Thirsty Bear Brewing Company
Categories: Spanish/Basque, Tapas Bars, Breweries, American (Traditional) [Edit]
Neighborhood: SOMA661 Howard St
(between 3rd St & Hawthorne St)
San Francisco, CA 94105 (415) 974-0905
- Hours:
Mon-Thu 11:30 a.m.-10:00 p.m.
Fri 11:30 a.m.-12:00 a.m.
Sat 12:00 p.m.-12:00 a.m.
Sun 5:00 p.m.-10:00 p.m. - Price Range: $$
- Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
- Parking: Street
- Attire: Casual
- Good for Groups: Yes
- Good for Kids: No
- Takes Reservations: Yes
- Delivers: No
- Take-out: Yes
- Waiter Service: Yes
- Wheelchair Accessible: Yes
- Outdoor Seating: No
- Good for: Dinner
- Alcohol: Full Bar
216 reviews
Neighborhood: Russian Hill
"Best burger in town -- although they call it ground sirloin... fancy schmancy. Everything else on the menu is super yummy. Love the bread…" read more »
401 Reviews for Thirsty Bear Brewing Company
Comfortable setting, cheap beer and decent food, 4 stars.
A beer place that closes at midnight (last call at 11:30 pm) on Saturday nights? Even Gordon Biersch opens until 2 am. Ding 1 star.
Total 3 stars.
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Not sure what everyone is ordering that makes them despise this place but we went this past weekend with some friends and once again thoroughly enjoyed ourselves. Ordered grilled asparagus, 2 mushroom flat breads (yes, Virginia, truffle oil makes everything better), calamari, patatas bravadas, pan grilled shrimp with chili oil and garlic, and ribs that came with jicama coleslaw. A couple glasses of beer and a cheese plate later it came out to about $120 for four. 8 dishes and beer? Not bad. Still a fan.
1 Previous Review: Show all »
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10/20/2007
Hubby and I really like this place if we are in the area. The Valencia Wheat Beer is right up my… Read more »
After a long day of looking at cabinets and marble counter tops I was pooped! And this stuff's not even for my kitchen! I wanted some good spicy comfort food (and a good foot massage).
First place I though of with awesome tapas was this place. The calamari is delicious and the lemon aioli sauce is one of my fav I've tasted. Also got a few bits of the Spanish olives with
You have a choice of two alleles; saffron rice with the traditional ingredients of meat and seafood while the white rice with a medley of corn spinach, peppers basically a veggies version. I chose to go with the traditional one and I almost forgot how good it was! They serve it in a metal pan to keep everything hot while the ingredients soak in all the juices so that each bite is bursting with saffron seasoned goodness.
There's decent wine list but most go for the beer, how could I forget about that. They have so many varieties of beer from their own brewery. Everything from Valencia wheat (crisp and light) to brown bear ale (dark and malty) to the golden vanilla (light with a hint of vanilla). I have to admit my sweet tooth goes for the vanilla time.
Seated dining downstairs and upstairs or an option of booths and a seated bar downstairs. The wall is entirely bricked with wooden tables and chairs. A lighting is a little dark and it does get loud during happy hour and throughout dinner.
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$100 for 6 cocktails and 4 tapas dishes. A lot for post-work snacks and drinks. All good, mind you.
BUT, the service was awesome - really liked Shannon (our server) who was knowledgable about the food and also super efficient (considering it was PACKED) and funny too. She earns that place an extra star.
Good food and cheap.
2 tapas, 1 beer + tax & tip = ~$20.
Pretty good service too!
Can't ask for much more, right?
(well ok, if I could wish for one thing it would be a greater selection of light, non-wheat beers)
I used to frequent this place quite a bit when I used to work down the street... In this part of town there aren't too many options to drink and relax without being in a hotel lounge or obscure nightclub. Serving staff has always been friendly, and I was never really a fan of the food, but I did like the Paella and the seared ahi. Out of the different beers they brew, the Meyer's my favorite and the stout if I feel like an alternative, but I recommend the sampler to any first timer.
I thought the food was bland and tasteless - their signature dish, Paella was burnt around the edges and the veggies were so small and sparse I kept thinking they must have given me a half order.
My sister & brother-in-law LOVE this place so maybe the alcohol helps - I never drink when I'm driving them around...
After going there a few times in the late 90's and loving it, then not for several years, we were in the neighborhood and dropped in last week.
Then I cam home and Yelped it, and couldn't believe my eyes.
It looks like the negative reviews are mostly from people getting the Paellas, or people who are looking for an entirely different kind of place.
We had some beer (opinion was split, 1 person was unimpressed) and several tapas. The food was good (we'll get to that in a second) but the service was unbelieveably good, best I've had in a long time anywhere. The hostess arranged to put us in a quiet section that they were considering closing. Our waitress was always there exactly when we needed her and never when we didn't. The runners/backwaiters bringing the food were really really super good -- even taking an order add-on. Individually and as a team, they were all great.
The tapas menu is pretty different than I remembered, but we thought everything was really good. The little salad garnishes that came with each dish were very high quality and all very different from each other, which is a big bonus. The beef was well-flavored and not overcooked, everything was well seasoned. The presentations were all good.
Their Golden Vanilla beer was absolutely scrumptious, and it was like having beer and desert all in one!! If that sounds gross to you, I can assure you that it was really quite enjoyable!
I'll definitely be back in spite of the barely adequate service!
It was aight. lots of yummy beers to choose from. the boys all tried the vanilla beer which i thought to be repulsive.
the bathrooms were nice and the ice water ice-y.
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I would of gave this place maybe 1 1/2 if I could. The 2 stars is for the sangria and the paella.
I had fun when I came here cuz it was my bestfriend's birthday.
The food was ok. I liked their sangria.
I had like three glasses. The paella was good too.
When it was time to pay, I gave the waitress my card. She gave me back my card and then I signed the receipt left it on the table. I went to another table to where my bag was. I wanted to leave cash as tip. I was also chatting with some peeps. But the waitress made a point to come to me and tell me that I forgot tip.
My boyfriend got mad and wanted me to not leave any tip. But I am not like that. I gave her an average tip. I just thought it was rude.
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Have been here many times and stopped by Friday with a few friends. The wait for a table was an hour which is expected on a Friday and tables in the bar on a first come basis. We snag a table and have some tasty beers, paella, and a few other appetizers. The ambiance and beers are quite good, but the food is just ok.
I really enjoy this spot - it is not 5 star awesome on any front, but it provides a nice spot to have a good time with almost any crowd. I've introduced a lot of people to tapas here, and not one was disappointed. This is probably good, since they don't have the best tapas in the world - it is good, but not great - which makes it a good introductory experience for people new to tapas.
It is also a really nice space, great to meet up with friends and hang out. The relaxed atmosphere is great for a happy hour after work, or a small group dinner, or a party with a large group upstairs, They have a great selection of microbrews, there have only been one or two I didn't care for over 5 or 6 visits.
All in all, this is a spot I keep coming back to, not because it blows me away, but because I know everyone in the group will have a good time.
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I last went to Thirsty Bear in 1997. For whatever reason, it's never occurred to me to go back, even though I work about 2-3 blocks away. Last night I went back on a whim with a friend. I was immediately reminded that it's a beautiful space -- lots of exposed brick, high ceilings, a nice bar, plenty of room. Really, they did a nice job when building out this spot before the first internet bubble and the sudden run on exposed brick buildings.
The beer also warrants kudos. For $9, you can taste all 9 beers that they make, which range in type from pilsners through IPAs, brown ales, a strange vanilla concoction, a stout, a belgian wheat, and a few others. None would necessarily rank as my favorites, but it's always fun to try different beers side by side. It's a little cheesy that they serve the beers on a laminated plastic guide that tells you which beer is which, but it was quite helpful. Not sure how else they could do it.
But the food, my friends, was mediocre at best. Everything was over-seasoned and over-oiled. We had some nice grilled asparagus w/ romesco sauce (romesco makes everything taste better), oily fried calamari, a well-balanced tuna tartare special, and some largely inedible lamb-filled empenadas. It wouldn't be too hard to fix these problems, but I wonder if it's really a priority for them. The place was packed on a thursday night, so people seem to enjoy whatever it is that Thirsty Bear offers them. For me? I'll stick to an occasional beer here and find my food elsewhere...
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Thirsty Bear is definitely an after work hangout with drinks and light food type of place. I went there with some coworkers a few months ago and enjoyed the time. I had this wonderful mojito and enjoyed some of the tapas the rest of the group had ordered before I arrived. I sometimes really enjoy places where you can just sit, drink, and talk. The wait staff was kind and the bathroom was clean... always a must have when drinking.
It's been busy both times I have gone, but that almost makes it more fun. Plus it always seems like a young business crowed... so for any of us looking to find a rich hookup/date/husband/divorcee then this is another place to try! Not that I would know... yah
There aren't many options in the downtown area, especially if you want some drinks before you run off to a movie at the Metreon. So, I'm happy that the Thirsty Bear saves me from Chevy's and Buckhorn Grill.
If there was a another option, however, i'd probably go there because it's just not that great.
Our waitress, though, very attentive was kind of on the intense side. She spoke really fast like she was on speed or something and had her eyes open really wide. Granted that's not the reason I say it's not good. I just thought you should know. Because it made for a slightly more interesting experience.
The atmosphere is only a little classier than Chevy's. The drinks are meh... The Thristyrita was a strong but not very tasty, reminiscent of tequila mixed with flat orangina. I know some people like that sort of drink. Me, not so much. The tapas were ok. We ordered the ceviche that tasted like raw fish in a flavorless chilled broth. Where's the lemon, people? And it's served with 3 chips. What tha? How you supposed to eat a whole bowl of ceviche with 3 chips??
We also had the empanadas which weren't bad. Actually, I'd probably order those again in like 8 to 10 months when i desperate enough to return.
Lastly, our speedy waitress somehow convinced my dining mate that paella of the day was pretty good. She talked so fast I didn't even hear what was in it. In the flurry, all I caught was black olives, but apparently my friend has quick ears because he heard something he liked. It must be all the weed he doesn't smoke... Anyway, we ordered it.
Now maybe I'm a snob, but I expect paella to have a bit of crust and the very least a hint of saffron. Otherwise it's just a baked rice dish, which is exactly what we got. Some gooey rice mixed with asparagus, chicken, red bell pepper and black olives. Not exciting but certainly edible...though lacking most was seasoning. Which is why this place gets 2 stars instead of three. I learned from Top Chef that if you don't season your food you gotta pack your knives and go!
Thirsty Bear is the lovechild of Gordon Biersch and an average tapas place. I certainly didn't have a bad time, and I'd probably come back again and have another fine time, if someone suggested something quick and relatively easy on the wallet. But I won't be the one pushing for an outing here, unless it was super casual or for a quick lunch or dinner. A tentative three stars (instead of 2.5) because I'm an optimist. Ish.
Nico G. and I were looking to girl it up after work over some tiny plates and sangria, but were frightened by the negative reviews hailing this place Douchebag City, in Overpriced County. While there are a host of business-outfitted profesh folk here (undoubtedly due to its primo location in Office Land), a table in the back, away from the bar, sets you far enough from the happy-hour crowd.
I didn't try the beer because I didn't feel like it. What? Beer doesn't go with tapas, but sangria does. Unfortunately, my sangria tasted like it had some kind of spritzer in it (??!). But it did have lots of fruit bits. We went with the tinyplate standbys of patatas bravas, fried calamari and albondigas (Spanish meatballs) complete with fried, oniony goodness. Everything was fine. Good, even. Not great.
Again, good for something quick and easy, but not good for much else.
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I thought this was a gay bar based on the name, but no. Turns out it's hip-hop hangout masqurading as a brewery. The music couldn't have been any worse; loud hip-hop and bubble gum pop isn't my thing.
I wound up there with some friends 3 yrs ago on New Years Eve of all nights and lived to regret it. They didn't even do a countdown at midnight. They just kept blasting some militant rap sh** all through the night.
And I'm sorry if this doesn't sound P.C., but this place looks like an Al Qaeda compound.... what's the deal with all these bearded Arab dudes -in traditional Muslim garb nonetheless- dancing and running in place like Richard Simmons? If a bunch of my European compatriots showed up in traditional 18th century costumes dancing to Lil' John, I'd be wondering what the hell was going on too.
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Oh Thirsty -- you can do so much better.
We stopped by there for some beer and tapas at 6:45 PM on a Friday with no reservations, so we were not surprised when told that the wait would be 45 minutes. No problem -- we got a couple of drinks and went upstairs to wait. As I was walking up the stairs, I glanced into the dining hall and saw that 75% of the tables were empty. At 7 PM on a Friday with people waiting 45 minutes to be seated.
My guess is that they were short on servers which is a bad move on a Friday night. Once we got seated, the waiter was not very friendly and my tortilla espanola of the day was sooo bland no amount of spicy mayo could save it.
Overall, big ol' blah. The only reason they're getting 3 and not 2 starts from me is because they're mostly organic and recycle/compost a lot of their stuff and also because the patatas bravas there are awesome.
My first tapas experience. Not my first sangria experience. It tasted like nutmeg. Is that because this place has a spanish flavor?
In any case, the tapas were delicious and expensive. I really wanted to get a dinner under 20 bucks and ended up splitting the cost with five others (each of us had to pay 23, and we ordered about 2 tapas each)
The deserts were amazing, wait staff helpful.
I'd return again, but only if I had money to blow.
I always feel like I spend way too much money here for the amount of food and beers I consume. Food is definitely over priced but the beers are pretty good. They also have cask beer available too, which I like. The scene after work can get pretty damn intense, but if you get there early you can snag a table and relax.
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A good solid lunch -- especially considering the last few I've had.
I had one of the sandwiches, which was quite tasty. We had a party of 7 and we were served quickly, our waitress was nice, and we got in and out in less than an hour (even with a convention in progress over at Moscone!). We also spent about $10-$15 each for lunch, which isn't bad for a sit-down lunch with a real big-kid cloth napkins.
2.5. This place is very average. The home-brewed beer is pretty tasty, but $6 for a pint is not. The potato app (plus sauce) is quite tasty. But the overall feel is factory-esque. The staff are rushed and have little personality. It's sort of the TGI Friday's of this part of town.
Thirsty Bear brews their own beer, which is cool. What I recommend getting here is the chocolate bread pudding. SO good. Other than that, the food is decent. The waitresses here are really sweet. This place is really chill, so if you're looking for somewhere to go to grab a few drinks and tapas, Thirsty Bear would be a good choice.
The last time I was here was about 5 years ago (sorry, I'm a yelp newbie!) but I do remember the crowd as an older, happy hour crowd...and I was there for a 7 or 8 PM dinner. I guess it's a real popular place for after-work drinks or maybe it's around lots of businesses...
I don't remember too much about the food, but I don't think it was too impressive if I can't recall anything about it (I love eating so trust me when I say it probably wasn't too impressive...I can remember the good places!). The only thing I remember is not being able to decide what type of beer I wanted (when my palate was testing out beers) so I ordered their sampler beer platter which was great...got 8 beers (their popular ones plus whatever was in season) in shot glasses. Their beer was okay...
The place reminds me of a trendier Gordon Biersch. Haven't been back since.
I've drove past, walked past, and plain ole past on the place. But this time I went for a little party and its a ok place I there is a little more they can do to sparq up the place. Then again it was a Tuesday night so maybe it wasn't supposed to be live.
It was a nice place to chill before the Giants game. I had a few drinks nothing to special and a few tapas that I could share with the small party I was with.
Overall I think its a cool place to come chill and have a simple bite to eat. The Thirsty Bear can be your warm up spot for the night or you cool down spot after a busy day I think it would be great for both.
Go check it out.
Been here a few times for an after work drink session. I like the place, it's pretty chill. The food was basic bar food. Nothing special that stood out of mind.
I thought this place was a dive bar for some reason, but oh, was I wrong. This is a typical SF bar - a bit shishi and overpriced. The restaurant was trendy and spacious and expensive. There were several hot chicks around but what's up with no good looking men??? Oh well...
We tried quite a few things on the menu but everything was the size of tapas and not priced accordingly. Their calamari was pretty good and the fried potatoes. I had the halibut cheeks (not sure which set) - very flavorful. The Brown Bear Organic beer - dark and yummy.
Rachel took very good care of us. Overall, a good experience but not sure if I would make an effort to go back.
Thirsty Bear, is now one of favorite Spanish Style Restaurant. On my very first time coming here for lunch. When, I walked inside to this very fancy restaurant the hostess was very friendly and took me to my table right away. When the time, I got there. I was probably thinking that it was gonna be packed with alot of people.
Luckly for me it didnt get that crowded yet. When, I looked at the menu before ordering and happen to see the Paella Valenciana Style dish finally the first time. I get to try this item. As soon as the server came to my table with my Very Hot Paella Rice Dish you could still smell the stream coming off the plate and it was very hot. In order to eat the Paella Rice Plate you would have eat it really slow.
When, I was done with my lunch. I had said wow!!! This is the Best Tasting Valencia Paella Rice Dish Ever!!! I also have to say if you are going to The Thirsty Bear for lunch or dinner you might as well have some cash or credit card ready because it can get expensive on what you order from their menu.
UPDATE
Ever since of my very first visit to The Thirsty Bear Brewing Company. I have decided to come here for the second straight time for lunch just to try another item on the menu which was called the Hanger Steak Sandwich which tasted so goooooooood!!!!! That, I almost fell off my chair just by eating it, just kidding that didnt really happen to me... This is the place to go and have fun and eat some Real Good Spanish Style Food at the Thirsty Bear Brewing Company!!!
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Great place in the city for good appetizers, good food, and great beer...and after you get hammered on the beer, you can go across the street to the Gold Club for some lap dances!
Saturday night- 930pm: no reservations and plenty of space!
In an effort to kill time, we ordered the empanadas (you get 3): lamb, spinach, idazabal cheese, peppers, potatoes & cilantro mint sauce on the side. Decent price ($10) and really tasty even by themselves.
AND THEN.... the Chocolate Bread Pudding, topped w/bourbon caramel sauce & butter pecan gelato. Now a disclaimer: I really don't like the concept of bread pudding b/c i feel like i'm a cowboy in the middle of arkansas and w/a jiggling beer gut yells @ the waitress, "eyy lady, ken ay git sum breeeeehhhhd puhdin!!" ...no offense, but not my thing.
In light of this... bread pudding always ends up being good (yes i do order it) since its great when you want something dense, satisfying, and chocolatey but not too sweet. ...and this @ the thirsty bear, this was PERFECT. The bourbon caramel was awesome... perfect amount of alcohol to lessen the sweetness of the caramel, and of course the cold/light gelato balanced the dense warm pudding and sticky caramel.
Only issue was that there was a kitchen mixup and we had 2 servers coming to us like 20 minutes after ordering asking if we ordered empanadas about 5 times and saying they'll be out soon...after we said we were in a hurry...but oh well, what can ya do!
oh btw.... their website has good music :))
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I came here with a few girlfriends to catch up on old times. It's a good place for groups as it seems as though the whole place was full of big parties. I had one of their beers, all of which are organic, and it was pretty good. I don't recall the name because it was the special but I believe it had the word "elixir" in it.
We ordered: paella with the mussels, clams and shrimp, porkchops with polenta, baby artichoke, papa fritas, calamari, and empanadas. For dessert we got churros with hot chocolate.
The food itself was alright, I think my favorite was the baby artichoke if it didn't have the olives because it overpowered the dish. I also enjoyed the porkchops for its smokey flavor.
For a friday night it was surprisingly not busy, so that seemed a little strange. But then again, everybody might have been out of town for Memorial Day weekend.
The collection of beers here is nice (and the seasonal brews keep it interesting over time). They're organic too if you're into that sort of thing.
The empanadas are very good. They nail the sweet spot on the chewy/flaky continuum, and I've enjoyed the other tapas as well.
The front bar section seems to be loud and busy, and somehow the dinner section remains at a very comfortable conversational level, so I was impressed with that as well.
I've been here a few times before. Most recently, for a simple "snack" of calamari (excellent) and a beer sampler (I love microbrew), including a nice vanilla flavored beer (not as gross as it sounds, the vanilla is subtle enough). Last time, there was some Spanish dancing. Fun place.
The butter lettuce salad was average but the empanadas were sooo good! The atmosphere was lighthearted and the Meyers ESB was good. What I found awkward was the instant replay service. Allow me to elaborate. Waitress one takes our drink order while waitress two stands in the background behind her. After 1 sidesteps out of the way of 2 to put in our order, waitress 2 steps up and asks if we would like something to drink. Helloooo... did you not see 1 just take our order? And, mind you, this happened again with the food order too. That's a-o-k-o if there was overlap in service area delineation, but 2 saw that 1 took our orders... strange. 5 stars for the empanadas and minus 1 for the service-service.
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A great night out with friends, for a birthday dinner. That's what we were hoping for, but instead we went to Thirsty Bear.
The food wasn't great, nor was it close to good. The Calamari was decent. I also ordered the Paella (valenciana). The seafood was over cooked, the rice wasn't fully cooked. Don't let me forget to mention that the chorizo was burnt, so it made the entire dish taste burnt.
My friends ordered the lamb burger, which they said tasted great. The fries, on the other hand, you might as well just pick up a bag in your local supermarkets freezer section.
The pork chop was tasty, but the polenta was horrible.
The cheese plate, along with the steak were mediocre.
The best thing we ate there, would have to be the french silk pie, that we picked up and brought in from Bakers Square. The cake fee of $2.50 per person, cost more than the pie itself.
So, if you're looking for a great place, with great food, save your money and go else where. I would have rather went to the pier and had clam chowder in a bowl.
Really, really good desserts. I find myself a little condescending about places that brew beer names "brown bear" - because its such a simply uninspired name for a usually uninspired brew. And although i did not partake of this "brown bear", their stout was tasty, as was the black lager. Sandwich was good, seemed small at first but then was just the right size.
Good food and service, at least for lunch.
I've always liked this place. The beer here is magic! One will do the trick. The food is okay but what do you expect from a brewery. There's a pool table upstairs and a good place to have a private party.
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Thirsty Bear is a good place for happy hour. I like the idea of ordering a tapas and sharing them among the group. We ordered the ceviche which was good, the beer sampler which was fun, and the empanadas were really good.
Came here the other night with a few buddies after work and was pleasantly surprised with the quality of food and deep range of beers they had. I forget the exact name of the beer I had, I believe it was 'Elixir' something, but it was a really nice lager.
We had 5 different tapas ranging from grilled asparagus, to calamari, and nothing disappointed. We had a really nice server, who kept the rounds coming, and was a great help when trying to dig through the menu to find the good stuff.
Not sure I'd really like this place for dinner, but it's perfect for a happy hour and some snacks.
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