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Party Earth Review Born as a biker haven, Zeitgeist has evolved into an institutional dive that attracts everyone from Harley loyalists to skinny-jeaned bike messengers with its mix of surly bartenders, solid beer selection, and expansive... ... read full review
199 Valencia Street
San Francisco, CA 94103
BART: 16th Street Mission
MUNI F Line: Market Street & Guerrero Street
415-255-7505
Daily 9am–2am
Mission, San Francisco –
Born as a biker haven, Zeitgeist has evolved into an institutional dive that attracts everyone from Harley loyalists to skinny-jeaned bike messengers with its mix of surly bartenders, solid beer selection, and expansive graffiti-laden courtyard.
Beneath the venue’s unmistakable logo – a Playboy bunny with a skull instead of a rabbit’s head – thick black doors open onto a small bar where servers dispense pitchers of craft brew and cheap PBR with equal-opportunity brusqueness.
Hoodie-clad hipsters congregate around the liquor-stained pool table and classic arcade games in the back, where they eat up a few quarters while waiting for their burgers and home fries to appear in the food window.
The venue’s biggest draw, however, is the spacious Munich-meets-Sex Pistols beer garden, where more than two dozen picnic tables host a big, boisterous mass of young creative types and urban bad boys downing suds and digging AC/DC on the stereo.
Even during the city’s notoriously foggy days, the eclectic crowd smokes and jokes amid a medley of hanging bicycles and sprawling murals, though the garden sees its biggest gatherings as soon as the sun breaks through.
And while the warmth might not extend to the bartenders’ demeanor, the wide beer selection and wider potpourri of revelers gives Zeitgeist one of the most welcoming spirits in the city.
Hipsters, biker types, messenger clans, and young professionals, 20s to late 30s.
Pool table and a few old-school arcade games. Jukebox with mostly classic hard rock and punk.
Small bar menu including hamburgers, bratwurst, grilled cheese sandwiches, and home fries. Happy Hour M–F 9am–8pm.
Grill fare $5–$8. Beer $4–$7, wine $6, cocktails $6–$9+. Cash only. ATM on site.
Anything goes: t-shirts, sweatshirts, jeans, sneakers, and leather jackets.
Friday and Saturday nights for a packed house, and weekends when the sun is out, though any warm-weather day tends to find the beer garden full.
Thieves Tavern (496 14th Street) is a hip dive with two pool tables and a lengthy whiskey menu.
Zeitgeist User Reviews