North Beach sports bar, emphasis on North Beach. The cappucinos are real North Beach cappucinos. The beer selection is the usual semi-eclectic, half dozen regional brews and imported taps. The decor is real old-man-bar stuff like Tug of War posters and photos signed by Willie Brown. I used to feel guilty heading to a dark bar at 9 AM on a sunny Fall SF Saturday to watch my beloved Spartans. But LaRocca's Corner is one of the unofficial homes of the Michigan State University Bay Area Alumni Club (Kezar Pub is another). For football they have a 42" plasma HD with all the games (mostly Big Ten) and bartenders who actually know how all the equipment works. And sound's not a problem since it's only busy if the alumni group is there. La Rocca's bright sunny windows, great neighborhood food, and views of passing cable cars mean you can have the best of both worlds: Get your college football fix and a cappucino and walk out with a W and still have the rest of the day to enjoy the city. read more

La Rocca's Corner - This is it! - Dive Bars Near Me - San Francisco, California

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Fantastic place to watch a game or have a pint. Great bar staff and always a lively crowd. Never ever had a bad experience here. Perfect bar to check out of you are visiting SF. read more

Staff are so friendly and I love the bar environment! Just come grab a drink and watch the game on the tv and chat with everyone there, people there are extremely friendly. Prices are really reasonable and have a wide variety of drinks selections. read more

La Rocca's Corner - Dive Bars Near Me - San Francisco, California

A triangular room with windows along the hypotenuse makes for a sunlight rich environment. La Rocca bills itself as a place where "The tourists meet the locals". A lot of places make this claim....La Rocca's is the only one I know of that actually delivers on it. Regulars usually sit towards the entrance at the corner of Columbus & Chestnut. Feel free to join in, but be ready to scoot down if the locals want to make room for another regular. Well placed TV's and low-volume music help foster a sports-and-conversation friendly environment. The crowd consists of local retirees mixed with tourists. For reasons unbeknown to myself, something about La Rocca seems to elicit frequent conversations between the two groups. Both locals and the bartender are happy to give directions, advice, or tips on where to eat. Aging but well preserved wood covers the place, and an interesting collection of local photos graces the walls. I love this place. It's humble, it's friendly, and it's got local flair. And for all practical purposes, I can't think of any other reason for a local to walk this far up Columbus Street. read more

La Rocca's Corner - Where the tourists meet the locals - Dive Bars Near Me - San Francisco, California

Management should grow up and make Robbie retire. I don't think anyone enjoys his conversations about "why did Bruce Jenner cut his penis off" Absolutely disgraceful. Sure, you'll get a discount because he doesn't remember how many drinks you had, but if the bartender is more drunk than the entire bar it's not a good vibe. read more

This corner bar is a hazard. There's a few problems with it. I'll list the worst ones here. There was a massive fire in their trash cans which are illegally left out a 4 am a few weeks ago. This happened because they have a smoking spot outside with nowhere to dispose cigarettes. This smoke spot is illegally close to residential buildings. Nobody on the block can even open their windows. The cigarettes are everywhere. They toss them in the trash or near them. The smoking stinks up the entire block and residences there. They leave six trash cans out 24/7 which causes vagrants to go through them almost every hour and spill trash everywhere. Those homeless folks then linger on the block and camp in front of residential buildings. This causes even more trash to accumulate. The uncovered cans could be stored in their little back area. We can literally see them in the empty space there, which is where they should be stored. Everyone in sf knows you can't leave trash out. This bar is lowering the value of the entire area and don't seem to care about those around them. Aside from that, their regulars drunkenly crash into our parked cars at 9 am on weekdays and stumble in drunk. They leave in the late afternoon even more drunk and vomit on the sidewalks. Last week a dog ran out of the bar and into the busy street. It seems like the people who regularly visit this bar don't care about themselves, their pets, or others. Removing the burn marks from your building and putting plants outside doesn't cover up the ugliness. read more

$6 beers!! Stopped here for a beer before cobbs comedy club, since it's down th street! A true dive bar with a jukebox playing oldies. There are 4 TVs playing various sports and it does seem like there are a lot of locals here. Not too crowded at all! The cash register is ancient and I'm really surprised it actually works. Framed posters inhabit the walls. Stop in. Why not read more

La Rocca's Corner - Dive Bars Near Me - San Francisco, California

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As classic a dive bar as you can get. For an area rife with tourist traps and trendy, swanky new spots, La Rocca's is a legitimate neighborhood bar filled with a great mix of tourists stopping in on their way to North Beach, people grabbing a drink before a show at Cobb's or Bimbo's, locals holding down the fort, and rowdy sports fans. Pick out some classic rock from the Jukebox, grab and Irish coffee, and enjoy a fine people watching experience. Also has a Wednesday night free comedy show, which is a lot of fun! read more

First time here last night & I'm a native San Franciscan. I love this darling little bar! It's places like these that make San Francisco so charming! These kind of places are getting scarce. Too many new places look like dental offices. Just loved this place, the bartenders, the patrons & atmosphere! read more

Just found my new fave dive in SF. My bf and I were in town for a day after a wedding weekend in Tahoe and were tired AF but still wanted to find a good dive to hang and kill time before our flight home.. I randomly found this place on yelp and so glad I did! Brendan the bartender was amazing and so friendly and nice to us and all the people there were super nice as well.. they knew a few of our bars where we live (San Diego) which was awesome.. I feel like they were regulars and they totally welcomed us. We will def be coming back next visit.. great drinks and atmosphere and great service. read more

Good bar with a pretty good vibe on Columbus. Only stopped for one beer on a bar crawl down the road. A few screens for sport and some good people watching if you sit at the window read more

La Rocca's Corner - Dive Bars Near Me - San Francisco, California

Talk about a fun place. Very good prices on drinks - less than most small towns, and that isn't something you find in SF. Tanya was such a friendly bartender, handled everything like a pro and poured a stiff drink. Good mix of locals and tourists looking to have a good drink and socialize. Easy place to talk to people and have a good time! I'll make this one of my go-to places going forward. It's worth coming for a drink and to take a step back in time and relax. Do it! read more

La Rocca's Corner - Dive Bars Near Me - San Francisco, California

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Great little bar. Has a intimate vibe and has tv's for sport and drinks for reasonable prices. Perfect spot to stop before or after dinner in the area. read more

I recently have created my own little "Team in Training" for a very important upcoming event called "Drues Nite Lite DYL". I am traveling all the way to Seattle to participate and I hear my competition is fierce. My many coaches are supporting me in getting into prime shape for this upcoming event. Lots of people are counting on me to represent San Francisco and not let anyone down. I know I cannot, under any circumstances, be the first one to puke in a gutter and pass out in a drunken stupor on the seemingly huge bar crawl that will be taking place next week. So, lately when I leave a party to "go home" my coaches really push me to have just one more drink, or two, before I give up! Such was the case this last Thursday when on the way home from a beer filled evening at Kennedys there was the "Irish Coffee" sign staring out at us from La Roccas. This was an opportunity not just to drink but to mix those alcohols, thus strengthening my digestive system further. I have been into this little corner bar many times. It is actually a great place to train. The shape is this weird corner building with an island in the middle, thus making it hard to navigate while sober, especially when it gets a little crowded with the mix of locals and tourists it attracts, so to navigate it drunk is quite a challenge indeed. This helps with the agility I will be needing. They have a nice selection of alcoholic beverages, and the bartenders do a decent job of pouring drinks that are not weak and do not charge what you would expect for the area. This place isn't quite a dive, not exactly a neighborhood bar, not a tourist spot and definitely isn't your typical North Beach night spot either. It is just an older, smaller worn in place to get your drink on and maybe catch some sports on one of their strategically placed TVs. If only they would stop using canned whipped cream in their Irish Coffee, I would train here more often and award them more stars. read more

Imagine drinking yourself into infancy and observing this place on a busy Saturday night. All of these fun friendly people have drinks and they're not sharing. But the first and foremost observation is the noise. You can reach out and touch this wall of noise buzzing in your face like moths who just found a ninety-watt light bulb. The dissonance is a huge red punch to the ear drums and it suffocates the senses, if only temporarily. The bar is lit by a golden yellow light and, underneath its lambency, the SFGG Rugby Club is huddled together, sploshing beer about and howling for one another's approval. A bright neon light shines from the window, lighting up the smokers outside on the sidewalk. They look like bead-covered blobs through the rain-spotted windows. The television's on up above, but no one is watching. There's a juke box in here, but I can't hear it. The beatific faces rush by laughing and yelling like they just discovered a new galaxy. Someone brushes by me in the rush of things. I try to look over at the person. I overcompensate and find myself looking up at the fan. I then attempt to look back and the person is just another blur laughing with a bigger louder blur. The chatter grows as voices compete with other voices in order to be heard over the other louder voices. The bartenders keep the tables clear of glasses, condensation, crumbs, spills ... and they keep the cups of merriment full to the brim. I see a girl sitting on a barstool from across the bar. From my point of view, she looks bewildered.. confused.. uncertain. I wade across the room full of noise and reach her, tapping her shoulder in an affable manner. She turns around and looks at me with a peculiar glance. I totally forget what I was going to say to her. I am entangled in the surrounding buzz. My thoughts drift about in the commotion. She is saying something up at me in a humorous tone that I can't decipher. I laugh and nod as I float away against the current of patrons bellying up to the bar. There are so many conversations, so many drink options, so many people possibilities - I am overwhelmed in an instant. I once again find myself sitting calmly against the window with another full pint in my hand. I am back to square one, whatever or wherever that is. read more

La Rocca's Corner - Dive Bars Near Me - San Francisco, California

The B&C almost lost her lunch and all dignity for my family when I told her that a family member actually was "in the know" about some shady dealings "in the day" when a certain young union organizer was stuffed into the trunk of a waiting '62 Caddy in front of La Rocca's. Yup, cement shoes were fitted, applied and walking papers were given. Yes, family dinners in NB with my grandparents and great uncle/aunt were always a time to learn of stories of a caliber years beyond my comprehension. This place has been around longer than alcohol itself. The bar is smallish but with a bunch of character. We burned and hour before some friends showed for the Jeff Ross show at Cobb's. All friendly, all good. I love and miss my old hood, and no, not because I miss killing people. :) read more

While there are many aleholes to choose from in North Beach, this is one of my favorites. Faint odor of urine and bleach? Check! Men's room the size of a U-Boat potty? Check! Bartenders that drink with you? Check! Wedding photos of JFK and Jackie? Check! Ex-cop looking Irish bartender with a name like Big Mike? Check! Jukebox containing everything from Sam Cooke to the Pogues? Check! Lose yourself for an hour or a lifetime, come on down and drink with dignity! read more

Just under "since 1922" is a sign, "where tourists meet the locals", more hopeful thinking than reality. Surveying the crowd of drunks, not so drunks, foxy 40-year-olds, and bicycle messengers, you would be hard-pressed to find a tourist. It's the kind of joint where the bartender uses "ergo" a lot to make a point, most of the old white men wear baseball caps hood forward thank you, fleece is in, your change is ten dollars they slap a ten on the counter, and the bartender who has been at it long enough pinpoint the top of the glass like a laser deliberately counts to ten and leaves the extra in a strainer-topped glass for you to pour a second round for yourself. The wood here is older than your grandmother, but they still carry the good stuff. read more

La Rocca's Corner is a classic neighborhood hangout in North Beach. Opened over 80 years ago, this bar is a great place to rub elbows with friendly locals, visiting tourists (the cable car runs past La Rocca's headed towards the Wharf). Owners Mike Roddy and Marty Coyne have treated the La Rocca's legacy with respect. Come down and hang with some great bartenders, almost all of them Native San Franciscans. Talk sports, have a cocktail or two, watch the world pass by. I posted a video about my recent trip to La Rocca's Corner. Check it out at http://bit.ly/aQ8vkr read more

Great lighting. Great people. Since 1922. Cool vibe and good service. Jukebox and TV's.

Nice little neighborhood bar on the corner. Jukebox with some Classics and friendly bartender.

I came her last night after being in the Mission for a few hours. We showed up around 11pm and hoped for some decent drinks and fun atmosphere. Now I came with a girlfriend because he friend was moving, so it was a going away party. So now I will review. The service was slow and the drinks were really Tiny, I used to work in a restaurant and I remember when our manager bought glasses that looked the same as the old ones but were shaped a little differently so that there was less liquor. Now my drink was not all coke, but definitely not as much Jack as I usually get. The atmosphere would have been nice if I wanted to come and chill with a few friends and have a drink. It's definitely a bar you start with, not end on. It would be a good place to grab a drink before a show although $6 in a bar for the same size drink you get at the show for $8 kinda erked me. I'm sure it's a good dive bar, just not my steez. I like to dance and there was not going to be any dancing there last night or any other. But maybe I'll try it again some day because it was a Tuesday night. read more

The bartender does not like young people at his bar and basically ignored everyone under 30 to serve older people even if they walked in afterwards. Ended up walking out of this bar without having been said hello to. read more

Friend of mine was in town this weekend, and as a prior Russian Hill resident, he knew exactly where his old SF buddies should meet him to get drunk. I don't mean just a casual get together and catch up. I mean get all Tom Waits and stumble around town messed up. Funny thing was, I totally didn't remember ever coming to this bar before. However, after two beers and some whiskey it hit me like an angry alcoholic father... I've definitely been here several times.. and it always ends crazy. Oh, and attention Bella, there is a poster signed by Willie Brown in the men's bathroom. I didn't understand what it meant, and have no idea if it's real, but I thought you might appreciate it. read more

Great little corner dive bar. Interesting cast of characters - always makes for some fun. Strong pours and good prices. Very small so get ready to get "intimate" with your neighbor. read more

We love La Rocca's! The bartenders are each fascinating characters (Sil is my sober-hero!) and if you dig the old-man bars, there are a minimum of three hanging on to the end of the bar at all times. As a manageable sized sports-bar (there are no jock-y type guys hanging out here, however), it's got a few TV's, which my boyfriend loves. The owner, bartender and their crew are baseball fans and my boyfriend felt right at home when the owner gave champagne to the crowd when the Giants won the World Series. As an academic study-hall, La Rocca's got lots of light and great big tables on which I can spread out my French homework. This may seem like a dumb thing to appreciate, but you just try studying in a bar that has no ground-level tables and chairs and zero natural light! I give La Rocca's only 4 stars because it fails in an essential element. It's not that the mixed drinks can be dinky, because their manhattans can be terrific (and I'm the pickiest of the picky). No. More importantly, the women's bathroom is revolting. There are things in there that no woman should ever have to see or touch. Come on guys, peek in there every so often and give it a good scrub down. How about some paint and is a decent mirror and formal soap dispenser that doesn't fall off the ancient sink so big of a deal? Sometimes I just don't have the stomach to use that bathroom and have to run up the street to my boyfriend's apartment before I pee my pants. read more

Cool place - been around since the 1920's so lots of history and plenty regulars who will be happy to share stories or just look around at the pictures. Jukebox has mostly oldies and classic rock, our kind of music. 8-10 drafts? including a cider. read more

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This is a nice neighborhood bar that gets locals and tourist alike. I had a few Guinness Stouts and enjoyed the l laid back atmosphere.

This bar is definitely part of the North Beach experience. Cheap drinks, all the games, and filled with locals. I've been coming to this bar for the past couple months since I moved to SF and will be coming back. read more

When you stop in an Irish bar for an Irish Coffee, you expect a good Irish Coffee. Sadly, La Rocca's does not deliver. I can't put my finger on what exactly is wrong, but it's just not as smooth as one would hope. La Rocca's does, however, have a good atmosphere, and when you are interested in concentrating on your company and the intimate discussions you're having, this is an excellent location for such. Negotiating the comfortable but haphazard seating arrangement might be another issue entirely. read more

One of the best bars in North Beach. It oozes with character and the bartenders could not be more accommodating. Nothing to do on Monday night? Good. You should probably dry out from drinking Irish Coffees at La Rocha all weekend, you savage! But if you don't have anything to do on Wednesday night...that's a different story...get your butt to La Rocca's for some free stand up comedy and a delicious adult beverage! read more

This little bar is awesome! When you order a $6 Jack/Coke they mean BUSINESS! :) It's a great place to hang out whilst waiting for a show at the Cobbs comedy club. I will definitely come back next time I'm going to Cobbs. read more

This bar is a pretty nice find near North Beach. A quiet little spot that is conveniently located along the way up the hill from Fisherman's Wharf to North Beach, the decor is laid back and kind of an old school drinking hall. The 7&7s I ordered were heavily poured, and affordable to boot. The bartender who poured them was friendly and attentive, he chatted us up about various things, his Catholic upbringing and Catholic girls chief among them. Go figure. The juke box was loaded with some great tunes, and that counts for a lot. My date and I were entertained by an older couple who decided to make use of the space that evening for an impromptu dance number. On that note, the bar's spacing is a little awkward, but the bar itself provides great seating. The bath rooms were clean, albeit tagged up in just about every corner. Beware the cabbie who sneaks in every night and drops bombs. You don't wanna wander in after him, seriously. read more

Friendly tavern in North Beach to hang out at before checking out a show at Cobb's Comedy Club, Bimbo's 365, or simply for a night out on the town! Pros: Good mix of locals and tourists, bartenders are generally friendly - didn't give us too many dirty looks when our visiting guest asked for a drink on draft that was obviously limited to the New England area....close to a lot of other good bars and restaurants... Cons: Wish it was closer to the Bart or my apartment down in Burlingame! read more

Great place& cheap drinks, took me forever to reach $10 haha. PBR! Bartender was friendly and funny.

Best local place to grab a drink. Sil is a funny, entertaining bartender. Will definitely return.

Stopped by one early Sunday afternoon for a quick Guinness with my son. Was warmly welcomed by one of the owners. Although we only planned on stopping in for a beer, we ended up talking to the folks in the bar for a couple of hours. Really enjoyed my time here and will definitely be back. It's nice to know places like this still exist in San Francisco. read more

This is a nice, low-key place to stop for a drink if you're in North Beach. Forget the hustle and bustle of all the other spots! This place is the shit! Nobody talks to you (ie "bothers" you) and the drinks are cheap. It's centrally located, too. My only complaint about this place is that the Yankees knocked the Angels out of the playoffs while I was here. That's bad juju. Otherwise, this place would get four stars! read more

It smells bad. A STRONG combo of mold and urine. I used to like this place and the people are basically friendly but the odor is really unbearable. They need to hire professionals to deep deep deep clean the place. read more

My girlfriends and I (literally) stumbled into La Rocca's on accident, but stayed for hours and hours, only to come back the next day and do the same. There were a few bartenders who were all extremely kind and patient with us. We were there for a bachelorette party weekend, so I'm sure we were driving everyone nuts... Paul took such good care of us all night, and honestly deserves a gold medal for all of his help and compassion! We Love La Rocca's! Thanks, PAUL! read more