KoKo Cocktails

Oh, TL Standoff — how I’ll miss you!

My roommate DJTINACHRISTINA and I used to come here all the time– like on a weekly basis. We were all over that.
We will miss you, KoKo, and all your awesome margaritas.
We never did find the pool table you advertised on your sign, but we didn’t care. Drop a line for a fallen homie.

KoKo Cocktails is an awesome little bar.
They have great prices for surprisingly good cocktails. They have a sweetheart of a bartender, who quickly and efficiently serves the room. The fun crowd makes KoKo group-​friendly, but the sexay lighting renders the small space intimate enough that you might want to take your special lady.
However, I can’t overlook the fact that the sign outside advertises a pool table, and that you don’t have one. After buying a drink and walking over to the road to nowhere that is the back hallway, I felt deceived. Hornswoggled, if you will. Perhaps KoKo will someday win back my trust, but only if one of the following happens:
1. They take down the sign.
2. They install a pool table.
3. I get drunk enough to not care.
I’m assuming it will be that last one.
I would also like to take this opportunity to apologize to the lovely woman behind the bar. In the sobriety of daytime, I now realize that the owners of KoKo (not you) are at fault for this false advertisement. May I just say that your pants are lovely and not, in fact, on fire.

**GREAT EFFIN DRINKS AT AN UNASSUMING BAR**
A touch of class.
A touch of dive.
Great balance.
Our mixologist made us a mean drink that brought memories of New York and LA.
And it was ONLY $ 8.
THANK YOU.
Fun atmosphere.
One can dance, talk loudly, and sputter.
No one gave a shit, it was that type of bar.
Loved it, will return.
HIGHLY RECOMMEND.

Whoa Duvall and Chimay?
Whoa old school hip hop DJs spinning?
Bomb bartenders and cool low key non douche bag vibe?
Yes please.

Sunday night 7:30 Trivia!!!
What are the drink specials? $ 5 Greyhound and Salty Dog. Also Vesper
Martini later in the night.
What kind of prizes do they Used 500 piece «Bel AIr» classic car puzzle,
give out? random t-​shirt and action figures.

What is the mood of the Really mellow and welcoming. No blaring
place? music in the background. Definitely a good
place to have drinks with convo.
Categories? Current events, music (really obscure),
famous 1sts, My So-​Called Life TV show,
dead or alive
Meaning of KoKo? Quite possibly awesome in Korean.

It was a dark and stormy night. «43 Degrees Fahrenheit» my phone shouted at me when I checked the temperature. Gently I tapped the screen to refresh — surely it couldn’t be that cold outside and yet so damn hot at KoKo’s.
A bead of sweat formed on my brow. I tried to ignore it as I fiddled with my phone — but its inexorable march down the side of my face grew in my mind like a weed.
Jacket came off.
Could I take my pants off? A quick glance at the patrons said yes. The bouncer, no.
How many Modelos can people drink? Backup. WHY are people drinking Modelo? Maybe it’s because it’s so damn hot in here.
Another beat of sweat forms and quickly dives down the path its lover had formed on my face.
I start getting nervous. Where’s the door? What if I’m trapped in here, forced to sweat, wear pants and drink modelo all night? I look around; timidly at first, then progressively frantic.
Finding the door I stumble outside. Oh, sweet cold air. Oh sweet dim city twilight.
I’m going to whiskey thieves.

When you order a mimosa at KoKo Cocktails you get a can of Sofia Coppola champagne and a glass of fresh squeezed juice. And if that doesn’t say «I’m classy» I don’t know what does.
This place is awesome because it’s still intimate and not overcrowded, but they know how to make a mean cocktail. It’s dim and sexy and good for fun times with your friends, first date, or serious significant other.
And if you go there you almost have to go through the rite of passage that is the TL Standoff. I won’t tell you what’s in it, you just have to take it like a (wo)man and enjoy the rest of your evening.

Meanest whiskey sour I ever had — and for $ 5 bucks during happy hour! Richard, the Primus bartender, makes a helluva drink.
It’s small, dark, takes cash only, plays movies on the projection screen, and started to get jumpin’ on this eve of Christmas eve after about 8. I could definitely spend time here.

For years I would drive by this place and not think twice about it. Based solely on the signage, I thought it was just a divey Korean bar. So, when the bros suggested coming here for some drinks, I thought the choice was a bit odd, but then again, Plan A was to go to a divey Chinatown bar.
Upon entering, all my preconceived notions about KoKo were shattered. KoKo is my kind of intimate bar with dim lighting, laid back vibe, great beats and an impressive collection of booze. Their specialty cocktail menu is full of Prohibition Era style drinks. They muddle fresh fruit into these bad boys, and all the cocktails are a staggering low price of $ 7 — love their Buster Brown. The bartenders are alums from Tunnel Top, one of my old stomping grounds, so it’s no wonder why I instantly liked KoKo. Plus, they were projecting «Snakes On A Plane» on the wall while the DJ was spinning hip hop jams. Really, can a bar get cooler than that?
If you and your pals are down to get sloshed, a quick way to get there is to challenge each other to the TL Standoff, which consists of 2 shots and 2 backs: Fernet & Coke and Tequila & Beer — taken in that order. Loser buys the round. Guess who bought the round? Yup, yours truly. It was all good though — I was still feeling so fly like a G6.

I may be biased, but never you mind that. Koko is worth all five stars and then some based sheerly on awesomeness of the owners and bar staff. Throw in great drinks, clean restrooms (this is very, very important to me), and a lot of space for a lot of happy people and we’ve got a winner. Warning: the lights in the ladies’ go out automatically, so don’t panic if you’re handling your business and suddenly find yourself in the pitch black. Just start kicking and waving your arms wildly: the lights will come back on :)

I’ve discovered the glory of The Old Fashioned.
I think this place used to be a private Korean club. I remember once years ago trying to walk in here and being stopped by a doorman who said the cover charge was $ 40; I didn’t go in.
A while back I started to notice a hipster-​ish crowd going in but I still didn’t give it another chance until I was out with a friend that said that she loved this bar. We’d been hanging out at my favorite place all night, Amsterdam Café, so I figured it was only fair to go to one of hers.
We got there and my friend pointed at the bar and said «That bartender makes a dynamite Old Fashioned, do you want one?» When I drink whiskey I usually drink it straight but I’m always up for trying something different and decided to give it a shot. Wow that was one good drink!
Since then I’ve tried Old Fashions form several places and this was the best.

Went here early on a Tuesday and not surprisingly, there was only 1 other person there. The bartender was nice and friendly. This is a true dive bar, very minimalist. The sign up front say Pool Table but unfortunately, they did not have one inside.
Funnily enough, I could get a strong smell of bleach inside. On the positive side, at least they take their cleanliness seriously!

KoKo’s is a place of which I never would’ve guessed I’d become such a fan. It’s totally un-​presumptuous and, in my opinion, located in one of the most random locations in the city. It’s not quite Nob Hill/​Polk St., not quite the Tenderloin (like Bourbon & Branch), but sort of movie theatre-ish/Tommy’s Joint area. And yet, regardless, I think I’m starting to understand its appeal, and why so many of my friends (ok, just two) have hosted their birthday drinks and going-​away drinks here.
Tonight we had a funtastically fabulous birthday party here for one of our great friends. Since I didn’t know about KoKo’s delicious mixed drinks until recently (shout out to tinna h.), I decided to try the Pink Lemonade (b/​c obvi I’m a girl who likes pink) ;) and it was pretty & tart — made with real, fresh, squeezed lemon juice. Loved it.
Also, on every occasion that I’ve come here, I’ve loved the music. KoKo’s has a fun DJ with a variety of mixes — from the Panjabi MC/​Jay Z Remix of «Beware» mixed alongside Persian –TO– The Beastie Boys «Jimmy James» –TO– FatBoySlim’s: Live on Brighton Beach’s re-​mix of The Black & White Brother’s «Put Your Hands Up» and/​or Ultra All-​Stars’ «Just Move» dropped alongside some other world beat, it was awesome.
Mad points for a hip bar in an unexpected location.

Until recently, I wasn’t aware that KoKo Cocktails had a drink menu. I thought it was like every other bar that you walk into where you just order the standard, and that was it.
But now I know better. It was probably not such a good idea to end the night there after a handful of Chimays somewhere else… Those specialty drinks are really something! Fresh fruit and absolutely tasty.
A random movie plays on the screen on one wall, and there’s usually a DJ around, mixing some beats too. There’s a bus stop right outside, and another one up the street on Van Ness. Super convenient! One evening, I couldn’t wait to get home to use the restroom, so I wandered into KoKo Cocktails and used theirs. It’s clean enough!
I’m a fan. YAY!

«K» is for Koko’s.
Came here for Alphabar after Nightlife. Made some new friends and hung out with some old ones. That’s always a good time.
The bartenders are fast and know how to mix a mean drink. Cash only though. Luckily shouting: «Will someone buy me a drink» worked pretty well for me here.
The bouncer really wasn’t interested in the banana I had in my purse though. I also lost a heel somewhere between the car and the bar. Curses!

This was the first stop on my birthday pub crawl that my girls and I went on last night. I regret that we were late to get here that we only had a drink here before we had to move on. We were all dressed up for trouble and a night on the town.
We ordered a couple Vanilla Vodka & Pinapple which is my friend Rosy’s favorite new drink called the «Pinapple Dream» at another bar. The bartender Justin, made the drinks strong and tasty. My sister went for a Pink Lemonade that was really good too.
The best part — the incredibly tasty Svedka Vodka drinks were only $ 5 — all night — the worst part — we had to leave after one drink to stay on schedule

I’ll admit I was a bit unsure of what to expect when told we were going to «that Koko place in the TL», but it was a pleasant surprise after showing up here. The exterior is fairly nondescript, almost blending in entirely with the neighboring storefronts and walls. All I could imagine was a small, narrow bar inside with just a handful of stools for people to park themselves on.
Fortunately, the interior was nothing like my expectation. Seating was surprisingly ample and the crowd was pretty varied. The place is rather dark on the inside, but that might have more to do with the projector playing some black and white film on their wall. The dim candle lighting though really adds to the aura of the place, but it was rather painful whenever the crowd of drunk people next to us kept snapping off pictures with their cameras.
Drinks here are pretty darn cheap, and it’s nice that they don’t really skimp on the alcohol. The place is cash only though, which is a bit of a shame since I would probably be more inclined to buy rounds otherwise. But now that I have finished typing that sentence, it’s probably better this way… Oh, and plus points for being right across the street from food at Mel’s!

The «Lady K» had some friends in town last night from NYC so we took them dinner (Dosa) and the for drinks at KoKo Cocktails. We hadn’t been here before but one member in our party last night suggested we go since he knows the bartender, Richard.
This is my kind of place — dark, comfy bar stools, surf movies on the wall, a DJ playing 45s and did I mention the fresh squeezed fruit for the $ 7 drinks. They also have a great beer menu for those inclined to drink the hops and barley.
It was a school night so we had to leave somewhat early but we both said we would be back soon to see Richard the bartender and those great drinks!

The world stands out on either side
No wider than the heart is wide;
Above the world is stretched the sky, –
No higher than the soul is high.
The heart can push the sea and land
Farther away on either hand;
The soul can split the sky in two,
And let the face of God shine through.
But East and West will pinch the heart
That can not keep them pushed apart;
And he whose soul is flat — the sky
Will cave in on him by and by.
— Renascence, Edna St. Vincent Millay
There is hangul on the sign at Koko, if I remember correctly, but there was nothing Korean about this place. Well, except me and I can only go so far. The bartenders were friendly and quick, the drinks inexpensive and varying in strength, reggae beats and a Kurosawa flick projected on the wall. It was strange but in a good way. The Japanese movie was so appropriate, some people thought it was planned.
That stanza of «Renascence» has been resonating with me lately and it makes me think of someone flying off to chase the dreams that will soothe and expand his heart and soul (that sounds a little better, doesn’t it?). I wish I were eloquent enough to start rhyming but my attempts could get ridiculous. Instead, I’ll borrow from a favorite movie: Have fun storming the castle!