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Mon-Thu. 3:00 p.m. - 2:00 a.m.
Fri. 2:00 p.m. - 2:00 a.m.
Sat-Sun. 1:00 p.m. - 2:00 a.m.
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Nicey-wicey-cheapy-funny-divey bar for locals and newbies alike, but more of the former.
Cheap drinks - CHECK
Divey atmosphere (yeyah!) - CHECK
Free popcorn - CHECK
Accessible by public transit (6, 71, N), parking and walking - CHECK
Groovy board games on the tables - CHECK
Spacious - CHECK
Oozing with character - CHECK
Awesomely friendly and chatty bartenders - CHECK
Friendly, unpretentious and laid back patrons - CHECK
Is it an authentic Irish Bar? - CHECK / UNCHECK
Irish coffee on a cold, winter night - CHECK! CHECK! CHECK! CHECK!
Dart Board - CHECK
Me ever winning at the Dart Board - UNCHECK
Good for groups and 1-on-1 - CHECK
Tacky charm and oh-so lovable furniture - CHECK
Shot contests - CHECK x INFINITY
... me winning a shot contest... I'll let you know when I'm passed out on the floor with an Irish charm stuck up my nose.
Pro: four beers for $16.
Con: smells like pee.
Pro: very accommodating place, with friendly patrons who switched to a smaller table so we can fit, to a friendly waitress who checks in often.
Con: smells like pee, and cash only.
Pro: Guinness on tap.
Con: smells like pee, cash only, and waitress seems to be on her first week.
Con: smells like pee, cash only, waitress seems to be on her first week, and people with BO.
Con wins. Maybe we'll go back when it's a colder day and there is more air ventilation.
The Little Shamrock = the most fun I've ever had waiting for the bus. If you're trying to catch the 6 or the 71 anytime after 6 p.m., you're looking at a 20 minute wait, at least.
My suggestion is to turn your frown upside down and grab a beer at the Little Shamrock...with a seat by the windows you can keep an eye on the road and not freeze to death on Lincoln Street.
The bartenders are extra friendly and the bar is cozy with heavy wooden tables and chairs. I was drinking beer and became insanely jealous when I saw the bartender make some Irish Whiskeys with homemade whipped cream. I think in the end we were there for the time of at least 3 buses. We went home happy and warm.
A bar that will provide such a basely positive experience that it'd make even people-who-don't-like-bars happy.
Little Shamrock hits squarely on the intangibles of the bar-going experience: atmosphere, music, light/lighting, whimsy, and a pleasantly interactive barstaff.
You can have a conversation there without raising your voice or get loud and dance on tables -- I saw both happen while I was there.
Recommended? = Sure!
+1 for being in my neighborhood
+1 for the good music
+1 for the trivial pursuit entertainment + other games available
+1 for the non-pretenciousness
-1 for the weird raggedy couch in the back with the weird spring sticking out that was hurting my back.. .
OHHH, and go to the bathroom on the left door. fucking wild! :D
Cheap drinks, cozy couches, friendly bartenders, and lots of TVs. A great dive bar, and a good way to end a walk around Inner Sunset or Golden Gate Park.
Messy doesn't begin to say it.
The place looks a New Orleans dive at 4AM....after a gas explosion in the popcorn machine. There is popcorn debris embedded in every section of carpet, couch, wall crevasse, and vertical surface, and from the smell of it, it's been there a while.
The place is cluttered with old games, lamps, and spiderwebs of old extension cords, all connected to a tacky lighting device.
This is enough to scare away the cops, fire inspectors, and people from outside the neighborhood. Personally, I hightailed it back to the Tenderloin for something a bit more classy.
People seemed to be having a good time there, mostly talking in groups, unassuming. You can wear a T-shirt and old jeans, a mohawk, you don't have to shower, it's okay.
This place has a room with chairs, tables, and two dartboards in the back, which is vitally important for one reason only: I won at darts. Three times. In a row.
(I don't really care if my exceptionally tall friend was letting me win, a thought which did cross my mind, because I like to win. Period. However, it could also be that a couple beers and a couple glasses of wine throughout the evening helped quell my omnipresent anxiety at Not Being The Best At Everything.)
As I recall (it seems like forever since I've had free time), beers (good beers) were $4, the bartender had a charming accent, and the whole place was dingy but comfortable. It's close to Golden Gate Park, a good stop-off after CAS Nightlife, and close to the N-Judah, and Pacific Catch/Marnee Thai/Park Chow.
AND I WON. I WON I WON I WON, TAKE THAT.
I don't go bars very often for many reasons... mainly because I DJ in the city and it ends up feeling like you are hanging out at work. Also because I am cheap... and mostly because the San Francisco culture has turned into a vacuous scene of "seemee"'s and cultural dead ends.
But there is one bar to go to that it feels like home, and I could spend all day.... and it's the Shamrock. The people are always awesome... it is very much a community bar. The place is quaint with lots of random, assorted seating.... but here is why it is one of the best in the city:
1) The best irish coffee in the city, and I will arm wrestle you to prove I am right.
2) One of the best bloody mary's in the city... easy.
3) Free popcorn!
4) Free boardgames.. like.. all of them!
5) DARTS!
6) LACK OF PRETENSION! (people are there to meet and drink... not much else)
7) One of the main winners that keeps me coming "home"? The backgammon tables that have cupholders. Old, dirty, wooden messes that provide me endless fun and witty banter with my compatriots. I adore it....
8) JUKEBOX MUSIC
.......and walking in on a rainy Sunday and having an irish coffee like that...
it can't be beat. Thanks to Jason T. for reminding me of this place that I somehow found the time to ignore in the last couple months. Sorry Shamrock! It won't happen again!
Fun bar with backgammon tables, darts in the back, great service... and a bathroom that has "Some… Read more »
I really like this place for the most part, it is a great local dive with free darts. My one request for improvement is this:
Please stop making last call at 1:20am and then continue to harass me about finishing my drink until 2am (especially on St. Pattys, WTF!!). Are you Irish, Mr Shamrock, I think not.
As I get older I find that I don't hang out at bars as often as I used to. Of the few that I do find myself going to The Little Shamrock is one of my favorites especially during the day on Saturdays when this place is rather quiet.
I volunteer at various outdoor projects with San Francisco Rec and Parks and sometimes after doing a project within Golden Gate Park I'll drop in either by myself or with friends for a nice cold beer just to chill or get to know someone. I'm not too picky about my beer; they have Sierra Nevada Pale Ale on draft, and I love them for that. Their prices are very good too.
Towards the back of the pub they have some really comfortable chairs and sofas. The sofa was so comfortable on one afternoon that I actually fell asleep while, ironically enough, listening to a friend complain about how her friends don't listen to her enough. When I awoken some of my other friends were still there, but the friend I had been listening to was already gone. Oh well, more beer for me!
Meandering around before Nightlife at the California Academy of Sciences, a friend and I bellied up to the bar, which was pretty much full of locals. We definitely stood out from the rest of the pack.
It is conveniently located near the Golden Gate Park and they have Guinness on tap, which makes me a SUPER happy camper. Plus, the place has a lot of local character. There are photos on the wall, which show what the bar looked like back in the day...we ended up there for a nightcap after Nightlife, as well.
The sofas and chairs seem to have seen better days, but the atmosphere is good and the drinks are not expensive. 3 solid stars.
Went here on the fly after having dinner with a group of friends. At the time we came, it was actually not busy at all so we proceeded to the back where we ended up having the whole dartboard room to ourselves.
First off, this venue has character. Between the random photos and junk hung on the wall and the random messages written in chalk all over the wall, you end up with a whole bunch of eye candy that will make you laugh, or roll your eyes. They have a server that comes to the back room to serve drinks... fully awesome. The dart boards are actually in decent shape we had no trouble playing the game (that is until more people showed up and we had to rotate with the outside crowd, but no biggie). Add cheap alcohol prices and you are set for one drunken night!
Definitely a great place to go!
Scenario: Done with Nightlife at the Cal Academy of Sciences and I get invited to have a drink. At some point darts enter the equation...
Product: Affordable drinks and a decent selection for a small-ish place. There are a couple dart boards in the back.
Service: The bartender was friendly and attentive.
Atmosphere: Definitely cozy, with a fireplace and a few nooks and crannies for people to hide out in. I'd like to go here again some time and just chill with a friend. The location right next to GG park and some good food spots (like Marnee Thai) is a definite plus.
Uniquity: Little Shamrock is a good place to hang, even if you're desperately trying not to lose at darts AGAIN to the exceptionally amiable young lady next to you. If you don't like darts, the price and location are definitely worth a look see.
Hung out here last night and had a blast. Will def be back. Good vibe, I like the "sit down bars" - though no doubt this place knows how to throw down as well.
Cheap beer, friendly staff, plenty of seating, this place is rad! Everything is a little dirty, but the place is just totally chill. Really an awesome bar to go and just hang out with some friends and have some beer - I feel like I'm kicking back in my living room when I'm here.
The last thing I want to see in a bar's bathroom (worse than seeing people have sex) is a fully-absorbed bloody tampon that someone smeared all over the toilet, wall, and floor which in this case I did at Little Shamrock. I thought I had just walked into a crime-scene. After notifying the bartender about it, who also told me that weird, f*cked up sh*t always seemed to happen in there, he awkwardly asked if I was the one who did it! PRICK! And why do all the drunkies have to get on the 71, breathe on me and try to sleep on my shoulders?! Whhhhhhyyy...
I've lived in the Inner Sunset for a few years and finally decided to see what The Little Shamrock had to offer. Sure glad I did!
The next time I want to grab a drink in my neighborhood, this is where I'm going. The decor rocks... lots of San Francisco's history can be found on the walls, the chairs are comfy, and it's so cool of them to offer free popcorn and board games to play.
It's definitely a "local" spot... so you can't come in here all dolled up with your girlfriends all "hootin' and hollerin'" and expect a warm welcome. Most folks in here are chillin' with a pint of Guinness...
Apparently I've left The Little Shamrock out of my "Inner Sunset Pub Crawl" review. Sorry!
More than half of the time it's packed with the kind of douchebags I thought I'd left in Orange County.
BUT when it's a mellow night and you're sitting in an old couch playing Trivial Pursuit with just the cards or taking over the darts room with your best friends, The Shamrock can feel like home.
This is a fun little place with an amazing jovial atmosphere. It's a little in the middle of nowhere for us city dwellers, but if you ever find yourself out in the area, definitely stop off for a pint or two.
LOVE forever and ever and ever. The only bar I ever solicit. Everything else feels exceedingly lame.
This is my local, even though I've never lived "local" to it. Great atmosphere, reasonable prices, lots of regulars, and free popcorn. What else can you ask for?
The Shammy is a great pub and one of the best in The City.
rustic and wooden saloon...appearance casual and atmosphere "dive"...but, wouldn't classify as "dive"... $five guinness gulp...not cheap...and, no shamrock in foam...weekend early evening...seemingly locals and dinner wait bar....sit, order and wait evening...games around for play...
Stumbled into the Little Shamrock for refuge from the afternoon chill and ended up wasting away the rest of the day sipping hot-totties and lounging the ancient yet comfy furniture.
I really like this bar because it reminded me of my favorite dive bar back in Allston, MA (the Silhouette) with the free popcorn & darts... except The Little Shamrock is way cleaner!
They also had a stack of board games by the fireplace... which I would have loved to have played, but ALL the pieces were missing. So we opted for chilling in the dart room & writing all over the chalkboard walls. Kudos if you can locate the dart room... more than once a someone wandered back there and was like, "Never in my years here have I noticed this room."
Little Shamrock is by far one of my favorite gaming bars. If I'm looking for a low key, don't feel like hanging out in my living kind of night I head to the Little Shamrock. My night usually involves walking to the bar, grabbing a beer, stop at the free popcorn machine and then heading straight back to the dart room. There are two dart boards, plenty of chairs and a stereo up in the corner that you can turn to whatever station you please (that is of course if you are alone, I would consult with the other parties before changing the station. Yeah that means you, I'm Mr. Shamrock and can come in and change the station whenever I damn will please.)
The crowd is usually very laid, with the exception of that man above but he didn't stay too long. If you aren't into darts they have boggle, scrabble, connect 4, Simpson's clue, checkers, chess, backgammon, etc. You get my drift. If you don't want to fight the crowd at Yancy's and are craving more of a coffee shop vibe head down to the "rock."
Gross bathroom.
Made up for by...
$1 cup of Coke.
Boobies!
On a quiet strip in the Sunset district;
yet blissful Heineken.
If you're looking for a local bar with a local feel, this is the place. It's friendly, laid back, and no one cares if you put your feet on the furniture.
There's a dart room in the back that people constantly walk towards mistakenly thinking it's the bathroom. There is a standing rule among my friends and I: whenever someone comes back there while we are playing darts, you have to introduce yourself. It's a great way to meet new people!
I would only give this place three stars except for the fact it has a bunch of board games--most importantly, Scrabble. I've come here a few times for an after-dinner Scrabble game with friends. Word to the word-lovers: the first time I played, there were definitely more than the normal 100 tiles; the second time, there were exactly 100 tiles, but not entirely in the appropriate quantities. You're on your own for paper and a pen to keep score.
Otherwise, it's a bar. I'm not really a bar person, but it's pretty clean, lit well, and has a nice staff. Plus, when you're not formulating your next move (Scrabble or otherwise), there are four TVs to keep you entertained.
Seriously....SO CHEAP! PBR drafts for $2, liquor drinks for 5ish. Nice place to hang out and have a few cheap drinks.
Convenient to the park. SUPER CHEAP. Cool old fashioned cash register. Nice bartender. Pleasant… Read more »
This place is like a big, neighborhood living room. The couches are old and a little grimy, but you will find them to be quite comfortable and there's plenty of room to lounge about. You can sit at the tables and play board games or you can squeeze onto a sofa right next to the fireplace. Drinks are reasonably priced and there's a decent selection of beer on tap. Best of all, there's a dart room in the back!
Basically, this place is a comfortable neighborhood pub that feels homey and warm. If you are looking for loud music or anything hip, you'll probably be disappointed.
I live in the mission. There is a particular friend of mine from high school who I have always convinced to come to my neighborhood to hang out. One Friday night, I was reluctantly convinced to come to her neighborhood. I asked if there was a cool, laid-back place where we could go and I wouldn't have to fight through a huge crowd to get a beer. This was her suggestion.
She was right. I think my Anchor only cost $4, the bartender was always quick to get to me, it wasn't crazy loud and although there was a crowd, we could still find comfortable pieces of furniture to lounge around on. I've got too much love for my neighborhood to make this a regular place for me, but it was certainly an enjoyable experience and I didn't remotely mind riding my bike all the way from the mission to get to it. I'm sure I'll be back.
I love this place. (And if you know me well, I'm not saying that because I have an Irish ex-boyfriend. I'm not, really...Ok, maybe I am.) It's always friendly and low key, even when it's busy. The drinks are priced reasonably and there's a ton of hang out space.
And the couches are especially good for making out with Irish people, if you do that type of thing in public.
I hate Taboo. I hate it.
My ancestors didn't immigrate here on old Chinese junks so that I could be told what I could or could not say. This is America, dammit. No plastic card is going to stop me from describing "baseball" with the word, "pitcher." Burn in hell, Hasbro. (I'll still love you for G.I. Joes and Transformers.)
The Little Shamrock was a cool place for Yelp gamenight. They took drink orders from our tables, and had free (though limited) popcorn for consumption. They don't take credit, but there's an ATM outside. The bartender made sure we were cool to drive before we left.
I'm constantly dumbfounded (pause for humour) by the large number of Irish pubs in the Richmond/Sunset.
Its just OK
I dont like how bright it was, I dont like the decor
I do like the fireplace and the fact that they didnt kick my wasted sister out.
I don't usually:
1. Do women. Well, not since that one incident in 2003 with a tall blond bartender and too many shots of tequila. However, the bartender here had such a lovely shape and lovely jubblies that I thought about it for three seconds. It was almost like looking at a white me. Almost.
2. Eat popcorn. It's awfully hard to leave off the salt and the butter, as I always should and do. My handsome companion made sure to serve up a basket full with only half salted so I could enjoy without guilt. I wholly appreciate that. I also appreciate the fact he let me sneak onto the salted side a couple of times. Thank you Little Shamrock for something other than nuts or Chex mix to munch on.
3. Sit on antique furniture. I get squirmy just thinking of the 19th century lady who, perhaps, farted all over it while writing her lover a letter about this "fascinating man" named William Lloyd Garrison and the "very interesting and though provoking" newspaper he works for.
However, I loved the unique choice of placing beautiful antique sofas just near the back of the bar and happily sat myself down to enjoy a quiet, rather inebriated, afternoon.
4. Play board games. I always lose. Therefore, I do not play. Nice touch though Little Shamrock... nice touch. No one shouted out "YOU JUST GOT SERVED!" or stood up and did the running man on a killer move. Everyone was quiet, calm and respectful while enjoying a quiet afternoon, drinking beer and playing board games.
5. Read bathroom walls. I spent sixteen minutes reading the walls of the womens bathroom. Those bitches are funny! I plan to go back with a padlock for the door and some snacks.
6. Drink beer all day on a Sunday afternoon. Alright, I lie, yes I do.
What I learned at Yelp Game Night:
Unbogged is not in the Scrabble dictionary
Masturbation is a bad habit while masturbating is a leisure activity
Drunken guys do not think that Denzel Washington is the epitome of cool
The tastiness of stale popcorn is highly correlated to ones' level of drunkenness
Oh, also that the Little Shamrock is a pretty cool bar with a very chill vibe. Lots of gamers, both casual and hardcore, enjoying board games over a glass of beer. And sports enthusiastics checking out the multiple TVs at the bar. And hungry folks waiting for the kernels to pop.
Psst... remember it's at 9th & Irving and not 20 & Taravel.
This here will be my new Cheers. Just like the t.v. show, everyone here will know my name. I'll be the drunk guy everyone will leave alone after 4 shots, 3 beers, and a variety of mix drinks people will buy me. I will make my own board game rules, I have 2-5-7-4-8.
I win.
I WILL BE YOUR YELP DRINKING BUDDY.
*did anyone see the yelp sticker on the glass window by the bar. AWESOME!
On any given night you'll find a few locals, a few students and a large number of Academy staff knockin 'em back. One of my favorite places to go for a quick drink post-work. The complimentary popcorn always hits the spot, and sometimes this couple brings in their super cool dachschund.
Whenever someone doesn't believe that I'm tough and I'll fight him (i.e., all the time), I tell the story about how I got a black eye.
Then I make up a bullshit story about me making out with some chick's boyfriend at Zeitgeist or something tough-sounding and her throwing her drink on me and me going all ninja on her ass and totally fucking her up and somehow getting a black eye in the process.
No one ever believes that story for some reason. But I really did get a black eye once. I had beaten my little sister in five consecutive games of backgammon and was getting cocky. She made a bad move, and I told her that wasn't the smartest thing she could have done. She got frustrated and threw the dice at me. I went all ninja on her ass and totally fucked her up and somehow got a black eye in the process.
Or rather, I said something rude back at her and got up to leave. She tried to shove me in the back, but I turned around at exactly the wrong moment and got shoved in the eye.
(This probably doesn't sound like it has much to do with The Little Shamrock, and I promise it will in a second. But if you are impatient and just want to know my opinion: yes. It is a chill Irish bar with beer and an amazing selection of board games and board game tables, so I like it.)
Anyway, after suffering the indignity of receiving a black eye at the hands of my little sister, I retired from backgammon for a few years. Until yesterday. I was trying to go to bar night at Canvas Gallery across the street, but I couldn't find any of my people except one, and the open mic comedians were a problem, so we headed to The Little Shamrock instead.
Without even getting drinks, my friend beelined for the backgammon table. I was like "Oh yes, I used to play a mean backgammon in the day. It's ON, bitch, and you are going DOWN."
It wasn't long before he realized that a) I wasn't tough and b) I didn't even remember how to play backgammon. I had to call my sister.
"Hey Caroline, remind me how to play backgammon. ... Yes, I remember. ... I REMEMBER. ... okay OKAY! Now tell me how to play backgammon..."
Then it was on. Despite my limitless backgammon talent, I was no match for my novice friend, who thoroughly whupped my ass. Unlike SOME people, I didn't choose to PUNCH HIM IN THE EYE when I lost. But this time was just a warning. If it happens again, I'm SO gonna go all ninja on his ass and totally fuck him up and somehow get a black eye in the process.
I would have given this place 3 stars but they had Speakeasy Prohibition so I had to add a star. Great relaxed atmosphere, really eclectic group of peeps here. Everyone was friendly and seemed to know one another. There was a very cozy feel about the place and the fire place was a nice surprise since it was quite windy and cold out. I immediately warmed my bum and got toasty enough to take my sweater off. The bar tender was a bit slow and not as receptive to my needs as I would have liked. The bathroom was very alice and wonderland....a sink at one end and 15 feet later....the toilet. Check out the pic.
Neighborhood: Parkside
Category: Dive Bars
Neighborhood: Inner Sunset
Category: Nightlife
Neighborhood: Inner Sunset
Category: Lounges
Neighborhood: Inner Sunset
Category: Bars
Neighborhood: Inner Sunset
Category: Sports Bars
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