Ginger’s Trois

I still miss this place. Best goddamn bar to listen to the smiths for hours on end.

Whooeee! Dropped into Ginger’s Trois one day and was pleasantly surprised to find out it was a gay bar — not what you’d expect in the FiDi, for starters. Also, the entrance is so unassuming that if you were not specifically looking for this bar, you’d miss it.
1. The crowd is a blend of suit and tie (helloooo, luvah!) and preppy casual guys (and some gals), most of whom work or live downtown. Pretty diverse crowd I’ll say and friendly and unpretentious folks who are always up for a good conversation.
2. Good place to go if you’re downtown and are not in the mood for a stuffy upscale place or the run-​of-​the-​mill sport’s bar. Kind of like Cheers where they know you by name if you go there often.
3. Depending on whose bartending, the music can change since it’s the bartender’s iPod that DJing. I had an Irish bartender and he played some really good and different tunes (mix of indie, jazz, rock and alternative numbers).
4. Seems to get many regulars which is nice to see and the bartenders are very friendly, personable and always asking if you’d like another.
5. They DO make the drinks S-​T-​R-​O-​N-​G! I had one vodka soda and was blitzed and I ain’t no light drinker. So watch out… or just get blitzed… everyone looks pretty then… kidding!
6. They do take credit cards but the credit card machine sometimes has been broken. Just come with cash or there is an ATM across the street.
7. I come here once in a while when I’m with some of my downtown friends or just want to grab a quick drink. Always end up making a friend or chatting with someone.
UPDATE: Spoke to the bartender last night and they will be closing next week for about 3 weeks as they renovate and expand into the back area and will reopen in a month or so bigger, better and all new. I will say I’ll miss the upside down japanese umbrellas, the lanterns and the dive bar feeling it had.

«Oh Ginger Trois wherefore art thou?» — sadly disappointed that this FiDi bastion of gayness and the ultra liberal hand pour has sadly gone MIA! Went there this past Saturday with another couple to watch the Chinese New Year Parade and found my precious Ginger Trois had left with no forwarding address, only some poser chickiepoo called herself Ginger. But seriously the kitschy décor, über friendly bartenders, and engaging crowd has all but disappeared and in it’s place is the dark, dank, zero energy space. Apparently recent reviewers have found the new music options a draw but I could barely hear the people I was with and we were sitting at a back table. So why the one star… they did put in a new bathroom and it’s quite beautiful. So if you’re ever caught short in the area, drop in for a pee.
Au revoir Ginger Trois, call us if you ever come to town again…

I was a Ginger’s Trois regular for 4 years before it switched ownership. I loved the bar, the bartenders, and many of the regulars. When it changed hands, I left for some time as I was angry that it meant the closing of the last gay bar in the area.
I have since come back and think it is still a great bar. I go only on Tuesdays and Thursdays because of the fantastic bartender, Micheal. He has worked hard for nearly a year to make it a comfortable place for all. It’s not a gay bar, it’s not a straight bar, it is just a bar. Which is how San Francisco should be. I continue to meet great people just as I did in the old days.
I wish the old Ginger’s crowd would come back.

Last night I was meeting a date in the financial district and we wanted to have a drink first. I searched for gay bars in the area and was shocked at the lack of options. Ginger’s was literally the only bar within a half a mile radius.
We arrive at Ginger’s and I notice that the interior doesn’t at all match the exterior. I expected to find a nice homey bar but instead I found a dark cavern of a bar that was trying too hard.
My date bought the first round and he asked for a «Beer and Vodka Tonic» and before he could even talk about which beer I wanted he just handed him an opened MGD and poured a Vodka Tonic. Annoying.
The crowd was mixed between a lesbian birthday party of cupcakes and pizza, a crowd of young A-​Gay types, to older gays in business suits. I give it props to having such a diverse crowd but it wasn’t the kind of place where you could really meet other people other then the ones you were already with.
The bartender would disappear for 5 minutes at a time which after a while became very annoying.
I would give it two stars but the diverse crowd and the fact that its the only gay bar in the area bump it up to three stars.

I didn’t realize that this was a gay bar, but perhaps that’s because my friend and I were the only two people there. I imagine more folks come through on the usual M-​F after work circuit.
Awesome Irish bartender with great musical taste (Neneh Cherry? Erasure? OK, I guess those should have been clues that it’s a gay bar).
Good times.

With all the great bars in the Mission, it’s sometimes hard to leave. One night a buddy and I decided to venture out to the Financial District, an area wholly unfamiliar to us. We were determined to find a non-​touristy bar that night and miraculously found ginger’s trois right next to some large flashing tourist-​whoring bar (I have to be honest here, it was the «Trois» that caught my eye).
What a GEM! It’s a divey gay bar in the middle of the FIDI district — which in my book is like finding my darling & saintly Korean grandma at a strip club. The décor is off the wall and cute, and it’s so easy to strike up a conversation with anyone.
I remember having my first white and black Russians here (can’t discriminate).
Highly recommended.

Had I written this review a few months ago I would have given Ginger’s four stars. Unfortunately the management change has stripped Ginger’s of much of its kitsch and charm. I always found it to be really cool that San Francisco had such a welcoming gay bar in the FiDi with such a truly mixed crowd. However, the «trending» of Ginger’s, while not robbing the place entirely of its comfort, has made it much less desirable as a friendly, after work watering hole.
I loved that you could go into Ginger’s, sit next to someone either twice or half your age, strike up an interesting conversation, actually see the person’s face and enjoy a strong, reasonably priced drink from one of the very friendly senior bartenders.
Now the place is dim, it’s stripped of its quirks, the bartenders are young hipsters and the drinks are decidedly less strong and more expensive! While I still go in there from time to time it’s so much less of an option than it used to be. The very thought of going to Ginger’s for an after work drink with a friend used to put a smile on my face. Now the oasis of friendly seems to have vanished. It’s becoming «just another FiDi bar» and that’s sad to me.
Of the few gay bars outside of the Castro & SOMA, Ginger’s used to be the friendliest, followed by the Cinch on Polk. There was a certain comfort in being «among my people» in an area that is CHOCK full of straight, meat-​market, guys-​in-​blue-​button-​down-​shirt bars. Why couldn’t they leave our friendly little oasis alone? Why try to mainstream something so special? Can’t us gay folk have at least ONE place to call our own east of Polk Street? BTW fellas, please turn on some lights!

So we had some time to kill between the end of the workday and the beginning of Critical Mass. A drink (or two) was in order, but I work with lawyers so I definitely don’t want to drink with them. And that means most Financial District watering holes are out of the running.
Sutter Station is nearby, but we decided to hit up the FiDi’s only other dive bar: Ginger’s (there’s no «Trois» on the sign anymore). It is supposedly a gay bar, and clearly was a gay bar in the past, but today I’d say it’s mixed – which is how I prefer my bars. I also prefer a crowd that isn’t stuffy and doesn’t flash status symbols around, and Ginger’s obliged.
Initially it seemed fairly dark inside (except by the window), but after my eyes adjusted I noticed all the candles throughout the bar actually gave the place an inviting glow. We decided to stay and have another round. Ginger’s really isn’t as divey as I would have expected from some of the older reviews here, but then it appears there was a recent renovation.
Another pleasant surprise was the prices – contrary to what I have read here, there *was* a drink special while we were there – a *very* affordable price for a name-​brand rum and tonic – and we availed ourselves of the special twice in a row.
If Ginger’s keeps up the candle thing and continues to have a good drink special after work, I’ll return there whenever I need to kill some time downtown.

Well, I’m sad to say that «Ginger» decided to pack up her ruby slippers and move on. While it’s still a pretty cool bar, it completely shifted direction from campy to swanky – and I throw a big «ish» on that.
The bar has been under new management for a while now and it’s still a great place to meet friends after work. The layout is the same and they even light up the fireplace to add a special touch of intimacy. But it’s very hard to look at the space in a new light when you’re still haunted by ghosts of Wizard of Oz paraphernalia and campy gay adornings that used to clutter the fringes of the bar.
Maybe I’m a cheap-​ass or maybe Ginger’s «sexual reassignment surgery» cost alot, but I’ve been back there three times since she «became a man» and the one thing that pisses me off more than anything is that they still hadn’t set up any kind of happy hour drink specials as of May of 2008. So if my coworkers and I are in the mood to tie one on after work, we’re better off taking the MUNI to the Castro and popping into the Midnight Sun for their extremely strong and extremely cheap, 2−4−1 drink specials, until 7pm.
Including tip it runs around fourteen bucks at Ginger’s for a couple drinks, or twelve bucks at the Midnight Sun for FOUR really strong drinks (did I mention, they’re really, really, really strong?).
You do the math…

You know the term man’s man? Well Ginger’s is a bar’s bar. And yes, I know the sordid past of this watering hole. It’s dark, almost musty, a bit seedy, and it seems like Time sort of forgot about it.
Happy hour is the best time to go — they open the doors at 4pm — although one sort of wishes they got going around noon. Try and get a seat at the bar, and if you don’t you’re practically standing around it (if you do get a seat, make sure to really take a look at the scene via the mirror behind the bar, you get all sorts of angles). The crowd is what I’d call anti-​yuppie, and while Ginger’s is in the Financial District, the regulars are anything but fi-​di.
Don’t order anything Red Bull here. I’d even wonder about a Martini, despite being a fan myself. Stick with beers, anything whiskey or scotch related. The place is now owned by the guys from Swig and Bourbon & Branch, but you didn’t hear that from me.
And how about that jukebox. None of this fancy electronic digital stuff that takes away the fun of having a limited selection of tunes to choose from. You have to work with what you’ve got, and at Ginger’s, that could mean Sinatra, Rod Stewart, Led Zeppelin, Cyndi Lauper and Elvis back to back.
Go. Now. Ginger’s. Go!

Yeah, Ginger’s rocks.
After finally mastering the ability to use the Google Calendar function on our in-​boxes at work, a few co-​workers and I have decided to lock in a permanent 5pm «Happy Hour» meeting on Friday… ya know, to talk about work stuff n things. Last night, we decided to hit up Ginger’s after passing it earlier in the week and wondering what it was all about.
I had heard rumors that it was a gay bar, a tranny bar, a this bar and a that bar, but so long as they have booze there and pour it well, that’s my kinda bar and count me in. When we walked in, it was definitely dark, but in the best way. As your eyes start to adjust to the lack of light, you begin to see the charm of this place unfold. The fabulous legendary diva artwork, the wood paneling, the art deco-​ish style, the oh so awesome jukebox with everything from Michael McDonald to Velvet Underground and the no nonsense, call it like he sees it, awesome attitude of the bartender and what’s that, 3 empty seats right up at the bar?! Score!
As we sat and chatted about work and stuff and things, there was definitely a fun variety of people to watch and silently judge. One guy ordered a Pinot Grigio and a Red Bull (really, dude? really.). Another had the bartender double and triple tripping on an order and after going back and fourth for the last time for this idiot, he gave them a piece of his mind and it was awesome. Then there was the lost little tourist lady who wondered if there actually was a toilet in that pitch black section with a W above yet. Yes Virginia, there is a bathroom.
Finally there were a handful of fabulous gay men chatting it up and beginning their weekends and it was great. I just love a good dark bar with a variety of people all getting along. It’s part of the reason I love this city, you can be who you are and whatever you are and rock it. Doesn’t get much better than that :)

It’s Tuesday afternoon, you told your boss you are headed out for a «coffee», but what you REALLY need is a serious cocktail to wash out the stale taste of your cubical life style… well, my friend, you have found the place.
It is dinky, dark, creepy and lacking that certain luster one would typically expect with most down town bars… but that is EXACTALLY why you should go there. It is a place whose bar tenders follow a tradition of a 3 finger pour and goes easy on the ice.
You want to have a nice chat with the lovely lass next to you or meet some nice people from Michigan while having a micro brew, well then, you are in the wrong place, my friend. If, however, you want to have a quite reflective drink where the only thing that will bug you is the stagger to the loo, then step up and have a G&T for me.

Ginger’s 2.0 Review:
As a very staunch loyalist to the «old» Ginger’s of yore, I have to say that (so far), I am pretty pleased with the new iteration. Scared that it was going to become another downtown sports bar, I was pleased to come in and see the old girl cleaned up, more tastefully lit, and about as swelligant as before. Make no mistake – the place is more «gay friendly» than «gay» these days, but for most that should be a matter of splitting hairs. What really matters is that the vibe is far different from the surrounding watering holes down here in the FiDi.
The prices are indeed a bit steeper – a top-​shelf martini will run you $ 10−11 – but the glasses are bigger and the pours aren’t shabby. I kinda wish they’d take plastic, but hopefully that will be coming soon along with other improvements.
Bryce and staff are super friendly and definitely know how to pour a good drink. Although the «Trois» is gone forever, the new bar is certainly a sigh of relief for many of us.

POST– NEW OWNERSHIP REVIEW (2÷4÷08):
I never posted a review about Ginger’s Trois before, because Ginger’s wasn’t «just a bar» to me, it was more like my «home away from home.» I don’t say that based on the frequency of my visits but because of how comfortable I felt there (well, most of the time ;) Seriously, «Old» Ginger’s was the friendliest business I ever set foot in, in the Bay Area.
I met a lot of interesting people there, had incredible conversations about literally *all kinds of things* with people from all walks of life … but most of all — and I guess that was the main reason I kept going back on a regular basis — I found there an open and accepting community of people who immediately made me feel like I belong. I made friends there very quickly, and pretty soon we all started to rely on Old Ginger’s to hang out together… Needless to say, we were all very sad when we found out last month that Old Ginger’s was going to shut down.
The place did shut down last week, a little bit abruptly, I might add, since former management never really let us know when the last day was going to be. Many of us wanted to say goodbye and expected some kind of a last-​day party, but all we got instead was a sign posted in the window saying «The Place is Officially Closed, Thank You, Love, Mason.» Oh, well. For some reason, many of us believed the place would remain shut down for months, possibly undergo major renovations, presumably to welcome a completely different kind of crowd, and certainly that would be the end of our hang-​out as we knew it.
Imagine my surprise when, walking by the other day, I heard music come out of the jukebox, and saw a couple of young guys in there looking like they were taking inventory and cleaning up the place already. I went in to chat with them. They seemed friendly, and let me understand that as far as they knew, the new owners had no intention of making major changes to the place — except possibly to the jukebox selection — and that they would WELCOME the existing crowd of Old Ginger’s regulars.
«New» Ginger’s Trois just reopened a couple of days ago, on Friday, February 1, 2008. They’ve cleaned it up considerably and most of the memorabilia and Christmas decorations are now gone, so it feels somewhat more spacious than before. But they have not done any major remodeling, so the space is pretty much almost exactly the way it was before, with the small chairs by the bar and the high tables in the back.
Two large mirrors and three large paintings reminiscent of Ginger Roger’s add a nice touch of color to the dark walls and help create an illusion of space, while on the other side, 3 or 4 small black and white pictures of Ginger Rogers now hang where Harvey Milk’s picture used to be.
Part of the wall appears to have been repainted gold in some places, to blend in better.
The fireplace is still there, and so are the dancing Ginger and Fred Astaire painted by Mason. The brick effect painted on the ceiling by Mason is still there, as well.
They have dimmed the lights and are now using little candles around the place, which could make some of us look better and younger ;)
They haven’t made that many changes to the jukebox selection yet (in fact, I was surprised to see that the show-​tunes are still there!) although I did see a Cindy Lauper CD that wasn’t there before.
They’ve cleaned up the clutter of cases and bottles near the ladies room so it’s easier to get to.
They did not bring in TVs or sports memorabilia, or anything else that would seem «out of place» and it looks like they don’t intend to do that. Oddly enough, they did keep the «legs and nails» piece on top of the liquor cabinet.
The stack of BAR publications on top of the jukebox is gone now, and so is the gay literature by the door. I guess technically, Ginger’s is no longer a gay bar, although they do appear to be doing *everything* they can to keep it gay-​friendly.
I asked about the beer selection; the bartender said they probably will bring in a better selection and quite possibly put beer on tap in the future, but we’re not there yet, and it’s still predominantly a cocktail place right now.
The prices of the drinks are supposed to remain about the same.
And the patrons … well, a couple of former Ginger’s regulars were there tonight, looking surprised at how comfortable it felt to be back there, and there were a couple of new faces in the back, as well, but everybody there seemed to be having a good time.
Of course, it is too soon to tell what the place is really going to be like, but I have a very good feeling about it and am certainly willing to hang out there a while and see what happens… No, it won’t be exactly like it was before, we knew that, but it seems like we’re up to a good start.
So what do you say, will you come and join me there for an after-​work drink? I really think you’ll be pleasantly surprised!

This bar is just up the road from my office, and it looked kinda divey, so we checked it out. Everyone was friendly, and we found a table no problem. Ordered a wine from the bar, and the barman pours it from a mini bottle, like the ones you get on planes. He asked if I wanted the regular stuff or the premium stuff. The regular was about $ 4 and tasted pretty good. Wonder if there are any margins on this.
After that, I switched to Jack & Coke (America’s Cocktail) and they were strong. Like a freaking drop of Coke. Scores points for that. The vibe was fine, they could take the chrissy decorations down, it is early Jan. Time for Valentines Day decorations.

*why yes I will have another glass full of vodka with the essence of soda splashed on top*
I’ve walked by this place many times while in the FiDi and always wondered if this was a gay bar or not. Since I really doubted that they had food in there i never had a reason to go in and check the play out. Finally not too long ago a co-​worker of mine visiting from another location wanted to get some drinks after work and before I met up with some other friends later that night. His suggestion *let’s go to ginger’s twat* YES! My curiosity will finally be satisfied.
The place is kind of janky looking and it’s a really tight fit at the bar but if you want to get the most liquor for your money then this is probably the best place to go in the FiDi. Two vodka sodas and I was done for the night. If I hadn’t of promised to meet my friends that night I would have gone home and crawled into bed and prayed for the spinning to stop.
Ginger’s Trois, better than standing in line for a roller coaster for 2 hours at Great America.

This is where I was when my ex boyfriend told me he’d be moving to New York. And NOT with me. I should have given up then but that would have been smart and I rarely do «smart» in relationships. Thank GOD Ginger’s serves up some exceptionally strong cocktails. Even the bad memories can’t put a dent in my feeling about Ginger’s. The gayest bar in the downtown area, Ginger’s is divey and comfortable. Daytime on the weekends draws crowds of gays, straights, tourists, and everything in between seeking refuge from the rat race that is Union Square.
Get a table in the back. They may be flimsy but you’ll appreciate not having to squeeze into the small strip of real estate between the barstools and the wall. The space is long and skinny, so walking around can be difficult, making this not the best place for a large get-​together.
There’s a fireplace and cool stuff on the walls. The older gentleman manning the bar is super friendly and so are the patrons. This is the clear choice for after-​work cocktails or post-​shopping decompression. Apparently a gay bar, you would never know it half the time, with the diverse crowd and come-​as-​you-​are vibe.
Good thing that boyfriend left me. I bet there’s no Ginger Trois in New York.

As a straight man there with my lady friend, it was a very cool bar. The Saturday night we were there the bar was about 60 percent gay men, loading the juke box with show tunes. Small place, they have a fire place in the raised area at the back of the bar.
Liquor selection is good, beer selection is limited, with only Heiniken on tap, but a decent bottle assortment.

A client of mine used to drag me here after work, usually whenever I had a job that went untill 5:00pm or so. From the standpoint of a straight guy, it was actually a pretty cool place back in the days when it was an old man’s bar. But not long ago, the after-​work crowd started getting progressively younger, and the place would fill up long before we got there. After that it transformed into something along the lines of a after-​work cruising scene for the 30-​and-​over set.
If you want a seat at the bar, get there by 3:30 or 4:00. There’s two tables near the jukebox along the South Wall, and several more on a raised area in the back. The décor exhibits a delightfully tacky lightheartedness, with it’s most memorable detail being a collection of inverted umbrellas hanging from the ceiling.
Drinks are hecka-​strong if you’re regular, but only stronger-​than-​normal if you aren’t. Liquor selection is adequate, the top shelf is minimal, and the wine-​on-​hand isn’t half bad. This place isn’t a beer joint… the vast bulk of it’s clients are cocktail people, hence the limited assortment of barley-​pop. The selection of bottled beer is meager at best, and Heineken is all that’s available on tap.
I enjoyed this place when it was an old-man’s bar. But as the patrons got younger, the crowd got bigger. Last time we showed up early, we barely got a seat. The place got packed to the gills later on, and I got propositioned three times. I can handle getting propositioned in a gay bar. I have a hard time dealing with crowds. But when I get propositioned three times in a crowded gay bar, it’s time for this poorly-​styled hetero-​boy to move along. On the other hand, Ginger’s represents the only gay-​centric after-​work-​like atmosphere in the FiDi area (that I know of at least). If this is your thing, it doesn’t have a lot of competition in the immediate area.