Found this Mexican dive bar while on a random side quest in SF. We were on way back to the car and we heard music so loud and inviting we had to stop in. Once inside, we got a drink and immediately noticed a woman selling homemade tamales out of a cooler. Kinda sus, but we tried them anyways. The vibes were fun, lively and totally unexpected. We ended up staying for a few drinks and some amazing tamales. Trebol Bar ended up being one of the most fun, spontaneous experiences ever. Definitely worth wandering in if you're nearby. 10/10. read more

Paid $12 for a coke, unacceptable! We watched the FIFA World cup there and they overcharged.

I went to this place to watch FIFA games. During the same week, I was charged three different prices for the exact same drink. The first time it was $9, the second time it was $6, and yesterday I was charged $12. Unfortunately, I paid in cash each time, so I don't have the receipts to prove it. I wish they would treat their customers fairly instead of taking advantage of them read more

Love el Trebol. Beer's are ice cold and service is super fast. The waitresses are all very nice. Genuine Latino America bar con meseras.

El Trebol was my favorite restaurant, It was on 24th across from Bart station. He cooked. She served with a glamorous and tender smile. The food was delicious. We miss you. read more

This may just be the ONLY BAR in the Mission that hasn't been invaded by hipsters and techies. As a matter of fact, me and the boys stumbled in here after some Urban Putting and we were instantly transported to Tijuana. We were literally the only ones who spoke English up in here. This is a working man's bar. What you wanna order here is their made to order MICHELADA. Basically a beer cocktail with clamato and spices. You have your choice of beer but to do it legit, get it with a negra modelo. I think it was around $6 each? The waitress does everything tableside. My crew didn't fit in at first but by the 3rd michelada and 4th game of pool, all our heads were bobbin to that bass from the tuba from that Banda music playing. I mean afterall, Filipinos are a lighter shade of brown. I've been to my share of Mexican dive bars and this one is probably the most legit. (http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/el-trebol-bar-no-3-san-francisco?select=P4sCYTV69LeMF80ig2EhUw#P4sCYTV69LeMF80ig2EhUw) read more

El Trebol Bar No 3 - Micheladas with my boys. - Dive Bars Near Me - San Francisco, California

Yikes! The only place I've ever been to where I've received a full pat-down for weapons. Once inside, I was the only Gringo in the place. Three guys started giving me the stink-eye, and the scene at the pool table looked like it could've erupted into a mele at any moment. Bar fights are usually preceded by something of a subtle five-minute warning. In this instance the clock was ticking. Hard stares followed me out of the door as I left with three-minutes to spare. El Trebol? Try "El Trouble". Trouble indeed...not recommended for white-boys who want to avoid it or can't *habla-espanol* their way out of it. read more

El Trebol Bar No 3 - a white car parked in front of a building - Dive Bars Near Me - San Francisco, California

please bring one of your friends that speaks spanish if not even a little spanish it will help you immensely. Upon entering slight odd stares from several of the patrons and staff haha, might be because we are the only pacific islanders in the whole bar hahhaha. Ordered michada im probably spelling it wrong, but it consist of modelo, clamato, and something else, in a large glass with salt all around the rim, reminds me of a bloody mary minus the pepper, the clamato mixed with the modelo in an ice cold salted glass was delicious even more so was the presentation of the drink and how it was prepared =) Michada in hand with some pool and trumpets in the background blasting hell yes this is a place to kick it with some of your friends. The odd stares became less noticeable after few drinks, became more smiles then anything else. oddly there was a security guard in the back of the towards the end where there were a few gambling coin up machines, world cup 2014 up on all screens, to play pool is $1 in quarters, no time limit no one is dancing, but the bartenders are all smiles and very helpful even though they don't speak english. don't go alone bring a friend maybe 2 or more drinks **** michada personalized at your table =) service **** very helpful, again bring a person that speaks spanish price $$ ambiance *** loud, beers on tap, several tv's, you literally have to be ear shy close to hear anything read more

El Trebol wins the prize for the best bar I will never enter again. This is one of those rare honest to God dives where I feared for my safety as I passed the threshold. They have a security guard, who is not afraid to frisk people if needed, stationed at the door whenever the bar is open for business, which is a very clear indicator that I could not pass up the opportunity to have a beer or two here, seeing as I love a little danger with my Corona. You don't have to drink Corona. They have many Mexican beers to choose from, and you can purchase them in bucket quantity. A lovely young Latina lady will even come around and open them for you as you move from one beer to the next. If you are not Latino you will undoubtedly get stares as you enter. This is a Latino working mans bar, plain and simple. If you do not belong to this group of people it will be glaringly obvious and somewhat uncomfortable when you walk in. If you are female I challenge you to find another woman in the place outside of the ones serving the drinks. These women, despite some suggestions otherwise, are a look, don't touch addition to the atmosphere and most are working hard and sending money to their families back home. If any of the men try to touch Mr Security will open a can of whoop ass on them and Senor Policia will come cart them off, which for some means back to another country, so they tend to follow this rule. You will have the opportunity to be hustled at pool if you choose to play on one of the two tables here, and more likely than not you can find someone at the bar willing to talk to the Gringos and buy them a beer or two for not running out of the place as fast at the nasty looks from most of the clientele can carry them. I do recommend the bar because you will also be served up some Jicima topped with lime, salt and hot sauce....yum! I learned that the international sign for "I am one of a few that is okay with you being here" is beer, and me and my male companion had many bought for us. I also learned that the international sign for "I am a hooker" is to come into a place like this without a male companion. I have not done that, thank God. So, this is not a place for ladies, except the ones working behind the counter. But, depending on the day, they may humor a Gringo and his lady companion as they explain the ins and outs of this place. Much respect to Miguel, who is my favorite regular at this place. I may see him again, walking down the street, but the best way I can repay his generosity and hospitality is to leave him his watering hole to be enjoyed with his amigos. read more

There was a waitress name Cristina , waitressing there last year, 2020 ; that was my husband's first year working in SF, ; my husband started changing on me so I started investigating him; I found out he was always at Trebol on 22 St and saw Cristina's phone number on my phone bill a lot so it was not long after that, this year in April 11 is when I saw her picture taken together with my husband Omar brandt they were on my husband's phone and on his extra phone that I didn't know he had. My husband was here in LA on that day April 11 I pick up the phone call while he was here with me extra phone was ringing and I answer it was a women waitress from El Trebol the one in pictures... I spoke to her warm her my husband was lying to her and if she was his insignificant one? " I told her stay away from him or let me know if he bother her so that I could divorce him , but nup she keep dating him behind my back; I found out threw phone bills that she was with my husband she called him so much that my marriage got destroyed : my husband Omar Brandt said he was just a toxic woman who he just entertain for a while m... I text after April this year 2021 on July told her that on June 19 th my husband and I were giving each other a chance and that I wanted to gain his trust abs if she had anything to tell me about him to call me or text me bc I don't share my husband : said it nice and polite but that didn't work she still kept talking to him late after work would go to hotels with her etc so I decided to forward my husband's calls to me and when she called him I answered and she got busted... is a bit late I'm too to divorce my husband can't trust him nor her, she's... read more

This is no place for bougie or wanna-be dive bar patrons...REALLY My friend had a switchblade drawn on him while I was tinkling and he's from Chi-town you know what I'm sayin' ? Let's back away real slow and leave this bar to the patrons who probably did not find it through Yelp. read more

This is a totally sketched out Latin bar in the Mission. My coworkers and I descended upon this place one Friday afternoon, because we were getting a little tired of the Napper Tandy, up the street. The first thing we were met with was a surly bouncer who actually didn't frisk me; although he did give me the silent stare that communicated, with no questions about it, that I was not to make trouble without suffering severe consequences. So mellow was I ... The crowd was, predictably, very Latino. I am convinced the bartenders (all female) are 'working' in other capacities beyond just slanging booze. But, in terms of pouring booze, they are good at it. They were very attentive to our table, replenishing our buckets of Corona when they got low. The pool tables (2) are decent, but packed with dudes on the hustle. One guy was playing one handed ... strange. The juke box is stacked with Latin hits, if you like Los Tigres Del Norte, you're in luck. Men: the bathroom is a trench, with a nice window looking out to the bar. Smile. read more

I'm pretty sure the women who work here are prostitutos, or can be for the right price. They serve cheese pupusas which I'm pretty sure were extra tasty because Lord Corona had me in his brazos. Everyone is friendly, but my Spanish is comparable to that of a 4 year old's, making it very difficult to understand people through the sounds of coronas and norteños. For those who play pool, they play "last pocket" here which means you have to put the eight ball in the pocket where your last ball fell. Not speaking spanish made this very difficult to understand. Needless to say, I lost $10. read more

On a quest to try new places with friends we found this place on the yelp map of bars that were close to the area that we decided to be in for the night. When we walked up it sounded like a mariachi band was live in the bar. We ventured in for a drink and the place was ok. People were polite but it smelled like a men's locker room at the gym. I am almost willing to try a place more than once. So if the opportunity ever presented itself again we will try again. When that time comes I will rereview read more

This place is trouble. Trebol is a clever false cognate, BUT it is a pretty cool place for a little game of pool with the coworkers. It's closer to work than the Napper Tandy, but I get the feeling that they wouldn't let me commandeer the TV to watch 24... so they get no loyalty from me. Good bar if you want a bucket of Corona and a few pool games that will surely test your skill. Bottom Line? -- I wouldn't frequent this joint unless I just got outta the joint. Ignore the bouncer who will frisk most patrons (i must not look to dangerous) he just wants to get to know you as a friend. read more

I walk by the place often enough, but I didn't think I'd ever go inside. Just like one of the other reviewers of this spot, El Trebol has always translated to trouble in my mind. But then Wednesday morning, around 8:30am, I was headed down to the 24th St BART station, and I passed by during the closing minutes of Mexico's last first round World Cup match. So I ducked in and caught the end of the game. It's certainly a good place to watch a soccer game: ~10 TVs, and a very attentive crowd. Esp if Mexico is playing, I imagine. As the other reviewers noted, you'll no doubt stand out if you're a member of our paler nation...but keep it mind for 2010. read more

Ooooof. In some ways coming here is almost a sociological research project. Or maybe more to the point this is one of those ways one might go "looking for trouble". So we had a Memorial Day BBQ sort of thing and during a lull in the afternoon festivities, one of those odd hours during the shift change between the early birds and ones looking to tie one on, our buddy Dennis recommended we go hit the ol' El Trebol. After all, we'd only born witness to the drug dealing, street fights and brandishing of machetes that occurs outside of here on any given night, so why not go inside for a change? It was crazy enough that it might work. After all, it was still sunny around 5pm and we had about nine of us gringos and other non-Latin types that we figured if we ducked in for exactly one beverage it might not be the worst thing. The hilarity ensued as the bouncer (calling him a security guard would be a euphemism; this guy is here to boot some fools out) stared at the parade of us queuing up at the door with disbelief. I got in with little resistance or searching, though I'll thank my Mexican last name for that one and the fact that the lot of us looked like some crappy pro wrestling team just without all the weightlifting, chiseled jaws and steroids. Outside of the pool table near the fron door, the place was populated with odd pockets of far too many Latin dudes gathered around tiny tables. I made a beeline for the bar and figured we should get this over with. En route a gentleman told my Filipina friend "Konichiwa". She smiled accepting the comment as ignorance rather than malice. I bellied up and ordered 4 Negra Modelos. It came to $16 and paying with a $20, the bartender adamantly waved at me that I had forgot my change and she seemed flabbergasted when I told her this was for her. An incredible stench of bleach and testicle sweat wafted in the hot air. I turned to hand beers to my cronies but I could see the ball busting was already in progress. I'm sure maybe some of the dudes here flip coins to see who wins the job but this one was pretty persistent. The ball buster is the one guy here who comes and hassles all the people who look out of place to some unknowable degree of his own satisfaction. Unfortunately he had three of my friends in his grasp, asking them various questions, making awkward conversation that was a mix of Spanish and English. He seemed intent on including me on his "to be hazed" list however he served me up a meat ball, an easy question, and after I was able to reply to him (in Spanish) he promptly left me alone. The few females in our group went to the bathroom and promptly returned, offering that after viewing said lavatory, they decided they could hold it until we were done. I chugged my Modelo, watched soccer and made conversation with my friends , looking around to make sure everything was ok. Was it fun? Yeah, I'll admit it was. Everyone in my group let out in concert "Let's never go there again". I was kinda on the fence. So let's recap. You should come here if: -You have a penchant for $4 bottles of Mexican beer -You have an excellent command of the Spanish language -You enjoy an aroma that is a mix of old booze, bodily fluid and powerful cleaning product -You don't mind feeling like you may be shiv-ed at any given moment read more

Surreal bar on 22nd, especially on Cinco De Mayo. Buckets of beer and a lot of Latin flavor at this bar. Not for the weak at heart. Warning to all men, you will most likely be searched at the door, don't take it personally. Very surreal place, but in a good way. read more

A friend punched me in the arm and exclaimed "That's where most of the Mission gang bangers hang out" when I told him I drank here. Duh, hence the SIX armed security guards. See my previous review. Just watch your back. read more

OMG!!!! Yeah that's right! I said O-M-G!!!!! So after a night on the town on Friday night and getting wasted. I had to drive my best friend back to the city to pick up her car, that's when we decided to have breakfast in the Mission cause quite frankly......they're delish!!!! So after a hearty breakfast we went to our cars when my best friend...............had to pee. And she couldn't hold it ladies and gentlemen. So what did we see across the street from where we were parked? A bar (El Trebol Duh!) opening up at 11:00am. So she said "let's go in there, buy a beer and I'll use the restroom. So there we were.......11:00am having a Corona chatting up the bartenders. They were SUPER nice! Upon walking in they thought I was Filipino and my friend white (we're both Mexican) so they were super surprised when we spoke to them in Spanish. Needless to say we stayed for more that one beer (we're savages!!!) and we had a BLAST!!!! The bartenders kept coming over to talk to us and the manager gave us a few free rounds. You can definitely tell that there are not that many women that frequent the place but all the guys are harmless. Just tell them you have a boyfriend (I don't) and they'll totally respect you and proceed to tell you that they just had to come tell you that you're beautiful (another reason I know then must not have many women there since I of all people was being told that......lol). My best friend and I had a blast just talking to different people and keeping Friday night's party going :o) We will definitely go there again!!! But on a side note I will say that I preferred it in the daytime than in the evening. It gets pretty crowded!!! read more

I've been to EL Trebol before, many years ago, but I was so blisteringly drunk I would have better success retyping the books of Judas then recounting that evening. Now this last time I went to ET I was stone cold sober, which, in hindsight was probably a good idea. The bouncer laughed when he saw me approaching and asked me "If I was in the right bar?" For some reason he still let me in even though he had seen the alcohol I had snuggled deep inside my book bag. Now don't take a lot of what your fellow yelpers are saying at face value. Yes if you are not Latino you will receive a couple of stares when you walk in there. If, like me, you happen to be black with a Latina girlfriend the stares you receive might be a bit more pointed but trust me, that's as far as it's going to go. Do you honestly think someone who is working hard to support his family gives a shit whether or not you step foot inside his neighborhood bar? Or the gang-banger who knows that if he gets arrested again he's on his way back to El Salvador; do you really think he is going to try and stick you up? No, I didn't think so. However this isn't Pacific Heights, so be wary of the borachos with the crossed eyes, or the sharks at the pool table. They will fuck with you. If you have ever been to a Latino country you already know most bars are usually frequented by men, with women acting as waitresses and at times appetizers and dessert. Now can I say with authority this is going on at EL Trebol? I dunno. But the waitresses are hot as a grease fire and the only eyes they give you are the ones you would find in a bedroom. This is a neighborhood bar. Not a dive bar. My girl likes tequila, I like whiskey, our tab for two hours of drinking was 80$. Only come here if you are up for something different and are comfortable in your own skin. Speaking Spanish is helpful, but if you are a gringa you will more than likely have at the least five marriage proposals by the end of the evening. If you are a gringo, forget it, they already know what your story is. If you happen to be Asian, black, or any variation of such, just make sure you play the race card and you'll be fine. Order your beers by the bucket and tip the waitresses generously. And be kind to the woman selling flowers, she's hustling too. If you happen to get to tipsy before the night ends and need something to soak up your drunken ambitions don't fret, El Trebol sells small plates of chips and salsa too. read more

I was walking home from school one day, after having had a couple beers with friends, and a happy seeming man standing outside El Trebol invited me in for a game of pool. Normally I wouldn't go in there because I know I don't fit in... but I was in a happy buzzed state, and i love pool, so i figured, why not? After I finished my game, some people started talking to me, kind of distracting me as my pool partner left swiftly (odd, I thought). I left the bar after chatting, and I realized my computer and cash was missing from my bag... Yes - I was naive and I have no one to blame but myself, and this could happen anywhere.... but what disturbed me is that it seemed like more than one person was in on it, and it felt like a well planned and organized operation. But maybe this is all in my head (??)- I certainly felt like an outsider in this bar, and when you feel that way, it is easy to feel everyone is conspiring against you! To reinterate, I largely blame myself, and if you go into EL Trebol, you will see why... Although I had a bad experience there, I still think it's an interesting bar, with interesting people, a real wild west sort of bar, and it has a special place in my heart (kind of like TIjuana (where I was also duped, but that time it was over chicken mole & margaritas)). I guess I am writing this review to say, 'go, but be careful.' Hopefully, and most likely, you won't end up in a fight or robbed. You can learn some street smarts, chat with some cool people from faraway lands, and practice your bad spanish with sympathetic listeners. read more

It always amazes me how freaked-out white people get whenever they enter place where they are the distinct minority (see other reviews of this place). How do you think minorities feel entering like 90% of the bars in the city? I've been here a few times (yes, a whitey) and had a pretty good time. The beers are cheap (liquor is really expensive though), and the other patrons are friendlier than in most bars. Don't play pool though unless you like being hustled by insanely good pool sharks (learned the hard way). The bartenders are hot, nice, and fast....perfect combo. Besides the staff, usually no other women in the bar (a cultural thing). Also experienced the "leg bump" as described by Mag N. Good place to watch a soccer (errr...football) game. read more

went her to watch the 2nd half of the mex v. argentina match (after watching the 1st half at los jarritos eating huevos rancheros). great crowd and good energy here. bummer that mexico lost, i'm sure the place would've gone crazy had they won. the people all seemed nice and friendly, though we left right after the match finished, so i'm not sure if things would've degenerated after more alcohol was consumed. all in all, a great experience. read more