Great spot for local music. Rock it! Good drinks and nice folks. Karaoke too. Fantastic local spot. Please support the scene.

Just walking by heard the music so I came back to check it out. A very lively bar they claim to have cheap drinks and music. I don't know anymore what is a cheap drink . I have my place where it is cheap. Anyways I ordered a wine the only white they had I could not drink it so I just left it. I ordered a margarita watched it made shock by head inside myself. I drank it when I work I make margarita quietly so I don't get a run on them they are good. So I don't know music was great for a while it was live an switched over to d j. This is a happy place with a mixed crowd and as they say " cheap drinks" . The bartenders are quick and pleasant. I really enjoyed the music and the crowd. Always wondered about the place and now I know maybe I 'll be back. read more

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Came in by accident, loved the vibes and performance. It's such an old SF joint, very nostalgic and 80s.drinks here are reasonable yet could use more of the liquor when it comes to mixing. People here are cool and quick. read more

Kilowatt - Dive Bars Near Me - San Francisco, California

Awesome venue ...first time ..offered fun free shows with an indie alternative spirit. .punky and spunky ..hope to visit again ..different shows all the time ..Valencia read more

Kilowatt - Dive Bars Near Me - San Francisco, California

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An interesting space. The employees own the place after almost being shut down. There's lots to look at in the space from people to decor. The live music here brings a good vibe. It was a huge plus that they sold ear plugs for $1! read more

Did you know a kilowatt is a unit of power that measures the amount of electricity an appliance needs to function? Then you're clearly smarter than I am. I'm just sharing useless trivia that doesn't have anything to do with my excessive alcoholic consumption at this friendly dive bar. However, it feels like a word that reflects the comfy retro vibe that evokes what this bar captures in spades during Happy Hour. It's relaxing and pretty spacious in here at least when there isn't a show on the stage in the back. Jeff was a solid bartender during my first visit. We traded travel stories about Japan, and he made a potent $6 Tequila Sunrise (photo: https://yelp.to/ITqL_KavXK). On a more recent visit, I learned they were not limited in their repertoire, and I had a particularly smooth $13 Espresso Martini (photo: https://yelp.to/g_7rDTMOaN). It definitely generated kilowatts for my otherwise nonconductive nature. DRINKS - 4 stars...the libations satisfy here AMBIANCE - 4 stars...feel at home in this retro-vintage sanctuary SERVICE - 3.5 stars...I'm not a regular but still friendly TOTAL - 4 stars...managed to generate a kilowatt or two RELATED - Exploring the Mission? Here's my collection of places I've patronized and reviewed: https://bit.ly/2NHtst6 read more

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Just saw some amazing bands at the matinee show today!! Oh my god. Everything sounded great. Daizy the last band was our favorite, but everyone put on a hell of a show. Thanks Kilowatt for a great afternoon. read more

A great bar with great music events -- so fun for dancing! The staff are relatively easy to flag down and are fast with getting drinks. Bathroom in the back can be crowded but is decent. I wish it was open even later to keep the party going -- can't wait to be back! read more

Kilowatt - Bathroom door decorated with stickers - Dive Bars Near Me - San Francisco, California

I like that there's live music and you can listen to some unknown bands here. Drinks are reasonably priced for the city and the bartenders were very friendly. Security though was rude and unpleasant (and no we weren't being kicked out or in trouble for anything). Very off-putting when the vibes at the door are like that to start off with. read more

Kilowatt is a wonderful dive bar in the Mission District...No food here but you can bring in your own if you wish. Nice drink menu. Reasonable prices. Unfortunately, We were there before the bands started and have heard they have great musicians that perform here. They can get crowded so arrive early. We did shoot some darts which was a lot of fun Rick was very friendly and informative. My son frequents this spot. We would too if we lived closer! Highly reccomend read more

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did their dating show and had a lot of fun! such a cool bar and the staff was great! Will definitely be back read more

Kilowatt - Dive Bars Near Me - San Francisco, California

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Such a fun dive bar! Went here during a Halloween weekend and the decorations were so cute and the vibes were great. I really appreciate how nice the workers were, inside and out the bar! The upstairs spot is also really nice if you want to chill. The prices were also very reasonable for the drinks. Would love to come back! read more

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Are Tuesdays are the new Fridays? Karaoki was a blast, the host was very charismatic. The bartender was awesome too, she has quite a presence. She runs that place fiercely! Very strong Margaritas! Had such a good time on my date and will definitely be back for a show! read more

everytime i go here they always charge double for drinks. tell me why i ordered 2 beers (it was 16 dollars and I tipped 4) and they charged me 20 extra dollars in gratuity after the fact. they do this every. single. time. they are SCAMMERS!! if you go here for a show get drinks before if you dont want to be ripped off. love the vibes here so its honestly disappointing. read more

Kilowatt - Dive Bars Near Me - San Francisco, California

To the middle aged white bartender working sat dec 14, you're a clown. A couple of females enjoying their Saturday after SantaCon and enjoying the vibe of this bar. Yet, you took it upon yourself to be the grinch. The yelling and attitude ? Seriously? You are miserable and insufferable. **** Nice reply to justify screaming profanities and disgusting behavior. We aren't bar owners and don't know what codes you have to conform to. Nobody was hostile and they would've listened to you the first time. We don't know your regulations and laws, you nerd. read more

Cool bar but rude bouncers. When we entered, we asked if he had heard about San Diego's Kilowatt brewery and he made a comment that he "didn't care at all in the slightest." Probably racist as well. Drinks are cheap and there are some cool entertainment options such as pool tables and darts. Darts cost a $10 deposit and are half broken when they give them to you. Cash bar only I think? Wouldn't come back knowing how rude the staff is. I'll go to Elixir instead where the bouncers are the most welcoming and actually enjoy talking to customers. read more

Kilowatt - Darts! $10 deposit for them - Dive Bars Near Me - San Francisco, California

One of my fave dive bars in the mission. My roommates and I go for karaoke every Tuesday and it's such a blast. They have a pool table too and nice staff! I def recommend for a dive bar. read more

Went to my first shows here last weekend and was blown away by the talent. Great ambiance as well. Looking forward to coming back.

Been coming to this dive bar when I lived in the city and recently had a chance to see a friends band there. I like the CRTs that spell out Killowatt above the bar and the atmosphere was just as I remembered. read more

Great place to see a show I saw L.A. Witch last night at Kilowatt and had a wonderful time. More than anything else the sound was what really impressed me. It might be because they have such a small stage and lack of a sound system, but it was the best sounding show I've been to in a long time. I had been at the New Parish in Oakland and the Great American Music Hall earlier in the week and the show at Kilowatt sounded much better than the other two. The show started at 9:30 a long time after the doors opened at 8 but I'm not sure if that was due to the venue or the bands. I'll give them a pass on that for now. Another great thing about the bar is they have their two bathrooms as one female and one all gender. I really love it when a venue acknowledges that women tend to get the short stick on bathroom facilities. The staff was helpful and friendly and the entry into the show went very smoothly. I was impressed that they had signs outdoors for where to line up for the show. Kilowatt is just over a couple of blocks from the 16th St BART station so it's easy to get to or leave from. There are plenty of restaurants in the area so it's easy to pick up all types of food before or after a show there. read more

Great time good vibes. Went with a group of friends and we enjoyed ourselves. Thanks. read more

Kilowatt - Erica's second birthday bar party - Dive Bars Near Me - San Francisco, California

Dive bar with live music. I don't drink in bars. Music may start past official time depending on how many ticket purchases there are. read more

Amazing bar, and the music was the best, good selection of bands and we had such a great time, we are definitely coming back for more rock shows there! read more

As all good bars do, they let you order food from other places or bring your own. That is how it should be. I get tired of the same menu all the time. Service is exactly what I like, when you ask for a drink, they get you one. They don't hover or ignore. Accomplished drinkers don't like to be rushed or parched. If it is slow they aren't opposed to enjoying a good chat. They have a cool video tape collection. The programmed music is enjoyably eclectic but the reason I'm going back, after more than a decade of avoiding it, is because of the live music and change in crowd. The staff I've met and a lot of the patrons seem genuine, and that is refreshing. Welcome back Kilowatt! Thanks goes to the staff and new management for helping make it happen. read more

Loud music plus a pool table (quarters only) and 5 dollar draft beers. I like the skateboards hanging on the walls!

Awesome dive bar. A relic of seedier (better?) times. Great craft beer selection and very reasonably priced. 20(ish) for a pitcher of Stone Pale. Decent pool tables. No pretentiousness. A place you can just have a drink and not overhear the SF tech talk BS. Could use a water station. read more

Hi there!! Just wanted to inform Yelpers that new ownership took over in January 2023. We are still a dive bar. We still have sports on TV's. We have a pool table and FREE dart games. And as of February 2023... we are a music venue!! Please stop by and check out the new digs. Thank you!! -Kilowatt read more

Came here a few weeks ago to play some pool with some friends. The service was good but cash only and the drink prices were reasonable. If you come to play pool, let it be known that there are a few rules you need to abide by. Basically, there are two tables and if you want to play, you have to put your name on the board and challenge the winner of the previous match. If you want to play with friends, you basically have to keep winning until you and your friend are matched up, and then you can play one game. If you're okay with these rules, this is a solid place to play pool, but if you want to just spend the night playing pool with your friends and not randos, you might be better off going somewhere else read more

For my 350th Four Star Review, I wanted to share a cool bar in SF. We were on a mission to party, meet some chicks, and finish at La Taqueria El Cumbre in the Mission. After walking around a bit, we decided to drop by Kilowatt located on 16th near Valencia in SF. BTW, this bar is cash only. Everything about this bar is chill. The customers are cool, and engaging. No one tries to slide by you at the bar, order drinks and stay to crowd you out, a la Tasting Kitchen in Venice. In addition, the bartenders are cool. They let you have a taste of beer, know their handles, and pour stiff drinks. Lastly, the ambiance is cool. There are a couple of pool tables, and darts in rear. The women are friendly too. I met Christine from SF, who was a very nice person, that could carry on an intelligent convo. All I can say is "Mission" accomplished! We warmed up here, took Christine and her friend to Elbo Room & Asia SF, and got a late lite snack. I can't wait to return and complete another mission! LMAO!!! read more

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Props to my homegirl Jaime H. for finding this little spot for watching Football on Sunday afternoons. They play all the football games, plus there was some baseball action going on this past weekend too. GO GIANTS! The drinks were between $4 and 6, they let you bring in outside food and the bartenders and patrons are friendly - even if they are rooting for the opposite team. The overall vibe was fun and positive, we had a blast and were there for awhile. Dive right in, the bar is fun.... read more

Typical dive bar in the mission With it's eye-catching sign, it's hard to miss this place when walking down one of the busiest streets in the mission! The inside is pretty divey, as expected. Packed with people on a saturday night, mostly because of it's location. The booths and chairs feel slimy, and the cups they use to serve the beer look a little disgusting, with a weird "moldy" smell. The clientele looks like they're ready to party, though. The atmosphere is pretty good--everyone's chatting, and you can feel the energy in the air. Overall, a good place to go if you're looking for a divey bar read more

Kilowatt - Inside - Dive Bars Near Me - San Francisco, California

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Uptight and racist. Despite hearing about others less than great experiences, we still went. Had to fight to get our belongings back, including our cards, after we were not let back in after going outside to check on a friend. The bouncer tried to tell us we didn't have tabs open when we did and gave us somebody else's jacket. read more

The bikers and hipsters which fill the space between the cute-dog-picture-covered walls of this fine establishment are going to have a West-Side-Story-esque Sharks and Jets rumble one of these days. And I hope to god I'm there for it... and that I've already give them my $10 and left my ID for one of the two sets of darts. Note: DO NOT FORGET ID and $10 when you return the darts. the drinks are strong. favorite sign above the bar I want to "borrow": "you're in the mission" read more

Kilowatt - Damn skippy you are - Dive Bars Near Me - San Francisco, California

Besides cash needed to order up drinks and maybe renting of the game supplies, I like this divey spot, which is a rarity these days in the Mission. If it is divey, it would be contemporary and not that old school vibe you get. Darts, pool tables and pinball machines for the most part on entertainment. Also, TV to watch sports' games. Casual and chill at its finest. read more

Cool enough place, but...braindead bounders. i mean, bounce someone for getting knocked down in the pit. really? smh

Best bar in the city! the bartenders are incredible and there's amazing live music on a regular basis

The aroma of musky beer drenched wood is strong with Kilowatt. As is the whiff of wet dog every once in a while. Or is that just a hippy? I can't tell. Regardless, any place that allows dog lovers to bring their beloved for a happy pat on the head is A-OK with me. I love Kilowatt for 2 pool tables, pinball machine, dart board, and nominally priced beverages. The crowd is mixed with punk rockers to blazer doners and from my experience, quite friendly. The best thing is Kilowatt is quieter than your typical Mission fare. This is a fantastic place to unwind the night or enjoy a dive bar night out and is conveniently located to the infamous danger dog stand. read more

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Wednesday: January 3, 2006 7:30pm - 11:35pm After Luis M. and I filled our bellies with sushi, we walked down 16th Street to start our quest for alcohol. Delirium would have been my first choice, but neither of us has gone to Kilowatt before so we agreed to get a couple of drinks there. It was pretty empty. There were a couple people at the bar, some playing pool and a few just chilling out outside smoking. The crowd did pick up a bit at around 9pm, but died down after half an hour or so. There are two pool tables, two dart boards, two pinball machines (one Terminator) and plenty of space to stand/sit for people watching. Bathroom was surprisingly clean, but I did ended up with a few bruises on my leg because of this weird structure just outside one of the stalls that I would always bump into. Oh, I almost forgot. They allow dogs -- this bar is very dog friendly (framed pictures of doggies on the walls). As long as the dogs don't come near me, I'm fine. I was a bit bothered by the wet dog smell though. The bartenders are pretty nice, though the first guy (who's shift ended at 8pm), gave me a dirty look when I asked for a mojito. The bartender who took over was awesome -- I liked her. She was on top of things, very energetic and always made sure that we didn't have an empty glass in front of us. I settled for Anchor Steam/Hoegaarden on tap and rum-coke for Luis. At the end of the night (11:35p)... the alcohol + water count was as follows: Luis M. = 6 rum and coke + 2 glasses of water Celeste L. = 2 Anchor Steam + 3 Hoegaarden + 2 glasses of water Guy #2 met up with us at the bar, so Luis got to meet him before he headed out to catch the BART train home. We left Kilowatt not long after Luis did and headed out to Delirium for some Coronas. Will probably go back to Kilowatt again, but I doubt Guy #2 will come along -- he wanted to get out as soon as he got inside. Celeste L.'s alcohol + water count total after 11:30pm: 2 Anchor Steam + 3 Hoegaarden + 2 Corona + 2 glasses of water :-)! read more

I gots to give it up for the best pool spot in the Mish. Two tables, but two very nice tables for a bar. Too bad the tables attract the "I'm way better than you at pool" douche bags like flies to a pile of Oprah's shit (I assume flies like to eat expensive shit). Very common hang out for random dudes who stand around by themselves getting drunk, hitting on uninterested chicks, whooping ass at pool. Shout out to Evy for claiming lesbo status to shake that one guy off. He didn't really care though. Besides the aforementioned douche baggery, it's got a good pool hall-ish vibe. People are generally pretty good without being phenomenal so you can still compete even if you are just OK. Roll through on a Fri/Sat though and your ass is gonna be watching for a long time before you're up. Anytime I'm in this neck of the woods with a jonsin' for some pool, Kilowatt pops to mind first. That makes me a fan I'd say. The beer selection is on point too. read more

Part of me has dreaded writing this review. Kilowatt is, after all, the reason I couldn't stand to look at, or even think about, liquor for a good month, and the reason I didn't visit Mission again for another five. Or, well, I suppose the real reason is that I did a poor job of holding my liquor, but Kilowatt was certainly the enabling factor here! Dropping by with the birthday girl after a dinner at Morac, I was shocked by how insanely packed the place was. There was no seating available, and even standing room was limited - being in a wheelchair, and thus shorter, also proved unfortunate, as many a person ended up tripping over me as they waded their way through the masses. Eventually, as I was feeling inclined to hightail out of there, two booths opened up in the corner. The drinks here are inexpensive though, and their shots are actually almost double the standard size. And... that's about all I remember, because once midnight hit, and my sixth or seventh double shot disappeared down my throat, so did a 11 hour chunk of my memory (I kid you not), that involved (from what I could piece together from friends) my disappearance, losing my phone (which I later found was picked up by a crackhead and sold to someone I can only assume was a prostitute), and somehow managing to push my way back to SOMA, almost two miles away, through Mission, in the early hours of the morning. Now, the low rating has nothing to do with this ridiculous experience, no no. If anything, it's probably one of the best, and scariest, stories of excessive drinking I have. The real reason is simply how obscenely packed this place gets - if not for that, I'd easily give these guys a three. But, as it is, I can't see myself coming back by choice, as I much prefer lounging around somewhere a bit less crowded, with drinks that are a bit fancier. read more