Third Rail

Stopped by on a Friday night for a drink before going home and we were stoked to check this place out, especially since it’s right down the road. We grabbed a seat by the door and my bf got the drinks. The wait took a little bit and he ordered his beer and got me a dirty martini, I also noticed that they also served beef jerky which I convinced him to get some.
When he came back he seemed pretty peeved. He said that the bartender was very short and rude with him. Wasn’t friendly at all, which was a disappointment. I did observe the bar a bit and notice that the same guy that served my bf didn’t look very friendly this other couple at be bar.
This place looks really cool so I’ll be back to give it another try.
Beef jerky was alright, a bit expensive for the three pieces you get though.

Very chill neighborhood bar serving stiff, tasty drinks. Pair your drink of choice with their delicious jerky and you are in major business. MUST TRY COCKTAIL:
12 angry men

I had a great Manhattan and some Mushroom Jerky — Yep, Mushroom! It was awesome — seriously why can’t I get this everywhere!

One of the best Old Fashions in the city. Combine that with some jerky and a nice dimly lit décor and it’s a recipe that has me wanting to come back. Tucked back off of the main 3^rd street in Dogpatch, this is a gem on this end of town!

My new fav spot in SF! Yummy jerky and amazing cocktails. So many places try to be this kind of spot and fail. These guys have laser like focus and don’t try to please everyone. That will make sense after you visit. I LOVE the Loch Ness cocktail! Our barman was busy but still friendly and all of our drinks were complex and balanced. Didn’t think I was a jerky person until I had some at this place. Ill back very soon.

Beer AND meat! Beef jerky to be exact. This bar is hidden in dog patch near dog patch boulders.
They do beer and jerky tastings. But best of all, they have a $ 10 deal for a shot, beer and jerky!
Tip: Try the candy jerky! Its deceivingly spicy

Unpretentious/​knowledgeable/​friendly bartenders, wide selection of creative/​delicious/​unique cocktails, and a whole menu page dedicated to 10+ types of homemade jerky.
What more could you ask for? Hand carved ice display show by hunky staff? Beer+shot+jerky specials? Being able to bring your (well-​behaved) pooch inside? Absolutely. If I lived in the neighborhood I’d come here every night!

Nice place to have a strong drink. The bartenders are knowledgable and not as snooty as the usual hipsters (mixologists). They have yummy jerky that can accompany all their drinks. This place isn’t looking to pull in the average sunday funday goer. Our group got some pretty annoyed looks, but we managed to stay for a good four hours. This place is often dead until the night, so it’s a nice place to go if you are looking for a seat, solace, and a stiff one.
My favorite thing: These bartenders do not cut people off, then continue you to pour drinks, but omit the alcohol. I guess it is there way of sticking it to over the top drunks. My friend had at least two $ 15 drinks he loudly raved about that were made up of flower essence and kiddy punch.

Beer + Liquor + Jerky = Boomtime.
Met some friends here to catch up over drinks, and we were pleasantly surprised to discover the Rail Shot — «A little beer, a little shot, and a little jerky.» All for $ 10, $ 8 during happy hour. Yes please, sign us up! You have 4 choices of each to mix and match to your heart’s content. I went with a glass of Red Barn, a shot of Tequila, and the Red Eye jerky. There were 4 of us altogether, so we just ended up ordering each type of jerky and shared. For a couple rounds. Haha.
Very cool and hip ambiance. We came here on a Monday night, and there weren’t too many people, as to be expected. We found seats towards the back easily. The lighting was dim, as reflected in my photo, but it added a nice intimate feeling. Bar keeps were friendly and helpful.
All in all, a cool place to grab drinks and hang out with friends, and nom on some tasty jerky. I would definitely come back!
Protip: They only serve jerky here as far as food, so I eventually asked one of bartenders if it was ok to bring in our own, to which he replied yes! We went to Long Bridge Pizza Company, about a block away, got 2 large ‘zas, shared some slices with the good folks at Third Rail, and feasted with our drinks. Sweet!
Protip #2: Staying for a while? Really thirsty? Order a double Rail Shot, aka a Stinky Hobo, for $ 19!

Jerky & whiskey? Heck yeah.
Best combination ever! Very intimate, quiet, bar that offers jerky.
Medium sampler:
Sbc: 4
Mighty:5
Jerk:4
Smoke:5
Red eye:4
Service:4
Our drinks were extremely refreshing and perfect amount in each one.
Glad we stopped by. Must try, this place is rather quiet so be respectful on neighbors and get your jerky on.

Third Rail is a really cool bar in the Dogpatch area. I went here to gather with a brunch of friends to meet up for after-​dinner drinks. We went during the middle of the week so it wasn’t too busy and parking was relatively easy around the area during that time. It’s not a huge bar but there’s plenty of standing room and tables along the walls to place your drinks as well as few chairs near the front entrance.
My drink of choice for the night was the Sloe Ride – (
) with sloe gin, lemon, cappelletti bitter, pineapple, prosecco (served on the rocks). It was listed under one of their Lighter Side drinks so it wasn’t too strong but more on the fruity side. It’s a refreshing drink and was good with to wash down their selection of Jerky and 4505 Chicharones, which if you haven’t had before, I highly recommend you try.
Overall, nice bar to go to for some well crafted drinks if you’re in the Dogpatch.

Quickly becoming my favorite cocktail bar in the city. Cozy atmosphere, trendy vibe, friendly staff. We’ve been here a few times and loved every drink. I prefer lighter tasting drinks (gin/​vodka), so the Pin Up, Sloe Ride, Tally Ho, Harvest Moon, and Tiki Torch were perfect. My boyfriend likes whisky/​bourbon based drinks, so he’s had the American Gothic, Loch Ness, and Third Rail. We tried their jerky once and it was really tasty. What a great combination!

The Good:
+ Stealthy, speakeasy vibe.
+ Jerky so good I got some to-​go.
+ They have chicharrones.
+ Can carry conversation in here without screaming.
The Not So Good:
— Two bartenders on duty means service can get slow if it gets crowded.
Bottom Line: Great unique atmosphere. Who doesn’t love beef jerky?
PROTIP: Mighty Jerky was my favorite. You can get a beer, shot, and jerky combo for $ 10.

Beer, Shot, Jerky combo for a steal of $ 10. Does it really get any better than that?!
I was extremely excited to check this place out. Arrived around midnight on a Friday and was thrilled to find that it wasn’t crowded at all. My cousin, sister, and I were able to snag seats at the bar with no issue. It’s in a bit of a secluded area.
If you go for the $ 10 deal, which you should…
You get to choose from 4 beer options, shot options, and jerky options. You get a good size portion of beer and jerky (shot is standard shot glass). Between me & my sister, we got to try all jerky options and each one was really great! Good flavor & texture with my favorite being the Mighty Meat.
Bartenders were all friendly and helpful. This would definitely be a regular spot for me if I was from the area!

The folks behind Third Rail followed a simple math formula and succeeded:
Jerky + whiskey = genius
How often do we crave for salty little snacks when drinking booze? It’s a no brainer! Price ranges from $ 11-​$ 17 when you get the whiskey of your choice (Eagle Rare, Templeton, Laphroiag 10) plus 1 ounce of house made jerky.
I came from a whiskey tasting prior to Third Rail so I wanted a different cocktail: the Evil Twin with Mezcal, aperol, lemon & grapefruit juices and habanero bitters hit the spot.
I like the train station inspired décor here. And aside from the memorable cocktail menu, the kettle cooked 4505 chicharonnes will change your life.
At Third Rail, there’s so much win but so little time!

Just starting to explore cocktail bars in SF, but this place may be my go-​to!
Came here on a friday night around 11pm and it was pretty full and loud, but still some seating available. Didn’t take much time to get a seat at the bar and the attention of our bartender.
Well-​made drinks and a good selection. Loved that they split the menu into tastes/​flavor. I zoomed in on the citrus and chose the Tally Ho. Nice and crisp with a smooth sweetness, that wasn’t syrupy.
Crowd started to thin out around 12 as people started giddily running out, when their lyfts arrived. Or when they had lost their voices from yelling and could no longer communicate.
We didn’t get to try the jerky this time, but will definitely be back to try more of the drinks and jerky!

I’ve recently admitted to having a Mezcal obsession. I really like the smokey texture and the after taste. I’d thought I’d give this low key, hidden gem place a try.
Third Rail has incredible selections of well made drinks, from cocktails to beers to tasty whiskey and jerky pairings. COUNT ME IN!!!
A glass of Racer 5 beer, a shot of Mezcal, and mighty meat jerky, why not!!!
Can’t forget my Fireside Sour cocktails (which of course, had Mezcal too!).
As good as it gets, $ 10 for cocktails. Reasonably priced.
I hope you give this place a whirl. Great service and great vibe. Cheers!
The simple things in life.

After attending a birthday party nearby, Peter L and I decided to continue the festivities. Or get a nightcap as he likes to call it. We arrived around 11:45pm on Saturday, April 11^th. The bar was busy, but not so much that we couldn’t find a couple of seats at the bar. Seeing the jerky pairings, I just had to try one! We ordered:
*Mosswood +Red eye ($ 12)
*Belvenie 14 +Jerk jerky ($ 17)
I got the Belvenie and Jerk jerky. The jerky had a nice fattiness to it, which went well with the 14 year. I tried Peter’s pairing, but his jerky was leaner, so I found it tough after eating my jerky.
We ordered more cocktails and snacks which I vaguely remember. I guess that’s what happens when you’re having too much fun?
*Third rail: bourbon, lillet, honey, lemon, orange bitters ($ 11)
*Bone machine: bourbon, oloroso sherry, amaro, bitters ($ 11)
*Chicharrones ($ 4 per bag)
*Sticks ($ 3.50 each)
I’d come back for the whisky and jerky pairings as they were delicious! How can I say no to quenching my thirst while satisfying my hunger?!

This place is similar to my favorite drinking spots (lounges and speakeasies) but without the excessive noise and crowds. Sometimes you want to drink and not have to yell? Another difference is the variety of beef jerky they have with drink-​pairings. Not used to it but it works!
They serve good, strong cocktails (recommend the Bone Crusher or any bourbon-​based cocktails). There are mostly brown-​color liquors if you prefer it straight (looks like they carry good top-​shelf bourbon and whiskies too). However, their menu also covers the lighter or sweeter cocktails and beers.
All the above against a background music mix (from the ‘60s to ‘00s) and you can’t go wrong starting or ending the night here. Yes, the place is now in my rotation.

As one of many stops on a barhopping adventure through dogpatch recently, we ended the night at Third Rail to grab some drinks before calling it a night. The various bars in the area are really starting to grow on me with each having its own theme and appeal.
Third rail’s gimmick is that it pairs all of its drinks with various types of beef jerky. I believe they even have a special combo in which you can choose one type of beer, one type of shot and one type of jerky all for $ 10. Each jerky comes with a very detailed description of its flavors and from this you can gather what it would pair best with.
Overall, I really enjoyed this place and I would definitely come back because it is just so unique. I don’t even know of anyone else that does something like this so I’m going to go ahead and say that if you’re craving jerky and drinks together, this is «as good as it gets.»