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Shanghai Kelly's

3.7 (326 reviews)
InexpensivePubs, Sports Bars
Open 3:00 pm - 2:00 am (Next day)

Shanghai Kelly's Photos

Business Info

SHANGHAI KELLY'S ATMOSPHERE

What's the vibe?
Divey
Juke Box
Loud
Good for groups

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Recommended Reviews - Shanghai Kelly's

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Reviews With Photos - Shanghai Kelly's

Misogynistic disgusting man who denied our real IDs and had too big of an ego to go back on what he said and let us in

Several other freshly 21 friends and I showed THIS MAN our IDs and he denied us saying they were fake, these were deadass our real California aged 21 IDs, they were vertical and he was unconvinced, but that's literally how freshly 21 IDs work. Plus, it was one person's bday and she literally turned 21 TODAY and he said it looks fake?? WHY WOULD YOU LIE ABOUT THAT??? Who makes a fake id valid for a specific date he let in several other men with vertical IDs and this just feels misogynistic -- we literally told him to scan our IDs and he denied us that. Whoever owns this establishment, please check your employees' capabilities of distinguishing real IDs from fakes, you literally just lost like 15 customers at once

Jessica N.

Dive-y sports bar. Basic selection of beers. Cocktails are only $10! Friendly bartender.

Evan Y.

Rumor has it, the expressing getting "Shanghai'd" originated in this establishment. Check out the back and there is a trap door near the restroom on the wall that has since been covered. Supposedly the drunks would go to the bathroom, bartender would pull the lever, and they'd wake up as a laborer at sea having to earn their keep back to shore. Those days are long gone, and now Shanghai is a place you go to drink cheap beer, watch games, and maybe rip a few shots of Jager just to feel something. Go to Shanghai Kelly's if you "understand the words that are coming out of my mouth" (Rush Hour)

Scott L.

The service is by the bar man is amazing the ambience also great this is a true Pittsburgh Steelers bar every touchdown they play the fight song well worth a visit when the Steelers are playing

Guinness
Mikey S.

Definition of cool little dive bar. Bartender was a great dude and the drink prices were fantastic. I have nothing bad to say about this joint and would love to come back!

Inside
Angie K.

A staple in SF, fun place, a great place to meet old timers and young folks. Lots of Boston College alumnus here, watching sports and hanging out. Friendly bartenders and just a fun place to chill and enjoy some downtime with friends old and new.

Schlitz cocktails with the pals with a PBR twist

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1 month ago

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7 months ago

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10 months ago

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4 months ago

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2 years ago

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9 months ago

Shanghai Kelly's is a vibe. Not fancy, but never disappoints. perfect place to grab a quick pint with a friend and close out the night.

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10 months ago

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1 year ago

Great place great food, greatest people in the world to be in an Irish atmosphere sort of

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2 years ago

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2 years ago

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10 months ago

The staff ruined everything. Rude, slow, unfriendly, and made the whole place feel unpleasant. Definitely not coming back.

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1 year ago

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10 months ago

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5 years ago

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1 year ago

A great spot but the bartender chris is deplorable.. hope he's doing ok but his attitude from the beginning was rude and off putting

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3 years ago

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7 years ago

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2 years ago

The best corner bar in the city! Fun crew, great drinks, music, and people. Good for a game as well as a rowdy night out.

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6 years ago

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5 years ago

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2 years ago

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2 years ago

this place has a great local vibe, and the bartenders and bouncers are super friendly.

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4 years ago

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13 years ago

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12 years ago

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8 years ago

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18 years ago

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Page 1 of 9

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Review Highlights - Shanghai Kelly's

if ur looking for a quiet friendly pint ,then call into the much travelled dave willett during the day or daire "the legend of castleknock" ........

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Sam's Tavern

Sam's Tavern

4.4
(132 reviews)
1.0 mi
$$

My wife and I dropped by Sam's Tavern to watch a few World Cup games and it was just the vibe we…read morewere looking for. I stopped by around 4:30 p.m. and there were a few tables where I saw folks finishing up their work day on their laptops with a beer. It's neither overly crowded, nor overly loud, which is perfect for getting work done. Since it was the World Cup and many guests would be camping out for the entire match, table service has a per person minimum spend of $25. This is a really a non-issue because a cocktail is around $15, so two drinks, or one drink with some food, will easily hit this minimum. My wife and I shared crispy pork schnitzel ($17) and an order of their deviled eggs ($12). The deviled eggs were nicely seasoned and included a small salad shrimp on top for some variety. The pork schnitzel was perfectly fried and the potatoes in the included side-salad was well-cooked and not over dressed. I would recommend enjoying the schnitzel with some mustard. Both drinks that I ordered -- an Old Fashioned and a Boulvardier, were well prepared. No notes here. Service here was top notch. Throughout our stay, our server checked up on us multiple times and we never had to wait long to place another order for drinks. Tipping options on the receipt include pre-calculated 18%, 20%, and 22% options (on top of the 5% SF Mandate). Last but not least, the restaurant had clean bathrooms and a bunch of large TV screens on every wall. If you're looking to watch a sports match, Sam's Tavern is the place to go!

Just a San Francisco staple, really no other way to put it. Been doing great things for a long time…read morein-between those four walls and I don't anticipate that changing anytime soon. You want to get a taste of the city before all the tech bros turned it into what it is now? Sam's is one of the spots that'll take you back in time.

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Sam's Tavern
Fish tacos  (3) with fries
Fish tacos (3) with fries
Fish (3) and chips with Cole slaw

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Fish (3) and chips with Cole slaw
The Boardroom

The Boardroom

4.1
(520 reviews)
0.6 mi
$$

The food here was such a huge highlight of our San Francisco trip !! After a long day exploring the…read morecity we overestimated the amount of time we had to go grab clam chowder at boudins. What originally started as a disappointment became a huge blessing once we found the board room. Feet aching, sweaty, and tired we made our way to this bar. Immediately you could tell it's a local favorite, the ambiance was nice and a great spot to people-watch. There was a cup flipping event which was super fun to spectate, along side the rotating pictures of the bar's beloved pooches . We ordered 2 western burgers, 12 count bone-in wings (half bbq, half Hawaiian), and an appetizer of corn dogs, tater tots, bacon Mac & cheese bites, and mozzarella sticks. Later we also added boneless buffalo wings which were so tangy, well-seasoned, and HOT. The western bacon burgers were so delicious, crispy bacon, crispy onion rings, and some bomb.com bbq sauce. The wings were drowned in sauce (just how we like them) , the bbq was to die for and the Hawaiian had the perfect little kick of spice for our picky eaters. The appetizer platter was also fried to perfection, with the perfect crunch on the tater tots & corn dogs. The Mac & cheese bites & mozzarella sticks were perfectly cheesed, with an amazing cheese pull on the mozzarella sticks. Along with the food, my boyfriend and I ordered some drinks. I got a margarita and he got a Guinness. Both drinks were good, very standard and well served. The couple behind the bar were very funny and super kind to us being dazed after all the walking. On our way back down to SoCal my brother is still raving about the burgers, this is a MUST-STOP the next time we come up to San Francisco!!

The door old grumpy has to go , he was rude we tried to come back in after we ordered food while…read morewe're dinning in they sent our order to go and we have to pickup on the side door... Jim was so rude but angel helped us , he is an amazing guy... Now I love him , thanks so much for taking care of all of us. We are coming back

Photos
Sick decor guys
Sick decor guys
Grilled Chicken Club with Sweet Potato Waffle Fries
Grilled Chicken Club with Sweet Potato Waffle Fries
Bar area

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Bar area
Waystone

Waystone

4.8
(94 reviews)
0.6 mi

Lovely little wine bar for a night out! Super busy and loud but a great ambiance. Small indoor and…read moresmall outdoor seating. The wine was pretty good, and the tapas were amazing! I loved the poke. It's a bit sweeter but a great taste. Also a cute dog roaming around. Definitely will be back!

We believe in second chances. And by we I mean me, my friends, and Tom…read more We showed up last night and immediately the atmosphere was different. Every single table was full and bustling. The people were laughing, the drinks were flowing. It smelled really good, which we would later find out was from the food especially that Mac and cheese. We started off with different wines, some that Tom recommended based on what we told him we didn't like or did like. He apologized for our previous experience and was genuinely a nice guy. Honestly it's very admirable for a business owner to take feedback to heart and want to incorporate it. Plus he's a really cool guy when you get to know him. The staff was busy running around but still made time to come check on us. Our final verdict is we came on a bad day. This time we got the actual Waystone experience. We finally got to try the chicken bites with a creamy aioli, fries with yogurt sauce, and the star of the show was the Mac and cheese. Tik tok did live up to the hype and we will have to come back for one of their jazz nights. Be warned this place gets busy! But it's worth it.

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Ribs and Mac and cheese
Ribs and Mac and cheese
Fries
Fries
Bar area

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Bar area
Old Ship Saloon

Old Ship Saloon

3.9
(480 reviews)
1.1 mi
$$

We popped into Old Ship Saloon last night for a nightcap after my partner's birthday dinner at…read moreKokkari, a short walk away. Not our first time here, and certainly won't be our last. Great little bar in the FiDi, open late, and serves food late at night which is a huge plus. Even after a celebratory dinner, we couldn't resist getting the quesadilla here again - this place makes one of the best quesadillas I've had. Get it with guacamole, which they fold into the quesadilla. The drinks are good, and reasonably priced, especially for SF. Good selection of beers. When you walk in, you'll feel like you're on the deck of a ship - or like you've had a few too many - because the floor is slanted. Fun place, and draws in the local crowd. See you soon, Old Ship. Probably this weekend, as we continue RB's birthday celebration.

The day after Valentine's Day. We should have stayed over a 2nd night but early on we decided to…read morego back across the bay. On our way out of town we decided to drop in here to finish of the weekend. It was late so parking was easy. We sat at the bar with only 1 or 2 other people in the whole place. You might think you've already had 7 to many when yoi walk in because years ago during some renovations the floor shifted and is uneven. Mr. Bartender was nice and the drinks were great. I think we shared a quesadilla. I love it when places serve food late at night. The rest of the food menu looked great with several items I'm looking forward to trying. More places need to serve food late at night. We originally thought this was our first time here but soon realized we have been here before multiple times. Prolly other late night stays in SF from when we were here daily. Prior to oir leaving the the bar got busy and multiple tables were filled. The really late night crowd had arrived, in mass. Nice to see after greasy newsom pretty much single handedly devastated the restaurant/bar scene in SF and elsewhere with his illegal draconian policies for a flu like illness that we all now know was delibrate on so many levels. But that's a different story for another time. Great to see this place survived. Like I said we've been here before but have only recalled it once we are in. No more. We talk about this place often and is on our radar to come back again and again.

Photos
Old Ship Saloon
Pulled pork sandwich
Pulled pork sandwich
Old Ship Saloon

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Shanghai Kelly's - pubs - Updated July 2026

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