Rock Bar

my partner and I come to this bar every time we go to the front porch for dinner it is an awesome bar. It is a great neighborhood bar. Kevin is one of the owners. He makes you feel like you just got off work when you walk in. It’s such
a great little bar. feeling good.

Neighborhood bar. Character. No fluffiness. Great drinks, comfy seats, nice people. PERFECT.

I came here on Saturday night for a gal’s birthday, and was pleasantly surprised at how mellow the space was given the day of the week. Very divey and grungy, and the kind of bar you’ll get three top shelf cocktails for only $ 25. If you’re from the Bay, you know that’s about as rare as finding someone here who doesn’t work at a startup.
I’d recommend getting in early to snag a booth, otherwise you’ll be left in a puddle of bar slangers and pool-​players who take up too much space.
Come here with your crew after your dinner at Front Porch across the street.

Lucas is the greatest and friendliest bartender that you will EVER enjoy encountering!!! The owner too!!!

One of my favorite bars in SF. Low-​key, unpretentious and a cocktail menu that changes on the regular. Their cocktails use a lot of ingredients that are off the beaten path, so you’re bound to find something new and exciting to suit your tastes.

Great drinks, they can talk liquor, distilleries and fun. Edgar the Bar Cat and a great song list. Stellar Manhattans and they DO take credit cards now!

My new favorite neighborhood bar. Man, I hope it stays this way forever. So cozy and intimate.
The vibe is right on. The bartenders are just cool dudes and you gotta love that. It’s divey, but still clean and pretty. They have just enough tables and booths to actually have a nice conversation.
The cat is great. Not a cat person, but definitely a nice touch.

Cozy lil’ ‘hood bar. Fort Point on tap.

This place combined the ambiance of a classier Tempest with the prices of Zeitgeist. I dig it.
We were waiting for a table across the street at Front Porch and we wandered in, ordered our reasonably priced drinks, found an open table, and got to talkin’. It was early on a Friday, around 7, and it was perfectly pleasant. Bartender almost nailed it (forgot water for my friend), the clientele was cool, and we moved on with our night.
The good: good drinks, cool décor. Curious about the name? You’ve got your igneous, sedimentary, look around.
The bad: kind of dark. Kind of looks like a mine.
Bonus: purse/​coat hooks under the bar. YES.

I came here for my company holiday party so it was closed to the public for a good part of the evening.
Butttttt, drinks were stiff, I like the booths, bathrooms were clean, and Front Porch is across the street…
They’re cash only, and there’s a cat there but I’m supppper allergic to cats and I was completely fine.

Great bar and cool cats.
Insider tip… douse your smart phone while cooling your heels at the bar. You’ll be surprised by what happens.
If you’re lucky, you’ll get too meet the coolest cat of them all.

A nice departure from the usual bar scene I’m entrenched in while visiting SF, Rock Bar might be a place I’d call myself a regular at if I lived in the area. On a weeknight when it’s got just enough folks without being crowded it becomes an easy place to mingle and sip on something strong. Date night or pick up night, you make the call.
There is a dive bar element interiorly speaking, but there is something about the tranquility that lends itself to a steady and easy ambiance. This doesn’t feel like a place I’d bring 20 of my friends to, but rather a spot where I’d catch up on some conversation with close ones while imbibing with the best of them.
Speaking of drinks, the Manhattan is the real deal. Strong without squinted reactions, potent enough to keep the flow and the vibe going. The Winter Sour also gets a nod in the grand scheme of drinks in their lineup, and the Ichi Rock also has me smitten. Whether it’s bourbon, gin, vodka, or tequila based, there is a little something in it for everyone.
The prices aren’t as steep as the rest of San Francisco cocktail spots. Friendly bartenders and a seasonal selection of cocktails means I’ll be back soon enough for more. Bringing good company while thirsty is highly encouraged.

I’m not certain if Rock Bars Negroni is (ready for this?) proper sbagliato* negroni but it is possibly the best negroni in the city.
First it comes in a fitting rocks glass and not in a foofy martini contraption thats both uncomfortable and looks decidedly uncool, unless you’re doing the whole secret agent thing.
Second its served on the rocks — which is what makes it sbagliato — and may cause a purist to take away points, but in this reviewer’s opinion — actually enhances the original drink.
Third RB’s negroni has a subtle yet distinct smokey fragrance and flavor which takes already properly tasting (neither at all sweet nor harshly bitter) negroni to the next level.
** proper sbagliato = proper broken/​bungled/​wrong/​incorrect. Not sure that its proper because in Negroni follows the formula of gin, sweet vermouth and Campari, with an orange peel garnish. Negroni Spagliato replaces the gin with a dry sparkling wine, and requires to be served on the rocks, according to some sources, but according to others — all it takes is addition of ice.
PS i dont remember the last bar where music was (forget good) not annoying — but at RB it is decidedly awesome (in both selection, and perfectly not imposing volume) at least it was on one Thursday night 4÷9÷14. This little detail is what brings this gem of a bar over to the 5 star level

Great little corner bar that I would have never found if not for a bartender friend’s recommendation after eating at El Faralito. I had two mountain cocktails and they were good… albeit an acquired taste.
Nice pool table. Nice bartender. Nice patrons and vibe.
Cheesy bowling game

This is the bar that is owned by the same owner as Front Porch. They serve inventive cocktails (albeit kinda pricy) in a funky old bar atmosphere.
We arrived at 6pm on a rainy Friday night and it was still pretty empty. The cocktail I enjoy is the one with the vodka, cherry liquer, and rhubarb bitters, YUM. One friend got a negroni –which was also fantastic. This is the perfect place to catch a quick buzz before the incredible fried chicken across the street.

I asked the bartender to mix me something up delightful made of clear alcohol. I ended up with a Yuzu Fizz… a citrus drink served in a mason jar garnished with orange peel. Very cool and it tasted great!
There were many tables to enjoy with company and the lighting in the place is great… lots of candles in mason jars along the bar and at the tables.
I think it would be perfect for happy hour and a date night ;)

You wouldn’t believe me if you were standing outside this place but Rock Bar is one of the top ten cocktail bars in the city. It still scarcely makes sense to me as I’m walking into a building that probably served up about a million fifty-​cent Budweisers in a past life. Once you’re inside, though, it’s clear that you’re about to tangle (or tango) with a legitimate establishment.
The manhattans are great. The negronis are great. Weird stuff that they made up (like the Donkey Show) are, surprisingly, also great. Definitely worth checking out if you like expertly made cocktails or a laid-​back atmosphere.

Wow! A dive bar that isn’t super grimy, is a nice level of noise, has a good amount of chairs for the floor space, has a pool table, clean bathrooms, nice bouncers, AND attentive bartenders?!
I’m so lucky to live a mile from here.

The secret is out about the bar that feels like a secret lovers’ haunt.
It’s brazenly dim. Elegantly divey. Small but not snobbish. And it’s exactly the kind of spot you seek for a clandestine late-​night tête-​à-​tête.
On the heels of a dashing dinner at nearby ICHI, we made our way to Rock Bar for that one last cocktail. He drank a Manhattan, she sipped on the Earnest Diamond, and both shared the same small bench.
There’s a certain aesthetic that keeps me in a bar longer than I’d usually stay — an arcane coziness; a strange brand of delicious anticipation (maybe this night could be the best one yet?). Mismatched glassware. Delicately vintage votive holders cradling subdued punctuations of light. Whispers and secret smiles and a room full of beginnings. Rock Bar brings together an attractive collection of irregularities yet somehow, it’s such a harmonious space. Really lovely.
Maybe most importantly, the cocktails are good… very good, even! Give me exactly what I want to hear musically and I’ll stick around for even longer next time.

Powerful, tasty cocktails. Having tried most all of their menu, their most artfully crafted cocktail is the blood and sand which I would return for in a heartbeat. The others were not made to the caliber I am used to at Bourbon and Branch, my gold standard for cocktail making. I love the vibe, ample seating, and friendly bartenders. I heard you can order bites, and they will deliver from Front Porch across the street.
A few of the drinks I tried…
*Gold Digger ($ 11) — 3.5 STARS: London Gin, Pear Liqueur, Champagne, ginger, peach. Reminds me of a Mike’s Hard Lemonade. Very tasty, a bit sweet. Refreshing.
* Real Thunderberg ($ 9) — 1 STAR: Four Roses, Bunderberg Ginger, Underberg. Tastes like medicine.
* Rhuby Mule ($ 10?) — 3 STARS: Vodka, Cherry Heering, ginger ale, rhubarb bitters. Love moscow mules but this cherry version was way too sweet for me.
* Soft Rock ($ 10?) — 3.5 STARS: Lillet Blanc, soda, lemon, cucmber. Refreshing and tasty.
* ICHI Rock ($ 10) — 3.5 STARS: London Gin, St. Germain, Yuzu, grapefruit bitters. This was another one that reminded me of Mike’s Hard Lemonade. Super refreshing and tasty but not the type of cocktail I gravitate towards. Too frou frou for me.
They also have a decent list of special cocktails listed on their board, which includes my favorite — Blood and Sand.
Tip: Cash Only.