Picture this: you just finished a hard week at work, or a major midterm or final exam, and you want to meet others from your class to celebrate close to campus -- where do you go?
Here are a few places that might suit your needs.
While it may be the closest bar and grill to SF State, one might encounter problems with the service. During a recent Monday Night Football game (Niners vs. Packers), the waitress told my party that she could no longer serve us after the first quarter -- and then demanded an extra 15 percent gratuity upon the completion of the game, due to the mammoth size of our group (six people).
These events took place after the same employee had reserved all of the large tables in the bar for groups of people that never materialized. Despite the bad taste left by one waitress, the rest of the staff was great. The Boathouse does offer more than 25 beers on tap, with prices ranging from $7 to $11 for a pitcher.
One thing is for sure: you can see almost any sporting event on one of almost a dozen televisions throughout the bar and restaurant. Their game room offers four pool tables ($1 per game), an air hockey table, a basketball free throw game, a pinball machine and a jukebox stocked mostly with typical bar rock 'n' roll.
Smoking is only allowed in the bar and the large back room, which is usually closed unless it's rented out by a large party, or there is a big sporting event on television. Patrons who would like to smoke while playing pool are out of luck, as they are forced out the front door on to the porch to enjoy their nicotine.
The Boathouse is located at 1 Harding Drive, just off John Muir Drive. There is plenty of parking, but no public transportation to speak of. For the adventuresome, it is within walking distance to SF State and Westlake.
A side room, which houses three dart boards, doubles as a dance floor on Saturday nights when patrons are encouraged (literally pulled out of the audience) to dance to the reggae sounds of "George and the Wonders". During the rest of the week, the jukebox supplies plenty of classic and modern rock, blues, Motown, and even Frank Sinatra albums for your listening pleasure.
Important sporting events can be viewed on the large screen television, which dominates the back of the bar, or any of the two smaller TVs behind the bar. Smoking, including pipes and cigars, is permitted throughout the establishment, but the ceiling fans often have the tendency to blow the smoke back on the smokers and their friends. The front windows are usually left open, allowing patrons to view the people walking on Irving Street.
Drink prices are moderate ($3.50 for a beer), but the price is worth it for the atmosphere. Yancy's is located at 734 Irving Street (between 8th and 9th Avenues), and is near the N-Muni line.
According to Doherty's owner Tim Carmody, Herb Caen wrote that he wanted to check out "The No Mercy Saloon," but changed his mind upon further consideration of the title.
Not as large as Yancy's or The Boathouse, this bar has more character than the other two combined. Doherty's seems to believe in old-time values as they offer a free lunch on the weekends and have affordable drinks ($2.25 for a domestic beer pint or a generous Scotch on the rocks). They offer four beers on tap and a dozen more bottled.
With the bartenders making drinks like "Purple Hooter," "Oatmeal Cookie" and "Kahluaccino," Doherty's drink selection is a little more colorful than many other bars in the Sunset.
The rear of the bar is dominated by a single pool table (only 50 cents per game), with other diversions including a pinball machine and a computerized trivia game. The jukebox ranks as one of the best in The City, with selections ranging from Motown, classic rock, modern rock, R&B and Irish drinking songs. Sporting and news events are offered through one of three televisions in the bar. Smoking anything legal is allowed throughout Doherty's.
Doherty's also fields a pool team, which plays in the Sunset Pool League and a softball team. Also, two times a year, they take an "all you can drink" tour of the Anchor Steam Brewery, with the next tour coming in December.
Doherty's is located on Noriega, between 21st and 22nd Avenues, in the heart of the Sunset.
[ Golden Gater - November 7, 1996 ]
All Rights Reserved © 1996 HTML by Steve Thoemke (sthoemke@nermal.santarosa.edu)