The Nags Head
5346 Geary Boulevard
(between 17th Ave & 18th Ave)
San Francisco, CA 94121 (415) 387-9510
- Price Range: $
- Accepts Credit Cards: No
- Parking: Street
- Good for Groups: No
- Wheelchair Accessible: No
- Outdoor Seating: No
- Best Nights: Tue
- Happy Hour: No
- Alcohol: Full Bar
- Smoking: Outdoor Area/Patio Only
71 reviews
Neighborhood: North Beach/Telegraph Hill
"The bartenders are wonderful. The drinks well made. The trivia night matredee is the best in town. The $2 tacos and the fish tacos are…" read more »
33 Reviews for The Nags Head
If you are ever confused on what to order in this bar, just look behind the bartender. This place is a great 1 2 punch...........McKenzie's being the 1 or 2 depending on which bar you go to first. It's great to see the owners go back and forth to each others establishment. There really isn't a rivalry between these two bars.
It is a typical Asian dive bar in the Richmond District. Crowd is generally younger. Shots are cheap and strong. The don't allow smoking in this bar....................A definite plus!!!!!
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If you wanna get tipsy or wasted, this is the bar to go since their shots are fat! If it's your bday, the stop light is all yours! All three shots. From my experience, everyone who comes here for their bday never "walk" out. It is rather small but it is a very intimate and friendly environment. PLUS the bartenders are HOT and oh so SWEET!
Damn the Olympics.
I blame them for this latest hangover.
Why?
We played the "Olympic Opening Ceremonies, Guess How Many Athletes That Country Has" game.
Closest to the actual number is safe from drinking.
Player who nails it directs shots for the other player (thank you Nauru).
I technically won but in reality we both lost a little.
Special thanks to Sierra Leone, France, and Ghana.
Gotta say though, India, you jammed me up. 56 athletes??? For 1.1 billion people??? You're better than that.
This is my second time to this place and it's starting to grow on me.
Bartenders are quite cool and they ended up joining us in our game towards the end.
Great place to go before or after a visit to Shabu House.
I advise against playing this game with Irish Car Bombs.
Thank God the next opening ceremonies are 4 years away.
What?
Oh crap, that's right, winter Olympics.
Competition.
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While waiting for the rest of the party to join us for dinner next door, we stumbled into an empty Nag's head on a Saturday evening at around 6:30 ... it was entirely empty and a great place to chat candidly with a friend ... but no doubt, the conversations will start to engage the bartender as you question the ingredients on the bevy of different drink names stuck on the mirror.
A pretty awesome bar that doesn't take itself too seriously.
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The boyfriend has taken me here to hang out with his old SF high school buddies a couple times. It's the chillest place to hang out and get your drink on. Really... everyone seems to know each other. The place is tiny, but I'd rather use the word "cozy" because the limited space doesn't bother me at all. They have a bunch of random drink titles written on bright post its on the wall and watching people look through the choices can be entertaining. Everyone (staff and patrons alike) is super nice, there are snacks sometimes, and the shots are SHOTS. Can't ask for more. =)
I guess you could say this place lives up to its charming name. It was cold inside, and they only had Woodbridge chardonnay (though I realize you order wine at your own risk at a dive bar) and the place reeked, and I mean reeked, of Chinese food.
The bartender was sweet, ergo the two stars.
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THe Nags Head is a tiny bar with a few tables on the side and seating along the bar itself..The bartenders here are awesome and i would highly recommend coming a bit early- this place gets packed pretty fast because of its size.
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It's the library bar!! Because they have books along the wall. Another typical Asian bar except I had a good time going here. Maybe because the bartender hooked us up with gigantic shots of chilled grey goose. Good times!
Oh...if only this bar was bigger. When I'm not in the sunset and feel like a drink, I come here. The drinks are good and cheap, the bartenders are friendly, and the owner is really cool. Only problem is that this place is really tiny, so when people start coming, it gets crowded very quickly. Even on weeknights it can get fairly tight.
It was great on a Tuesday and lame on a Saturday. What gives?
Either way, I like this place. The bartenders are nice, and so is the owner. We were ignored when we first came in on Tuesday, and when they noticed what happened, we got our first round for free.
I am the token whitey at this bar, but I don't mind at all. It's a nice neighborhood bar - the kind of place where you don't feel like you have to impress anyone and you can just relax.
As an Asian myself, I've never seen so many Asians in a dive bar. A friend and I came here on a Tuesday night--and it was fairly packed. I finally get to say that he was the token whitey. :P
Atmosphere
Like most bars, the atmosphere is usually dependent on the people drinking in the establishment. Most of the people are chill and relax but doesn't seem to branch out of their own small set of friends/regulars--quite a few regulars come in apparently. The bar is small but the layout of tables to the left and the bar to the right makes for an inviting walkway into the place.
Drinks/prices
Short and simple--they're cheap and great.
Staff
The owner is awesome, although some other people have mentioned it again and again--it can't be included enough--Michelle is a great owner. Bartenders are fun, albeit slow (which the owner rectified fairly quickly).
Great local bar. I've spent a New Year's Eve here and many other random nights catching up with old friends over beers. They have a cool book collection lining the wall; take one or leave one.
The female bartenders there are unimpressive, unattentive and don't know how to add. The male bartender was great.
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Confused.
Walking in impression:
Me: "wait i thought this was a irish pub (pointing to the sign, NAGS HEAD)
Friend: UMMMM
Me: "this is a pseudo irish pub! (points to the room full of asians playing cards....Playing cards!!!!!)
Friend: UMMMMMMMMMM
Yes. This place confused me but it was kinda cool, the drinks were STRONG and cheap, got 6 drinks for 28 dollars!? WOW. Small but cozy and there were a lot of people in there, this would be four stars, minus one for all the foo's that lit up in there...if you can't stand smokers....don't come here.....had a nice time with my fobby friends so, I give it a 3 stars...
wanna be inebriated and play poker? here ya go!
i'd come back but only if i wanted to hang out and chat with my friends...the smoke gets to me, but i probably wont be hanging out here EVERY night :)
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This bar is the asian version of Cheers. You always see someone u know there. The bartenders are fun and it's amusing watching them "work". Michele the owner comes by on certain days and bring food to feed everyone!
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Nice little bar, I dont come here during the day time but more during night. Can get pretty crowded on certain nights and somtimes it will be extremely tough to find a seat. Bartenders are all female and to me thats a pretty smart move...
They have a big list of different mix drinks on the big mirror and a good selection of hard stuff if your into that. Also got a decent selection on tap. If its a crowded night, dont expect the boys bathroom to be in the best state, but then again.....most guys dont have the best aim and I doubt its much better when they are drunk.
The crowd during the nights is mainly a younger group, mainly asian I have to say with a few dabs of caucasion. Everyone is pretty nice but tend to keep to their own groups. So dont expect any use of those cheesy pick up lines you have hidden up your sleeve.
Used to be easy for underage kiddies to get in but now Mama-san is making sure they dont...heh heh
i spy...
all the holidays hiding on the wall... no really- its a fun game if you're sitting around hypnotized by all the sparkly lights. this is a great charming neighborhood dive bar where like cheers, everyone knows your name and your favorite drink.
the key word is DIVE BAR- so be prepared to be put into a relaxing mood where you can shoot the shit with the person sitting next to you, or perhaps- catch up on some reading against the wall and contemplate on your next trip to get away from the daily grind. the game- now THAT in itself is an attraction that beckons you to come in and park your butt right by the door as you loose yourself in a plethora of arcade games- some innocent, some not so innocent (find 5 things wrong with this nude pinup! for example).
small and cozy in size but huge in costumer service provided by a energetic owner with a laugh you will never forget. michelle welcomes all of her customers, new and old with open arms and hot food. the crowd changes from day to night as do the the bartenders. everyone who works there is fun and open to play games (cards,machine,darts) with you, listen to you vent about your day and even soothe your broken spirit. whatever it is, be prepared to be entertained as you toss one back.
with a classic "nag's shot" how else can you go wrong?
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This place is the shit! I love this place.. the owner is fuckin awesome.. she's such a nice lady.. CHEAP alcohol and they have CORN DOGS! HOW AWESOME IS THAT!
this is an ok place...its more of a 3.5 star place. i would rather go to other bars but since alot of my friends go here and some works here i cant hate. michelle who is the owner is a sweetheart and drinks are huge. the only thing i really dont like about this place is that its pretty tight on a busy night. not big at all. other then that its pretty chill.
Strange. You look at the place, and think you're going into an irish pub, and you come to find out it's run by asians. My first impression was that this place was super A-Z-N, but at the end of the night, i liked it. It had that nice home feeling. The people are super nice and they always keep your plate of popcorn full. The price of drinks are decent and taste good. Just don't order the cranium meltdown.
Although this place is tiny, I always have a great time! Fat shots and great bartenders. The owner Michelle is so adorable. Thanks Tracy for always making your special drinks and letting me try them out.
A smaller version of Fizzies. Same market, Cute little Asian bar tenders, clientele are mostly Asian males, even the owners name is Miss Young just like Fizzies. They play mostly hip-hop and they hook people up with Huge shots... A double in a normal bar is the single in NAGS. My co-workers like going here after a longs days of work to get screwed up.
I'm not really a fan of this place but since I'm with good people that like to come here then i have to give it 3 stars other wise this place is a 2 star.
After a slow night of doing the "what will I do tonight dance" I finally decided to catch a ride with my friend out to the Nags head. While I am not really into getting that far out of the mission but some friends were in for the holiday week and I had a ride out there.
I was really excited when I walked up to the place and I saw a yelp review taped to the window written by Mike W. (one of my favorite yelpers) singing the praises of the place. See Mike W. is also from Stockton and I think that we can both appreciate a little dirt on a bar stool and a bartender with some stories about the surrounding areas.
ANYWAY.
Sorry to say that I must have come on the wrong night. This place wasn't packed but it was a bit crowded do to the super small footprint. I expect bars in the Richmond to be full of old drunks and shady types, I actually like this about these places, makes for a good hiding place. Nags Head was just the opposite, everyone that I wasn't there will was younger than I was... including the bartender. In fact, I should have carded that chick, she was YOUNG. The crowd wasn't offensive or rude but they kept to themselves like young kids do but I guess I didn't care because I had all the entertainment I needed...
My friends are idiots. When confronted with a huge list of specialty shots located behind the bar we decided that we should play a game we deemed "pick the weirdest shot for your friend". I hadn't heard of most of these shots, I mean, does anyone really want to drink something called a 'slippery booger'? REALLY? If you are into obscure shots and want to get drunk (or date raped) you should get a 'stop light'. See, the 'stop light' is listed as one drink but in reality it is 3 huge shots that are all vodka and some mixer. Green. Yellow. Red. I can't imagine how my buddy Pete felt after downing them in succession but it was amazing to watch.
I'd like to see this place in the day time as I think that I would prefer the version that Mike W. saw as opposed to the 'slippery booger' crowd.
Went to the beach for the 4th and relaxed on the hot sand for about four hours. Got on the 38 to go home and thought why not stop for a few drinks? Saw The Nags Head and thought "perfect." There was a handful of middle age to older guys sitting at the bar getting their drink on. There was a spread of food in the back on the table since it was the 4th. Swedish meatballs, chicken wings, veggie platter, salami and crackers. The bartender was great. He chatted it up with everyone in the place and was very attentive. The whole vibe of the place was perfect. The owner came in told us to make sure we got some food. I had died and gone to bar heaven. This place is great. We stayed for about three hours and then the night shift bartenders came in and the vibe was not nearly as good. Two younger female bartenders who paid us no attention. Time to leave. I'll definitely be back, but not at night.
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i used to come here almost every saturday. nice place to hang out with friends. bartenders are cool to talk to too...well some of them.
ok, so... friday night, i need a mellow place to get my drink on and just kick back after work. head around the corner to the nag's head with my friends. it's half empty, but what the hell-- i can make a good time wherever i go.
so we order some libations and take up residence at a table between a group of asian girls and a separate group of asian guys. we're talking and having a good time, and a few drinks in the guys all light up.
indoors.
in CALIFORNIA.
bitches, don't you know that's illegal? i'm all for you getting a nicotine buzz and having a crotch-kickingly good time and whatnot, but i have asthma. take that shit outside.
already irked, i start to hear these (obviously drunk) asian guys make plans to attack the group of asian girls.
"dude, just go over there with me, man. i need some backup."
"naw, dude, i might get my ass kicked by that dude in green." (referring to a bigger girl in a green shirt)
they snicker and guffaw amongst themselves. i look over and note that they are all ass-ugly.
happy hunting, boys. go ahead and gimme a laugh when i see you get shot down faster than a duck on the first day of open season.
oh, and the bar's cash only.
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I love this bar!!!. First it' s like really close to my house so when I have a little too much to drink after drinking here, the drive home is'nt too bad. I like all the Bartenders here. They are all friendly and they definetly are the ones that draws all the business for this bar here. The drinks are always hooked up a little bit more phat, and the service is always there. Honestly, I am not a big fan of all asian crowds types of places and more into the mix crowd, but although it's mostly all asians here, you dont' get that stuck up gangster negative vibe from this place.
A great place to hang out to talk to with some friends.
Gulp down a few beers, talk to more friends, take down a few more beers. Start talking jibberish to friends, now with weird looks in their faces. Tell everyone that you love them and you would die for them, which of course you don't mean it. Start talking to random strangers, tell them you love them and will die for them. Take down a few more beers and now you're peeing in the bathroom while trying to keep your balance. Stumble out of the bathroom and gets yelled at by the owner because you just pissed in the kitchen, take down a few more shots, start making out with someone inside the bathroom/kitchen. Take a few more beers before you hit the road, drive trying not to hit anything and wondering why there are a pack of ninjas chasing after you.(i don't recommend anyone drive while intoxicated, or having illusions about ninja assassins) Get to the door, have trouble getting the key into the keyhole, stumble upstairs, sit in your chair and................it's 7am and it's time to fill our your report for your manager.
This place has all the hot ladies, well some hotter then others......damn that's just wrong. If you're planning just to get drunk, this place is for you. Cheap shots, i mean really cheap shots. Where else can you get a double shot of remy/henny/151/whateveryoudrink for $7? Regular places charge like $12 for that. O yeah did i mention all the hot bartenders. Only thing i don't like is all the smoke there, but everyone smokes there so if try to say something, i'm basically outnumbered.
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A tiny Richmond neighborhood bar that is constantly full of regular patrons who have been going here since the 70's. I have had some interesting beer soaked conversations with the people here. The bartenders are nice though I do not reccomend the spirit selection. Their whiskey tastes kind of off (maybe its been there since the 70's as well) and depending on who you get, your Gin and Tonic might have an unfavorable ratio of Tonic to Gin. This bar is still a nice place to relax when you are in the richmond and are bored/want a drink. Excellent Bloody Mary's on sunday.
An establishment diminutive in size but big in heart, The Nag's Head has the smallest square-footage any of bar on the Geary street corridor. Rectangular in shape, and much longer than wide, it makes due with a well thought out and space-efficient design, starting with a bar that runs the entire length of the room. A dart area doubles as table seating, with tables folding down on hinges to make room if a game starts up. A mirror in back of the bar is plastered with drink specials, and a 365-day-per-year Christmas garland full of lights graces the top of the bar.
The crowd here is an older one, but the amongst the friendliest and most talkative I've seen in the city. The bartenders name was Miles, a genuinely polite old-guard barkeep that could keep up with his pouring while exchanging idle banter with his clients, occasionally swapping jokes and joining them in a booming chorus laughter at the conclusion of each one. Despite his humble appearance, Miles is a rare breed....he's an individual that seems content with his lot, and truly *likes* what he does for a living. Unlike a lot of neighborhood pubs, the social scene here has a very interesting dynamic about it....particularly how easy it is to enter and exit conversations on a moments notice. There's no listen, plan, wait for an opportunity to jump in. Just say something that pertains to the conversation, and people treat you like you've been a contributor for the last several hours. Back off, and and people tune you out after a mental egg-timer in their head runs out. There were no sorrowful faces gazing catatonically into space while plying their sorrows with liquor. To the contrary, topics of conversation seemed to spring from a bottomless well, with every person in the place engaged in mile-a-minute chitchat.
An odd shaped window that looks out on Geary street lets in a small amount of natural light during the daytime....well placed incandescent lighting takes up the slack towards the rear. The sight of a crock pot with plates on a small table near the jukebox suggested complimentary grub might be on hand....but a peeking inside of it revealed naught but a few bits of dried out potatoes, a scant remainder of some kind of stew that had long since been devoured by early-bird patrons.
Though you won't find the young and the beautiful atop the barstools at the Nag's Head, you will find the rich of soul and the kind of heart. The music is old school and not too loud, and the pick-up scene is all but non-existent. But the Nag's Head is rich in soul.... a rare thing in this city, where the four horsemen of the economic apocalypse have a tendency to run roughshod over the traditions of the old guard. In a fast changing world, the Nag's Head is a pleasant reassurance that indeed.....some things never change.
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the only reason i ever came here was because of my friends.. and the friends that work here. i try to stay with the mixed crowd when it comes to bar hopping but generous pours and hot bartenders keep this place going. try the pineapple turnover cake shooter... delicious. THANKS JEWELS!
great bar! GO THERE!! =)
we stopped in last night for a game of pool. i am all for the charm of a dive bar but this place gave me the heebie jeebies. as a 29 year old who looks 12, i am accustomed to being ID-ed. i am not accustomed to the entire clientelle of the bar telling the bartender to ID me. luckily, he was cool enough to not ask, especially since i wasn't drinking. the clientelle was rather depressing--it was obvious they've been patrons forever. and, as i said they were not shy about making your business theirs. okay, i can get over it. we played our game of pool, which happened to be terrible and again, one of the patrons decided to start critiquing my shots. i am terrible to begin with, i don't need attention drawn to that fact. i was done after that. i found it a humiliating experience and took things a bit too personally. my boyfriend claims we made memories. it's all in how you look at it, i guess. still won't be going back.
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