Places >
United States > California > San Francisco
 WiFi 
 Children
Patio
|
Seasonals
Real Ales
Proper Glassware
|
Growlers
Singles
|
|
|
Beer Available At Toronado (arranged by most recent)
Dogfish Head Tweason’Ale 52, Oakland CME IPA , Schneider Weisse Tap X Mein Nelson Sauvin 97, Russian River Porter 98, Southern Pacific Wit , Drakes Jack N Jolly , Triple Rock Black Amethyst , Russian River Pliny the Elder 100, Widmer Brothers Reserve Galaxy Hopped Barleywine 94, Iron Springs Edwin’s Winter Scotch Ale , Verhaeghe Echte Kriekenbier 91, Lost Abbey Cable Car (2007-2010) 100, High Water Hop Riot IPA 94, Sierra Nevada Ruthless Rye IPA 98, Kern River Winter Ale , Ale Industries East Bay IPA , Moonlight Reality Czeck 96, Moonlight Death and Taxes Black 96, High Water Baltic Porter Bourbon Barrel 93, Moonlight Bombay by Boat IPA 92
 More Beers Available Here
 Sign in to edit availabile beers
 Print out shelftags | customize print list
|
 Sign in to add beers to this location
| DonSimonsi (10), , | | February 11, 2012
You have to prepare yourself before a visit to this bar. The staff seem to have their very own idea about service but don’t let that get you down as the beer is usually great and good value. Loud punk and good beer does it for me! | | aj1451 (12), Vancouver, British Columbia | | February 10, 2012
Great Beer Bar!! If I can get a dubel for 4 bucks, and eat my gyro from the kabab shop next door inside. That’s great. It was busy, lively, the service was quick at the bar. and the day I went it was only bar service. An amazing selection of all styles and price points. I will be back the next time I am in SF. Awesome. | | ApisAles (35), Greenbelt, Maryland | | January 24, 2012
Made the mistake of stopping here on a recent business trip so I could see this place for myself. I live near DC and travel to DC and Baltimore all the time so I’m no stranger to city driving, but 45 minutes of circling looking for a parking spot was making me angry. I will grant that it’s my fault I went during the 49ers/Giants game but still. A piss drunk bum checked my ID at the door and made assessments of every woman under 25 who walked in and out of the door as to her "Do-ability." I made one attempt to get to the bar and order something and was overlooked every single time. I will totally grant that it was not the best circumstances to visit a bar, but seriously? I might give it another go, but probably not. | | msante79 (227), Mount Prospect, Illinois | | January 21, 2012
Stopped here twice on our 4 day trip to the bay area. Straight dive bar on Haight. Place is loaded with breweriana and just plain cool ship. Place is a true iconic craft beer bar with what I thought was pretty solid service and perfect for the bar. Very nice draft selection and they had bottles of Cable Car which were not on the bottle list, but a very generous BA gave me a taste of his bottle. Every patron I met was cool and there was no douche pretentiousness you find at some craft beer bar. They don’t offer food but there is no need with Rosamunde next door. Extra points for awesome juke box too. | | BOLTZ7555 (42), Phoenix, Arizona | | January 1, 2012
If you are looking for some unique offerings from an iconic location, this is without a doubt your spot. Picked a bottle of FW 10 years after the release at $35. Bartenders are distant and dismissive but do know their beer. A line builds before they open and it’s packed nightly. Grungy, a bit dirty and dusty, lots of "character". Still, a must go-to spot in the bay area. | HomeBrew_Man (1), San Francisco, California
does not count - explanation | | December 28, 2011
It’s the Toronado, you take it for what it is.Personally, I like most of the staff, I don’t bother going when I know it’s going to be crowded, I like the tap prices, especially happy hour... but the beer selection is just not that great. Good, sometimes very good, and it’s nice that you can count on some RR being there, but you don’t go there to be amazed by something you haven’t had before. Pretty much always the same stuff on, imports are usual suspects, but it’s a good spot for Cali beer. It’s an institution and that’s just the way it is. | | badlizard (107), San Diego, California | | December 28, 2011
This is without a doubt my least favorite place to drink in the city. It’s small, dark, loud, crowded, and fucking dirty. The smell of this place is horrible. I feel like I’m drinking in a port-o-john every time I go in. It’s cash only and pay as you go. They don’t serve food, which is probably a plus given the level of sanitation. They have a great selection of beers, but there are plenty of places in the bay area that do as well without having to smell Toronado. Thumbs down. | | DaSilky1 (66), San Diego, California | | November 15, 2011
I’ve been here several times but apparently never threw down a rating...probably because all the other times it was just so way the hell over crowded and a complete clusterfuck I don’t think I ever even stayed for more than half a beer before.
My last visit, however, was on a pretty tame Sunday evening...tame enough to grab a couple seats at the bar and have the bartender talk to me more than pour other people beers...so under these circumstances, I really dug the place.
For starters, the selection is very nice, the draft list was decent but didn’t really have anything I was in the mood for but the bottle list, which I immediately found bottles of frambois for a cure and 08 bourbon county stout for exceptionally reasonable prices, was exactly what I was looking for at that very moment.
The bartender was nice, the vibe was chill, and I thouroughly enjoyed myself. Then again, I bet Sunday nights are probably the only time I would ever really enjoy myself here...god I hate people. | MasterSki (6), Chicago, Illinois
does not count - explanation | | November 9, 2011
Atmosphere - It’s dive-bar chic. This place ain’t gonna win any beauty pageants, and the washrooms are used at one’s one risk. That being said, it’s full of a ridiculous amount of breweriana, an inexpensive jukebox full of good tunes, retro cash registers (that don’t go past $99), and an old-school board listing the brews on tap. Seating consists of the bar, a few four-person tables along the wall, and a small room near the back with a few tables.
Quality - There aren’t too many bad brews to be found on the tap or bottle list. No discernible off-flavors from the tap lines, bottles are cellared appropriately, etc. This is about the last place you’d be worried about the staff mistreating your brew.
Service - Wow! I know that sometimes these guys get a bad rap, but if you’re a serious beer-lover they will treat you right. Basically they have license to be assholes back to customers who are assholes. I don’t think I ever had to wait more than a few minutes to get a drink, even during the insanity of the 22nd Anniversary Party. The staff was always happy to pour samples and answer questions.
Selection - Putting aside the utter ridiculousness of quadruple-fisting Humulus Lager, Cable Car, Abacus, and Nelson, this bar has a seriously awesome selection 7 days a week. There are session beers galore (Moonlight lagers, RR Blind Pig), local stuff I’ve never heard of like Marin Star Brew, old favorites like Pliny the Elder, oddball offerings like Mortification, plenty of solid Belgian and German brews, etc., etc. The selection is well thought out, with a plethora of styles and options. The bottle list is up-to-date, with harder to find offerings like Hommage and Sang Royal. I don’t think any single worthy brew available to them sneaks by - you can pretty much count on it showing up at some point.
Value - Compared to Chicago the tap prices are ridiculous. $4 for Death & Taxes ($3 during happy hour or on Saturdays)!? Cable Car was the priciest at $5. The bottle list doesn’t show the same punishing markup that other SF bars do - things were about 50% more than store price. Glasses are always filled to the brim - no short pours here. | | arkurzynski (56), West Bend, Wisconsin | | November 1, 2011
Nondescript outside, but love the feel inside. Old-school neighborhood bar feel. Great West coast and beyond tap list. Extensive bottle list. Bartender was ultra-friendly and accommodating. Very willing to talk beer. Local patrons make you feel at home. Prices are a bit higher - but again...quality and selection. |
|
|
|
Checked In
 mtjoseph  BMan1113VR  SFtaster
View Proximity Map
Print Travel Map
Scene
Small, urban, garage theme
Staff
toss-up: knowledgeable, friendly, oddball, rude
Parking
If you’re lucky. Take Muni 7, 71, or 6.
|
76%
