Chug Pub Sports Bar

The Sunset, San Francisco –

With standard-issue Guinness signs, tarnished mirrors, Celtic script, and an abundance of dark hardwood, the Irish vibe is alive and smilin’ at Chug Pub, clearly a nod to its former life as The Dubliner.

The addition of several large screens tuned to nothing but baseball and football, however – not to mention some of the biggest beers in town – have turned the venue into a magnet for sports fans and thirsty kids just looking to get sloshed.

Big game days aside, the bar tends to be mellow during the week, when working-class locals dish over beers and battered shrimp, while sunny weekends draw patrons of all types looking for a tallboy after a romp in nearby Golden Gate Park.

Once Friday and Saturday nights roll around, though, the baseball talk gives way to orders of the infamous beer tower – a three-foot tube of brew – when crowds of noisy students and young professionals pile in for one too many rounds and a few sloppy games of pool. Hungry patrons have several heavily deep-fried dishes to choose from, while those in need of a smoke or just a place to stretch their legs can hang out on the patio.

Relaxed or rowdy depending on the night, Chug Pub welcomes Giants fans and fans of giant beers with equal aplomb.