The Bistro

Five stars for the variety and quality of the brew … new beers rotated frequently … Rasputin is always behind the bar pulling the tap. It seems like there are quite a few regulars that frequent the place. And they have live music a couple times a week.
I subtracted a star for location. The pub is below a seedy multi-​unit complex which reminds me of the old Niles Hotel in Sunol in the 60’s & early 70’s.

Great selection of beer! Has a rotating tap. Staff is great and live music on weekends and Monday’s. Music can be hit or miss but most mostly hit.
This place can be loud and packed at times but if you get a table on the inside they you can draw with crayons and have fun with friends.

Finally visited this place after recommendations from my beer buddies. Came here during the West Coast BA Festival. So many awesome BA beers that I am only disappointed that I can’t drink all of it (50+). The BA Festival was very well organized (water, bathroom, extra tickets, food, etc.) were all available without much of a wait.
We ordered some chicken wings nearby and sat outside to chat with some regulars. There was music playing in the background and excellent BA beers were flowing. Life is wonderful! Staff and customers were all very nice and attentive. The day I visited, Bistro had Pliny the Elder on tap which shows their commitment to great IPAs as well.
Will definitely visit again. A++

Said place has Pliny the Elder, a tasty brew indeed and darn hard to find.
Happy hour and a fine service were to be had. Regular price per pint is $ 7.50 and $ 2 less for a smaller glass.
Décor: with instruments on the wall, you know this place is for music people.
Customer service: ok
Parking out back in a multi level free garage.

The Bistro is an experience for sure! Its a hidden treasure on the corner of B street. During the day you can grab a coffee and sit outside and watch the world go by but by night… oh my! The Bistro comes alive. So I know it’s well known for its beer and yes the beer is good but I come here for the live bands and to people watch and escape. My husband and I love this joint. The thing I love is how diverse it is. It attracts all sorts of people. The people who I encounter here are all very friendly. Great place for a beer, catching a live band and meeting friends. If it gets too crowded inside you can always take it outside to the outside seating area. I always feel like I’m back in Paris when I come here. Kind of a European pub feel. I like it.

LOVE The Bistro! I have spent many afternoons here with friends, by myself and/​or with my dog just having a few brews after work, blowing off a little steam. The bartenders (every single one of them) is great! If you don’t know exactly what you want to order, you can tell them what you are feeling & they will make suggestions for you. I do want to be clear, this is a beer bar. You can get wine as well, but don’t come in here trying to order liquor of any kind– you will get shut down. I don’t know why, but it bothers me when people try to order liquor here. Just when you walk in, you can tell it’s not that kind of bar. But anyways. The beers are always at proper temperature & not flat. The house wine is pretty good too, if you’re looking to be cheap (ha ha). & You can also order food here! The five? seven? layer dip is freaking delicious as are all the cheeses they have. They also have live music fairly often, but you have to ask the bartenders the schedule. Bistro is my fav & they’re dog friendly, you can’t go wrong!

High value for the price! Nice place w live entertainment, dancing, current beer selection on tap, and excellent choices of top quality cheeses. I enjoyed a pint of Firestone Easy Jack and a cheese plate w sheep Manchego, and it cost me only $ 9!

The Bistro is a cool lil’ gem hidden among the bigger, more well-​known restaurants along this popular street of Hayward.
The place is small, with a handful of tables and a good amount of stools at the bar. It’s dim-​lit, but you’ll see the lit stage. Come at the right time, and you might be able to catch a great live act of a musician you’ve never heard of. The music does make it hard to have a conversation indoors, but they’ve got a great outdoor seating area on the street.
The biggest thing to remember is that this place is a little behind the times and only accepts cash. There’s an ATM, but it’s $ 2.50 to make a withdrawal.
They’ve got a large enough selection of beers, ales, and ciders to choose from. A small cup is usually $ 4.25 while a large one is $ 5.75. If you don’t specify what size you want, they’ll give you the big one.
More than anything, you’ll find that this is a place of beer lovers. The bartender definitely knew what each beer tastes like, and is open to talking to you about which one you should be ordering to suit your taste.
They’ve also got a small food menu, mostly with appetizers. We tried their stuff mushrooms ($ 6.50), and I’m 90% positive that it’s a microwaveable appetizer bought from a grocery store. The mushrooms were cheesy, greasy, and incredibly salty. I’d skip out on them next time. Otherwise, they’ve got a good cheese selection (most of them $ 4.50) that I might try next time.
So what’re you waiting for? Take a seat and grab a beer.

Stumbled upon this bar one night when my girlfriend and I were looking for night life in Hayward…
Yay for live music and craft beer! Decent selection for the micro brewery lovers. If the music is too loud and there’s no more room inside, bring it to the patio!

It does me proud as a (semi-​recent) Haywardian to have such a fine beer establishment in a city so severely lacking in good watering holes. But The Bistro is so much more than a watering hole, it’s a true beer destination. They have an impressive rotating tap, top notch beer festivals, and there is zero pretension in this crowd. All those working and drinking here appear to be true beer lovers at the core. I was also impressed to find out that Russian River’s Pliny the Elder was created specifically for a double IPA beer fest at The Bistro in 2000, which may explain why it’s always on tap here. As Hayward’s saving grace, I hope this place never goes away.
In case you’re interested, more info on the Pliny/​Bistro story here:

They have the best beers on tap, and everyone is really laid back. I love the vibe here. Indoor seating with crayons to draw on the tables. Outdoor seating is perfect for summer. Live music every night, sometimes a total diamond in the rough. I have never had a bad time here.
The bartenders are all very knowledgeable about the beers. I have learned since coming here than I’m a. IPA fan. I consider my visits educational.

It’s aiight.
Been here a few times, during live music it’s ridiculously loud but the seating outside is just perfect.
The last time I was here was the IPA Festival and it was lightweight disappointing. They ran out of pliny super early and the cost was $ 55.00 for a glass and 5 tickets, you couldn’t get the glass without the tickets or vice versa, it was just a rip off when a full beer (the glass being about 4 oz) at 16 oz was $ 7.00. No thanks, we hung around since it was our only plan for the first few hours of our SF Beer Week Expedition but it wasn’t worth the stop. Unless you get there early for some pliny, I wouldn’t buy the glass+tickets deal.
They did have some fabulous cheese tasting and a great crowd, it was a dull and rainy day and our time here definitely brightened it up a bit.
All in all the times i’ve been here it has been pretty standard, just ridiculously loud, there is also only one bathroom but a fabulous on-​tap selection.
ps. CASH ONLY!

The Bistro hosted the The 15^th Annual Double IPA festival. They did a wonderful job. The staff was very friendly. and all the volunteers I encountered were great. They had live music inside during the event. The bathroom was kept clean and available for the event and I opted to use this rather than the Portapotty. We stayed after the event for a drink and it was great. I would definitely return.
It is a small place but I can see where it would be a lot of fun on busy night. Music, beer and great atmosphere how can you go wrong?

Been to this joint a few times. There is always good music. One night it was rock and the next its blues. My buddy recently wanted to go to a jam night there and just play some drums with the other musicians. It was cool to be a part of something musical and spontaneous.
They’ve got some good beers on tap. The prices are decent. Parking isn’t too bad, but it’s street only. The bar keep is always friendly. The music for most of it is mellow and not too loud. That’s a bid deal when going out to hear a band for the first time. I have to admit, I’ve never heard of most of the bands that come through this place, but it’s always enjoyable to hear some new original music from local musicians. I got no qulams with this place so I say go check it out.

I’m sure it’s fine for the bar. But we were hoping to get some food. Spent ten minutes ignored at a table. No one else in the place was eating. I wouldn’t recommend it as a place for food.
If you’re just looking to get your drink on? Sure it’s probably four stars. But we wanted food. So it’s two.

Hoboes, crazies, homeless, PANHANDLERS have now completely taken over the outdoor patio. Be warned: if you sit in the outdoor area in front, you will be forced to listen to an endless monologue of personal tragedies, government conspiracies, and hard luck tales, all of them served up in a dense haze of cigarette & marijuana smoke (COMPLETELY ILLEGAL, but smoking seems to be permitted at The Bistro). And, of course, at the end of the sad monologue, you will be asked to make a monetary contribution. IF YOU DON’T LIKE BEING HIT UP BY INSANE PANHANDLERS, YOU MAY WISH TO AVOID THIS PLACE.
P. S. And who measured & constructed the crappy wooden benches that ring the beer garden in front? The seat section is too narrow, and thus very uncomfortable. BETTER GRAB A CHAIR. THE BENCHES ARE FUCKED UP.

They have good beer. Good music (live). No cover charge. Outdoor seating that is pet friendly.
Nice ownership. And bar staff.

Bartenders are friendly, I came here on a Saturday afternoon.
Just got a beer to catch up with some friends and all the people are generally minding their own business. Great place to get a selection of beers (I don’t know all the names of them, but I don’t like sour beers).
The bathroom luckily was always open, clean and became my good friend.

Just dropped in alone for a beer at lunchtime. Very chummy crowd of bikers, vet geezers with PTSD and street people with tattoos. I walked in as an Asian guy with slacks and a polo shirt. I felt like I was Ned Beatty in Deliverance bc I think «one-​tooth» at the bar winked at me. The chub little red hair barmaid was a dyke so I caught an attitude. Other than that, great craft beer selection. I got a warm Pliny and my ass virginity intact.

This is a solid 5 star establishment for the beer selection alone, and should be dubbed a Hayward institution if one factors in how active the Bistro is in the brewing scene. Throw in the fact that the Bistro is home to 5 – 6 large beer festivals frequented by brewers from around the U.S. each year, and it’s tough to not recognize the significance of this small, divey pub. Pliny is regularly on tap, as are other great microbrews. The bartenders know their craft, but are far from pretentious and willing to educate some of the younger beer drinkers on the good and hoppy.
You will enjoy the bistro if you love and know your beers, and want to relax in a cozy environment. If you are looking for a Stella and some ladies to take home, this is not your venue… go across the street to Bijou’s.