Zeitgeist

This is definitely a beer destination. The draft list and beer garden is, thus far, unrivaled. I think... more

This is definitely a beer destination. The draft list and beer garden is, thus far, unrivaled. I think burgers are nice touch and certainly a servi... more

If Zeitgeist is defined as: ""the defining spirit or mood of a particular period of history as shown by the ideas and beliefs of the time"", this bar must be from a time when stiff drinks and smoking cigs went hand-in-hand, and when bars understood that when one has a good buzz going, one wants greasy food. I love, love, LOVE Zeitgeist. The food is the best around, when it comes to BBQ (thumbs up for grilled cheese and veggie burgers for us non-meat eaters), and the beer selection is phenomenal. I'm not one for bloody marys, but I have a friend who swears by them here. Zeitgeist is the first place I think of heading to on those rare occasions when the sun pokes out in SF. The only prevalent aspect of this place that is a negative, is all of the hipsters that are perched along the benches at all times of the day. That said, this would only reduce my rating by half a star, if possible, because this joint is the bees knees! Pros: smoking, outdoor patio, food, beer selection, bloody marys Cons: hipsters more

The first time I went to Zeitgeist was a week within moving to SF. I think I gave the place a better review than I should have. In truth it was packed with scenesters (a word I learned here in SF) who were rude, and hipsters who hated all those scenesters and were just rude cause they wanted them to get the hell out! The second time I went was on a Friday night. So all those scenesters in their little dresses had headed home. Now the place was free to be what it really is! The diviest dive bar that has ever lived. I only mean that in a good way! The place was packed with nice people, who were willing to laugh with you and share their table. Yea, the laughter may have been caused by the massive amount of ""happy time"" smoking that was going on, but if it makes people happier and nicer than have at it! Great time with great people. Pros: Friday Nights Cons: Sunny Saturdays more

Pros: patio, beer, tamale lady more

What more do you need? Tamales? Oh wait, she comes here every hour or so. This place is nirvana. I also love the beer selection, and the bloodies here are top notch. The only thing I could do without is the smoke of the grill and the stink of the portapottys but that is part of the ambience. Pros: Outdoor seating Cons: portapotties, surly service more

The beer garden in the back is my favorite place to down a pitcher. There's never a wait to use the bathroom because there's a row of port-o-lets right there in the patio. You also don't need to worry about your bicycle, because you can just bring your ride in with you. The Tamale Lady is usually there selling her delicious pork tamales, which go perfectly with the beer. One thing to watch out is that they kick everyone out at 1:45am sharp. They'll literally grab you and toss you out onto the sidewalk. Pros: Bike parking and port-o-lets Cons: smelly hipsters more

Great Burgers - great patio - the only thing i dont dig about ZG is they have an issue with folks taking pictures back there that they defend rather rdiculously - whats the deal with that? Pros: Great beers, great prices, great people Cons: cant take a picture of my peeps more

I love this place the atmosphere is always fun and lively. I always have a great time here, the staff is fun, the crowd is low-key and the atmosphere is a tad grimy but welcoming. There are benches scattered outside for strangers to sit together and find some common ground. The pitchers of beer are cheap and if you get tired to being out in the cold, go inside for a game of pool and some food. What could be better? Pros: Drinks and place Cons: only two bathrooms in the entire bar! more

Warm Beer more

We had to check this bar out being that we ride(harleys) and apprecaite good music and people. This bar is not what I consider a biker bar, however the people were very friendly, but if you are looking for a biker bar this is not the place to go. We saw a multitude of bikes there (the non motorized sort), but no real BIKES. Maybe the bikers don't ride down here in January, in Oregon we ride all year around. This bar was also dirty with empty kegs sitting around all over (I guess they were supposed to be stools) but it was substandard. more

After being away from the Bay Area for 3+ years it was great to go back to Zeitgeist. All the people we went with had a blast and it made me want to move back to SF more than ever. I think we all had such a good time because we weren't a bunch of whining sissies. If you got thrown out it may have been because of your sense of entitlement or your looks of contempt for your fellow bar patrons. Or it has even been suggested by another reviewer 'Maybe you're just a douche'. Whatever the case, I've been there hundreds of times and never once had a problem with the people who drink there or the people who work there. I'll go to Zeitgeist as long as the doors are open. Pros: Great Jukebox, lack of pretentious snobs Cons: Last call is 2a more

I first must say that I have had very good days here. The food is good, the backyard is awesome . With that being said I will never go hear again, I boycott Zeitgeist. On two occasions I have gone there in a good mood and left in a very bad mood. On these two occasions I did nothing out of the ordinary and I had people with attitudes yelling at me and treating me as if I did something horribly wrong. That is how the place operates. There attitude is that you are at their bar and you live by their rules. They don't respect you and they treat you as if you are always wrong. Some people like this kind of service and that is fine. But I don?t. Pros: Good Food Cons: Horrible Service more

My friends and I walked a while from where we were chilling to visit this bar since it came recommended by a few others. As soon as we get there we get yelled at to form a line to the left (even though there is absolutely nobody outside...and the bar itself is half empty). Anyway we get in line and get ready to have our bags checked as we were instructed. Apparently they are really paranoid of people sneaking in alcohol from the outside. We were clean though so we weren't concerned about getting into the place. The bouncer checked my first two friends and lets them in all the while ranting about how HE is the final say on who comes in and who does not. It was pretty obvious the guy had some serious issues but we let it go. He gets to another one of my friends who is right in front of me and before she opens her bag she says to me in another language ""Cool he's checking bags...at least that's security? Unfortunately, the guy had a huge problem with her speaking another language and flipped out. As she tried to explain she was not saying anything bad I couldn't take it anymore and let him have it. Needless to say we didn't get in but considering the bar was dead on a Saturday night at midnight, I don't think we really lost much. Beware of the bouncer's insecurity issues when in line if you want to go in but I'd say just avoid the place in general. There are much better places to spend your money at. more

These negative reviews are completely off the mark. The staff at the Zeitgeist are ""edgy,"" sure, but if you're going to complain about getting kicked out for being a douche, well... well. Actually, that makes sense, you're a douche. Pros: Drinks, vibe, people, patio Cons: not really any I can recall more

I would have loved to give this bar a high rating, awesome patio, good food and a great beer selection. But I ended having the worst experience in 15 years of going to bars and clubs all over the world. It happened last Friday. I just got a pitcher of excellent beer, ordered some food and was sitting at a side railing by the stairs with a friend eating and drinking. My friend went to the bathroom and I was in the midst of sending a text on my phone when the next thing I know I have this bouncer in my face shouting at me ?You are out of here buddy?, I shouted back at him ?What did I do? I am just sitting here!?!? He reaches beside me and amidst a pile of glasses pulls out two mini wine bottles. ?Sneaking booze in! Get up!? he tells me. I told him it wasn?t mine, showed him the pitcher of beer and the food I just bought. He demanded to see my bag. So I showed him and he started rooting through it like he was airport security. All I had in the bag was my laptop and some papers from work, no booze. Then he tells me ?Well you were busted with them, we don?t sell this brand so you have to go!? I argued about how stupid it was that I would be expected to know what they sold or didn't sell (it was more of a shouting match actually) until I got tired of the whole thing and just wanted to leave and never come back. When he finished his search of my bag I walked out the door leaving my pitcher half full and my food half eaten (he only followed me a few steps and then went off somewhere else). I would *not * suggest going to this place ever! It has some nice features but you run the risk of a potentially violent confrontation with one of many mentally unstable staff members with each passing minute you spend there, even if you are trying to mind your own business and have a couple of pints. Pros: great patio, good beer selection Cons: aggresive and confrontational staff members more

I have been to Zeitgeist a few times one of the times it was great we ate food, drank good beer, sat in the sun and played the amazing juke box. Another time it was way to crowded and we left after a drink. But the last time was truly the last time. I met up with 15 friends there all of us dropping a lot of money on drinks and food. My wife and friend ordered food that was not coming out. I asked the cook how much longer he yelled back ?when it is done?. So I asked if he had a time estimate he throws my money back at me and has me thrown out. That is so screwed up and so is the staff. The cook is proof that substance abuse and mental illness don?t mix but for the manager to go along with it I don't know what to think about that. There are other dive bars in this city no need to get treated like that for a micro beer and a burger. Pros: good Juke Box Cons: The Staff is the worst more

Zeitgeist is hands-down the best place to go to drink in SF. You can be who you want to be. You can talk about cafe bikes. You can smoke, you can not smoke, you can dance on a picnic table, you can hear husker du, you can hear uncle tupelo, iggy, and lucinda. what's not to love. If you don't love it emphatically, poetically, and without reservation, I mean truly, madly, deeply, you're a hater. Pros: The bikes inside and out, the people inside, the people outside Cons: N/A more

Chances are, if you end-up at Zeitgeist, you've probably already heard many things about the place...and most of them are probably true. Everything from being kicked-out from no ""good"" reason,"" to waiting over an hour for a burger. Nevertheless, this is where you should go in SF if you want a variety of beers, cheap good food off the grill, and a place where you can basically light-up a joint without anyone hardly noticing or saying a word. Yes the staff can be rude, but I have never experienced any problem over many years. Be patient and polite, enjoy the atmosphere, and don't sweat the small stuff. Pros: Affordable food and beer. Cons: The wait for the food. more

I'D HEARD SO MANY GOOD THINGS AND BAD THINGS ABOUT THIS PLACE THAT I HAD TO CHECK IT OUT FOR MYSELF. I CAN'T SAY I WAS THERE LONG ENOUGH TO SEE WHAT THE GOOD THINGS WERE, BECAUSE THE AGRESSIVE, COKED-OUT BOUNCER KICKED US OUT BEFORE WE EVEN HAD A CHANCE TO ENJOY THE AMBIENCE. MY FRIEND TOLD HIM AN INNOCENT JOKE, AND HE CALLED HER A B***H, AND HE COMMANDED THE BARTENDERS NOT TO SERVE THE REST OF US ANY MORE DRINKS. HE DIDN'T EVEN LET ME FINISH THE ONE I HAD JUST BOUGHT. I'VE WORKED WITH COKE ADDICTS BEFORE, AND I KNOW WHAT SIGNS TO LOOKS FOR, AND HE WAS DEFINITELY IN THAT ALTERED STATE OF MIND. IF THE OWNERS AREN'T CAREFUL, THEY'RE GOING TO HAVE A LAW SUIT ON THEIR HANDS SOON. DON'T WASTE YOUR MONEY. Pros: SPACIOUS Cons: THE JERKS THAT WORK THERE more