Zeitgeist: Warm Beer & Cold Women
Written: Jul 18 '05
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Pros: Zeitgeist has good drinks and good grub. And good peoople.
Cons: Zeitgeist can get really crowded.
The Bottom Line: Zeitgeist has been around forever, and everyone loves hanging out here!
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| megugrrrl's Full Review: Zeitgeist |
On the corner of Valencia & Duboce, you'll find Zeitgeist - a popular place to converge, particularly on a warm-ish weekend afternoon in the city. You kind of have to be in the mood for Zeitgeist - not necessarily in the mood for the food there (although I have had cravings for those potatoes), but you should be in the right frame of mind to be there. Zeit is truly more a bar than a hotel/guest house or a dining establishment, but they do have food and rooms available.
The main room, which holds the jukebox and two tall tables also houses the small bar. There are over two dozen types of draft beers, ales, ciders and such - pitchers of Guiness & Sierra are plentiful. In my opinion, the drink to get is The Bloody Mary - because they skewer olives and spicy string beans along with the lime, and use a good amount of the spicy string bean juice in your Bloody Mary for extra lip smackin', "can I have a sip?" tastiness. I think they're around $5 a pint.
Zeitgeist also sports one of the bigger outdoor areas in the back, aka The Outdoor Deck (which at Zeitgeist also means the giant smoking area.) It's surrounded by a good-sized wall and buildings so it blocks out the traffic noise, and there are a few eucalyptus trees for added shade and protection. Don't go if you can't stand smokers because chances are there will be one five feet away from you, anywhere you plant yourself. There are at least fifteen picnic tables & benches in rows, don't go if you can't share. Oh, and don't go if you don't like Boticelli-inspired murals - but with a naked portly man instead of Venus. The outside kind of reminds me of the old west, except with tough bike messengers instead of cowboys, and blue plastic port-a-potties instead of wooden WC sheds.
The Crowd
San Francisco cool kids hang out here, lots and lots of them. Sometimes, too many. The median age is probably 30, which is nice. It's very chillaxed and unpretentious - there are no big attitudes, and as rough and tough as the crowd can look, I've never seen a fight, not even an argument. The bonus is there are no yuppies - or patchouli. Remember what I mentioned about being in the right frame of mind? Zeitgeist can get SUPER crowded, to the point of intimidation if you're not into it.
The Food
In the smaller back room there's a pool table, maybe two pinpall machines and the small food counter, which is really just a window you place your order at. If you spend more than ten minutes in the outdoor deck, you will be forced to the food counter by the smells and plumes of smoke emanating from the oversized barbecue grill. BBQ smoke is one of those smells like baked bread or bacon.
They usually offer a handful of things to cook up on their giant BBQ. Just because the counter looks like a glorified snack bar, don't expect the food to remind you of bowling alley or skating rink food. Niman Ranch cheeseburgers are juicy and my favorite. They also have deliciously delicious grilled cheese sandiches, and veggie burgers, and they all are paired with delightfully seasoned home fries. (No bags of frozen crinkle cut fries here.) A plate is around $5 or $6-ish, which is a true bargain. On weekend mornings, I think they can make you any sandwhich with a fried egg tucked inside - but I think I might be hallucinating that.
You'll have to be a little attentive and listen for your name being yelled out because there are no food servers that will bring you your paper plate. Of course if the smokey goodness of the barbecue can't tempt you, the Tamale Lady (another SF staple) wheels her tamale-filled cooler through the back during the evenings.
The Service
The tattooed bartenders are super friendly (the non-tattooed ones are also!) and very professional. The person behind the grill is usually pretty nice also, but can be a little intense. Food folks are always intense. Hell's Kitchen.
Decor
If TGIF's had a lovable older brother or cousin recently released on parole for auto theft, Zeitgeist could be it. There are silly signs all over the place like "patchouli free zone." My favorite: "Warm Beer & Cold Women."
Other Things to Know:
Reservations & yuppies ignored.
During the Summer, don't miss the Zeitgeist International Film Festival, where they project cool movies on the building next door. Presented in Beer-o-Scope. (http://www.overcookedcinema.com/)
Cash only - I think there is a small ATM there, if not, there's one @ the liquor store katty corner.
Parking is moderately easy - there's metered parking all around. I think most people ride their bikes (motorcycles, scooters, and bicycles) or take the bus.
The bathrooms are unisex, which means the ladies will think they're nasty.
They have cool matchbooks.
They also have rooms upstairs - for the ridiculous price of $30. I've never met anyone that has stayed there.
Recommended:
Yes
Kid Friendliness: No
Best Suited For: Friends
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Epinions.com ID:
megugrrrl
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