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Categories: Lounges, Venues & Event Spaces [Edit]
Neighborhoods: Civic Center/Tenderloin, Nob HillMake your reservation today for our swanky upstairs lounge! No room fee and no minimum, no excuse to wait! Call now for more information!
"Free popcorn! Kick-ass Bartenders! Shot specials every day/night of the week! Hollaaaa!!!!! Perfect spot for game days that I can crawl…" read more »
woo-woo has a hoot of a happy hour? why owl tree of course.
they have non-chintzy free food (cheese, salami, stale crackers) and a swanky upstairs option for large parties in the evening, which i recommend for a birthday celebration.
For a week, I'd been walking past this place while staying at Hotel Monaco on Geary/Taylor, saying: "That place looks like a dump. Who'd ever want to drink there?" Well, I should know better than to judge a book by it's cover in San Francisco, as I couldn't have been more wrong about this place.
On the outside, there's this smarmy looking mosaic owl that greets you. Perhaps because I walked by in the morning hours and it was crawling with undesirables begging for change right outside the front door, I formed the opinion that it was a total poop hole. But upon scoping the TL for a place to cap off the night, a friend and I decided to head inside and give it a shot.
It reminds me of the awkward, semi-attractive girl from high school. You'd see her every day, think she was interesting... but because she wore bright, baggy clothes, you never thought twice about how she looked naked. Then somewhere down the line, you run into her at the local coffee shop wearing nothing but a pair of Reebok workout pants and a sports bra... and you realize that she's a total babe with delicious curves and an onion booty to match. That's Owl Tree.
The inside of the bar is totally chic. Dark colors, exposed bricks, fancy bar stools, an upscale crowd, and more! I'd have never guessed this was how the inside looked based on the exterior of the building.
The specialty drinks were a bit on the pricey side and they were slightly above-average for my tastes. After trying one gin gimlet, I stuck with beer, which was fine by me.
If you get a chance, check out the 2nd floor. It's private and it'd make for a GREAT birthday spot. Holds up to 50 and has it's own bar. w00t!
This was one of our favorites 3-5 years back- I guess they had an ownership change because this was not at all the way I remembered when I returned on Friday night...
Definitely not the vibe of the old Owl Tree; but still offers up a relaxed atmosphere, comfy booths, and great drinks. Fresh squeezed greyhound is worth the trip alone.
Drunks and stairs don't mix!
When looking for a drink, a giant owl mosaic appeared in front of my eyes.. obviously hypnotized I was drawn inside where the object of my desire (pre-dinner alcoholic beverages) awaited.
People were chill, drinks were fine and served as expected. Not divey, and prices reflected that. There were quite a few people in there either speaking a different language or with a euro accent, which was kind of interesting - I don't know if that's a regular thing or if it was just a party that night. I can't say this would be my usual spot but like yelp says, three stars = A-OK.
I think this place is beautiful. Really really pretty. It just screams regular spot for an upscale but down to earth neighbor. It seems to attract a mix of locals and business travelers, and it just feels classy, even though it's a bit of a dive.
At one time in my life I spent 4 nights a week at the Owl Tree. I was prepared not to like the place when I walked in. I was wrong, sure its not the old Owl Tree but Bobby is dead, it could never be the old Owl Tree without Bobby. "Get the fuck out of my Bar!" He was priceless. The wet naps and bowls of mix are gone. The furniture is changed but it remarkably a similar feeling room. There's a great shrine to Bobby on the stairs leading to Bobby's old office and the ladies room. I was disappointed there was no urinal filled with ice and powdered hand soap. I think Bobby would approve of the joint.
the bar wasn't bad and it wasn't good. hence the 3 stars.
The Owl Tree is my neighborhood bar (literally next door to my apartment) and my favorite regular hang out. The staff is AWESOME AND FRIENDLY, the drinks are FANTASTIC, and the atmosphere is warm and welcoming.
I love a place that you can enter at the end of a rough day, and immediately be greeted by a smile, and The Owl Tree delivers.
The patrons are always friendly as well, and I have to say this is one of the BEST places to meet awesome new friends and otherwise in San Francisco.
Great Bar! 1st night in San Fran & I need a drink after my hour flight with 3 screaming children, so the bellman at the Monaco Hotel suggested this place.
I soooo wish we had one of these in San Diego. It looks like a dive bar, but it's not. It's got that intimate feeling when you walk in...you don't have to dress to impress..it's not a bunch of pretentious snobs hanging around drinking 15 martini's...but the crowd is a good mix of people & you don't feel like you are going to get jumped when you walk in there either.
The bartender was cute.. the drinks were stiff & the atmosphere was great! I miss you Owl Tree...come to SD
a San Francisco treasure, a must see
I like this place. The people seem different every time I've gone. It can fill up fast and I like to sit when I go to a bar if I'm wearing heels. It's dark, mellow, the music is fun and the drinks are good. I like coming here after eating at Ryoko.
Well it is a scene now. They've done nice things with the place, but... not the place to duck in for an intimate nightcap.
Where my hooters at?!
If I'm going to be rolling in a place called Owl Tree, I'd expect to be saturated in the most intense owl motif experience of my life. Besides the glass case tucked away by the back staircase and the glass booth partitions, there is no other bird presence in the bar. Why so shy? Show me hooting hooters!
Some may consider the decor classy. I consider it false advertising.
What a great bar!
Hadn't been here since the remodel, but enjoyed drinks with friends in the upstairs lounge/bar area. Very nicely done, with little attitude, good drinks, and hip crowd.
I'm just sad that the current owners kept the name of the Owl Tree. It is a bastardization of C. Bobby's Owl Tree which was my favorite bar downtown for many years. From what I can tell, nothing survives from the old Owl Tree. The current owners vandalized the space by replacing the noir-y 1940 black vitrolite storefront with those cheap tiles and stripped the interior to make it appeal to pop collared, valet-parked, douchey/fratty Marina transplants, who appear to be the main clientele at the present. This bar was one of my only beach heads north of Market Street and now it's gone. I wish I had gone in with my friends to buy it when C. Bobby died a few years back. We didn't. We're lame.
loooove places like this~add this to your stop overs in snob hill....good crowd with various tunes playin on the ipod....if u cant find a seat on the 1st floor~take the upstairs route/more loungy with couches wit another bar..the drawing of the owl in front is a trip after a couple of gin/tonics
It's simple math:
1 Star for being the only bar in a 5 block radius from our hotel that was playing the Kansas game (even though they lost...I won't hold that against them)
+
1 Star for a $1 off my beer during happy hour, and the bartender notifying me that there was 1 minute left to order another
+
1 Star for free Cheez-it's party mix to satisfy my hunger pains before dinner
+
1 Star for the sultry ambiance and cool atmosphere that made me want to hang out there all night
=
4 Stars
I once heard a swing tune emanating from Owl Tree, which led me to take a peek. I love this place. They play a good variety of music ranging from Pretty Woman to Fugees, etc. Their flat screens show a variety of movies filmed in and around San Francisco.
This place is comfortably swanky. Low, dark ceilings, a long bar, tables-chairs along the wall, a few dim chandeliers for a bit of class.
The people and staff are friendly. Ask for the 'Wojtek' (pronounced Voy-Tek) cocktail it was created by a bartender of the same name.
I love this place! Although small, the ambiance is great, and drinks are moderately priced. It's got a great location, and is a very simple way to start or end your evening. I've spent anywhere from ten minutes to 3 hours in this bar, and always felt very at ease.
If you scan down the list of reviews, you will find Susan M. She reviewed this bar very negatively after her experience Saturday night. She claimed "the bouncers suck", that they "called last call at 1:15am", and they wouldn't let her "finish her drink". I had the opportunity to talk to the particular bouncer she spoke of last night, who in fact (after finding out about her ridiculous Yelp review) is pressing charges against SUSAN M. for PUNCHING HIM IN THE FACE after he told her the upstairs was closed and she could finish her drink downstairs in the remaining 20 minutes that the bar was open. She refused to go downstairs MULTIPLE times and only AFTER she punched him TWICE in the face did he grab her and call the police. Anyway, I found Susan M's perception of this incident WILDLY AMUSING and also completely MISCONCEIVED.
The bouncers do NOT suck, the bartenders are nice, and the place is always comfortable and relaxed. Watch out for totally insane women though, apparently they sit upstairs and have no concept of time while they are wildly punching strangers.
all i had to do was peek in the door and realize that the wonderful old owl tree was completely gone.
why'd they keep the name the same? why didn't they just make it a new bar? it's not the same at all.
this was one of my favorite bars in my old neighborhood of the tendernob. it had the most amazing… Read more »
Just don't put your feet on the table!
If you have good company this could be a fun place to hang out. It is not overly crowded, they play a great variety of music [rolling stones, Motown, rap, funky 80's stuff] and they play it at the right volume for a lounge. It is comfortable and some what romantic as well, so your good company has the chance to become really good company!
Beautiful Bar but nothing special. It was a week night tho that I went...so I expect to go back and try it out in a weekend to see what type of people really come out and play in this TL bar.
I was glad to be with my friend Terika went I went, because it probably would have been a total snore fest without her...
Did strike up a conversation with one girl which was nice - until she tried to pass her creepy friend's email address on me?! So I could add him to facebook? Weirdo. (but not a reflection on the bar)
Anyway...over all...the bar was beautiful, my white wine was less than $8. I'll probably will go back to see the bar on a different night, but won't rush the visit since it was a so so visit.
Ps: my friend did say she thinks the bartender looks just like Antonio Sabato Junior. I kinda agree.
Pss: No jukebox - so minus one star for not being able to pick my own bar tunes.
To be fair, the ambiance deserves four (and a half?) stars.
Maybe I just haven't been around long enough to see one, but I've never heard of a vodka gimlet. Had to ask that it be made with gin. Not a huge deal really, but given that it is *that* part of town and even middle shelf drinks run upwards of 9-a-pop, I tend to expect a razor sharp bar tender.
Great atmosphere for a weeknight (wednesday). The drinks weren't too pricey, the crowd was a-ok, and the staff was friendly. Good for just chillin with friends (nothing too crazy). The atmosphere upstairs vs. downstairs = two completely different worlds.
The Owl Tree is no longer a dingy dive bar.
It's gone plush and upscale. Probably a nice quiet place to take a date? I don't know.
It's still small, accessible, and dark, which makes it cool in my book.
If I wanted to focus on the slightly pricey beers, I could do that. The place is a little small and only one bartender can be tiresome if you aren't the person being talked to at the moment. And yet, whether it was because I was on vacation or because they were playing the Kansas game when no one else was, I loved this little place.
The atmosphere is nice. A little dark and classy. Etched mirrors, nice LG HDTVs, comfortable seating.
It was a good mix of locals and tourists when we were there. The drinks were properly strong, the music was good/eclectic when they switched it on... from Sinatra to 50 Cent to the Beatles.
Happy hour is a $1 off of anything you order which was a nice bonus. I also liked the simple Cheez-it brand snack mix they gave out for free. It was nice to know it was prepackaged and not mingled with random people's germs.
I am reviewing this bar out of spite. It sits at the end of the block I live on, a reincarnation of the former Owl Tree, though the two bars share nothing in common except location and an owl-centric decor. The New Owl Tree is a gentrified version of an actual bar, complete with extravagant fixtures, over-priced drinks and stripper-like bartenders with big fake tits.
As I was saying, spite, only because I walked by everyday salivating with anticipation for my new neighborhood bar to open up just 30 feet from my front door. Instead of a neighborhood bar I get a Union Square leech bar that easily prices itself out of my after-work happy-hour options.
Congratulations, proprietors of the New Owl Tree, you've done your part to expedite my neighborhood's transformation into a shiny pile of unoriginal, uninspiring shit. Cheers.
I'm pretty sure I'm banned for life from the Owl Tree...or at least only allowed to order a diet soda.
I used to frequent this little hole in the wall when I worked in Union Square. It's dark, on a random corner where you won't run into anyone you don't want to run into, the bartenders are chill and drinks are decently priced. I wouldn't recommend it for late night but right after work the crowd is happy and friendly. I'm a fan of the retro 70's touch and the small booths near the window. What can I say, I like to people watch.
Unfortunately my girlfriends and I took happy hour way past the legal limit a few months ago and I haven't been back since. Not because I didn't have a blast, but because all three of us have no recollection of leaving the Tree...I left my ATM card there and woke up in the morning, topless, face down on my bed, all the lights on, my Brita water pitcher on my night stand and my stereo turned on full blast to a mariachi station. Guess that means I had a good time...party on Owl Tree!! Maybe I'll wear a disguise and sneak back one day.
Amazing! This place is my new favorite hang out. It has two floors and is small, but very cozy and inviting. I loved the decor, vibe and music...upbeat but not over the top or too loud.
This place is great! Free Chex mix at the bar and I'm an instant fan, but I would avoid the meat and cheese plater, ya never know where all those hands have been! Drinks are mixed well and priced just about right.
I really like the cozy upstairs bar, cash only, so if you are paying by card make sure you get your drinks downstairs before. Grab a seat and relax. Fun times await.
I have been here in a while but at some point it as my fav. place. Polish bartender is friendly or maybe that is only because I am Polish myself. Anyway, great snacks like cheese and mini hot dogs.
Since I've lived in the neighborhood for a while, I remember Bobby's Owl Tree. The reincarnation is very nice, very comfortable, etc. I honestly think if this glorified dive bar is going to stick around through the economic downturn, they need to start pouring heavier or reduce the prices since $9 for a mediocre cocktail is too much. My friend and I had only a slight buzz on, and that was after spending $60 on fruity cocktails. But you know, the tourists love it and they seem to think nothing at dropping too much doe on drinks.
We wanted to grab a quick beer near our hotel and was recommended The Owl Tree. Slipping into this bar, it feels very small at first and has a small door guarded by a large man. I was hesitant at first and even though I do not look underage, he carded me. He was polite about it, but it was briefly offputting.
My colleagues were already there and I slid in next to them. It felt a little dark and a little cramped. I had a New Belgium Fat Tire which is the same sort of beer I could've bought on the street, but this beer was served in a frozen glass.
It was small, dark and crowded but not too bad - if that's your thing.
Disclaimer: I would like to give this place 3.5 stars, but you know, Yelp.
Anyway, I never got to go to the former incarnation of this place, despite always wanting to (I'm a bit of a Bohemian Club conspiracy nut). I was happy to hear it had reopened but obviously it's been gentrified a bit in its second incarnation. That's the bad. The good is that even on a Saturday night, with the bar packed full of a fairly obnoxious touristy crowd, I was able to take my large group upstairs, which was virtually empty at 9pm, and remained so until nearly 11. Feeling like you have your own VIP lounge is pretty rad!
Also, they had Hangar One vodkas, Hendricks' gin, and a bottle of the Mark West Pinot Noir open, all favorites of mine. Yes, the drinks were pricey, but at least we were paying for good-quality liquor in them. The cucumber gimlet was quite tasty and strong.
One major annoyance: an exasperated barback kept hassling us throughout the hour and a half we were there, chiding my friends for taking some of the cheese and salami that was downstairs up to our seats, and complaining that we had too many people (at the end we had 11 people). I don't get it - we were being polite and tipping well, and it wasn't too crowded.
Six-foot mosaic owls blister across the walls of this place like guardian totems. All I can think is, "I bet pigeons NEVER crap on this place."
The inside of the Owl Tree is (thankfully) nothing like a raptor's nest. Instead of dusty owl pellets there are lavish black leather couches. In place of fractured rodent bones, a plethora of liquor bottles glitter like eyes. In fact, the only kinship this place has with an owl's abode are the close, cozy quarters.
But there *are* downsides.
The Tree is just lounge-y enough that there's a suited bouncer perched out front, which means that this ain't no casual dive crowd. And the sleek appointments belie grasping talons. ...grasping for your wallet, that is. Be prepared to fork over $9 for the majority of cocktails on the menu.
Despite the complaints, I'd almost give this place five stars.
I just don't understand the presence of the flatscreen TVs. Does the Owl Bar daylight as a sports pub?
I haven't got much to say about this place. It was pretty, and popular, but just kinda uninspiring.
I don't often find myself in the tendernob, but I'll be keeping this place in mind as a good place to stop in. It's got that facade of class - I'm crazy about those ceilings and found the lounge seating appealing, but the mirrors with the white owl designed looked like they were poached from Old Navy display. Reasonable drinks, youngish crowd. Nothing too crazy going on in here.
~NOEL~ the hottie behind the counter, certainly was the highlight of the night!
This place is truly incredible! has been transformed to a local hang out spot right at the street corner block!
About a year ago, this place was nothing but then a trash hole! And at one point, was even shut down!
But, Since i was in town for business I decided to check out my old 'hood~ and fair enough~ i dropped by~
AND~ I can't get myself out of it!
First of all, the trouble wasn't my feet~
was m EYES!
NOEL was breath-taking~ and it was the full compliment from both Gents and Babes in the bar that night~
anyways~ Its a great Bar~ great hemisphere~ electrifying !
Beer, Full Bar, Wine List~ you really OUTTA come on DOWN!
Tonight is the Game Three of the Warriors Playoff.
I thought it was would be a great idea to swing…
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When we hit up the Owl Tree my first thought was.... "ooh dark... I likey", but then after having to shuffle around the bar stools to get situated at the bar I realized something. This place was hot and cramped. It was so hot I was getting claustrophobic. I couldn't even finish my drink and I asked my friend if we could leave.
They did have a lot of interesting looking alcohols that I wanted to inquire about but the female bartender working our side of the bar looked like she wanted to slap me each time I asked a question. I mean come on, you're a bartender isn't it part of your job to be friendly and make small talk?
I was over this place pretty quick, but I guess it's worth mentioning that my friend really liked her cucumber gimlet.
The owner just bought us drinks! No idea why! Yay!
Also, the bar back Lupe is amazing!
This is awesome!
Yay!
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