Lion Pub

What a fun place to hang out and grab drinks, both for small and large groups. My friend and I came here on a weekday afternoon for happy hour. We were dizzied by the illegible menu scribbled on the mirrors at the bar, but then there was bartender Eddy to the rescue. This guy is hilarious and treated us like regulars.
My first drink was a strawberry mango mojito which was jam-​packed with fruits and mint. My (male) friend had also ordered a mojito (except with blueberries) but his tasted way stronger in comparison. I can handle my alcohol! Anyways, after that I just order my usual whiskey, neat. Eddy was introducing me to a new scotch, whose name I can’t remember… but that ultimately did the trick.
I love that the entrance to Lion Pub is somewhat concealed, and the décor matches the theme pretty well. The lack of a real menu forces you to have a conversation with the bartender (which is awesome) and talk about what drink you’re in the mood for. Would come here again!

What is up with the bartender? We are 5 very nice and friendly, polite ladies… We just wanted to ask some questions before we ordered our drinks. We are by regulars.
But, the bartender was so rude and off standish right off the bat. We were perplexed why he would act like this with us when we were nothing but friendly and curious about the impressive cocktail list.
We understand the bar is like a frat house sometimes but we are not a bunch of frats… So didn’t deserve that treatment. Shockingly rude guy behind the bar.

Um yea so I guess this is the kind of place you have to go when its dark and your already wasted. As you can see in the pics there is a reddish hue to the lighting. During the day you can see the red plastic paper scotched taped onto the light bulbs. lol. Not only that but this place is dirty as hell in the light. Drinks were decent sound system is solid.

Very cool bar in a more laid back setting. The bar itself lives up to its name as much of the bar is filled with lion statues, along with other East Asian artwork. The drinks are okay but not incredible, which is fine since the bar is so close to me and has such a nice atmosphere.

Drinks are good, but the service is terrible, in a way that you just kind of have to laugh at. My wife and I went in there and there was literally one other person at the bar. The 2 muscle-​head bartenders were ogling over her while my wife and I waited at the bar for almost 10 minutes…10 feet away. We would try to flag them down and they’d occasionally look over but that’s about it. We finally got a drink, it was good, but nothing extraordinary. If it weren’t for the fact that we can easily entertain ourselves (we made fake voice-​overs of what they were saying to her), we would have been furious. Don’t waste your time here.

Pretty cosy little corner pub. Great atmosphere, delicious drinks, friendly staff, great service and just an awesome place to have a couple of beverages.

Great music. Fresh squeezed grapefruit juice in their drinks. Good ambiance and vibes both at tables and the bar. I’ve been here during the week for dates, as well as when it’s packed on the weekends, and always have fun.
ALSO, they have what seems to be 4-​ply toilet paper in the bathrooms, which is unexpected and amazing. I don’t even have that nice of toilet paper in my own home. So, that’s a plus.
Bravo, Lion Pub. Bravo.

Seriously bar tending is awful. And it’s cash only. It’s 2016 yo. I would expect a place to be up to the times. Who carries enough cash to buy rounds? They make you use the cash machine so I’m guessing there are kick backs taking place. This place needs to be audited for proper business practice. Cool ambience and nice hole in the wall in SFO, but wasn’t impressed with the service. Staff has the memory of a gnat.

Hidden place, so take care it could be missed. Overall the place is cute and the atmosphere is cosy. Not overcrowded as many places in SF. The only reason I deducted 3 stars is for the so rude behavior of the bartender. Not friendly at all, seems to be in a bad mood or something, I am not sure. This is not my problem. But this is absolutely not the way you deal with your customers. Will try once more and judge again. Otherwise, this would be the last time.

Ok this has so much potential to be my new favorite neighborhood watering hole. So many great things about this bar. For one, it’s kinda hidden. I literally found it by accident. Two, there’s a raging fireplace inside! Very cozy. Three: The drinks are all made with fresh juice! They put ½ grapefruit per greyhound which leads to pro #4: strong Bevies. And 5: great prices!
If only the one glaring con didn’t exist. This place smells like SH$&!!! How can ppl stand to sip any kind of anything with an odor so strong??? I am a greyhound addict and I could not finish my Bevie cause the odor was so powerful I felt I was drinking it! I was in awe of all the people in the bar who were nose breathing as if it smelled of fresh lilies. Is everyone in this city nose blind? I want to bring a bag of glade plug-​ins or hand out nose plugs or prop open every window. Something, anything! Such a waste of what could be an amazing odor free venue. How can we fix this problem? I’m willing to help ;)

Hidden behind climbing plants, people often stumble into here out of curiosity or because they know how swank it is. Mostly coveted by Tinder daters because this pub has seating that’s intimate and an ambiance that easily leads home; but the locals here like it too — seating for groups at round tables that’s a laid back hidden gem. As a cash-​only bar with its own eclectic menu and poppin 90s music, your bound to have a good time. Tip: act like a local and have patience with the bartenders who may pop in and out of the crowd.

Great service: bartender Eddie was so nice and made the best lemon drop shot. Will be coming back soon

I got an amazing jalapeño margarita. It was hand muddled, fresh, and one of the best I’ve had. The drink alone is 5-​stars.
However, cash only, uninterested bartenders, and a super Marina-​like clientele make the Lion Pub only an all right experience.

Usually a good spot to grab a drink and hang after work. Tonight, totally off. The mojitos tasted terrible and one had a ridiculous amount of mint foliage in it. Like, big chunky stems. Another request for whiskey on the rocks came with a glass FULL of ice and a pour of whiskey. Not how to make a whiskey on the rocks! Not sure if there is a new bartender or what but, wow. If not for the chill atmosphere and fire would have been one star tonight.

Just lost it’s charm over the years. Bad Music and not great drinks. The fireplace is the one good thing. I remember in 2001 when they had Salmon and was a friendly crowd.

Perfect neighborhood bar.
Dark. slightly strange tropical décor, eclectic range of customers.
Great place for a quiet beer, or a fun random conversation.

Loud, cash only, and there isn’t a huge beer selection. Definitely not my type of bar, but the cocktails here are not bad apparently (according to my friends).

Fresh squeezed grapefruit juice (+vodka) in a tropical setting; what’s not to love? It’s a shame it’s cash only, but I can overlook that. Plenty of seating and semi-​decent music.
When I’m there again I need to check out some of the other drinks on the menu.

The good: the drinks are solid and not too bad pricing, the variety of cocktails, the chill vibe, the fact that the front of the bar looks nothing like the front of a bar, and combination of lounge and bar seating. Oh, and of course the statue of the lion.
The bad: cash only
The reason I’m sad: I’ve been here twice and neither times they had crackers and cheese! I’m sure the cheese is fantastic, as so many have commented on it. Maybe it’s only on certain days. I should probably ask the bartender what days the cheese happens. Alas, I came on a Monday and a Thursday. Both nights… no cheese. And I’m sad.
Despite that, I still recommend as a good bar in the pacific heights area.

This place plays EDM on a loud side, serves good cocktails and I heard they even put out a good cheese platter.
I been there twice and both times I wished I would visit them earlier in a week before they get busy.
Greyhound and Bloodhound are good. Moscow Mule was a bit too sweet for me

Great drinks in a lush and warm space. Service is either friendly and attentive or comically elusive. Cash only, which is the only reason I don’t come here often.

The dreary weather yesterday reminded me of The Lion Pub.
For why, you ask?
The fireplace. SF is not only a town where you can wear cashmere all year round, but it’s also a town that you can benefit from a fireplace all year round.
I don’t know about you, but I think that fireside cocktails when it’s chilly out are a very good thing.
The Lion Pub is a great bar, too.
For why, you ask?
The juice. These guys use fresh squeezed juices in all their concoctions. We’ve come to expect nothing less at places like The Alembic & Beretta, but a low key neighborhood joint? Not so much. Major props.
The great bartenders. Not only are they cool & personable, they’re stand up too. Once, I used one of their outlets to charge my phone, & I forgot the charger when I left. Naturally, I have more than one charger, so it wasn’t a big deal. But you know how it is w Apple products; of course it’d be nice to get it back. I called a couple of days later, knowing it was a long shot. They said they had it. I came in a week later…& it was still here. For real?! Major props.
The happy hour. The cheese plate! This cheese plate is extraordinary. It’s more like a hotel lobby wine & cheese hour plate. And it’s free?! Major props.
One negative. Sometimes, the smell. Stale liquor/​beer smell. It’s understandable w the busy bars, but it’s just not a good thing.
Still, 5 stars.

Sat. 11:30pm
3 attractive, polite, educated women enter the lion pub for fresh mojitos.
Its packed with zero ventilation and it smells like sewage/​BO.
We patiently wait to be served. After 15 mins, we kindly order strawberry, blueberry and cantelope mojitos.
The bartender with a short ponytail and flannel shirt is the biggest DOUCHE bag I have encountered in 10 years in SF
He’s annoyed, pissed off and tells us if we want mojitos it’s going to be a LONG time.
He yells at a blonde customer.
He won’t make the mojitos.
He claims they are out of fruits that I am staring at in the fruit station.
He takes all other drinks that don’t require any muddling.
He’s huffing and puffing like a little bitch.
I’m standing there with cash and can’t decide whether he looks like a surfer stoner and maybe he just needs his weed or whether he’s a wannabe Russian hit man because of his attitude.
Either way I attempt to make his life easier and we change our order to just strawberry and blueberry. He ignores us and refuses to make any drink that requires effort.
The bar earned an extra star because the security guard didn’t want us to leave and wanted to know which bartender it was.
Stoner lame Fabio ponytail douche, go to hell and next time I see you I’m going to muddle strawberry, blueberry and cantelope… you’ll have to wait and see what I do with it.

Watch out for Lee, the bartender. Not sure if he’s high, obnoxious or dumb. Didn’t help the only party in the entire bar. At the bar, service was slow, rude. He didn’t keep track of drinks and just sort of claimed an amount we owed him — after waiting for him to slowly prepare all six drinks.
Three stars for décor and comfort.

My date and i loved this plave. came in around 5 ish or so on a friday to try out their muddled drinks. Eddy was bartebding (hope thats how you spell his name) had a strawberry mango mojito and the muddled fruit was amazing in this drink. They even squeeze (or press) their juices. Everything tasted super amazing and fresh.
Eddy gave great service.
Came again after work after 12 am and they were nicely filled in. Even though we were told it was a slow nice. Still enjoyed the little time here.
Only down fall is when my date asked for a top shelf long island, for some reason the bartender decided it needed whiskey. A lot of it. Made it very hard to drink. We appreciated the effort though. Lol

A truly magical place. If you live in Pac Heights, this needs to be a regular stop for you for their greyhounds alone. Wild Hare across the street is trying to catch up by getting their own grapefruit machine, but we all know who had it first.
The place looks like Rainforest Café inside, and is tough to describe… just go.

The muddled fruit drinks here are pretty damn awesome and the cocktail menu is creative in a very delicious way.
Come with a crew on a weeknight or weekend! The vibe is hit or miss. Usually really fun but you never know what type of bar crowd will be there and the place often has a weird smell (your queue to drink more and care less).
I like the jalapeño vodka cocktail. It has a lot of kick so approach with caution.

The Lion Pub is this little hidden gem of a bar over in Pac Heights (–ish). The cocktail list is nothing short of amazing with tons of fresh fruit concoctions to choose from. The boyfriend and I went in on a Sunday afternoon, and while it was quiet in there, the fire was a roaring, and the drinkings were a pouring. We both went with mojitos, strawberry mango for me, and they were both insanely good. One star off because it did smell a bit bad in there. I am not sure if it’s all the greenery (it’s like a little jungle in there!) or if it was lingering from Saturday night. I will leave it at this however, the smell wouldn’t stop me from going back and enjoying a cocktail in front of the fireplace.

So — the drinks here are SO delicious. They use fresh fruit and they definitely do not skimp on the fruit! Tonight was my second night at this bar. I loved it so much the first time, I decided I throw my boyfriends birthday party there. Tons of seating, yummy drinks, good area, everything’s great.
The 3 stars is for a certain long haired, accented bartender in particular. He was extremely unfriendly and apparently made at least 5 of my party members uncomfortable because in a nutshell, he acted as though they were just wasting his time. If he didn’t have a certain fruit that was in the drink you ordered, he’d say «no I don’t have it,» walk away from you and help someone else.
Another friend had asked him to suggest a drink for him and the guy I guess said in so many words that my friend was just wasting his time asking for his opinion.
I remember him being just as unfriendly tonight as he was the first time I came to this bar. I didn’t notice as much the first time because there is another bartender with short hair who is super friendly and helpful and just plain awesome.
Tonight …really made me feel bad. I guess I kind of took his attitude to myself and my friends as kind of personal because we are a pretty friendly bunch, and were certainly not demanding.
I thought maybe this bartender might’ve owned the bar because I had seen him eating Cheetos and going into the back of the place like he lived there. I’ve been trying to google around to find out but haven’t found anything yet.
You know, I’m really bummed. I loved this place and I was really excited but this guy makes me feel so bad that I don’t know if I want to go back. I know my friends won’t want to go back there again.
Anyway, great drinks, lots of seats, fireplace, ATM inside, one nice bartender and one major dick. (On the weekends at least.)

This is my favorite bar in SF. All cash and worth it. Great mixed drinks at reasonable prices by SF standards.
The bartenders squeeze their own juice… freshly squozen. I like their «screw-dog»…as you may have guessed its OJ and Grapefruit juice (GJ??) with Vodka.
Good draft brew and a cool, sort of speak easy feel… I’m told this really was a speakeasy back in the day. But, don’t know that for a fact.
If you’re in the neighborhood stop in for a drink and don’t forget to tip your bartender! Cheapskate. Smiley face.

Nice little (more or less) hidden neighborhood bar in Pacific Heights. Modern décor, ambient vibe, fireplace, great bar. They do their drinks with freshly squeezed juice and that alone is something to come back for!
I loved the Strawberry Mango Mojito and the Greyhound (grapefruit, vodka) which was nicely balanced and refreshing. So, if you love fresh juice and booze, this is your place!
No surprise it can get mad on a Friday/​Saturday night but hey, the drinks and the interior are worth it.

Interesting neighborhood bar. The entrance was a little deceiving because the main door is actually around the corner. The bar has their menu written on the mirror wall behind the bar. It was a bit overwhelming at first but every drink is categorized in sections.
Greyhound ($ 7) — freshly squeeze grapefruit juice with vodka. This was pretty cool because they just grab a grapefruit half and squeeze it right into the glass. I liked this so much that I got a second.
Their special of the night was the Pisco Fig. I like pisco sours and this was also a hit. There was a fig smash right into the drink. Very figgy taste.
Their drinks are pretty stiff here. They accept cash only. Music was great (old school hip-​hop).