Bow Bow Cocktail Lounge

Such a good time here! I realized after an hour that Mama Candy was the only one that actually worked there. Karaōke was so much fun even though it didn’t always have the words up on the screen. Everyone felt like family after a few rounds.

HORRIBLE place for karaōke! Very small and no where to actually sing besides squished against a wall.

I’ve come to the Bow Bow Lounge a few times and have always had a blast.
Yes it’s divey, and yes it’s dimly lit and a little grungy — but the drinks are cheap and the bartenders are awesome!
Sign yourself for Karaōke, grab a drink, and have a good time!

This is such a fun place to pregame/​postgame. Mama, the bartender/​manager/​owner?, is hilarious and so entertaining. The place is pretty small, so I’d recommend you go with 4 people or less. There is just one TV and karaōke mic for the entire bar. I went around 9pm so the karaōke part wasn’t really happening, which was kind of a bummer. I’m sure the later you go, the more poppin it’ll be. Honestly, I’d just come here for Mama!

Mama Candy holds down the fort here! This bar is a little hard to find as it’s tucked away in an alley in Chinatown. Not an ideal place to take your date to, but a good place to sing karaōke and have some carefree fun. Don’t let the looks of this quirky dive bar fool you. Mama Candy will take care of you and will make sure you have a great time. Just don’t forget to return the favor and buy her some patron shots.
The place looks a little rundown and the drinks are nothing special, but her hospitality makes up for it. Throughout the night, she generously poured us shots after shots and even served us peanuts and pistachios. Not sure how she can make a profit by giving those out for free…

This is such a random great time! Bring your favorite karaōke song in your head because you will be tempted to sing! Very friendly atmosphere. NO PRESSURE!
I RECOMMEND!

I came here for a friends surprise birthday party. When I walked in, I was less than thrilled. The place is pretty tiny, and not much room for the elaborate dance moves I planned on busting during my karaōke solos. But, I gave it a shot, and fell in love.
I forget her name, but our bartender was the sweetest. She let our party hide behind the bar as the guest of honor walked in, and we surprised her perfectly! I was pretty shocked that a bartender allowed strangers behind the bar. But, she loved the idea and was more than willing. She even banged the dong when we yelled surprise!
Drinks are okay, nothing to write home about, but the ambiance and customer service really makes up for that aspect.
If you’re wondering, I did Lucky by Ms. Britney Spears, and completely brought down the house.

This looks like a place straight out of a movie. Forget your swanky lounges in SoMa, this place is unique, quirky, gritty, divey, and has character, and is also tucked away on the outskirts of Chinatown. You could blink and miss it, but it’s right off of Broadway. If you’re tired of paying $ 12 – 14 for cocktails at a lounge in North Beach, come into this place for inexpensive drinks, karaōke and complimentary peanuts and pistachios.
It wasn’t super crowded when we came here on a Saturday night, but it’s pretty long and narrow, so it’s not great if you come with 6+ people, since you will be either in the back by the karaōke, or towards the door and it may be hard to all talk. Also, probably not the best for a first date.
There is only one bartender (Candy), who I also think owns the place — she will tell it like it is, pour you a stiff drink, and if it’s your birthday, she may give you a free shot of Patron and take one herself (at least this was the case for my friend).
If you want to come hang out with a group of friends for a low-​key, unique experience that is a bit off the beaten path, come here for a fun night. Make sure to do some karaōke, and bring cash, since they don’t take credit cards.

Was here about 11 pm on Sat/​4 Jul:
— $ 7 per Jack & Coke, made pretty strong.
— Karaōke system that’s multi-​lingual (1 song was sung in Chinese).
— Great bartender, complimentary peanuts (still in their shells so more sanitary than eating shelled peanuts from communal bowls).
— Docked 1 star because poor ventilation, really need at least a fan to vent the closed end of the bar.

Hey, do you like cheap drinks and amazing karaōke? Do you like weird, janky places? Are you a weird, janky person like me? (You probably are.) Bow Bow is probably the place for you.
Great karaōke on the single screen in the back of the bar which is (apparently) always on, cheap drinks, and a basically infinite supply of bar peanuts and pistachios.
Just make sure not to skip a song that one of the bartenders put on– they’re amazing karaōke performers.

What an absolute trip, The Bow Wow!
This gritty lil place is a popular hoot for karaōke aficionados who don’t mind a little chaos in the mix. I’m making this a frequent stop on nights out in the city when I lead a group.
The expectations are low and the fun factor is high!
Mama Candy forked over the controls and let me run my folks, awesome!
Someone unknown to me mirrored 3 of my songs within 15 minutes of me singing them (who does THAT?) and butchered em, making me look like a rock star! Weird and wonderful!
I, in reaction, sang Pearl Jam’s ‘Alive’ twice in a row and nobody cared.
Some dude who spoke no English befriended me, we became fast friends, hugging us at every turn all night long.
We had lots to say but spoke only two words in common, «Happy,» «Yes!»
It went on and on, hugs, Happy, Yes, hugs, Yes, Happy!
We sang and partied, danced and hugged. We had intimate conversations completely not understood. The lyrics were off, the song numbers often wrong, the singing off-​key, the decibels to the moon. It was all so loud and manic and wild. The smell of cheap beer and sticky icky permeated the joint. Drunken cheers and crazed vocals filled the air. And some real talent too!
Quite the vibrant night in Chinatown. Can’t wait to go back.
Happy, Yes, Happy!

Ok, I confess — I’m a karaōke junkie! I’ll go months without doing it, without realising what I’m missing, then one day the opportunity comes up and I’ll move hell and high water to get there!
After eating more heavenly Indian food that I thought physically possible we took a trip to Bow Bow «cocktail» «lounge.» The drinks are generously called cocktails, and it’s not very loungey, but what it is is a perfect, tiny, skinny dive bar filled with old Chinese men playing dice, and a karaōke machine.
We had some ok drinks and flipped through the karaōke books — unfortunately they didn’t have my song (Love is a Battlefield) but they did have some other gems. Yes. I sang Mama Mia and I have no regrets!
After a few songs we convinced the owner to give us a song and were totally blown away! Seriously, ask her to sing and you will Bow Bow down to the master!

One of the hardest things about growing older is having to let go of the magic of our childhoods. We have to trade our Heelys for sensible cap toe oxfords. We have to trade our wizard wands and lightsabers for 401Ks and mortgages. We have to trade our fairy tale endings for the deepening sense that maybe the best years of our lives are already over.
Once in a while, if we’re very lucky, something or someone will bring that spark of magic back to life. We start to believe again in a brighter, happier future. We start to think maybe good things do happen to good people. We start to wonder if North Korea isn’t all just some kind of obscene practical joke started by the South Koreans.
Going to Bow Bow Cocktail Lounge brought that magic back into my life last night. As soon as I walked into that tight, cramped space and was blasted in the face with the overpowering smell of incense, I knew I was home.
Bow Bow is a dive bar, but it’s so much more than that. It’s hallowed ground, run by a wonderful woman named Mama Candy (I believe it’s a self-​chosen nickname) who throws down absurdly cheap drinks with a heavy hand and a crooked smile. Every drink is accompanied by a bowlful of peanuts and a plate full of pistachios. I have no fucking idea how she makes any money at all, given how ludicrously expensive pistachios are.
The walls are full of random Chinatown bric-​à-​brac, the lights are dim and neon-​lit, and everyone inside is having the time of their lives. This is all helped by an old-​school karaōke machine in the back, which comes with terrific 90s stock footage of white people running on the beach and looking at each other.
This is a place where dreams really do come true, provided your dream is to sing a loud and off-​key version of «I Wanna Dance With Somebody» to a room full of judgmental strangers

«bow bow » the home of. «mama. candys «
«chinese flaming. lemon. drops «
kareoke. music begins at. 9 p m. everynight !!!
come join us. bring. your. crazy. talented. friends. !!!

in. the. heart. of. chinatown. !!!

The kinda disorganized, details-​be-​damned attitude at Bow Bow was kinda cool when we first started our after-​party but then got progressively more annoying as the night went on.
Mama Candy is very friendly and, in this tiny bar, gives everyone plenty of personal attention, winks, smiles and hand waves. That’s all cool and super lovely UNTIL you want to sing your heart out. The machine she has set up plays a guessing game with your selections. Maybe it will come out in English, maybe in Catonese and maybe not at all. Mama Candy don’t care. She would literally just shimmy shimmy her way through the bar and do one of these dramatic dame hand waves, like «Who Cares, Daaahling?» I care, dahling. My crew and I wanted to sing.
So, at any rate, it’s a fun tiny bar for bar hopping but definitely not a final destination. Plan accordingly.

LOVE LOVE LOVE Mama Candy. By far she is the best in China Town! We found her bar in September 2009 on one of our visits to the city. She bought us shots and bought us the best bbq pork from next door. Her hospitality and friendliness had us swearing to return.
We finally found our way back to her and had an absolute blast again. Where we’re from bars don’t provide endless pistachios with your beer. Plus where else can you find an Asian bar-​owner in Chinatown that only drinks PATRON! LOL. Mama Candy is awesome! It’s a casual place with karaōke every night.
If ever in China Town visit Mama Candy!

I imagine Bow Bow might be completely unbearable when you’re not in the right frame of mind. However, if you’ve spent the earlier part of your evening in the company of bartenders and essentially main-​lined whiskey for the better part of five hours, there’s no better place in the world.
The joint is run by Mama Candy. She is surprisingly jovial for someone who has to deal with the most intolerable karaōke singing known to man. From what I can tell, Mama Candy and I are exactly alike. How, you ask? Here’s five reasons:
1. Much like myself, She doesn’t sing, she just drinks.
2. If you’re buying a round of shots in her vicinity, you have to buy her one too. I think that’s a good rule when it comes to me too.
3. I hear she can be a bit aggressive at times (a friend of mine may or may not have gotten in a fistfight with Mama Candy at one point, but they are cool now). Sometimes I fly off the handle. You don’t even know about me.
4. She will simultaneously scold you for not ordering enough booze, but also insist that you drink another glass of water. Drunk, but hydrated; that’s my motto.
5. You’ll never win an argument against either of us. She will throw you out of the bar at 2 am. But even if you point out that her clock is 20 minutes fast and that it’s only 1:40 am, you’re still wrong.
Basically identical twins. If you’re in SF and I’m not, just go chill at Bow Bow. I’ll be with you in spirit.

Um… yeah.
Tiny little dive.
A karaōke list that’s both short and disorganized.
Mama Candy.
You have to experience it to believe it.

MAMA CANDY!
This might have been one of my favorite nights out in SF in recent memory.
Started out stopping here for a quick round of karaōke. I had no idea what I was getting myself into.
From the pics and videos I have from this night, I had a bunch of shots with Mama Candy, the owner. Sang a lot of karaōke with some middle aged, shirtless, asian men, and just got flat out drunk. This place is awesome.
Tucked away in Chinatown, the bar is narrow and packed.
They have a pretty wide range of songs. This awesome hipster couple picked «It Wasn’t Me» by Shaggy, someone else picked «Santerria,» and there was some N*Sync also.
I’d definitely start off a night here just to get drunk and sing before stumbling off to get your dance on elsewhere.

Whoever labeled BowBow a «dive bar in Chinatown» got it right. It is. But, it is also a fun place to stop for a drink or two.
PROS: Mama Candy; karaōke; festive place for a group
CONS: cash only, and you pay when you order.
Again, this place is a dive bar. Probably best as a stop on a pub crawl. Mama Candy is a hoot, but I’m guessing you don’t want to see her bad side. That said, she bought our group a round of shots during our BDay celebration, so we’re fans.
Cheers!
RS