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Categories: Pubs, Breweries, American (Traditional)
Neighborhood: Nob HillMon-Thu. 11:00 a.m. - 12:00 a.m.
Fri-Sat. 11:00 a.m. - 2:00 a.m.
Sun. 11:00 a.m. - 12:00 a.m.
"Blue Light is your neighborhood bar, that offers a comfortable vibe, with a straight talking tap that will always put you at ease. I enjoy…" read more »
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we had a good time here and the husband always wants to go back.
it's a great old building and the bartender was cool.
we got there in the early afternoon so we got alot of his attention.
the beer was cool and tastey.
after reading the reviews i am sad i didn't try the food!
This palce is San Francisco history, and it is short for the Earth. Sad to know that it will be no longer in a short while. I likey this place.
They have their own suds on tap, and that's awesome. The bar staff is keen to tell you about what you're drinking, which is also good.
Kind of an old-world interior, for ambiance. I dig it. You can even sit outside when the weather permits. Enjoy this place while you can.
This is actually a 3.5 stars rating, but I don't quite feel this one should be rounded up to 4.
They brew their own beer--AWESOME! The beer itself, and I tried 3, were all decent. Nothing spectacular, but very drinkable.
As for the food, we ordered an app of Calamari, which was made very well. It was cooked just perfectly, the breading was perfect, and the little sauce was just tangy and right.
I always judge a pub-like place on its fish and chips. If you can't do that right, then I'll never return. Why? Because it's a very simple dish that will show me if they care enough to put effort into the simple stuff, much less the more complex food.
Verdict? The Fish and Chips here are excellent, however they only gave me 4 little fish sticks. They were darned good, and the fries that they come on are seasoned with a gently spicy and tangy reddish powder. They fries were even a bit skimped on, but the four fish sticks that were just about 2 bites each was a slight insult for the money I paid. I didn't complain, but the plate was very underwhelming.
The place itself has a nice staff, the place definitely has an old world pub feel to it, with slightly dank everything, but a fun place. I will return, but tasty though the fish and chips are, they are a sore disappointment.
This is a dark and gloomy place - and I'm not talking about the lighting. Had a conversation (if you could call it that) with the bartender about the happy hour pricing - how long ago was it when you could get a pint here for $1.75 ? Sounded like he said more than 2 years ago. The guy next to me thought it was more like 5 - but he admits a problem with the concept of time. Maybe they'll update the web site in the next few years to accurately reflect the prices. I didn't get into it with anyone. Didn't seem to make sense.
Still - and ignoring the average nature of the beers - it was good to be sitting on Columbus avenue in this beautiful city after a day of cross country air travel, just watching people and traffic, while the sun sets and my buzz forms and I connect with the West Coast again.
Nice beer, big tables, pleasant, old-timey environment without being cloying. Friendly help.
Problem: As noted with another Yelper, below, the bar lady didn't ring up Happy Hour prices for my b/f. What should have been a very low tab rang up quickly. B/f said he didn't want to make an issue of it since we were with friends from out of town and were on our way out the door... But frankly I'm thinking I should go back with his cc receipt and ask for some kind of credit or something. I'm really hoping this isn't some sort of dishonest play by the staff - that would be icky, and very un-North Beach. Perhaps they thought we were tourists?
I'll ask the staff for their assistance, then re-Yelp once I know what their response is.
I showed up with friends during the day and the place had three guys on the bar and a tourist family sitting at a table. We sat outside at one of the few tables. Great pub food, good beers. We were very happy.
I returned later in the week, on a Saturday night, with some other friends and the place was a bit more busier; a couple of girls and eight guys. The bartender was very classy, well dressed up and funny. He was training this new woman who clearly had no scientific clue about how liquids worked. My friends and I were debating whether it was an act or not. Either way the conversation between the senior bartender and the trainee was hilarious.
The names of the beer selection are quite cute, in a witty way, theme named.
This place struck me as a local hole in the wall for the locals; for them this place was probably a three-star pub, but for me this place is worth four and half stars. I'm going to give it five stars however because of the area (outside the skin joints, Chinatown and the Financial District).
In a neighbourhood like this, this place is a jewel in the rough.
I'd never heard of a growler before, but I'm pretty sure I could drink one (and a refill) of the Albatross Ale from SF Brewing Company. Their fried calamari is delish. The beer could be colder - since you're at the brewery, why not a nice frosty glass?
The previous review indicates that this place is'nt long for this world , I can see why, it isn't very good.The beer was the worst of any I've tasted at a West Coast brew pub.Drinkable but that's all.I did not eat here .The atmosphere is not especially appealing.
I came here with a Meetup group for dinner and beer tasting and had a good time. The place itself was just regular bar with a large back room for large parties. Nothing fancy, but I didn't mind.
I can't say much about the food, service, and beer.
Food: Typical bar food. We had the brewhouse chicken wings, spicy french fries, and quesadillas. The chicken wings and french fries were all right. The french fries weren't spicy. It looked like they just sprinkled cayenne on the fries. I didn't have any of the quesadillas because they looked limp, greasy, and unappetizing. For dinner, I had the North Beach burger -- regular ground beef with tomato, lettuce, bleu cheese, and garlic. It was actually good, but the "spicy" fries that came along with it was lukewarm.
Beer: Of all the beers I sampled, I liked the Emperor Norton Lager the best and ordered a pint with my dinner. Very smooth and flavorful. Good amber ale. I also did enjoy their pale ale, the Pony Express. What was gross was their hefewiezen. It smelled and tasted what I imagine water and sweaty gym socks would be mixed together and put out in the sun all day.
Service: Slow since we only had one waitress. Some people had to wait awhile for their food and finally received their dinner when some were finishing.
Overall, I give the food, service, and beer two stars, but gave the place an extra star because of the people I met. If anything, go here for the beer. Cheap happy hour! Just stay away from the Hefewiezen!
On a side note, they need to update their website. Their current menu and beer selection is different from what's on their site.
Today here I purchased a Andromeda Wheat Ale at the San Francisco Brewery and for some reason I recieved less than I expected. The problem I ran into was the website listed the happy hour beers as $1.75 for a pint, but once I came in I found the bartender listed them at $3.50.
As I kept passive and purchased the beer since the bar tender was a bit scary, I proceeded with my drink.
The beer wasn't so bad and I enjoyed it.
I wish they had the sports games playing in the background but I had to survive. If you're in the area and want to try San franciscian beer, at least peek in. But don't make a big effort because there are better beers out there.
If i didn't work right across the street from the Brew Co. I doubt I would ever go. By no means the best or even remotely close to anythign "great" as far as bars go in the city. But it is quite convenient and reasonable priced for pitchers after a long day at work.
Went here with a girlfriend after work about a week ago and ordered 2 pitchers. We enjoyed ourselves as we slouched back in the only booth we could find (I dont know about you reader but I prefer booth to table anyday). We laughed of pitchers for about an hour or so. Then we parted ways to go to our prospective neighborhoods.
If you are walking by or work in the area and want a good pitcher of Heff then stop on in, but dont journey here expecting a good time on your bar crawl.
You almost feel like you're walking into a saloon here. Wooden walls, wooden counters, the only thing missing is a moosehead above the taps. Crafted microbrewery in SF. This does have happy hr at 3.50/pint, but only until 6.
We came here to celebrate a graduation with friends. We were looking for a rather chill spot that served mixed drinks , food, and beer, and this seemed like a great place.
We got there on a Sunday a bit after 7:30 pm. The waitress we had was very rude and had a lot of attitude toward us. Not friendly in the slightest way.
She was the kind of waitress that made you feel bad for asking for a glass of water or a napkin.
On top of the poor service, we were told that about half the beers they make were not available at that particular time. So we were stuck with 2 choices.
So we ordered a pitcher of Emperor Norton's Ale. Not bad.
Time came to order food, and we were told they were also sold out of pretty much everything except the burgers.
So we got the burgers. They were okay, nothing great. The fries were pretty good though.
In the end we ended up paying as quickly as we could and moved the graduation celebration elsewhere up the street.
I really doubt we'll be coming back here. It's just not worth the trip for terrible service and mediocre beer.
This is one of those places where once inside you say, "Wait? We're in North Beach?" When I think of going out in North Beach, I think, have a red bull before leaving the house, extra make-up, extra time on the hair, heels, dress, etc. But here at the SF Brewing Co. you can just chill out with your sneakers and jeans on and grab a great pint.
Wide variety of beer to please every beer palette. And they have great happy hour specials. And... you won't pay North Beach prices here even when it's not happy hour.
They have standard pub food, outside tables, a fun little staircase leading to a cozy second story. This place is small, so large groups beware.
P.S. Ladies- this place can turn into quite the sausage fest... :-)
There was nothing extremely notable about this place. We stopped in to try their beers after walking around in North Beach all day. They did have schooners sizes, which was nice in case you want to try a few of their beers but didn't want to get filled up.
Anyway, the beers were on happy hour and we had decent service. I just felt like the mood inside was a bit down. Maybe it's because it was so dark in there, even with the front door propped open. Oh well. I'd definitely recommend stopping in though to try their beers.
I like the beer and I like the price. The best microbrew deal in town. Great out front seating too.
I kind of like the Emperor Norton and there are other beers that are OK but there's really nothing here that's worth going out of your way for. For some reason my friends always wanted to come here about ten years ago and I didn't think too much of the beer then, now that beer has become the new wine these guys should consider upping their game.
i picked this place out for my friend Justo and I to visit since we're beer machines and wanted to try a new place. i think i was expecting a beer factory but this place is essentially a old bar with a brewing room and it's more than a little stinky from the brewing ingredients fermenting in the back.
whatever whatever, we ordered a pitcher of Hugh Hefeweizen and it was only $11. what? awesome! tasty too. lotsa lemon flavor. we sat outside on some rickety plastic chair and tables and watched Chinatown hustle by. pretty soon we had people on all sides of us who had seen us enjoying ourselves and stopped for a beer of their own. i'll be back for some delicious-looking fries and more HH beer.
I went with a group for their happy hour special on a weekday while visiting the city. I really enjoyed their IPA's though they weren't as bitter as I expect. The heff had great flavor and body, but was lacking carbonation. The place is a total dive and almost looks like it's under construction. Very casual.
Overall, if you are sightseeing and enjoy beer, it's worth it to stop in for happy hour but don't expect to taste the best beers ever.
This place was a stop on my beer tour of North Beach.
All the beer is made on the premises so you know its fresh. The decor was simply bar and tables a fan and a bathroom downs some very narrow stairs. It reminded me of an old time saloon.
I had the Emperor Norton Lager and the Hefeweizen, the Hef was very good.
I didn't try any of the food but its a brewing company so its really about the beer.
Honestly, not that great of a place in terms of atmosphere, decor (ie not vesuvio). However, the beer is good, and I love how you can smell hops and malt in the air when they are brewing. What I like about this place is that its never busy or packed...I think if it became more popular I'd have to take a star away!
St Pattys Day weekend can get pretty crazy in the City as well as pretty crowded, yet somehow this place always seems empty? I've been there a few times before and to be honest, the only reason we even went in there last night was the boiling over amount of piss in my bladder that was either going in there or all over Columbus. Had the Shanghai IPA, pretty hoppy, which I love, but nothing to wow me and think I'll take seven cases of this shit! Had the SF Pale Ale and thought it was beer flavored water.
We waited way too long in between drinks considering there was no one in there. My buddy ordered a chicken sandwich and we thought we had to go on a scavenger hunt to find it after it wasn't out from the kitchen in less than 25 mins. Most of the time we had to flag down the bartender to get his attention, maybe next time I'll tell him my crotch is made of solid gold with 100 dollar bill pubes since the only time we really had his attention was when he was waiting for us to pay our tab.
Wah, wah wah waaaaaaaaah (that was game show loser music if you couldn't already tell)
Nothing real spectacular, beer wise. I would stick to 21st Amendment but if you're in the area and have a craving for a microbrew, this place definitely will work. Outside seating can be interesting for people watching.
Just kind of mediocre. Nothing great, nothing bad.
+ 3 not one, but two happy hours, from about 5 PM - 6 PM and 12 AM - 1 AM (does anywhere else boast a late-night happy hour?! Such a great concept!)
+ 2 a fun, random crowd (during one of said late night happy hours, we met a very artsy group of people who invited us over for wine, dancing, and art-viewing... won't say if we actually went or not... ;) )
- 1 not very friendly bartenders (drink some more beer if you need to but please be happy; you have a great job, you work in a bar!!!)
A very warm place. As I walked in everybody at the bar were engaged in a conversation. Not conversations but one conversation. This sort of warmth really shocks a native angeleno like me. I wish I could have stayed longer. I tried the ShanghaI-P-A, and I will be honest, it was not the greatest. It was a little skunky for my taste but still well made. Also, in fairness this seems like a place where you ask for a recommendation instead of ordering the latest hipster favorite. The location is directly out of the gold rush. It seems like every detail has been restored and this bar has been handing out drinks legally or not ever since. Make no mistake though, this is not a saloon. This has a distinctly Pub-ish feel to it. No sports on TV, no wild drunk college students, just conversation for people who enjoy a home-brewed pint.
Our Polish waitress was the best thing there. She was cute, efficient and managed to wrangle our rowdy crowd throwing only verbal lassos.
The prices are high. Ok, I realize, it is North Beach. But get this, thank heavens I wandered up the street for a slice in the middle of the party. My two friends had the following, 1 burger, 1 salad, 3 glasses white wine, 2 double Sambucas. Guess what the bill was? slightly over $100/USD. I might be missing an item, but it sure as hell isn't top shelf anything.
The beer is very average. We were able to get a large group in the back room on a weeknight and that was a great thing. Here is something I love when it happens. At the beginning of the party, the server asks, how should I handle the billing for this group? Or, when two people ask for a separate bill, it isn't a nightmare.
I can feel all those snarky and informative replies from restaurateurs simmering. I was a chef and I served tables for five years (not in that order). So, I know about the difficulties. But it is not rocket science!
The bartender was not very chipper, but that could have been the night or getting slammed with a big crowd (although we drifted in over the course of an hour or so).
Def not a recommend even tho' I want the waitress to make it.
I've been to some phenomenal brew pubs in this city, and this aint one of them. I'd like to say average, and I would come back since Bings only serves bottles, but... with all the other amazing option in the area, i'd only make my way back for a pint if it were pre-planned by a group. i'm not a fan of the decor, or much else. Nice server. she gets 4 stars.
Visited in 2005. Dicky staff, dingy decor, passable beer. Tried too hard to be cool at the expense of service. I was one and done here.
Has the distinction of being the only brewery/brew pub I have ever visited that I walked away from without any beer to go or swag.
Crashing economy forces one more happy hour bar to raise its prices. Pints are now $3.75. Still a bargain, particularly if you are fond of dark loafy thick beers such as the Bock Obama. Yep, crashing economy + new Prez = another bar capitalizing on naming a beer, drink or menu item off of the man.
3 stars for the Bock. 1 star for the food. Burger was overcooked, although I asked for it medium. Cook grilled the wrong chicken when we ordered chicken strips, so the kitchen cut up the grilled breast, threw it over fries and the waitress passed it off as "oh that's how we do our strips" after she admitted the kitchen cooked the wrong order! Common' now, is the economy that bad that you can't give your tipping patrons what they ordered? Stimulus=repeat customers. Sorry SF Brew, Obama a'int gonna sign off on no stimulus for you!
This was the first bar I went to once I moved to San Francisco. Living temporarily in North Beach, I was looking for a place to watch some baseball and chill out. I went during happy hour, and the beers were moderately priced. The bartender was a laid-back dude, real nice, and let me sample all their micro brews. Truthfully, I wasn't blown away by their beers, but they were very tasty, had great names (like "Hugh Hefnerweizen" and "Bock Obama"), and were high in number (something like 10 house beers on tap).
I've since moved out of the neighborhood, but whenever I'm around I try to stop in for a pint. Check it out if you're in the area.
Slow slow service. And it wasn't busy. Limited menu. They were also out of what seemed to be 50% of the beers on their menu. One of us ordered a cocktail that had juice in it, the poor waitress had to run to the store next door to get the juice. Took awhile to get our beers, then she never came back to ask if we wanted to order anything to eat. Once the order was placed we continued to wait for a long time for simple burgers. Then again we waited about 20 minutes for the tab. I wouldn't go back. I can get better food and service at one of the many other places near by.
The San Francisco Brewing Company was the very first bar I entered the very first day I set foot in San Francisco. The beer is not impressive. In fact, It could really be better. The brewmeister certainly tries hard but not enough. They should cut back on the crappy stuff they make and concentrate on just a few beers first and try getting them right. After that go ahead and try more.
Their menu is alright but not great. Their deep fried Calamari is actually pretty darn good. I would also recommend the cheeseburgers with their spicy fries.
What is very cool about this place is the history behind the space they occupy. Additionally, the interior seems like it hasn't changed since the gold rush days.
It's really not a bad place, just don't expect great beer.
http://www.stickam.com...
+ "Liquid Pumpkin Pie" delivers, the aftertaste was a mouthful of spices
+ 100+ year old bar
+ $3.50 a pint during Happy Hour
+ Awesome, low-key, live saxophone
+ When they say "burger with garlic" they mean "burger with garlic"
+ Fruity hefeweizen
+ Friendly waitresses
What's not to like?
(Only negative was we had to wait a very long time when it came time to pay ... like, 15 minutes ... we were falling asleep!)
I'm going to have to give this place a 4 star rating, which means a "glowing" review compared to the rest.
Why, you may ask? Why, because I met Brett the bartender here. Brett is a very nice young man who has huge musical knowledge and pours a generous and tasty Bloody Mary. I last heard he works on Sundays; haven't been here in a while, when I do I may or may not update. The other times I have gone, I admit, the other bartender wasn't as friendly and welcoming. But that's the charm of most of the bars I frequent- grumpy bartenders- so I hardly hold that against this rustic old place.
Good selection of beers and decent pub grub to soak up any hangover. Nice outdoor seating and people watching for sunny Sunday afternoons.
Finally made it to this place. After a very unfulfilled dinner at Z&Y on Jackson Street, we needed a beer to drown out the taste and decided it's time to try this place out.
When we first walked in through the first door, I thought perhaps we went to a different place. Somehow I had expected the joint to look a little different. Anyway, after realizing we are at the same place we proceeded to the bar to check out their choice of beer - as noted by others, they only serve their own. While debating what to have, bartender handed us the beer menu with description - helpful but I already decided on Oktoberfest and thought the Emperor Norton Lager sounded good and suggested hubby gets that and he did. Pint was $5.50 each, standard for microbrew.
We grabbed a nearby table and sat down. There was a Jazz duo playing and they were quite good. For a Friday night, it wasn't super crowded but very mellow and relaxing which is quite nice if you are not in the mood to be in a loud bar and fighting crowds and lines to get a drink - kind of joint my hubby enjoys. There is one waitress and she seems very friendly and attentive.
It's a full bar so you can order something else but I would come for the beer, what we had were both very good although it could be a bit colder.
Happy Hours: Everyday from 4-6pm and 12midnight to 1am. $1 for 10oz or $1.75 for pint.
A no-frills bar located in a decent area of North Beach. The prices for beer definitely give it the 3 stars since I got 2 Hefewiezens for $7. However, I don't really enjoy drinking a room temperature beer on a warm day. I'd rather pay more for an ice cold one.
I want to like this place. I really do. It's close enough to where I live. They have a cool happy hour. The bar itself has a nice throwback feel to it. I respect the microbrew craft. They have a nix mix of constant offerings and seasonal brews.
But something about their beer just doesn't taste right. It's weak. It's watery. It's bland.
I stop by every couple of months or so, hoping that the last time was just a random bad experience, like they had an off batch or a bad hair day. But, alas. More weak, watery blandness.
I'll try again in a few months. Maybe they just had a bad batch last time...
On our escopade around North Beach yesterday, my cousin and I decided we wanted a nice cold one after our lunch and pastries. So, to the San Francisco Brewing Company we went. I love the small location with patrons who are just there for conversation and brews, not abnoxious drunks. I love there beer that is a logger, yet tastes light with a lemon. The rest of them are too strong for me as they are ales and ipa's. The bartender is very nice and will answer any questions you have; he even gives you samples of beer to help narrow your decision down which is cool.! I just wish they had a better music selection; it was Cold Play's "Clocks" and some oldies and rock artists who played twice; most of them we had never heard of and one female artist was very screechy. Other than that, this is a real gem of a hangout in Busy, bustling, iconic, tradition-rich North Beach. So, for excellent brews in a casual, friendly atmosphere at reasonable prices, the San Francisco Brewing Company cannot be beat. Keep up the good work guys.!
OK, if your idea of a good pub is 97 types of beer, mirrored walls and hot and cold running bar staff this isn't the pub for you - piss off down to the Marina where you types are tolerated.
If, on the other hand, you want a pub that cares about its beer, has atmosphere and actually feels like people have been carousing there for a hundred years or more than you should drop what you're doing and head down here now.
The pub brews its own beer and usually has 10-14 varieties available, with a wide mix of styles. The staff can give you a good run down on the different flavours and are happy to offer tasters to new customers. I can honestly say I've never had a bad pint here. Happy hour runs from 4-6pm.
The bar itself shows its age - proudly. The original antique ceiling fan is still in operation and the bar hasn't changed in decades, and still has a spittoon/urinal around the base, which is thankfully no longer in operation. There are also tables and chairs outside for smokers.
I could knock half a point off possibly for the ruinous state of the men's toilets (don't know what the women's are like) but that would be quibbling and since I can't do it anyway then it's a five star rating from me.
I like the interior and the ambiance beer could be better but that really depends on how drunk i am
bartender was a grumpy old man who doesn't like to talk
he had an accent so i asked him where he was from and he said NY but he clearly was from Ireland
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