Mr. Lew’s is not what I expected. I had almost given up on any decent bars opening up in the Tenderloin, but Mr. Lew’s is exactly what the neighborhood was missing. The drinks are strong, perfectly balanced, and more affordable than other cocktail focused bars. The bar offers a nightly recession special, a cheep beer with a shot of whiskey at a good discount, an offer that is thankfully becoming more common in San Francisco. What I love most is that there is not a single television at Mr. Lew’s, and the bar is dark as night.

The bar is dropped down so that instead of the always uncomfortable bar stools, patrons can sit in regular chairs and be at eye level with the bartender. I love this setup and wish that more bars would do the same. The night I went, the bartender was playing Magnetic Fields, which was the perfect music to set the mood in the bar. I went somewhat early on a Friday night, and the bar wasn’t crowded at all and my drinks were perfect. The bar is far enough into the heart of the TL that the hard drinking, under 27 crowd of Polk Street doesn’t appear to have found it. If weekend happy hour stays that mellow, I may have to make Mr. Lew’s a regular stop.

I stumbled across The Boardroom during an early morning walk around North Beach. What caught my eye and brought me inside was a giant menu sign with the words “Bacon Wrapped Tater Tots”. How could I not try a bar that’s open in the A.M. and features a stoner menu? I popped inside to see if the bartender knew his way around a Bloody Mary.

Unfortunately, I had forgotten about Santa Con. Fortunately, I was up drinking earlier than most of the Santa horde, so they were only just arriving as I finished up. Not only did the bartender whip up a delicious, spicy Bloody Mary, he was friendly and chatty and kept his cool as a clown car of Santas marched in demanding pitchers of mimosas.

The Boardroom is a sports bar, (that seems to be all I can find these days,) so you won’t find me there on game nights, but it’s on my short list of good bars for a breakfast drink.

The Boardroom

(415) 982-8898

Underdogs is the place to go if you want delicious crispy tacos with a healthy dose of testosterone on the side. Calling Underdogs a sports bar is almost an understatement. Everything in the bar seems perfectly marketed to the jock inclined under 27 crowd, from the huge televisions to the bucket of Budweiser specials, from the basketball game in the back to the barely legal bartenders. I’m not saying that I didn’t enjoy my tacos and booze- they were both excellent- but I felt quite out of place at Underdogs, and the bartenders seemed pretty indifferent to me, casting their eyes instead on the young boys who I guess are more likely to tip heavy in a bar like that. (I always tip well, btw.)

I’m glad there is a place for crispy tacos and beer in the Sunset, but I’m even more glad that I can walk to the original Nick’s Tacos from my apartment, where the crowd is at least ten years older and many decibels quieter. I suppose it shows my age that people screaming across the bar don’t do good things for my digestion.

The Taco Shop @ Underdogs

(415) 566-8700

I have the feeling that a lot of people experience The Little Shamrock for the first time after being dragged in by friends. The name and exterior don’t give one any idea of how wonderful the bar is. The Little Shamrock is actually the second oldest bar in San Francisco, and unlike the oldest, it doesn’t smell of a hundred years of beer and piss. Instead it’s a friendly pub with lots of comfy seating and board games for entertainment. The bar has its host of regulars, but newcomers are quickly made to feel at home as well. The bartenders are incredibly friendly, and all of them make an excellent Irish Coffee.

The Little Shamrock can get fairly crowded at times, but there is usually enough room for everyone to fit in comfortably. It’s bigger than it seems at first, with an extra room and fireplace tucked away at the far end of the bar. While there are a few televisions above the bar, the volume has rarely been turned on when I have been there, and the bartenders have pretty awesome taste in music. This is one neighborhood bar worth the trip across the City for me.

The Little Shamrock

(415) 661-0060

The Bitter End is a large yet cozy neighborhood pub. While technically it’s classified as a restaurant, The Bitter End feels much more like a bar, despite the occasional babies in strollers. During happy hour The Bitter End is usually pretty mellow, and there is a large upstairs area that helps keep the bar from getting overwhelmingly crowded. (Note that the women’s restroom is also upstairs and not wheelchair accessible.)

I can’t say that I’ve ever had an exciting night at The Bitter End, but I have met people there over the years for birthday parties and such, and it’s always been a good time. The bartenders are nice, and most of the patrons live in the neighborhood. I wouldn’t go out of my way to drink at this bar, but it’s a pleasant stop while in the Inner Richmond. The Bitter End is the kind of bar you could go to with your coworkers or your mom.

The Bitter End

(415) 221-9538

Stop number two on my mini Irish bar crawl, Fizzie’s is a no-frills, hard drinking Irish neighborhood bar. Highlights include two billiard tables and the video game “Bowling”, which is very much like the video games “Golf” and “Bags”. There is also one of those outrageously expensive internet jukeboxes, (which unfortunately gives drunk people access to thousands of terrible pop songs.) Bad music aside, this is a great bar for a game of pool and a few shots of whiskey. The bartender is friendly, the bathrooms are pretty clean, and you get exactly what you would expect from a bar named “Fizzie’s”.

Fizzie’s

(415) 221-7300

To be honest, I am not generally a big fan of Irish bars. Irish bars are usually synonymous with sports bars, and nothing bores me more than being stuck in a crowded bar surrounded by people yelling about the game. I decided to hit up a few Irish bars in one day, basically as a way to get them over with in a short period of time. However, I didn’t realize that the Saturday after Thanksgiving is an off day for a lot of bars, and I found myself quite enjoying three Inner Richmond Irish bars during their slow hours.

Drinking at Ireland’s feels like drinking inside of a giant beer barrel, with old, stained wood covering every surface. The space is large, with lots of seating and a corner stage for live bands on weekends and karaoke on Wednesday nights. (There is also an upstairs “VIP” room for private events.) I counted nine flat screen televisions displaying sports around the bar, but on a slow Saturday, no one was paying attention and the sound system was blaring a 70′s/80′s easy listening station. On my visit the other patrons were all die hard regulars, but luckily of the friendly variety. Ireland’s was a surprisingly nice place to sip Jameson and people watch through the windows.

Ireland’s 32

(415) 386-6173

The Page is a bar lover’s bar; it has all the qualities that make my heart go pitter patter. First of all, the bar is dark. Very, very dark. The sporadic red and yellow lights create a rosy glow that softens all of the hard edges of reality.

The Page has an excellent beer and whiskey selection in addition to good cocktails. The bar gets quite busy even on week nights, but the service is efficient and friendly. The crowd is mostly made up of young professionals, but it’s definitely a neighborhood joint, so the vibe is very casual- think dot-commers in silk screened hoodies from etsy and jeans, not business suits. Adding to the delightful atmosphere is a wall full of taxidermy and a billiards room.

I’m not sure I can properly put into words why I love the atmosphere of this bar so much, but if I had my own bar, this is the decor and feel I would want. It’s simply a quintessential bar.

The Page

(415) 255-6101

A friend had been trying to drag me into Columbus Cafe for a couple of years, and I always resisted. They bill themselves as a sports bar, which is just not my thing. On a recent walk through North Beach however, I was in search of a cold beer and found Columbus Cafe pleasantly empty of patrons and thought it a perfect time to check out the bar.

The bar does have the obligatory flat screen televisions, but when I went in on a Saturday during the day, the volume was off and no one was paying much attention to the games. It was a quiet rainy day, and the only other people in the bar were a few neighborhood regulars enjoying their breakfast beers and chatting up the lovely bartender. The bartender was amazingly nice, and we spent a good hour in friendly conversation with her and the other patrons. One of my favorite things about trying new bars is meeting people, so I am always happy to find a bar where people are open to chat with strangers.

I imagine Columbus Cafe can get pretty crazy during big games or on weekend nights, but on off hours it’s a solid neighborhood bar with a good draft beer selection. They also have a great happy hour deal, with 2 for 1 draft beers from 4:00pm – 8:00pm seven days a week.

Columbus Cafe

(415) 274-2599

Sweeties is one of the best bars I have ever stumbled across accidentally. I was in North Beach visiting a friend, and while walking around killing time, I saw a mysterious awning labeled “Sweeties”. Sweeties? Sweeties?! What in the world could possibly be in this place? I had to check it out.

What I wasn’t expecting was to find a fantastic neighborhood bar. While Sweeties is no frills, the bartenders and general vibe are too nice for this to be called a dive. It’s just a small, comfy bar full of North Beach residents kicking back with cold beers and lacking the roving packs of “Whoooooo!” yelling youths that crowd into bars closer to the main drag. If you find yourself in this neck of the woods and want to get away from the tourists, this is the perfect spot.

Sweeties