We are fairly new to the Cole Valley neighborhood, and I am so thankful to have a local community pub like Finnegan's Wake in the area. We visited this past Friday around 5:45pm and were lucky enough to get a table in the back patio right away. The staff was super kind and offer us to upgrade our table after it was cleared off. The back patio was gorgeous it was heartening to see the place so lively given the rough year it's been with COVID. You could also tell this was a spot frequented by locals. We ordered a pitcher of Hazy IPA and 2 tomato Basil empanadas. We were impressed with the reasonable drink prices and selection and loved the free chips and salsa provided to the table. When the empanadas came out they were hot, cheesy and delicious too. I love the cheery environment of Finnegan's Wake and we had an excellent time. I will certainly be back and home to some day become part of the local crowd :) read more

See all

I live in Cole Valley and occasionally like to step out to have a beer and some conversation at a local bar. There are positive things about Finnigan's Wake. The bar itself in very long, so I can generally find a seat. The drinks are pretty reasonable and the place is not too noisy. The cocktails are ample if not particularly well crafted. One thing that I don't appreciate is that the attitude and service at this place is consistently indifferent, unpolite, and often startlingly rude. I've had service from multiple bartenders here and a sour disposition towards customers seems to be a job requirement here. I want to like this place but the rough attitude of the service staff here is decidedly off-putting. read more

I like the atmosphere and garden patio. Drinks are reasonably priced. Unfortunately the bartenders here are so rude! It's not just one bad apple, it's a consistent theme among the workers here. read more

Came in to get a drink, and the brunette bartender was rude throughout my whole experience, would not recommend.

The shorter bartender man with dark brown hair and glasses is extremely rude. Probably the rudest person working in service I've ever encountered. He is the primary reason I don't want to go back. Such a shame, as it was a fun environment before he started working there. read more

Maddie was soooo great. Very attentive and kind to all her customers. Love the way this place is set up. Bathrooms super clean. WiFi available. Dog friendly! Pool table and darts available. Must have ID for darts. Outside patio set up. Highly recommend to stop in for a drink, hopefully Maddie will be your bartender! read more

Finnegans Wake - Sports Bars Near Me - San Francisco, California

The bartender was so rude, he's just trying to pick fights with people apparently. Too bad, now we don't have a neighborhood spot

Great neighborhood hangout! Service was superb! Fun crowd and plenty to eat. Fabulous establishment! read more

Neighborhood watering hole. Nothing fancy but does the trick. Surly service means you're probably not staying long. On the plus side, they have a nice back patio area and plenty of TVs. This is more of a cold pint watching Sunday football kind of spot. Disaffected staff aren't the friendliest so keep your drink orders simple. Worked for us as a meeting point before moving on for food in the neighborhood. read more

Staff should consider a non-hospitality field. Not rocket science. Customers build business and mediocre customer servers at best drives them away. Luckily there are a thousand other bars in SF! read more

unfortunate because the space is wonderful but never had a ruder bartender in my life. was so rude, brushed me off, and scoffed at me when i asked him to fix my shirley temple to actually be non-alcoholic when HE accidentally put vodka in it. Never had a worse experience in the city with bar staff. read more

TLDR: rude bartender unreasonably kicked out of this place and interrupts a friend's birthday party. Would not recommend to anyone looking for friendly service or a nice environment to hang out (the heaters in the back patio DO NOT work and it's freezing) It was a Saturday night, beautiful evening in SF and we were going to this place for a surprise party for our friend's 30th birthday. The evening became a huge disappointment because of the very rude bartender (the guy was maybe 5'5', dark brown hair). We arrived early and went straight to the back patio ahead of the surprise party (no security or ID check to get in) and was chatting with mutual friends when folks decided to grab drinks at the bar. I was not planning to get a drink but went the group inside to keep chatting. The bartender ID's and serves drinks to the folks who wanted to get a beer and at one point, gestures to me for my order. I told him I'm not getting any drink and he continues to press for my ID as if he's security. I check my pockets and realize that I forgot mine at home and clarify again that I'm not getting a beer and don't need any drink service. The guy won't let it go. He points to me and points to the door and blurts out "I need you to leave" and presses on with "I already told you to leave". I quite frankly don't understand this service and attitude - there were plenty of others sitting and chatting in this place WITHOUT ID checks because there was NO ID checks at the door to enter. I've been to plenty of bars in SF where I'm just hanging out with friends and not drinking and there has been no instance where I've been pressed for ID like this and then kicked out on the spot (and with such bad attitude). I don't know how this place is an apparent "local favourite"? There are MUCH NICER bars with better service and nicer environments in SF. Would not recommend to anyone and definitely not coming back. read more

Since I have friends who live very near this place it's been impossible for me to avoid going there. I have to say it's been quite a while since I've had a bad experience there, and on the most recent visit the barman (who I'd never seen before) was friendly, courteous and helpful. Maybe the owners read some of the bad reviews here about rude service and took steps to improve things. Keep it up. read more

Fun dive bar in Cole Valley. Quiet and fun to try and visit. It's got beers and the bloody mary of Cole Valley. Specializes in the official Bloody Mary of Cole Valley. Never knew until today that u got certificates in Bloody Mary's! Here's to Finnegan and good times! read more

Finnegans Wake - a bloody drink in a cup - Sports Bars Near Me - San Francisco, California

See all

Was in here for a drink with some friends last nite and the female bartender was soooo rude!!!! She was tending the bar alone and wasn't coping with the demand. She took my order then proceeded to serve everyone around me - I waited for about 15 minutes then waved and tried to get her attention. She finally came down to me and yelled at me saying - what's your problem? Then proceeded to tell me that she was indeed going to charge me for my drinks when she had planned to give me them for free!!! What???! I don't know who owns/manages this bar but you might want to check your staff!! Don't understand the attitude. We won't be back!!!! read more

2 bartenders Saturday night. Older guy, cool as fuck. Younger dude has a personality of a rattlesnake. Chip on shoulder. EXTREMELY rude every interaction. I've been , and still am, a bartender for 25 years. He's one of the, if not the, most rude dickheads around.He shouldn't be working with people. After further review of their previous reviews, it seems that being rude, racist and misogynistic is their modus operandi. I'd implore the owner (Dan?) to reach out to me for further explanation. Dan, don't bother reaching out to me. read more

I Love this bar. Great place to hang out, meet up with friends and possibly play pool. Classic old school SF bar in a great neighborhood. Grab some food from one of the many places nearby; order a beer, a shot and enjoy. read more

Went in last night and had a HORRIBLE experience. The two bartenders (an older and younger one) were both incredibly rude for no reason! All we did was try to order a drink and we were immediately ridiculed! My friend tried to order an old fashioned and the bartender replied we cant do one because we have no oranges. I saw they have a $7 shot mixed drink combo, and I asked what does a mixed drink w the combo entail? i.e. a well drink, a margarita, anything?? and he responded to me "when you grow up youll know" mind you i legally entered this bar and he kept checking my id like a cop ITS A PASSPORT! Are you joking? It was the worst experience ive ever had in a bar and i will not be back read more

This place can get crowded and you must go early to chill and unwind and probably unwind- So ya they got ping pong table and good beer on tap and hang out spot - I would frequent this place read more

Finnegans Wake - Sports Bars Near Me - San Francisco, California

"You're in San Francisco, we will not put playoff baseball on one TV" even though it's some of the most exciting ball in a long while okay bruh, I'll take my business elsewhere I probably tip better than a whole throng of whatever NFL team you're making space for, but dope And while this may be a sports bar, I certainly am not your baby. Thanks for showing your stripes, lil neighborhood bar of mine. read more

Sad to report that the bartender working the night shift on Monday, June 21st, 2021 is NOT a good representation of all the bartenders that came before him. He whom I didn't get his name, not only had a terrible attitude, but lack the service attitude in general. The experience we had, was more of a doing a favor to him rather than us simply grabbing a few drinks. Considering the fact that we are all trying to "move forward" from such devastating times from the Pandemic, we would have expected better service. We was super glad to support the local bar, but unfortunately the bartender was a total a downer. Just a complete jerk. read more

Came here during a week night for some drinks. Asked the bartender for some recommendations but he seemed irritated & angry to be answering any kind of questions. May be he was having a bad day but I won't be returning. read more

Cool bar, great pool table and great outdoor areas. Extremely shitty, rude bartenders. Even on a slow night, they'll act like you're bothering them for a drink. If you can manage to get over their rudeness, it's not a bad place to be. read more

Cool local bar that I've heard good things about. Unfortunately bar tender tonight got too drunk and closed things down at 12:45. Took the darts mid-game and continued to tell us bar was closed while we still had full drinks, only 5 min after last call. Maybe don't leave him in charge of the bar anymore... read more

Just stepped in here momentarily since there wasnt that many people here for the World Cup games on the day I went . It does however have a very nice spacious layout and newer-ish furniture as well . Nice venue to catch a game and play pool as well . read more

Finnegans Wake - Sports Bars Near Me - San Francisco, California

See all

Terrible service. We were LITERALLY ignored by the waitress multiple times when trying to order additional items for our table (and I'm not misusing LITERALLY). We tried politely getting her attention and she'd either look out into space or merely just keep walking. Never experienced anything like that lol. The only reason I'm giving two stars vs one is because the patio is half decent and the empanada was pretty good. read more

It's an Irish Dive Bar with a neat new patio! There is pool and some seating. Pool Table. You can pay the juke box to pay whatever music you want and the bartenders are great, albeit a little sassy. Prices are average for Cole Valley. It's always pretty dead, even on St. Patty's, but it's close and it's nice to start there with a group because you can enjoy the company before heading to a packed bar or dinner. Pros: patio and pool table Cons: limited seating Overall: I dig it when I'm in a dive bar kinda mood read more

Finnegans Wake - Sports Bars Near Me - San Francisco, California

Cute laid back pub! Pool table inside and ping pong outside! Bartender was really friendly! read more

Great. Just great. Emily was THE BOMB, so kind and awesome. We had a s*** experience at the bar across the street and She turned everything around. Well done:) read more

Went to this bar previously and loved it! Great local dive and I enjoy supporting (ostensibly) local bars. However the woman bartender was so flippant when 2 friends and I walked in, we all just left without ordering. Hopefully return at a later time when she's in a better mood. read more

Pretty ok dive bar with a good selection on tap. The bloody Mary is pretty tasty, albeit a little spicy. Tip: cash only read more

Finnegans Wake - Sports Bars Near Me - San Francisco, California

Back patio was a nice sitting area, but the bartender was incredibly rude. Tried to order drinks but got snapped at enough that I decided I'd rather not spend money here. Won't be back. read more

Bartenders unnecessarily rude. Not sure if it's ego or they just don't like people. I honestly don't need overly friendly service but, dude behind the bar yesterday (wearing a Bourdain flipping the bird T-shirt) should realize that he decided to work in customer service on his own and that he's costing the business money with his attitude. You serve drinks man...your job takes zero skill other than being generally polite to the public. read more

The female bartender was amazing! She was really friendly with us and everyone that came in. The male bartender......he was nice. However, we heard him telling the group at the other end of the bar, "it's so weird. Ten people I served in the last week have tested positive for Covid". This dude did NOT have a mask on and was continuing to tend bar, knowing that the one thing in common that these ten people had was HIM. read more

Love this spot. Great vibes, back patio, pool table, and decent prices. Don't live super close but if I did I would be there all the time.

I popped in for a quick drink with some friends on Sunday night. Maybe 10 total people there. It had been a while since the last time because I had a pretty negative experience on the previous occasion with a rude, unwelcoming bartender. I'm not sure if it was the same person as last time, but I had the same experience. He made me feel like I shouldn't be there. And the thing was, he knows other people there by name and was friendly with them. I pride myself in being a courteous, accommodating patron of any venue. But he really didn't give a shit. I was the only person at the bar waiting for a drink, and he really did a great job of making me feel like I was inconveniencing him. It's because it happened on multiple occasions, and to multiple friends of mine as well, that I am being inconvenienced to write this review. But only so nobody else inconveniences themselves by patronizing this bar. The bummer thing is that it's the only dive bar in my neighborhood. If you are the manager and are reading this, and you appreciate the hopefully helpful feedback, I hope you can have some positive impact to your staff to be more friendly. Would happily change my review if things change. read more

I had such repeated douchey bartender experiences here that I wondered is it just me? Then I read the reviews and found it was not. No, it was not. Like - "Do you suggest a beer on draft?" Answer: "I don't understand why people ask what they should be drinking." Actual different visit - "Can you make an Aviation?" (full bar in this place, totally empty) Answer: "No." So, like, if the bartenders suck and you're paying Cole Valley prices, why not go an actual bar like Kezar or Corner Spot or any of 1000 others? I guess if you don't have a car or can't afford an Uber. read more

Worst bar in San Francisco by a long shot (lol). Old dude behind the bar is so incredibly rude. We're locals, but not regulars probably, but we come by once in a while. The drinks are so lame - a slug of vodka and the smallest drop of fresh grapefruit which he could barely be bothered to get from the juicer (for an extra $3 per drink). Next time I'll buy a bottle of vodka at Val De Cole and drink it at the bus stop. That'd be more fun. read more

There was an issue they helped resolve. Credit to the manager Lindsay for trying to make things right

A very fine neighborhood divey irish bar. It's got both a nice big skylight and a fine back yard patio area which makes one feel less bad about drinking in the middle of a nice day. The bloody mary is particularly good and quite spicy. Note that it's cash only. read more