this is the kind of place that makes it hard to write a review. it’s a british pub, with all the usual qualities you’d imagine it to have. lots of beer. pool and darts. laid back atmosphere. there’s really not much i can say about it that really stands out. i’ve read that it has fantastic pub food, but we didnt try any when we were there. what i did try, was this beer called Old Speckled Hen. the beer, despite it’s bizarre name (which oddly enough is a reference to MG cars), was damn good. it reminded me of this other creamy ale that i had back in london. it was so good actually, that i wasn’t able to try anything else since i just kept ordering the same thing over and over and over. even if that beer was the only thing that stands out for me about Pig and Whistle, it still makes it worth going back.

Pig & Whistle is at 2801 Geary Boulevard in San Francisco

I read a bunch of reviews about Bar 821 on yelp, and one of the things that i thought was really weird about it was their door policy. they dont let anyone in after 11pm. hmmm, sounds like kind of an interesting gimmick to stop letting people in after a certain point and have a private party inside for the rest of the night. sure, a bit odd, but i thought it could be interesting. we headed down there and showed up at the place at 10:45pm. as we walked through the door, the bartender glanced up and shook his head at us. nope, we wouldnt be getting any drinks tonight.

it turns out that we misunderstood… they dont just stop letting peole in after 11… they shut the bar down. so, it’s only 11pm and we’re outta luck with no other new bars anywhere near by. what kind of bar shuts down at 11?? is it past people’s bedtimes or something? also, it’s lame enough that they close at 11, but why not at least serve drinks right up until closing?? the reason bars usually stop serving early is because they dont want to break the law and have people still drinking at 2am… but if your bar closes at 11pm, there’s no legal reason to have a"last call". also, they have a rule where they give “locals” preference. what does that really mean? do they check your address on your drivers license and then make non-locals give up their seats?? basically, i think these guys just wanted to have something quirky and interesting about their bar, but instead their rules are just kind of lame.

Bar 821 is at 821 Divisadero St in San Francisco

I’ve seen the neon glowing horseshoe sign a countless number of times, but haven’t ever actually wondered what it was a sign for. turns out it’s Club Latin American. what a random name. what the hell would be inside a place named club latin american? mariachi music? no. a lot of latin americans? no. pinatas? Yes!! lots of them, hanginging all over the ceiling. other than the pinatas though, there’s really not too much about the bar that reflects its name. instead, it’s a typical mission bar. not exactly a dive, but definitely has a chill dive type atmosphere and strong drinks.

Latin American Club is at 3286 22nd Street in San Francisco

It’s gonna be very hard for me to write a review of this bar because of how my night started. yan was in town from prague, so a few of us went to a german restaurant called Suppenkuche to have dinner. the food there was pretty good and they had a ton of different beers to choose from that you could get in all sorts of sizes ranging from small glasses all the way up to huge *4 liter* containers. yes, you could definitely drink a serious amount of beer in this place. yan and kevin got a huge 2 liter beer that came in a monstrous glass that was shaped like a boot. it was hillarious. erica and i each got 1 liter beers. as the night wore on, we each got another order, so by the time we left the restaurant, we had each drank 2 liters a piece.

kevin drinking from the boot (and spilling on himself)

Erica’s drink isn’t all that small either

we left Suppenkuche and stumbled off to Place Pigalle. the rest of the night is a bit of a blur. somehow i lost my debit card and also my paycheck. somehow i got into Popscene without paying. somehow we ended up being driven around in a Lincoln Towncar. somehow we ended up on some girl’s balcony. the night ended at Sparky’s, yet i dont recall anything about a very expensive milkshake, nor how we got home. ahh yes… another classic night.

so, what does this review actually say about Place Pigalle? well, pretty much nothing really. all i know about that place is that it has a pool table and looks kind of run down inside… and i only know that cause i had to come back a few days later to pick up my missing debit card.

*v

Place Pigalle is at 520 Hayes Street in San Francisco