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    Cinnabar

    4.0 (48 reviews)
    InexpensiveDive Bars
    Closed 3:00 pm - 2:00 am (Next day)

    Cinnabar Photos

    CINNABAR ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Moderate noise
    Juke Box
    Divey
    Classy

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    Let's just play only one type of music all night In 5 songs they repeat a group and a song.  Ugh.
    Douglas A.

    The bartenders are friendly, but they have been out of Jack Daniels for over a week. I substituted a cheaper whiskey and was charged the same price, and the next shot I was served a different one and charged a lot more. Tonight was fairly dead there, but someone took over the jukebox and played their songs as priority, so for over an hour it's been only Spanish music. Won't waste my money there again soon. I've been there 10 times in the last month according to an app that tracks that.

    Bartender reaction after I said Tom Brady is not hott
    Joe M.

    Was in the area to see a show. The area itself has seen better days but this bar is not to be passed up. Definitely added this bar to my list of go to dives in SF. Asked for proof of vax when I rolled in, which is fine, i am fully vaxed up baby. Plenty of TVs for sports watching. Very nice for viewing ya crudy football team haha. Bar is nice and long so plenty of seats available. The bartender is a hilarious sweet lady. I almost collapsed when she mentioned Tom Brady being attractive. Why?! Haha. She even showed off a lil bit of her spanish. Drinks are nice and strong. Bathroom is what ya expect. Dive in the rough worth checking and catching a game on the tube

    Monica O.

    Was in the area and needed to kill some time before heading to our next destination, so we popped into Cinnabar. We were greeted right away by the bartender, who was a very sweet girl. It was happy hour and the drinks were cheap, I ordered a vodka and 7up with a cherry, somewhat version of a dirty Shirley, and this drink was super strong. Chatted up with some folks in the bar and before we knew it, it was time to make our way to our next stop. So if you're looking for cheap strong drinks and friendly service, give Cinnabar a try!

    Mike W.

    You can run a dive bar without eye-candy bartenders, a swanky backdrop, top-shelf hooch, or beer on tap. A bad location or a grungy interior is also forgivable if the place is known for kitchy decor with a sense of history or an amusing array of oddball clients. But if a bar is in a bad location, has icy bartenders, lacks any kind of creative decor, and hosts insular and unfriendly clients, how the hell can it stay in business? Halfway into my first round at Cinnabar, I found myself repeatedly pondering this question. Cinnabar is big for a Tenderloin drinking establishment. Rectangular and far longer than it is wide, it has an excess of square footage that most South-of-Market dance clubs would give their eye teeth for. Two TV's service the bar while one stands guard over an interesting area with a large table and opposed-couch style seating. The Giants were playing the Rockies that night, but both TV's shunned baseball in favor of the latest vapidness from "American Idol". Decor is sparse and absolutely devoid of soul. Every bit of it was mass-produced advertising decor from major breweries. Only an SF Giants wall-mirror broke with an otherwise consistently bland decorating scheme. The bartender had a coldly transactional demeanor similar to that of an IRS auditor, and the music was straight out of my worst junior high bell-bottom-jeans nightmares. After back-to-back selections from the Bee Gee's, ABBA, and KC's Sunshine Band, I managed to tune the whole thing out much like one would a repetitive squeak from an aging sedan. Three clients at the point of the bar engaged in lively banter, but they left not long after my arrival. The remaining clientele were about as talkative as fire hydrants. An older man to the left of me was good for an occasional single sentence reply, and all I could get out of a Korean man to my right was brief eye contact and a single grunt. I glanced down the bar to see four other lounge-lizards that were equidistantly spaced about two stools apart. All of them seemed perfectly content sitting in total isolation while staring blankly into space. Cinnabar's only saving grace was a decent selection of beer in bottles, a rarity this deep in the Tenderloin. Their liquor selection looked OK, but drink specials called "Turbo Charge" and "Fire Blaster" looked like something out of a bygone Godzilla flick. I didn't even want to know what was in them. The bottom of a Sierra Nevada Pale ale left little reason to stick around. I walked out the door just as the jukebox started belting out ABBA's "Knowing Me Knowing You". Ick. I visit some pretty seedy places, and seldom does a bar leave me fruitless in my search for just one scrap of charm or character. Cinnabar is a rare exception. If you're on a dive-bar exploration through the Tenderloin, just leave this one alone. 5-20-06 Update: This place is being gutted from top to bottom. Capenters are doing a complete re-model. Probably won't be open for awhile.

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    14 years ago

    Not really a dive bar at all. Huge empty, cool. Bottled beer. Skimpy liquor selection. Perfect!

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    13 years ago

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    Page 2 of 2

    Ask the Community - Cinnabar

    Review Highlights - Cinnabar

    I usually make it out to this place once a month, and it's a great divey little place.

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    Li Po Cocktail Lounge

    Li Po Cocktail Lounge

    4.0
    (849 reviews)
    0.8 mi
    $$

    Popped in to try their famous Chinese Mai Tai, and this place was packed. I could barely squeeze my…read moreway through the crowd to get to the bar, but eventually made it. Despite how busy it was, the two bartenders were super fast and attentive to everyone waiting to order. Our Mai Tais came in paper cups, which was totally fine given the crowd. The drink itself was dangerously easy to sip but definitely strong. My only complaint is that there isn't a ton of actual drink in the cup--by the end, about a third of it is just ice and pulp. Easiest fix? Always grab two. LOL. Fun spot overall! I'd come back with friends, but probably on a weekday.

    So after our meal down the street at Hong Kong Clay Pot, Ryan & Nicole just had to lubricate…read moreourselves at LI PO before waddling off to Club Fugazi for the Dear SF circus show. The story at Li PO was that the last time they were there, the woman barkeep told Ryan he couldn't order his beer or pick their seats & made Nicole & Ryan get wreaked guzzling their signature booze bombs the Chinese Mai Tai!! I was warned to be ready to have my choice of liquor ignored! They both were presented with the required youth beverage, the dangerous delicious Mai Tai. Almost everyone else in the joint was sipping them too thru straws. I, being 79 & as it should be (having survived long enough), my old man Chinese cultural status of respected senior allowed me to drink what I wanted...a perfect shot of Fernet Branca digestivo (a very popular libation in both SF..given the Italian presence in No Beach...as is the same in Argentina at Estancia Ranquilco then off we waddle to the Club!

    Photos
    Front
    Front
    The entrance
    The entrance
    Entrance

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    Entrance

    Cinnabar - divebars - Updated July 2026

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