The Little Shamrock

11/11/2015

This was stop number two for the Sunset Pub Crawl on the ClueKeeper app. The bar has plenty of comfortable chairs and couches-- a real "living room" feel. It's full of history as well as local charm and cheap beer.

My group would have stayed here all night, except that we were doing a pub crawl and had more puzzles to solve! I'll have to come back again for the full experience.

11/29/2015

About the place: Cool spot, definitely chill...most people will echo that. Inside the lamps look like TGI Fridays and there's a bar plus round tables and chairs. There is also a sofa where the bar tenders dog chills. Dart boards in the back room and decor is eclectic.

About the price: CASH ONLY. $3 PBR on draft Sunday's. Not sure about other things but likely the same-ish.

About the food: Doesn't serve food.

9/30/2015

Great place to hang out!
There's four televisions, boardgames, and dart boards in the back.

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  7 wonders!

  7 wonders!

10/31/2014

Little Shamrock and I, we've got a good thing going.

Yes, the place has a bit of a musty smell (with the occasional whiff of reefer sprinkled in).  And no, the seats and tables don't feel the cleanest (tip: ditch the cloth, fabric seats for some plain old wooden chairs).  However, despite being not nearly as popular as nearby Blackthorn and Yancey's (possibly/probably for the aforementioned reasons), Little Shamrock offers nearly just as much.

The area by the bar has a half dozen or so TV's and tables (including a couple of backgammon tables), as well as a collection of board games you can grab and play.  In addition, there's a little "lounge" area by the bathrooms (it feels like someone's basement) and a back room with a couple of dartboards, some additional tables, a small TV, and an ATM.

Still not all THAT impressive?  You're right, it's not.  The bartender is really nice though.  Oh, and pints of beer are just $4.  Yeah, that's right...$4!  Even if you were to say that's the only good thing about the place, it still was enough to get me to come back a second time.

Of course, it didn't hurt much that the Giants won the two World Series games over the weekend that my buddy and I came here to watch.  Nope.  NOT. AT. ALL.

THREE AND A HALF STARS rounded up for fairly obvious, championship winning reasons. #OrangeOctober

CASH ONLY.

12/14/2014

Came here on a Sunday after the museums in Golden Gate park. I just wanted a place to relax with a pint and charge my batteries (literally and figuratively), and this place was perfect! Cozy, kind of cheesy Irish decor with dirt cheap pints ... What else could you want?

Only qualm is that it is cash only

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  View from a comfy couch towards the door

  View from a comfy couch towards the door

1/6/2015

So great to be able to drink in a place that is over 120 years old.

The hot toddy was great after a long day of walking San Fran.

Love the vibe here.

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  Hot Toddy

  Hot Toddy

1/8/2016

Love this place, it's perfect for playing games with friends. Cozy old fashioned furniture. One night there was chill live music with a bassoon. They've got backgammon tables, tiffany style lamps, cheap drinks, and allow food carry-ins. Perfect spot for hanging out or cards.

10/29/2014

The ladies dominating on a game 7 World Series win!!!

It's a man's World Series, but these ladies bring the heat every night.  Woot woot!

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  The ladies, The ladies...

  The ladies, The ladies...

10/4/2015

Cheap beer and super chill atmosphere. Only thing that would make this place better is them accepting cards.

6/6/2015

So cool to learn that this place is real and not the fictional bar in the John Lescroart novels! Next time I'm in town, I'll definitely check it out.

11/30/2014

Cash only! Fortunately there's an ATM right outside but avoid the $3.50 fee if you can. Cool place to grab some drinks, talk, and play games. I had an easy time hearing the people I was talking with despite the place being pretty packed.

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  Is this how you play backgammon?

  Is this how you play backgammon?

7/2/2015

Crowded dive bar, cash only. Wish they had a more upscale beer selection, but service was quick and the beer was decent.

6/1/2015

Perfect place to hang out with friends - couches, tables, multiple bathrooms, very good prices. The works!

12/2/2013

Since moving from London, I'm always on the hunt for a good pub. Not the fancy type that will sell you fish and chips for $25 or call itself a pub simply because they sell some beer. A real pub. No fuss, carpet smelling of good beer, carry more than Budweiser (yuck) kinda place. That being said, Shamrock is just the spot.

Excellent beer selection, chill attitude, old leather-bound chairs, Tiffany lamps, backgammon tables, and darts. That, plus a delicious Irish coffee with the real cream, and good company, what else could a girl want on a Monday night?!

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  Good times at the Shamrock

  Good times at the Shamrock

4/26/2015

Was ignored at the bar for at least ten minutes while the bartender chatted with friends and served people who came up after me. Had a guy friend order for me and he was served in less than two minutes. Not sure what that's about but since I apparently can't get what I'm there for I will not be returning.

8/23/2012

My buddy just moved back to town from grad school and it's always fun talking shop over a beer. The Little Shamrock proved to be a great place to do it in. This bar is over 100 years old and still standing even after a handful of big quakes.

I ordered a more modern snakebite, which was loaded up with a slight cider bias, just the way I like it. There's plenty of seats available and the bartender is responsive when you place your order. Prices are super great too, and I think everything was about $5, but it might have been happy hour.

The location is right at the foot at the park so it's convenient as a stop in between museum shows. A great place to have a conversation during the afternoon, I bet it's just as great or boozing with big groups in the evenings.

Food: 7/10

Service: 7/10

Price: $

Atmosphere: 7/10

6/24/2013

Come here all the time as I live in the neighborhood.  That being said, it's hard for it to really ever feel like a locals/regular bar due to all the tourist traffic it gets from the park and its status as the 2nd oldest bar in San Francisco.  $2 PBR draft at happy hour, nice folks behind the bar, darts in the back room, and comfortable seating.  One thing of note though, there's a sign in front of one of the barstools towards the back of the bar labeled "Val's Seat".  Val's a great guy and a long time regular, so unless you want to be viewed as a jerk/amateur, don't try to sit there.  Oh, and like most decent bars in San Francisco, it's cash only.

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  No Internet jukebox here! (That's a good thing)

  No Internet jukebox here! (That's a good thing)
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12/23/2014

Charming looking bar. Unhappy bartender who couldn't remember our round of drinks even though the bar was slow. It stank inside. Kind of a septic smell mixed with stale beer and vomit. Expensive drinks!

2/8/2013

I came here last night with a few friends... a Thursday night. There was not much going on, and this place was not very full at all. We ordered a pitcher of Boddingtons and a greyhound for the lady, then went to the game area.

There are like no complete games left in the stack. The deck of ginormous cards was complete. Then we did what no other person should ever do... play "chatter matters". Opening up chatter matters, the instructions are vague and there are more cards than you know what to do with. I think some of the cards don't belong. Anyway, we played this game and needed to drink a lot to get this going. This game is barely playable, but I guess you can try with some close friends who you might consider family...

The bathroom is long, but fairly clean.

Beer varies from 3-5 dollars a pint. PBR being the only 3 dollar one I think. Fairly inexpensive. I'm not sure when their happy hours are.

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POPCORN:
okay guys, on the yelp app, you'll see that in the tips section, popcorn is mentioned in like 19 (maybe 20) reviews, now that I mentioned it:

THEY DON'T SERVE COMPLEMENTARY POPCORN! but let me repeat that one more time... they DONT serve complementary popcorn.

They sell chips and nuts or something. but as for popcorn, they used to serve it like 3 years ago.
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Overall, it's alright, chill bartenders, cheap alcohol, lots of room to hang out. I'll probably stop in once in a while.

12/30/2013

If you're not in the mood to have your heart melted, poured over a hot griddle and baked into a golden Belgian waffle of life (FULL GLUTEN) doused in whipped cream, quit reading and go take a walk down Cynics Lane. No judgment, I stroll there on occasion. I just wanted to warn you.

This is a love story.

Love at first sight is such a lofty (and maybe unreasonable) sensation to claim, but I never promised to be afoot nor bristling with reasonability. The second I stood at the threshold and was swept up in the intangible bear hug of The Little Shamrock, I batted my eyes and fell swiftly in love before one syllable was uttered.

Some people in San Francisco like a scene and to be seen. Contrary to popular lore, I will ALWAYS prefer to be teleported to a bar that is either 1. a pro-level dive or 2. akin to a living room. The Little Shamrock is the most idyllic interpretation of the latter.

When the suffocating nerd-douche vibe of SF has worn me down and I cannot bear to listen to another pseudo-CEO/COO/CFO smugly regale me with his latest grand shitty venture into tech, I hide out in a place that feels more like home. This bar is the epitome of that warm, sweetly intoxicated experience, nearly dizzying in all it's unfussy cozy genuineness.

The first time one of my pals stepped inside The Little Shamrock, she mused, "I love it so much I want to move in." I couldn't agree more. I'd go every day if that little four-leaf clover wasn't going to lovingly destroy my liver.

If you're looking for my heart, it's tucked behind a bottle of whiskey inside a dreamy Little Shamrock on Lincoln Way.