to the place but maybe that's the point. Seemed like your basic, run-of-the-mill Mission bar.
Interesting note... I just checked out their website and they describe themselves as "an elegant, comfortable lounge filled with warm music and candlelight." The description goes on to say they are located in the "most sophisticated section" of the Mission. Now I am just plain baffled.
I came here for one reason, and one reason only:
I heard a rumor that this bar is frequented by the Myth Busters gang, and is one of their favorite bars to occasionally bust myths in.
That immediately makes it a totally awesome bar in my book.
The white table cloths and candles tell a story.
This is a place for intimate conversations, for falling in love, and for chilling out with people you like.
I came in on a recon mission, I wanted to see if this place would be suitable for one of the social events I've been organizing. It wouldn't be but it's still a place I'd come back to someday.
They don't seem to have any happy hour deal. The bartender did her job but wasn't particularly friendly. The clientele seems like a mixture of neighborhood people and Mission chodes with full beards and beanies. I did like the friendly dogs.
This is a great place to have as many martinis as possible.
There are bars, and there are bars where memories happen. The Lone Palm is one of the latter.
It's very classic: tables with tablecloths, attractive low lighting, plenty of stools, great bartenders, and strong drinks - all good. There is history here - it used to be a tranny hangout. It has sort of an "old SF" feeling and is a happy change from the youth-infested bars in the Mission. It would be easy to be a regular here.
There was a "falling down" incident in my group of friends on Saturday night. Instead of being a faux pas, it was a beautiful, hilarious moment in a great night. That's the kind of place the Lone Palm is - you can fall down and get right up again, and be no worse for the wear.
The Lone Palm is a solid 4-star lounge. The joint has a classy -- but not pretentious -- vibe. The bartenders are friendly, and most have a solid grasp on the art of mixology. They make a fantastic Old Fashioned! I'm looking for perfect balance in a mixed drink, not a stiff pour.
I'm also a big fan of the bottomless snacks served up on the tables. Not just your standard stale bar pretzels either.
Great place to have a drink after work, before dinner or at the beginning of a night out in the Mission.
I like this bar. It's actually one of the few places in the mission where I could go with a date.
Not super crowded during the weekend nights, cheap drinks (3 vodka drinks for $17) and a nice atmosphere. A little candle on you 2 person table.
This place is cute.
Go there during the weekdays for a better experience !
My first experience with the Lone Palm was an odd mix. In the end, it won me over.
I walked in and immediately felt like throwing up. The place was completely packed and there was just some odd aroma of people that made me nearly lose my dinner.
Once I'd had a drink, and the crowd started to thin a little, I realized this is actually a pretty cool place. The seating is plentiful, the patrons friendly, the bartenders were just gems, and the drinks were...whatever, the drinks were acceptable.
I'm sort of new to San Francisco. I mean, I've lived here for three years, but I feel like I'm still just discovering it. So one of my favorite things to do, one of my favorite experiences, is being out on the town and running into friends. Makes you feel like you're home. Well it turns out Lone Palm is a favorite haunt of an old group of friends of mine, so an extra star is due for being a friendly meeting place.
Many subtle details go into making the Lone Palm a 4-star spot. First, it definitely qualifies as a LOUNGE, not just another bar. For the gentlemen and scholars who prefer to sip their Old Fashioneds comfortably seated at tables covered in fine white linen, as opposed to bumping elbows with a bunch of light-beer drinking louts, this is not an overlooked nicety.
There are coat-hooks under the bar, bottomless snacks, and the words "bro," "bitches," and "chug" are seldom encountered. The dimly lit interior, accented with teal and pink fluorescent light, creates the kind of retro-feel that's not trying-to-be, rather just is. A bit off the beaten path of other Mission establishments, the Lone Palm is a true oasis of class for the discerning partaker of San Francisco nightlife.
Oh Lone Palm.......What can I say? The first time I went there I got drugged. The second time, last night, was for a friend's birthday that ended in spilled drinks, random people not associated with the birthday party stealing the birthday cupcakes I made thinking they were "special cupcakes", and some douchebag screaming at my friend from a cab to "go back to the Castro" after we insulted his girlfriend's shoe (they were hideous).
The bartenders seemed annoyed at the drinks we ordered and were the hottest mean surly women I've ever met. As far as Mission Dives go this one is by far the worst.
They have white tablecloths here, which tells you all you need to know about the atmosphere--mellow and sophisticated (but, gratefully, not pretentious).
Just be careful when standing up that said white tablecloth is not caught in your belt or pants or anything so that when you turn to go to the bathroom you don't pull the whole mess of drinks and candles down upon you in a mortifying clatter of drunken clumsiness and everyone tries not to laugh but does anyway and you go hide in the bathroom for awhile and then come back and try to play it off by saying something like "hey guys, what'd I miss?"
(This of course, is just a hypothetical situation and in no way, shape or form represents anything that actually happened to me...)
Interesting place. I like the fact that they're trying to fancy up a little dive bar with their little white tablecloths. . .made me feel like it was ok that I was a little overdressed for this place. Actually, one of my friends said that I looked "Marina!!!" WTF??! Whatev. My friends and I pretty much took over the back half of this place so that we could bid adieu to one of our friends who is moving away (boo!). Bartenders are nice, although I think the bartender who my friend said looked like Denise Richards was not too thrilled at that "compliment."
Well, overall a good night was had by all. Perhaps I shall return in the future.
Very cool lounge with a classic feel. After about 4 or 8 drinks, starts to feel like a David Lynch movie. Also big ups on the ample free goldfish nibbles.
One complaint is that gets a little too crowded, and god forbid you go there on a Saturday during a heat wave--place turns into a blast furnace.
OK, that's two complaints. But still--much better than most mission diverias...
A true gem. This was one of the first bars I visited in SF. Now that I live here I went back to see if it had changed. Not a bit. White tablecloths, BUGLES in bowls on the tables. The friendly barmistress made me a kickass Old Fashioned then a Horse's Neck, which she claimed was Humphrey Bogard's favorite. It was MY favorite. Lone Palm is my favorite.
So we were walking up 22nd to get a drink on Valencia when I run into a friend I haven't seen since in a bit.
Dae: Hey what's up, you want to get a drink and catch up?
Me: Ummm....points at other shadowy figure standing behind me.
Dae: oh...date night.
Me: something like that.
Dae: Where are you going? Actually, it doesn't even matter -- you are going to the Lone Palm.
Me: The place up the street? Might as well call it Red Palm because that's what I'll have after taking someone there and being sent home alone....looks like a crappy dive bar.
So off we go in blind faith in Dae.. before we even get to decor.....the best thing about this place is the crowd it draws. Everything from polo shirts and pinstripes to piercings and tats -- that's my type of bar. This is definitely NOT a dive bar. White linen over tables with candles --- but not in a foo foo kind of way but more like just a relaxed and comfortable place to hang out over a drink.
Drinks are strong and cheap and the bartender was very friendly.
I'm suprised it took me so long to find this spot since I'm always over here with friends living up and down 22nd.
4 very solid stars for this spot. Dae I owe you buddy.
It looks pretty divey but they have white linen table cloths and rose water in the bathroom. That's pretty damn classy to me. They also had free food the night I was there. I didn't eat it and I don't know what the occasion was or where it came from but an announcement was made. I thought that was generous.
They had all the whiskeys and vodkas I like and a decent selection of beers on tap. There were a good number of tables and bar seats so a big group could fit in nicely.
They also didn't care when someone tried to be a magician by pulling a table cloth off one of the tables while sending a candle straight to the floor. Ta-da!
Too many wonderful, terrible things have gone down at that one little tucked-into-a-corner hightop round table. Like handjobs.
Ginger pours the best Plymouth gin and tonic. Everything else has been said. Wear stockings, bring drama, leave it under the table in some dreamy guy's hands, and go.
my mini-me's favorite dive bar in san francisco...
i just don't get it...
the white table cloths..... why??? it bothers me because i can't stop wondering why they use white table cloths....
the only thing that makes somewhat sense of this place is that yes there is a lone palm in front of the entrance.... but with that too.... why???
This is where professional bartenders and professional drinkers put in WORK.
I'm out of my depth here as I run a 24 hour service and don't want to be .085 +, but if I said "fuck it, fuck 'em!" Then this would be the place to lose my soul.
Like a well produced porn, it's totally nasty yet hard to ignore...
It also serves as an office of sorts to a good friend of mine.
They seem to treat him well.
I thank them for that, and it is nice to always know where he is.
All kidding aside, there's little b.s. here.
Just good old fashion drinkin'.
What a cool little joint.
So yesterday on my mini bar crawl tour of SF, my new friend and I came here to throw back a few. The place was empty, but luckily for us the bartender was a cool chicky and kept us entertained and even let me sniff bottles. Hey, we all have our things!
I would definitely come back here again at night to check out the scene in it's true bumpin form, but until then, I will keep it high on the list of cool little dive bars to waste the day away at :)
This place is really cool and unique, and sort of hidden on an otherwise residential block in the Noe/Mission border region. It's not quite a bar, not quite a lounge, and definitely feels like a throwback to another era.
Lone Palm, I just wanted to say...
I'm sorry I haven't patronized you more. Especially while living two blocks away. Crikey. I really have no excuse, except maybe I'm intimidated by how CIVILIZED the people in you seem to behave. Because overall, I end up acting like an ass when I go out to an establishment that solely serves alcohol. About 90% of the time. I'm not even going to try to pretend otherwise. Read my, like, 230 some other reviews.
But lately I've had a hankering to behave in a more civilized manner while imbibing (as evidenced by the very civilized tone of this review). You know -- like sit at a cozy table in a dimly lit, chill bar with good service and NOT get trashed. Maybe just sip on the same quality drinky-drink for a while with a friend or two and have intelligent conversation...
That's what people do in you and -- it's not bad. I can do it (okay, maybe the intelligent conversation part is pushing it...). I can even write a review like this. No one will UFC it, but that's a risk I'm willing to take to show you how serious I am.
Aren't you impressed?
Thanks for taking credit cards, too. That's what really forced me to take the plunge...
This bar is smelly and full of similar looking hippie douche bags. I can love the environment but this bar just makes me wanna vomit
Very cool little out of the way bar, with interesting lighting, art and an excellent sound system playing some very cool, mostly old acoustic music on a rainy Friday afternoon. This place could easily be just another dive bar in the Mission, but some creative soul has transformed it - as much as possible - into almost a classy little lounge. And by almost, I mean not really. There is a nice assortment of high and low tables, with white tablecloths and candles glowing. Really quite lovely.
This place has to lose a star for its unfriendly bartender. The only customers in the entire bar, she let us just sit at one of these lovely tables for 10 minutes or so, until finally yelling over to us, "If you want a drink YOU are going to have to come see ME." Ok, sure bitch. You're a barTENDER, not a barMAID. I get it now. Except the only thing you were tending was that misanthropic snarl on your face. Sorry if your new tattoo is crooked. Don't take it out on me. I just want a drink.
Here's another tip, faux Mission hipster: If you have a chalkboard upon which you write an assortment of various wines, don't sneer and chuckle to yourself when a customer orders a Zinfandel.
I'm going back anyway. I like the feel of this place. With a bunch of other people in here, I am sure the negativity from behind the bar will nicely dissipate before arriving at my table.
I lived less than half a block from the Lone Palm for five months and somebody had to point it out to me - I had no clue it even existed.
And I am so glad it was pointed out and I went in and it rocked my world. The Lone Palm is a totally random, obscure, weird from the outside bar. Not really a dive - they have white linen-clad tables - it's just random!
They always play the sickest tunes, the drinks are so good and right up my alley (stiff as hell usually) and everyone that works there is super nice.
Lone Palm!
Yes! Finally! A bar that serves stiff drinks and has some questionable clientelle, yet classes it up with white tablecloths! It definitely walks the fine line between dive bar and classy joint.
I came here Saturday evening and thought that I had walked into a place that had just finished its dinner service. Come to find out, no food is served here (although they do have bowls of Goldfish and peanuts scattered throughout the place).
Really nice bartenders (Isle was working and MAN! she has some cool stories), strong drinks, cool atmosphere, great location, awesome, fun, etc etc you get the idea.
I've been to the Lone Palm a couple of times and always seem to enjoy myself but this past Saturday I couldn't help but notice that my drinks tasted, eh, kind of nasty. I ordered Stoli/soda three times and all three drinks tasted differently.
We got all Sherlock Holmesian and tried to figure out what was wrong. Bad ice? Flat soda water? Our conclusion - dish washing soap.
Did we complain? No.
Did we stop and switch to beer? No.
Did I still have a great time? Yes.
Will I be drinking bottled beer next time I go to the Lone Palm? That's elementary, my dear Watson.
I am a lone palm.
I used to really really really love this place , I dont hate it now by any means but it lost a something in the last few years. maybe its that you cant smoke inside anymore. maybe its because the bartenders arent usually as friendly as they used to be. I dont know I just have gotten to a point where I dont frequent it any longer. Ive tried a few times recently to go in but its been way too packed and I hate that feeling of claustrophobia(i lived thru the golden age of the arrow bar-NEVER AGAIN).
Great neighborhood bar!
Don't let the entryway fool you, past the curtain is not the wizard, but a quaint and classy bar that has white table cloths and candles which add to the ambiance.
I'll admit to a bit of a crush on Ginger - hey, who doesn't though?!
In spite of an often 2- or 3-deep mob at the small bar, the staff is quick, courteous and both patient and efficient.
An extra star for being a block and half from my condo!
Seeing as every review of this place calls it romantic or a great first date spot you would expect that you would walk in and see couples hiding in the corners, their martinis casually cast aside in favor of some good old fashioned, innocent, drunken smooching. I mean, aside from the sometimes poor taste in the music they play, this place has character and class for being a hole in the wall bar on a quiet street in the Mission. They even have tablecloths, for goodness sake.
Alas, no. Not a single person making out at their candlelit table. More importantly, not a single person drinking a martini. The latter I REALLY don't get. This bar is art deco. That in and of itself nearly demands that some martinis be ordered. I guarantee they would be good, the bartenders make some mighty fine drinks at this place. Plus, martinis are strong, thus taking away that awkwardness you might be feeling as you approach the night cap portion of your date.
Yes, I like this place, but it will not get 5 stars until someone takes me here, orders me a Sapphire martini (dirty) and cozies up with me in a dark corner. Oh, and this can only take place on a weekday because, as with most SF bars, its way too crowded on the weekend.
I'm kind of surprised this place averages out at four stars. It's a decent enough bar, but to be frank, it's pretty low on character and just feels like a typical bar. You can't really argue with that, but you're not exactly going to write home about it either, now are you?
Happy Hour in J-Town!
Neighborhood: Pacific Heights
Daily Happy Hour 4-7
Neighborhood: Mission
Neighborhood: Mission
Category: Bars
Neighborhood: Mission
Category: Lounges
Neighborhood: Mission
Category: Bars
Neighborhood: Mission
Category: Bars
Neighborhood: Mission
Category: Bars
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