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Mon-Thu. 5:00 p.m. - 2:00 a.m.
Fri. 3:30 p.m. - 2:00 a.m.
Sat-Sun. 3:00 p.m. - 2:00 a.m.
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Ah, the Noc Noc. What a great little hole in the wall establishment this is. Good beer selection with an ample amount of tasty Belgian's on tap and in the bottle. Check their website out for details of what exactly is on tap and in the bottle. Sake and beer as well, but no hard stuff can be found here. Often the Toronado is just way too crowded and if you don't have the patience to put up with the crap service there, you can usually find a seat at the Noc Noc.
They have a small DJ cave and I have spun records in it. Really small, but there's a couple dusty technic 1200s and an older mixer. What else do you need? The range of music I've heard in here is quite vast, encompassing just about everything. The quality control on the DJs is minimal as if you are friends with the owner's son, Sampson or drink and talk with him in there, you could get invited to spin there. The sound in the place is ambient - it is not a place you go to focus on the music, really more to socialize and drink.
The decor is wacky and a bit psychedelic. A unique place to say the least. The bar stools are really different - see the pictures to see what I'm talking about.
You know the video for "Lovesong" by the Cure? Where Robert Smith, looking an awful lot like Edward Scissorshands, sits in the cave, among the stalagtites and stalagmites, and stares at his fingers while singing the melancholy lyrics? Noc Noc is pretty much that video in bar form.
Also, great selection of beers.
Feeling lonely for home, we wandered into this bar with the same name as the lovely Noc Noc in downtown Seattle. Instead of tator tots we found cider & sake specials, $3 beers, and a kick-ass bartender named Liz.
I suppose the decor is pyschadelic because of the neon, darkness, and trippy furniture. A little silly, but we here for business. We were here to drink.
Excellent deals, and Liz was just awesome. In an empty bar we chatted up the bartender, then got to know the usual clinetile that drifted in on a Wed afternoon. The outline of the bar is set in the sign which states "No PBR, MGD.." & such. Love that.
We had the best time & went back the next day, but sadly missed Liz. Don't know if everyone would have fun...but we did!
The decor leaves little to be desired, but it's what makes this place what it is. And while their beer selection is dwafted by Voronado, this is a good option when seating is unavailable there.
It's really not at all right that Noc Noc is on the very same block as the Toronado. Someone wants my liver to DIE. I used to be jealous of my friends on Page Street but now I know that if I lived around here, I'd be broke and a low-functioning alcoholic.
I normally dislike anything Yelp classifies as a "Lounge," but Noc Noc is more of a funky little bar. I'm primarily a beer drinker, and they had enough of a selection to keep me happy, which kind of surprised me. Their 5-7 happy hour is generous, both in going until 7pm and in offering both the $4 and $5 draft beers for $3. 18 taps, several ciders, beer, wine and sake. Whatever, no hard stuff, but there is enough variety that anyone who complains about the booze choice is a whiner. Live a little and try a sake cocktail, fool!
Speaking of whiners: credit cards are accepted, so at least when you go to the next Yelp review of this place you don't have to hear WAH WAH CASH ONLY WAH WAH WAH. There is also no dress code and no cover, and, like all great bars, you're allowed to bring in outside food.
The decor, according to my friend who lived in San Francisco in the 80s, is pretty much unchanged. Rock the fuck on.
What really put the icing on the cake for me was the DJ hidden away in a little booth next to the bathrooms. I don't know why they had a DJ there at like 5:15 when the place was almost empty, but I'm so glad they did. Dead Can Dance? Wall of Voodoo covering Johnny Cash? You had me at "hello."
What an odd, yet cool little little place in the Lower Haight. The interior of this place looks like something out of a Tim Burton movie. Overgrown chairs, funny little nooks and crannies, and bizarre music playing in the background. Makes for a fun little detour when hopping along ho-hum dive bar after ho-hum dive bar.
They only do beer and wine, but I love how they mix it up and do things different than other liquor-less bars (the Squirt and sake concoction, for instance). When life hands you lemons, make some Mike's Hard Lemonade, ya dig?
It's pretty small, so seating is at a premium. Being that the Haight (more upper than lower) is pretty well known for their deep-seeded quirkiness, it's completely expected that a place like this would exist in this neighborhood.
The decor was already outdated and not cool anymore in 1995 and it smells. The patrons are either 17 (not kidding, I've been in there maybe five times in the last 14 years and every time it's full of high school students) or still upset because they didn't get into that gallery show back in '97.
Yet for no explicable reason, they think they are the cat's meow.
After eating, drinking and socializing at a restaurant our group gathered ourselves to this small dark bar, which I had avoided before because I could never really see inside, but I'm glad I finally went in. I liked it, the music was cool, the crowd was fun, no annoying, pretentious human beings and my drink was strong enough, can't really ask for much more.
This bar is on my list of most lame bars in The City. The myspace crowd seems to swarm to this place, if that gives you any inclination of where I am going with this. People bring their own sparks and hide in the corner drinking it out of a brown bag and no one seems to care. Lame. The "theme" of this bar is some bad hodgepodge of fantasy and suck. I'm not sure if it supposed to look psychedelic or just terrible, but I think the decorator succeeded at both in some weird way. Oh yeah, it usually smells like piss inside too...enjoy!!
The only thing saving this place from one star is the beer selection. But do yourself a favor and walk down three doors to Toronado.
Honestly, I can't remember when I was here. I think it was sometime around spring break of this past year, just back from the effing frigid temperatures and Obama-mania of D.C.
And honestly, I looked the place up on yelp. After BARTing in from the East Bay and determining what Muni we'd have to catch to get back and not get stranded in SF, we dragged our asses into Noc Noc.
I loved it. It looked like some sci fi bar with serious Blade Runner or Mad Max vibes. I kept expecting David Bowie to pop out from one of the dark cave corners and thrust his lycra-clad crotch in my direction while singing "dance magic dance." And to me, this is always an excellent vibe to get from a bar.
My friend and I sat on the ground, drank what I remember was some pretty decent beer, and watched (from what i remember, once again) fish swim by on a giant screen.
I figure I had a great time because both my friend and I blacked out and have no clue how we got back to BART. I may have very well paid a homeless man to piggyback me the whole way, as far as I'm concerned. Regardless of missing hours of my life, the hours I do remember from Noc Noc I enjoyed, even if Bowie never did serenade me or buy me a beer.
I felt like I was back on the playa at Camp Noc Noc. Nice getaway from the real world!
So, when I was a kid my Mom never liked me eating candy, or watching rated R movies, or staying up late. She cooked "really healthy", which meant I ate twigs and berries.
So one day, my buddy Jeff calls and asks if I could spend the night, I asked my mom if I could have a night off from our little prison camp.
Surprisingly she said "OK".
She took the heavy chains off and instantly felt liberated.
I grab my sleeping bag and tooth brush and hit the mean streets of Poway and walked a few blocks to his house.
His house was awesome, his parents shopped at a place called "Price Club". Which meant they had 500 of every kind of food ever made. And if that ran out, there was more stored in the garage.
Anyway, his parents went to sleep, we stayed up all night long eating Airheads and Sour Skittles, watching all sorts of horror movies, with aliens, blood, guts, you know the good stuff.
We planned on staying up all night, but eventually the sugar high wares off and all those frozen pizzas we ate start making me heavy, as well as my eyelids.
That night I had the worst nightmares I have ever had. Gnarly shit, like aliens, blood, weird fucking places.
A lot of years later I enter Noc Noc, and it all came rushing back to me.
Its like a really bad dream, but fun and they serve beer and wine.
noc noc.
Who's there?
Orange.
Orange who?
Orange you glad you came to this awesome bar in the Haight?
The Noc Noc is weird. I LOVE weird. It's like walking into one of Jim Morrison's mind trips. You're drinking cheap beer in a cave and staring at all the colorful art installations on the wall. This is a "dream" you'll want to always remember.
Live weird. Die weird. Embrace the weird.
This is my default place to bring dates, because this place has gluten-free beer, which means I can linger over drinks if the date is going well; and this place is loud with trippy interior design, which means I can stop listening and paying attention if the date is going poorly.
I'd love to see a wider selection of GF beers, but they do also have cider, wine, and sake in case I tire of Redbridge.
My friends and I went there after being at the Toronado. It was still light out so we were the only people in there. I really liked the interior, it is almost like being in a cave. The gluten-free beer they had was really good too.
Beer, wine and sake only though...
i like. at this point in my life i think posh floor seating is cute....maybe not so much when i'm older and rocking a bad hip or something
If you like cougars and people under 21 with really loud music, go here. For bars, I go elsewhere. I know there are those who go out to have a bad time, so I am glad places like this is a good Tool shed for the community.
Love their gluten-free beer! Super tasty and rad that they have one! :)
Yes. Awesome! Love the idea of drinking in a funky, artsy cave. Love the lights, the "cave art",… Read more »
I'll admit, the bars on this strip of Haight do not jibe well with me. While Molotov's holds the distinction of being the first place I've ever seen cocaine, I've found most of the establishments in this area very forgettable. However, Noc Noc seems to be at least trying to be memorable.
You've probably heard people coming up with ways to describe their interior. My favorite: A spaceship crashed into a cave. It is unique and is likely the main draw of the place. They claim it is an art installation and in one of the corners you can read a placard about what the artist was going for. Oddly enough, the phrase "Fraggle Rock" is not mentioned.
The selection of beer is actually pretty good, emphasizing some Belgian bottles. I have always found the staff working the tiny bar area to be really friendly, so that's a plus. Space is tight and seating sporadic, which can make it difficult to sit back and enjoy a drink with friends.
So, while I try to avoid going out in this area, sometimes my friends insist. In those instances, I try to make the best of the situation and go to Noc Noc.
If you're into Belgium and German brews, Noc Noc has you covered.
This place is really dark, so it's not always easy to appreciate the awesome one-of-a-kind decor.
The movies they show sometimes are really cool, almost as cool as the crowd - the Haight is becoming one of my favorite hangouts in San Fran.
BTW, I was here onetime when one of these speed dating crews had a gig going on. God knows why, with the music blasting and the limited space (they over booked the event, those greedy bastards!) - this is a great space, but not for 70+ people who are trying to make intros to each other in under 3 minutes flat, going hoarse over the blaring music, tripping over the stools, over each other, etc. I felt sorry for the suckers who dropped $$ on this, especially the guys, but I digress.
Who am I kidding with 4*'s - I live here!
Hot sake, chimay, and a cave-like feel. I can't get enough of this spot.
Not very fancy, but walking distance from my house and they have hot sake. The lighting is nice and… Read more »
I spent several years of my life in this cavern sucking down chimays and smoking camels. Wait, that's grad school I'm thinking of. In any case, if you find yourself in the lower haight and would like to step into a post modern art nightmare complete with a bomb hanging in the middle of the room with a gas mask on its nose then Noc Noc is up your alley.
This is the kind of bar that takes all kinds. Seriously, all kinds, from practicing magicians, to dog lovers who bring their four legged friends along, to aliens with antennae that stick up off their heads, and yes aspiring writers and grad students. The menu is filled with good beer and sake. They don't serve the harder stuff, just beer, wine and sake. I'd say get here early, park yourself in that great cubby hole where the neon sign for the bar hangs and then stay a while, a long while because in a single night I've heard William Cargo, The Incredible Bongo Band and Carl Orf come floating out the speakers. The bar's music is as eclectic as the scenery on the walls, lights and friendly staff.
I'm no where near trendy enough to comment on all the decor here and how it is post-apocalyptic cool or whatever.
But this bar is awesome, again not necessarily because of the decorations/lighting/etc - but because of an awesome drink/beer selection and because of the owner/son that tend the bar, teach you all sorts of interesting facts about life, and share drinks with you. I've never felt more at home at a bar before.
Now if i could somehow just wedge a bed in the cockpit of the plane i'd be set.
Great bar with just great beer on tap and in the bottle.
I'm so glad I have Noc Noc so close to me to be able to call it one of the local haunts for me...it is also nice to take my out of town guests too. If it original by SF standards imagine what my friends from AZ or the midwest think...so far they've all loved it.
Seriously, a great place to chill and get away from the Toronado scene (which I also love but totally different mood) and embrace your inner mole-man self.
This would be the type of bar the Morlocks would frequent from Wells's classic "The Time Machine."
I have to say it is my second best cave bar experience. The first being a real cave, with a bar, in Prague, that was once used as a bomb shelter, and now as a jazz bar...and randomly seeing Branford Marsalis play a set.
I haven't reviewed this place yet because for some reason I can never think of what to say about it. I love this bar but Is that enough of a review? Would "I love this bar" as a review in anyway do the awesomeness of Noc Noc any credit?
This is the first bar I ever had a Belgian beer; Chimay in '88 or '89. They used to be only half the size they are now, the area in front of the bar all the way out to the door. I can't remember exactly when they expanded into the space to the right of the bar but I was suspicious that things would change.
I've always thought Noc Noc looked like what people think a cool bar should look like, more like a Hollywood set for an SF bar scene. This is my favorite place to take people from out of town, they always get a kick out of it.
Is this place for real?
I suggest doing what we did and start off at Toronado's and then enter NOC NOC during their wonderful $3 happy hour with a good buzz already going. You will either fall in love, be overwhelmed and uncomfortable or just have a really damn good time but at least you will already be drunk so it will be extra special.
This place is a trip and I will definitely add this to my "go to" spots in the City whenever I visit. San Fran you have my heart and NOC NOC you just just helped renew my love for a great city and a great area to hang.
To quote one of my favorite people who lives there and frequents NOC NOC he said "It is a tweakers dream"
This is going to be my new favorite hangout in the Lower Haight. ONe of my good friends just moved to the Haight, so we thought we'd venture over to this hood for a couple beers after work. Started off at Toronado and then used the trusty iPhone to find this place next door...
WOW! the artwork is INCREDIBLE. I felt like I was in some sort of fantasy movie. It was pretty chill and the music was outstanding. It's definitely got some world beats and electronica going on. I loved how it wasn't too crowded either and pretty easy to talk to the people you're with.
We also ended up meeting two really great guys who we chatted it up with for a bit. One is a DJ there, so that was cool.
I'll definitely be frequenting this place more often!
The beer selection is decent. I don't want to say it has a good draft selection, but I don't want to say it's bad either. They have a big selection of bottles, but I prefer draft beer when I go out to bars.
Happy hour is EVERY day from 5-7, which is quite convenient. Everyone loves $3 pints. To be honest, I pretty much only go there during happy hour.
The atmosphere is dark, broody, and themed to be reminiscent of a cave. It's usually empty. This is exactly the kind of atmosphere I LOVE, but it's not for everyone. The music they play is cool, a lot of electronic and metal type stuff. I've heard Nine Inch Nails there before also, so that's a plus for me as well.
In short, stop by for happy hour... great way to "pre-game" while you're already out.
Um, crazy artwork & alcohol sometimes mix too well.
Was this a dream?
I will start of by saying that I absolutely love this place. However, I will be objective in my review, which includes some drawbacks.
The Location: The best location being in the Lower Haight. It is around a lot of other bars and food joints. Also extremely easy to access by pubic transport and car.
The Space: I am in love with the interior design. It's very dark, with an add-shot of new-wave, a dash of punk, and a hipster topping. There's a lot art, the furniture is great--specially the bar stools.
The Ambiance: Good, interesting people. It's the type of place where if you're there, you probably have something in common with the person next to you. All the people are alternative in some way--punk, hipster, goth, mod, nerd you name, it's here.
The Service: Very casual, just how I like it.
The Drinks: This is the part that makes me sad. They only serve wine and beer here. I need my Martini. I'm sorry, but Martinis are a necessity. The drinks are also overpriced.
Overall, this is totally my neighborhood hang-out place.
this place is like walking into a scene from beetlejuice or something else equally as bizarre. it's a fantastic place to go, especially because they let people bring their dogs in. and the "no bud, no miller, no coors" thing makes me really happy.
my recommendation:
try a p&p - half pear cider, half pyramid hefeweizen
Noc Noc has absolutely no shame about being thoroughly weird and awesome. The interior is straight out of the Flinstones - it seriously reminds me of the cave train ride at the boardwalk in Santa Cruz... I feel like I'm part of the scene with all the cavemen getting drunk. Is that ride even around still? I have yet to come across a bar as unique as this one. In fact, if you know of any, please tell me!
This is a beer only bar, but luckily not a shitty-beer only bar. Every time I've come here I've had a great time! It's perfect if you're looking to go somewhere and just hang out with some old friends who you haven't seen in ages. Always low-key, but totally fun! Definitely the coolest bar in the Lower Haight.
Embrace the weirdness. You'll either love this place, or haight this place. Therefore, it's very likely that you might read my five-star rating and think this is a one-star place. And we can both be right, and also just be different people.
The drinks are great, a very solid selection of quality beers on tap, lots of sake, and wine. You get used to the lack of hard stuff pretty quickly.
The interior is like nothing you've ever seen. There are funny-shaped chairs, some on the floor, weird movies, pictures, and music. But I think it's pretty awesome.
Noc. Noc.
Enter.
Mr. Downtown Brown
Mr. Boont
Mr. Chimay
Mr. Racer 5 IPA
Mr. Anchor Steam and Miss Anchor Liberty Ale
Miss Sierra Nevada Pale Ale
Miss Pyramid Hefeweizen
Mr. Fat Tire
Prince Newcastle Brown Ale
Captain Full Sail Amber
Senior El Toro Poppy Jasper
Hippie Humboldt Hemp Ale
Pimp Speakeasy Big Daddy IPA
DJ Hours of Vibing Tracks
Princess Pillow seats and Duke Decor
Do Not Enter, Wrong Way
Mr. Bud
Ms. Miller
Mr. Coors
Miss Hard Alcohol
Went to Noc Noc last night and was very impressed with the selection. My friends and I were… Read more »
Very unconventional bar with good beer. Before visiting I was told it was a cyberpunk bar and after being there you might understand why. It feels like the bar could be in the movie Blade Runner or something similar.
Certainly caters to a different crowd than the Toronado across the street. Noc Noc may not have the beer selection but the beers there are good enough (for me) and the atmosphere and people always make for an interesting visit whenever I'm in SF.
What a quaint place! By "quaint," I mean "Dark, Creepy, I-feel-like-I-dropped-acid." Serisouly, this place looks like something out of an Alice in Wonderland nightmare. You have 2 seating options: awkward straight-backed bar chairs or couch cushions on the floor. Wait, are those stalagmites or stalagtites? What do you call it when they connect?
They do have sweet bartenders, a nice little beer selection, and were playing a sweet mashup playlist the night I came. The dutch door is a nice touch, except when they keep it open and let the 40 degree cold blow in.
There are some little nooks perfect for awkward bar making-out, of which some of the patrons had taken full advantage.
Not a place worthy of its own trip to Lower Haight, but a unique gem to stop by if you're around.
Being a resident of the lower haight area, I certainly don't have a shortage of bars to choose from. For some reason, I always end up finding myself at Noc Noc even though I can't say that it's my favorite bar in the neighborhood. There are some advantages this has over the others though. For one, it's usually the least packed of all the bars so that is always a plus if you are on a date or want to actually sit down when you're drinking. Secondly the staff is usually friendly. It's also dark in here which I like and lastly, the decor is anything but boring. It's like you walked into a Tim Burton movie set.
Now for the bad and reasons why I think this bar could be so much better. The music here is almost always terrible. It's usually some kind of world beat or electronica...If you're into burning man then I guess this would be your kinda place. But it's not even the type of music they play that bothers me as much as it is the VOLUME. The place could be empty but they will always have the music blasting at the highest volume possible. I really dislike this about the bar. I think there is no reason for the music to be that loud. And the creepy DJ area is weird too. You can't see the DJ's and it would almost seem like they should just have a ipod hookup somewhere.
All that being said, I still think it's better than some of the other options in the neighborhood.
Why the hell do I keep doing this? Noc Noc does not belong on Yelp. This place is simply under the radar. It doesn't give a shit about one or five stars or anything in between. It doesn't want to be cool or get popular, it already had its heyday 15 years ago. So consider this an anti-Yelp Yelp.
This place is always chill, there is always a table open. People are allowed to bring their dogs and food in - nobody cares. The crowd is always salt of the earth, LH style. The happy hour has $3 drafts. Mythic pizza is next door and you can bring slices in as stated above. It represents Lower Haight to a tee.
The music is the best part. It is seriously eclectic and good. Every single time I go there I hear tracks that bring back memories - the good underground tracks - everything from ambient to experimental to metal and punk. You cannot see the DJ's because they are hidden away in their little pod getting stoned. Don't even think of making a request because they will kill you.
The space, as mentioned before, is one of the most unique spaces in San Francisco for sure, and possibly in the US. It is straight out of Blade Runner meets Aliens meets Mad Max meets the Flintstones on acid. It is dark and dingy and weird and you feel like you are in some underwater world in the post apocalyptic future.
Actually, I take it back; the part about the anti-Yelp Yelp. I just went to their website and they make mention of Yelp so party on..
PS don't go there.
Like a rad mini-rave revival for grown-ups who aren't really into raves anymore. Live DJ spinning actual vinyl (not a macbook), tucked away in a tiny cave in the back.
As someone who isn't overly into dance music nowadays, I still really enjoyed my time here. We found a place to sit, never had to stand shoulder to shoulder, bumped elbows, or had drinks spilled on us like most other respectable bars on a Friday night. We sat in a booth area in the back but noticed cushions for floor seating next to us and traditional bar stools around the middle.
The interior decor is a little Fred Flintstone discovers a black light. As the night lingered on, the crowd went from sparse locals to a bit of an SF State crowd.
Excellent beer and sake selection. I live down the street so proximity is a bit of a factor but I'm excited for my next visit already. Just can't believe it took me so long to try it.
This place is like being on acid. The decor is very Tim Burton, so in its own way that is amazing. It has a really vibrant yet chill vibe to it, if that makes sense.
The bar is pretty small, and seating is limited. Also they only serve beer, wine and sake, which also puts limitations on this bar. The bar was playing really good music and the crowd was diverse. There were people there in suits, hipsters, hippies, young and old alike, etc etc. On the surface level it would be possible to assume this place has a lot of attitude, but it doesn't.
I would recommend Noc Noc for people who just want a chill bar, for a fun, but chill evening. It would be a great place to spend a night if you were lucky enough to find somewhere to sit.
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