Best Bar In San Francisco
Written: Mar 31 '00 (Updated Apr 03 '00)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: authenticity, soccer, good random conversation, soccer
Cons: don't try to hang on trivia night unless you're in the game
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| lee's Full Review: The Mad Dog In The Fog |
Now, I know that claiming The Mad Dog the best bar in S.F. is somewhat of a bold statement. Let me qualify that statement by defining what my minimum specs are for considering a bar legitimate (in no particular order):
1. Authenticity - a bar needs to have its own, unique personality.
2. Regulars - any bar worth a lick has at least a few of the same dudes who the bartender can trust to watch the till on a quick break or help flip chairs at the end of a long shift.
3. History - in order to be legitimate a bar needs to prove that it can maintain its integrity past the current fad or trend.
Bonus: Parlor games - not necessarily an essential for legitimacy because they aren't well suited for the cocktail crowd, but I think it is fair to throw that in there if its a bar that is competing for the same crowd that swears by The Mad Dog.
The Mad Dog has all of the above and then some.
First of all it's a British pub owned by a gracious ex-pat named Steve. He runs the operation with the help of several bartenders, a handfull of regulars, and a few soccer teams sponsored by the place. He treats them all like family. I know because I play on one of the teams managed by Steve. It's somewhat mandatory that after practice or games the squad go back, share pints of Guinness (1st one's free), and bulls**t about the win while watching re-runs of the morning's Premiership matches with the rest of the blokes.
This brings me to the second reason why The Mad Dog is so special: soccer.
Having mentioned that it's a British pub, you could have assumed that soccer was involved. Make no mistake. This is no joke. This is THE place to watch soccer in SF, hands down. Not only can you find recent Premiership matches on everday (they'll often replay them for you if you missed the live showing), but you can actually participate in intelligent commentary with the other patrons (almost unheard of in the states!). I've been playing soccer my whole life and I can't tell you how refreshing it is to enjoy the game with people who more or less understand its complexity and appreciate its subtleties, especially because SF is pretty much a 2 sport town (and no, neither soccer nor basketball are one of them....whatever).
You walk into the place and immediately you are struck by the uncalculated decor which extends up to the super high ceiling, consisting of Premiership pennants (Steve only puts up ones that people donate from the motherland), Premiership jerseys, Mad Dog team photos (The Mad Scots haven't had ours taken yet), and promotional beer posters (My goodness! My Guinness!). Come to think of it, the height of the ceiling does a lot for the atmosphere.
And so do the patrons. The likelihood that you will speak to someone you never met is very high in the Mad Dog. Random conversation abounds. Some bloke is bound to either share his excitement re: Michael Owen's diving header or step on your toe on the way to the pot. Or perhaps it's the lass across the way who is looking for a darts partner that has her eye on you. Whether it's a friendly chat with the bartender, a love prospect, or a busted lip, you pretty much pick your poison at the Mad Dog, and it's usually over a good pint of Guiness or Newcastle which, depending on how it all turns out, you can always fall back on.
They have trivia nights on Monday and Thursday which turns into a mad house like you wouldn't believe. It can be too crowded to stick around on these nights, especially considering the multitude of bars on that block. Stay away Thursday night unless you plan to bring your "A" Trivia game (a team from Epinions actually won a few weeks back!)
They also sometimes have music, but if you go to hear a band the least you can do is buy a damn drink. That's the one thing that The Mad Dog doesn't tolerate: people who don't want to contribute. If you don't want to contribute, you might as well not go.
Depending on your tastes you may not agree with me that The Mad Dog is the best bar in SF. But I challenge anyone to find me a more original, honest, welcoming, respectable soccer-loving pub in the country. In my opinion it is the best around at what it does.
Feel free to tell Steve that I sent you. Or not.
Other amazing bars close by (and what you can expect from them) :
Noc Noc - Lower Haight (across the street from The Mad Dog) - it's SF's version of the bar in Star Wars, minus the freaky aliens. Interior looks like the owners got super baked and went to town with power tools, some dry wall, and different color paints.
Ab Zam Zam - Upper Haight - a martini bar who's bartender literally won't serve you if you order it wrong. Of course he won't tell you the right way either. He just doesn't give.
Club Deluxe - Upper Haight - you might be inclined to call this a "joint" depending on your affectation. Regardless, it's of modest size, but smooth interior (black leather and chrome), cocktail serving bartenders, pocket chains, and great jazz on most nights.
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
lee
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Member: Lee Topar
Location: San Francisco, CA
Reviews written: 8
Trusted by: 39 members
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