The Willows

My wife’s birthday, the Willows was great! We chilled, ate, drank and played board games. We brought SET and half of us played a new Zombie game. They even brought out a cake for us!

Popped in on Sunday for a lunch to go, and tried their brunch menu.
I was greeted right away, the gentleman at the counter put my order in asap. He was very friendly and kind, keeping a light conversation as he worked. By the time I left, every employee saw had said hello, offered to refill my drink, and said thank you. This is the most polite place I’ve been to in the city — lovely servers.
I had a sausage/​bacon breakfast sandwich. It was very tasty, the sausage was not dry at all (kudos to the kitchen, they were a bit busy). It came with potatoes and a fruit bowl: the potatoes were nicely done, and the fruit bowl (melon/​pineapple/​grapefruit) was not your typical — I really enjoyed it.
I also liked the décor — simple, complementary colors; dark woods; beautiful textured ceiling — a lovely detail that many establishments do not have.
Thanks for a quick, lovely brunch and a kind conversation!

After hearing so much about the cool beer selection and games here i decided to check it out. Points for having the weirdest board games. The red neck game? beeropoly? Fun: P They were out of bloody mary’s and it was maybe an hour or two into brunch. That was disappointing. I had the craft cocktail version of it which was horrendous. tasted like watered down v8. it was awful. there was some company offering beer samples to calculate your drink preference, which they kept encourage but once you talk to them, they want $ 20! for what?! i can taste my own beer and figure out what i like, thanks. Bartender was friendly enough. The beer selection was average. not my favorite dive. average.

Food is good, service is slow.
Waited 30 minutes for a burger and fries today, was told 10 minutes, did not have time to eat it as I had a flight to catch.

I love this bar. I was here on 5÷7÷2014 for trivia night and we won second place. Unfortunately I came back today (1 year 10 months later) and they will not honor my 2^nd place finish.
WARNING! THEY DO NOT HONOR THEIR TRIVIA NIGHT WINNINGS. I will never come here again. Congratulations you got $ 50 out of me but lost my business forever, congrats!

Cool decent sized bar. Crowd was not that crazy on a Friday night. A lot of seating. Bartenders were quick to serve, probably because it was not that packed. Great beer selection. Prices were reasonable. It was a good lively place to hang out on a Friday night.
Einstock Bottle Beer — $ 6.50
Draft Beer — $ 5.50

Comfort food at its core. The mimosas are to die for and also has a tremendous beer selection. Cant wait to come back for more than just 5 seconds!

Came here on a Sunday and it was awesome. Not too crowded, but not dead either. I was hoping the basketball game would be on but they didn’t seem to have any TVs but it was all good.
I was really intrigued by the pork belly donuts but decided to skip them and try them on a future visit. The bottomless mimosas are only $ 12.50 (with food purchase) and they are seriously bottomless– my glass was always refilled quickly without asking.
Got the biscuits and gravy with a side of bacon and it was awesome. Huge home made biscuits plus creamy sausage gravy. The potatoes on the side were nicely seasoned and crispy– it is sad how many places mess up breakfast potatoes and make them either bland or soggy, but these were great. The bacon was alright– nothing too noteworthy but its bacon so nothing to complain about either. My small complaints would be that after a while, the food did get on the salty side and the sausage gravy had a little too much pepper for my taste. But overall, an awesome spot.
Their menu during the week looks equally interesting and they have a nice cocktails list plus daily specials AND 15 beers on tap! There’s even a separate craft beer bar (that was closed on Sunday I think). I am sure I will be back for brunch, and maybe during the week as well. Overall a good spot with solid drinks and a great menu.

Great beer selection and love the laid back atmosphere. I had the vegetarian sloppy joe with fries which I loved. Great meal for a great price.
Downside was the guy serving the beer was a bit of a jerk, smug when we ordered our beers and a bit of a dick when I returned our empty glasses.
I will be back and hopefully it will be with less attitude, been there done that, it actually isn’t cool.

I’ve only come to the Willows for special beer events, so I can’t really speak to what the normal vibe is — though I assume chill since I had a group of friends who were regulars until one of the bartenders left.
The Willows has a similar atmosphere to the Sycamore which is marked by the dive-​iness, low key surroundings and people here for good beer or cheap cocktails. There are two bars, one which serves beer and the other mixed drinks. The larger half has long communal tables where you can sit for dinner, plenty of bar tables and two pool tables. The «back» half is a bit more intimate with a wall covered in old taps, three booths, and some standing space. There’s even a photo booth! (not sure if it works though) Other than some of the food and the beer, I wouldn’t expect anything too much.
They serve food that is a twist on the classic pub fare and the same pork belly donuts with maple syrup that the Sycamore has. All food is ordered at the bar and then delivered to your table given your number. I’ve only had the carne asada fries, which while less loaded than most taquerias (and smaller in quantity), contained well seasoned steak that was not overcooked. And even if it was more expensive than a taqueria, it was still a great compliment to the 13% abv stouts we were drinking. I noticed they also have a «Happy Meal», which includes a burger, fries, a beer and a shot for ~$ 18 — very tempting on a laid back night — I’ll need to try that the next time I’m there.
Most importantly though, I can always count on the Willows on having good beer and hosting especially great breweries during SF beer week.

Jamie W. and I are not barhoppers by any stretch, but we happen to be in the area after a memorial service we attended at Slim’s for a beloved neighborhood activist. We were feeling peckish, and I had heard good things about the Willows, a space I had not been to since the old Hamburger Mary’s days. When we entered, it was fairly quiet at around 7PM, surprising since SoMa is known for its crowded watering holes no matter what the hour. We initially parked ourselves at the side bar in the middle room where the pool tables are and started perusing the menu. They offered quite a robust selection of goodies.
There were temptations bordering on absurd like Pork Belly Donuts and Fried Chicken Sliders, and believe you me, they were under serious consideration. However, common sense washed over us like the loose urinary tract of a moose, and consequently we went with salads albeit big ones. Jamie ordered the $ 12.75 Cobb Salad, which brought together green leaf lettuce, chopped bacon, fried chicken slabs, blue cheese crumbles, tomatoes and cucumbers into a symphony of healthy tastiness as it was tossed in a tarragon vinaigrette dressing (photo:
). It was quite a hefty bowl to come out of a bar kitchen.
I was in the mood for kale and went with the $ 11.75 Kale Greek Salad which came with tomatoes, red onion, pepperoncinis, cucumbers, olives and crumbled feta cheese, all of that tossed liberally in extra virgin olive oil and lemon juice (photo:
). It was really well executed, and while we ate our salads at a communal table already inhabited by a trio of laptoppers who never looked up, the vibe was low-​key enough for us to eat in relative peace. We weren’t completely healthy, by the way, as we shared the $ 5.75 Basket of Onion Strings with Chipotle Aioli, addictive crispy greasiness that reminded us that we were indeed in a bar (photo:
).
FOOD — 4 stars… surprisingly good and hearty salads for pure bar bites
AMBIANCE — 3 stars… spacious, low-​key bar could provide a leisurely afternoon hangout
SERVICE — 3 stars… the food certainly came fast enough
TOTAL — 4 stars… overlook the hipsters and come for a bite

This is a good place to hangout and grab lunch or drinks. There are plenty of options for entrees (e.g., burgers) and snacks (e.g., pork belly donuts) that have large portions. You can even get grilled cheese sandwiches as buns.
Service is fast, friendly, and helpful. It’s within walking distance of public transit if you don’t want to park on the streets. There are two areas to eat and hangout including one with billiards.

Waited 45 minutes for our food. Waited 15 minutes to order (bar was empty), waited another 30 for the food to come out (the sliders were thumb sized and definitely over priced. so was the $ 11 sandwich that didn’t come with the fries we ordered). Carne asada fries was more like fries gooped with sour cream on it. Skip this place for food and the happy hour.
This review started with 3 stars but was demoted to 1 for the 1 hour wait for my friend’s order.

They’re always throwing cool events here. The beer is always tasty and they take credit, so I can’t complain. The food is actually pretty good, too.
One time, I won a set of Dogfish Head goblets by yelling out, «RICKY LAKE!»
That only occurs at the best place ever: The Willows!
Next time, I’m going to shout-​out «Maury Povich» just to see what ends up happening. Hope I’m not the father!

I’ve been here twice. First before I moved to the bay. Second after I started a new job around the corner.
I remember having a burger here my first time but ho-​ly shit… this time I’ve realized the burgers here are bomb. Mushroom burger all the way.
So flavorful. So juicy, but not messy. Burger perfection. My only regret is that I didn’t order two.

Was at the nearby car dealership and was starving. I did a quick Unilocal search for what was around and may have decent food and found The Willows.
When I walked in I was a bit… shocked. It looked like a straight up dive bar. But don’t let the clientele or trappings fool you; the food was fantastic. I ordered the Mary burger which comes with avocado and bacon. The burger had to be one of the best I have ever eaten. Seriously Ever.
The bacon was thick as promised and tasted great. The avocado was fresh and they didn’t skimp on it. I also ordered the Greek salad which was fresh and there was obvious attention and intent paid to the salad; it wasn’t just a bunch of ingredients thrown haphazardly together.
The bartender was very friendly and accommodating. Well worth a drop in for a pint of one of their great beers on tap and a meal. The death metal on the speakers was a bit much though. ;-)

Came here with a friend who works in the area. It’s a short walk from the Van Ness Muni station which is nice. I’m definitely not a big weekday drinker but they have some nice beers and ciders on tap. As decorations they’ve got some of their beer tap handles on the wall — it’s pretty cool.
We ended up sharing a plate of carne asada fries which I haven’t had in months. I always try and get some when I go home to SoCal but have rarely found them up here. Regardless they were decent. Obviously not the best I’ve ever had but then again how can you really mess up on carne asada fries.
Protip: the entrance is on the Folsom side. Also on the other side of the bar, they have a pool table and some pinball machines.

The Willows has 12 beers on draft, lunch menu, and regular menu.
lots of hard liquor, cocktails too. small bar seating menu, many tables near the windows
eats: DIY burger (lunch 9.5)
–pickle, mustard, lettuce, tomato on soft bun
–ordered med. rare, came out med. slightly gristly
–meat juice tastable, if it were med. rare, it would be fab. wasn’t, some gristle issue
3ish
crumbs:
–cool bartender
–pricey for a burger with no fries, burger best of the average burgers
4 stars for the bartender. smoothed out my uneven day… cheerful…personable.

This place has to be one of my new favorite bars. Speaking as a person who generally does not enjoy the bar/​drinking scene, this bar rocked my world. They’ve got pool, shooting, and pinball games, and the atmosphere is extremely chill and laid back. Yeah, not at all like those FiDi stuffy pinky-​up bars at all.
What’s more amazing is that the bar food they serve here is pretty bombtastic! The pork belly donuts were good, the buffalo wings were good, and my favorite dish of the night were the deep fried mac and cheese. It was definitely done right. I’m not sure if they have sriracha there, but admittedly as sriracha addicts we had our own bottle with us and the Mac and cheese was great with it.
This bar also gets credit for taking away my blowjob virginity — finally. I could have chosen no better bar or night to lose it to. The bartender Showa (sorry if I am butchering it) agreed to make some blowjobs for us even though she had not made them before and she even went into the back room to find glasses we could attempt to fit our mouths around. The effort to make my first blowjob great was definitely appreciated. We ended up taking a blowjob shot with two of the bartenders at the end of the night… just because they seemed like cool people.
Oh, and they serve this alcoholic ginger beer there that is damn tasty.
Overall, the vibes were great, the drinks were great, and the food was great. A night well done and I would definitely come back here again. Cheers!

Come here for the drinks! (Great Draft selection)
Settle in here for the food! (Those fried brussel sprouts… mmmm)
Stay here for Trivia Nights on Wednesdays! (May the best team prevail!)
— — — — –
There are a few vegetarian options I saw on the menu, but did not inquire whethere they were vegan-​friendly or not.
It’s a pretty large space, but seats get filled up quickly and can be hard to find a place to sit down.
Bartenders are friendly & awesome.
As for Trivia? Our team started out strong with a 1^st Place standing after the first 2 rounds. We were doing really well and feeling like winners until we got to the section on Women’s History. Those were some obscure questions!
I know some of you guys are cheating and using Google. There’s no way you can score ⁸⁄₈ on so many roungs. Our team ended up placing 5^th that night with No Cheating!
Still feeling like winners, we down the rest of our beers and vow to return for another rematch! Anyone down to take us on?