Yong San Lounge

My favorite bar in San Francisco. I was upset to hear that this was going to be the last night for this bar. The owner threw a party with plenty of food. I have been there several times and always had fun here. Many people will miss this place.

Glad to see this bar is finally shut down
Not going to further waste any more words, breath or $ on this place.
Judy’s downfall was inevitable.
Majority of the K-​bar patrons who hate this bar don’t bother writing a review.
There is a God.

The ultimate anonymous bar in San Francisco.
Believe it.

While driving around the Tenderloin and Lower Nob Hill area looking for places to drink, we stumbled upon Yong San Lounge on the corner of Bush and Taylor streets, so we gave this place a try since the other bars and clubs in the area were either crowded or too far to walk. Once we headed inside, we noticed a full bar to the left, jukebox to the right, and a pool table in the back, though playing pool isn’t easy since it’s a small place.
The bartenders and waitresses are all Asian women (as of our visit), where they were quick to ask us what drinks we wanted. The drinks aren’t expensive, plus it’s a very chill and low-​key environment even while other patrons were watching the TV or playing a game of pool. Each time we visited this place, we were offered snacks such as popcorn, peanuts, and small cut up pizza slices. The place made us feel welcome, though one time, we were hurriedly asked to leave after last call, though they were probably in a hurry to go home, I guess.
We will definitely return soon since it’s the perfect combination of inexpensive drinks, good customer service, free snacks, and a chill environment to relax with friends.

Just watched the Niners take care of Atlanta at this bar yesterday and it reminded me of how truly great it is. Then I looked over the reviews and noticed it was getting a measly 3 stars on Unilocal so I was moved to update my 4-​star review to 5 just on principle.
As others have said in so many words, you either «get» this place or you don’t. Those of you who frequent Bourbon and Branch should probably not bother. If you want to relax in a laid back dive bar that is completely free of posers check it out.
PS– The rumors are true, they WILL feed you when you come in here. Try the meatballs, they are killer!

Infamous location for document hand offs by Soviet double agents during the cold war.

Dive Bar it is. Decided to trek here outta the sunset and it was quite the experience. The place wasn’t too small or too big. This was definitely owned by Korean cuz of the Christmas lights… lol. The bartenders were friendly and it was one of their birthdays. Once there, ordered a couple Jamesons and it was like 16 bucks, a little bit pricey for a divey place but its ok. So on to the interesting stuff of the night. When we received our drinks, a big argument ensures over a seat. It was pretty odd but my friend told me this is common here. Near the end of the night, a TransV is screaming at the end of the bar to me bout some random stuff. Definite Dive Bar but it was fun overall.

Pub crawl stop #2 — A Nob Hill Dive Bar?
Down the street from all the hotels of Snob Hill comes moderately priced drinks from a relatively clean bar run by some middle aged Korean women. Got a beer, shot of fernet, couple cokes, and some quarters for the pool table for $ 17.
It’s definitely not dive-​y enough to warrant street cred. However, one of the regulars did give one of my friends sh** for ordering a diet coke by asking the female bartender if she had any shots of diet Wild Turkey.
outside (
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Four of us rolled in here on our way to see Joel McHale up the hill. We ordered four mixed drinks, which took forever to make considering we were the only ones in the place, and the tab came to $ 40+. WTF? You are charging Owl Tree/​Rye prices, probably using some shitty Kirkland booze? Shame on this shithole and this place fucking sucks!!!

Oh Young Sam — how I miss thee…
When I lived across the street from this classy establishment I got used to the nightly 2am wake-​up by ridiculous drunkards being tossed into the street. I actually came to look forward to their drunken screaming matches — it was a great study in human behavior (specifically my own).
If you are looking for a unique dive bar — this is probably it. It is really weird here — and I mean that in the best way possible. Don’t order anything unless you’re already wasted — I experienced the worst tasting whiskey here, and I know bad whiskey — I have been to plenty of frat parties. In fact the bartender felt so bad after I took a shot that she actually gave me a free beer — she could read the pain in my face.
Possible sightings at Yong San:
Strange Japanese couple massaging one another awkwardly in the corner.
100 year old woman who will sit down on the bar stool next to you and stare at you like she wants to hurt you.
Hipsters (and yes — they will talk endlessly about their «art»).
But only if you come on a Tuesday — after 1am is the best.

As has been mentioned, there is evidence of shady things that go down here. The female bartenders are very close with their clients. After they serve drinks behind the bar, you will see them take position NEXT to the men on the barstools, rubbing their backs, flirting, etc. Whatever floats your boat I guess, but it’s something good to know going into the situation. Just watch for it. It’s actually pretty funny.
I met up with a group of friends here once. After a few drinks, a plate of meatballs showed up, on the house. It was mostly guys at the table, and me and one other girl. Us females didn’t get any bad vibes though, we were taken care of.
The place is small, dark, and definitely has DIVE written all over it.
If you like quirkiness, this is your place. Random free food, VERY forward bartenders…
Fact is, the naughty naughty that we all know happens kind of grosses me out, but I think only because they serve food too. I don’t want to be eating those meatballs after your hands were all over that old man.
Extra star for meeting my fiancé there. HA!!!

Love the range of folks who come in here on weekends and weekdays. Not somewhere you go for a great selection of beer or complex mixed drinks. Just a great dive bar atmosphere and the occasional cracked out homeless guy hitting your friends up for some help while drooling all over them. Literally. LOL

Wow, what a night! This is the warm relaxing dive bar that you want to go to with a bunch of close friends late night or by yourself after a rough day at work for a night cap.
This bar is clean for a dive has a tropical vibe. Ran by a couple ladies this joint is a great place for men and women that like to have a good time. There’s a pool table and a jukebox that plays tunes off the internet so you can play just about anything. The ladies are sweet and at one point offered free chicken wings to all the customers.
Our friend who frequents this place thought we should hit it up after a lovely dinner at Incanto to end our evening and I’m so glad we did. Only wish this place existed when I lived up the street from here. Drinks are affordable here and even after buying everyone in house a round and a few rounds for ourselves the tab was pretty darn cheap! Wish there were more places like this but this is a true hidden gem of a dive. This is also a place that is as crazy as you make it or as fun as you make it, so if you want a mellow night just chillax and if you want to go nuts with your friends just kick it up a notch… the ladies are chill either way.

What a miserable place. There are no beers on tap, only a dismal selection of bottled beer. On any given night, there’s a 50% chance that you can even communicate with the bartenders — all of them middle aged Asian women. Even lesser chance that the bartender will know how to mix your drink. Ask for a standard drink like a Manhattan and the girl behind the bar will shoot you a puzzled look, then consult the menu for the recipe.
Happy hour is $ 1 off all drinks. I still paid $ 4 for a bottled Red Hook. Sorry, but I’d rather get drunk by myself in my apartment with the cheap booze I bought from Cala.

An odd little hole in the wall I wandered into one night.
Pitch dark inside. Murders or molestations could be happening in the corners, for all I know. Drinks were good, atmosphere was appreciably odd, so we stuck it out.
It was a weeknight. On one end of the bar a man engaged in relentless flirtation/​foreplay with the bartender. It seemed equally plausible they were already a couple, or that she liked letting him carry on. At the other end, a small group of women ate food they had clearly brought in from elsewhere (not that Yong San serves any to my knowledge). I think they were employees, family or both. At some point they shared their Oreos with us. Nice.
It was an odd but nice place to end the night. I don’t think I can actually make a case for why you should go there, but perhaps some day you just will.

Ok, Which would you prefer: Lonely weird guys telling your date lies about you while you take a piss? How about middle aged bartenders insisting you buy them 10 $ shots of water in a «Patron» bottle? How about the owner of the bar telling a group of your girl friends that you are divorced, when you are not? How about a nappy headed Asian punk lying to your face over and over again? How about a frustrated, drunk nasty gay guy throwing drinks on people?
Or, how about all of the above on one night?
Welcome to the Yong San.

I used to live a few blocks away from this hidden hole-​in-​wall and would occasionally venture inside with my few friends I have. I recommenced being drunk or at least slightly buzzed before enjoying Yong San Lounge — this is the ultimate SF dive bar, my friends.
You will first be greeted by middle-​aged Asian women behind the bar. You may get a mean vibe from them at first if you aren’t a regular. No need to worry — simply order a drink, whether it be a Coors Light or liquor, and relax. Hey! There’s even managed to squeeze a pool table in the room for your enjoyment (however, the lack of space makes some shots impossible). The women sometimes bring you peanuts with no questions asked. Sometimes there’s even a free buffet serving mysterious, unidentifiable foods. Is this place a brothel? It could very well be. Yong San is one of the handful of places I have trouble deciding whether to give 1 star or 5 stars.

Hello perfect fun! POOL! Sexy jukebox! Credit Cards allowed! Holiday Parties! And the sweetest little gems in the world work here! Always fun! A little pricey but ill let it slide BECAUSE I CAN SMOKE INSIDE! It’s amazing but awful because you end up smoking a pack before nights end. Great fun
Oh and the bathroom is adorable… and clean.
But it’s only good in small groups. The place is small so keep the group small. Best on weeknights.

Pub Crawl Stop #2~
GhetttttO.
No smoking sign on door. Cigarette smoke filled the bar.
Guinness in cans.
Middle-​aged Asian women bartenders with middle-​aged men sitting at the bar. Scandalous?

I can agree that the clientele is geared towards lonely single males, but who says it needs to? The place has a lot of potential. They have a decent selection of beers (the menu is not all-​encompassing — there’s stuff below the bar.)
It’s cute. The pool table puts you at a disadvantage if you want to make a shot from the right side of the table because there is a mirror a foot away from the table blocking you from taking your ideal shot. The juke has lots of «gettin’ down» music only befitting of a dive bar with uniquely Asian bartenders that might be trying to take advantage of lonely single male guys.
They cooked up some BBQ korean beef with mushrooms, and rice, and passed ‘em around. We had just eaten phở for dinner so we were full, but it kept getting forced on us so we ate it just to be nice. It was free anyway!
I came with my girlfriend and she was the only non-​bartending woman in the joint, but I don’t think other women would have a hard time if they came in a mixed-​gender group.
If you ask nicely, they have soju and other Korean things.
I like this place!