It's been a decade after my last review and Jay is still my go-to barber. That should tell you all you need to know about this place. Also love the new appointment reservation system via email to ensure that you're in and out in no time. read more

I recently moved to the area and wanted to get a haircut here. I called them asking what the wait was at the moment. I then asked the price. The employee barked at me, "have you been here before?!" Obviously I haven't been there before. That's why I was asking the price. I said no. He yelled "yeah seems like it. You have so many questions!" I don't need to support an establishment that treats customers like that. I'm going elsewhere. read more

I'm glad I found this place for a haircut. The $25 price is not bad at all. The barber is friendly. He works efficiently with skill and precision. I am usually not the most satisfied with my haircut, but I was here when I came here. It was pretty steady on a Saturday. It was a chill time. Ace Ventura was playing on the TV so that was pretty nostalgic. He said it is usually pretty busy like that which means he has loyal customers. Total time with waiting and haircut was about an hour. So, if you are in a rush to go somewhere, you probably won't get in and out. read more

Way too expensive for a bad 10 minute haircut. I came in and showed a picture of the haircut I wanted. He told me it was a bad haircut and that he could do better. Proceeded to give me the worst haircut I've gotten in years. And only spent 10 minutes cutting my hair. Was a bad, bizarre experience. Don't mind spending $40+ on a good haircut but not for an awful 10 minute haircut. read more

I recently moved to the Inner Sunset and I needed to find a local barber to cut my hair. I found this spot on yelp and hands down great value! I arrived around 7:30am on Friday morning and was first in line. Jay opened promptly at 8am and cut my hair exactly how I told him to. He is definitely well trained and cuts with precision and speed. There is a bathroom inside and the shop is well kept and clean. I will definitely tell my housemates and my other friends living nearby to come here. Thanks Jay! read more

Recently moved out of state, but went to Jay for 5 years--- great hair cut, and awesome barbershop. I've sent friends his way because he's a good dude, his place has a great atmosphere, and the haircut is quality, quick, no frills. First few times I visited, he asked some straight forward questions about what I wanted. He remembers you, and remembers your haircut... over time, you just sit down and he gets started. Jay, you're the man. read more

I have been going here over 20 years and plan to keep on going here. Jay gives the best haircut in San Francisco.

Great place for a haircut. They have all of the usual barbershop stuff: A barber pole outside (acutally 2, look at the pic), guys talking about guy stuff, girlie magazines, and the modern touch: a couple of TV's. Nice down to earth old fashioned prices too. read more

Sunset Barber Service - Barbers Near Me - San Francisco, California

Not surprised to see other reviews mentioning the bad cuts and bad customer service. My first haircut here waspercent. The owner's father cut my hair. He seemed to know what he was doing. My second cut here was the owner, Jay(?). He was wholly terrible. Note: I have longer hair. Towards the end I asked Jay to use the thinning scissors "some more" since my hair is ultra thick and I know that it needs a good thinning. He cut every hair on my crown half the length of the rest of my hair. This is generally impossible to do with thinning scissors. Unclear if this was incompetence or malice. It took two months to grow out. Next he took a pair of electric clippers and started buzzing my forehead hairline. He chopped a bunch of hairs on my hairline down to stubble. I think he was trying to clean the area up? Since I tie my hair back (which he knew) this mistake has caused me to have a sloppy and out of place set of wisps that very visibly sprawl onto my forehead. It looked bad on day one and it still looks bad six months later. As icing on the cake, Jay was surly, and even made a few rude comments when I mentioned I only like to get my hair cut twice a year. He made snide comments about how I needed to get my hair cut more frequently to achieve what I wanted. Wrong: all I need is a competent barber. Despite the egregious mistakes, he had the gall to self congratulate his own handiwork ("I did a pretty great job"). Never coming back. read more

I've had 'meh' haircuts before, but I get a basic buzz cut, so it's pretty impossible to screw up. Somehow Jay managed to do that. I asked for "3 on top, 1 on the sides and beard" and I got that, but then he took it upon himself to trim my already receding hairline up an extra 1/4" for some reason. I didn't realize what he was doing until he had already started trimming my hairline so there was no going back. He didn't even manage to get it symmetrical, so I don't know what the hell he was trying to achieve. He used a dry straight razor on my hairline and half of my beard line - only over the cheek bones - and for some reason didn't use it all the way down to my mustache, and didn't even shave my neck. My beard was also not even close to symmetrical, I have a thick mustache and one side of my beard curves down to the bottom of my mustache, the other side curves down to the top. I walked in here at 2:30 on a Saturday and waited an hour and a half, then paid $40 plus $5 tip (which I shouldn't have given him) for literally the only bad haircut I've ever had. He was obviously rushing because I didn't get into the chair until 4pm, which was his closing time, but he put the 'Closed' sign up at 3 and didn't object when some guy walked in at 3:59 so it's not my fault if he had somewhere to be. Next time I'm going to the crappy Supercuts around the corner where at least they won't screw it up. read more

I went back after being away for a long while and having a few mishaps from my regular guys. The cut was good, very simple and nothing to write home about. As I was driving away and double, triple checking my cut in the rear view mirror as I always do, it hit me. This is a place to get a haircut. It's not the place to get the bald fade, lines in the side of your head or even crazy designs. It's a barber shop where you get a simple cut that's good and makes you look good. I often fluctuate between looks. Currently the hair is way too shaggy and it's time to get back to the bald feezy, but when I am just looking for a simple cut, I will be right back here with our boy Jay. read more

This is as bad a haircut as I've ever received. I don't think the haircut was from the barber whose shop it was, so perhaps that was why--the barber may have been the owner's father? At the end of the cut, he asked if there was anything else I wanted done to my hair, but it was so bad that I didn't know where to start so I just said "no." He spent less than 10 minutes on my cut and didn't ask me what I wanted at any point. I'm so disappointed. I'm going to have to get it cut again this week. Utter waste of $25. Edit: I want to reiterate that I don't believe the person who cut my hair was Jay (who seems like a nice guy and a good barber by all accounts). The guy who cut my hair was older, and was fairly rude. read more

Living in the Midwest for the first 25 years of my life, this is the first haircut where I've had 100% confidence in the barber as I left the chair. This wasn't the typical "1 inch there, #2 on the sides" type of haircut, it was perfectly customized by an expert hand. read more

Extremely legit father & son barber shop where I always get the perfect cut, super fast, and at a great price ($25 now, going up to $30 in January and still a deal). Super convenient location right off the N-Judah too. I've visited almost every barber in the City to find the right one and this is it. I trust both barbers with my life and can't imagine getting a cut anywhere else ever again. read more

I came here Friday because my partner has told me that Jay cuts her nephews hair. So I took a chance to come here when we arrive my partner ask jay "if he can cut my hair" when I took off my hat off he snap his fingers and told us to find another place that cuts and didn't let my partner talk just wanted us to leave and find somewhere else. He was treating us bad because I was gay. Told us to go to Castro and get a barber and not come back here. My partner was very upset that Jay would do that since her sister loves to come here. If you're LGBT don't come here ,Jay is an unprofessional barber. He's customer service is rude! Don't come here if you're gay. I wish I can put zero stars because that's what you deserve! Thank you for welcoming with a lot of hate read more

I've been coming here a few years now after getting cuts at People's for a while, it started getting inconsistent and I didn't feel like the price or commute was worth it anymore. As a guy with short hair, any mistakes are visible so it's important to get it done right. This place is a no muss no fuss place which means first come, first serve. That's the pro--the con is waiting, which can take up to an hour or two on weekends. But that's life. Jay does great work and his dad--even at his age--does impeccable work. It's an affordable place that lets me serve my local neighborhood and doesn't let me down. Bring cash to pay and a charged phone or book to pass the time. read more

Terrible! Literally just got a beard trim and the older gentlemen had absolutely no clue what he was doing. Scarred up my neck and there's blood everywhere. Also wasn't very nice and THEY ONLY TAKE CASH! Not worth it! read more

As a balding man, I'm rather...sensitive about what few remaining strands of hair. Each hair cut becomes a potential moment of trauma: Will this be my last ever (I wonder)? Can my hair possibly look worse than it already does? Is my barber the type that specializes in amputations, gallstone removal, or making meat pies? Fortunately, most modern barbers don't follow in the footsteps of the barber-chirurgeons of the Middle Ages (although their poles descend from pieces of wood wrapped with blood soaked rags), and I've learned not to visit stylists named Sweeny Todd who work on Fleet Street, but although the potential for injury is low in modern barbering, the potential for trauma remains high. The Sunset Barber Service offers is basic barbering for the working-class man (or woman), two things that are disappearing from San Francisco than hair from my forehead. Although the well-coiffed proprietor doesn't run nearly as hipsterlicious a shop as many of the young and audacious stylists in the Mission, and you'll not be served a free shot here, you do get a high-quality haircut for an incredibly low price (20$). Although patrons are served as they arrive, I've never waited for more than 30 minutes. The owner, Jay, and his father are great guys who are willing to offer up both small-talk if needed, or silence if one is grouchy, terrified, or hungover. These guys do great work. The finest testimony to Jay's talents I can give is that I find myself getting compliments on my appearance whenever I get a haircut from the Sunset Barber Service. That alone makes his work (or maybe the shape of my head) worth five stars. read more

I really wanted to like this place, after failing to get last minute reservations at other competing SF barber shops. This place takes a no nonsense approach to first come first serve reservations. I was looking for a smart haircut, and a barber that would at least take some effort for a clean cut. I read the many reviews here on Yelp and thought, "hey, a 4 star place really can't go wrong. At least they would try and do right, with service at hand. Especially a barbershop in a competitve market. Some reviewers say best barber ever?" I arrived today Friday at 4pm, with four customers in front of me and the barber. Of course, I know Fridays are going to be popular, everyone trying to get a hard start on the weekend (and this should be old news to any barbershop). I started sensing after I walk in that the barber would really like the amount of patrons to start slowing down. . .as he gives a brief sigh of worry. So after waiting an hour, I explain to the barber what I like. Pretty simple standard stuff, a fade on the side and back and a trim on the top. So he starts plowing my head and it was one of the fastest fades I had ever experienced. This was my first time getting a cut here, and not once does he pause to say, want it shorter? Is this fine? No he did not "read my mind" like another reviewer suggested. After just a minute after he starts, i say to myself there goes that smart haircut look. I felt like a sheep, just getting my hair shaved down. During the cut, he pauses and starts playing text message on his phone. Now, I understand if business is light and your customers weren't waiting long but here I am after waiting an hour and the barber starts to text. I am a pretty patient person, but when he does not take patience on my haircut and rather spend time texting (with 4 other customers waiting after me) - that's when I don't think the hype is worth it. While trimming the top, he just uses clippers with a comb. Doesn't even stop to use shears to trim the top it out evenly. I was baffled. It was like zero $ucks were given. I paid the $20 and jetted. Luckily, hair grows back but unfortunately my visits here will be bald. Next weekend I will be going elsewhere to get the cut trimmed out evenly. Damn, my bad. read more

My husband only goes here now after having a number of cuts elsewhere where they butcher his curly hair. They always do such a good job here! read more

My boyfriend just got his hair cut here today, and he's lookin' foiiiiiiine! He cleans up very nicely (even though he's always looked great to me, but even more so) thanks to Jay, who tamed his "wicked cowlick." According to Jay, his father has owned his barber shop for 40 years now, and their family is a permanent fixture in the Inner Sunset. The shop is so awesome: each chair has its own flat-screen TV, posters of Muhammad Ali & Rocky Balboa up on the walls, and Playboy & Penthouse abound. And a cut & massage is $18...my man has found his barber shop of choice. read more

This is the only place I'll go to get a haircut, unless I'm out of town when I need one. The father/son team do a great job, and Jay (the son) has the Jedi power to remember EXACTLY how to cut my hair and get it exactly the same each time - and I only had to tell him once, the first time I went in. They always have a good selection of magazines too. Overall, a place for guys to get a guy's haircut at a reasonable price. Screw Supercuts around the corner, this place is way way better. UPDATE: the barber shop has been remodeled and it looks GREAT. They have a flat screen TV, it's open and well lit, and makes a great place even better! read more

I was told to say that Jesus gave me the haircut. Run by his son now, the father who ran the business for 50 years comes occasionally back to cut here. Pretty quick and solid cut. Definitely recommend if you are a guy who values the barber experience and doesn't want to pay an inflated price at salons or hipster spots. $20, solid convo and an old fashion barber is what you will find here. read more

It's hard to find a good consistent barber, but Jay is one of them! One of the best! A friend of mine recommended me to come here about a year ago and have been coming here ever since! No need to pay $50 for a hair cut at a salon. Just come here. You won't regret it. His dad also cuts my hair and just as good! Great vibes, chill atmosphere, great company and an awesome haircut! read more

I've been going to Jay for the last year and this guy knows how to cut hair, he's a super nice guy and a family man with a family business - I go see him for a cut every 7 or 8 weeks. If you are looking for someone who knows what they are doing with mid-century/classic or simple haircuts for only $18, look no further. Actually, never mind, go to one of the hipster barber shops in the mission and pay $50, I don't want to wait in longer lines to get my hair cut by Jay. read more

Great prices, friendly staff, good haircuts. I'll add that this place has a good old timey barbershop feel. Be aware that there are playboys and penthouses scattered near the top of the reading material; you don't have to read them of course but just be aware. I'm a fan and definitely recommend this place. read more

Gone are the days of being a college student where I would search far and wide for a cheap, normal looking cut. I've also tried those $10 cuts over in Chinatown and it never worked out. Now that I'm back in the City...I've been looking for a decent barber...and I think I've found just that guy. This barbershop is a one-man team (as he would like to say). Two people and it ruins the whole game plan. He runs it himself and only by himself. And somehow...it works. The barbershop is a family-run business started way back in 1969. The history of the barbershop may be old but the layout of the shop combines a mix of the past along with a dash of the new. There is an HDTV mounted at the top along with a smaller TV off to the side for your viewing pleasure. $18 for a haircut. All well spent. He takes time with your hair and is very willing to do whatever you ask. I hate it when people take 10 minutes with your hair and it's done, but he cuts your hair with precision and accuracy like it's an art project. Will come back again. read more

Jay's simply the best. I started getting my hair cut at Sunset Barber years ago and even though I moved out of the neighborhood, I still only go to Jay. There's a reason why Sunset Barber has stuck around all these years and why it remains a staple after multiple generations. Top quality service, friendly conversation, and always a first rate hair cut. read more

I've got my haircut all over the place....from the Chinese place by my house, myself, my friends, everywhere...I found this barbershop through Yelp and I have to say this is the first time where I left the place being satisfied with my haircut. Jay is super nice and professional. He knows what looks best for your style and he made sure you know the difference between professional haircuts and amateur ones. One thing: they don't accept cash...but would I go back? HECK YEA. read more

Nice classic barbershop in Inner Sunset. Jay gives a great haircut with confidence. Tell him what you're looking for and he'll take it away. No appointments, so be prepared to wait if there are people ahead of you. But there's a nice waiting room. BONUS: check out the bakery down the street after your cut. read more

Long wait. But hardly the fault of the establishment. Was just a busy day. And that's the price you pay for someone who is going to take the time to cut your hair well. Unlike some other establishments, where it's: men? buzzz! out. 5 minutes. I was okay with that system for a while, but had a truly awful haircut to start 2010 and vowed to pay a bit more $18 (btw) for something better. And it was worth it. I kind of left the decision making up to the barber (with the simple suggestion that I was tired of looking like I had a comb over and needed a change). And he delivered. read more

I've always had trouble finding someone to cut my hair just right. I'm picky (inasmuch as I walk away going "aw, mannnn" not like I sit there nitpicking the whole time), and Sunset Barber Service is the best. Found them right after I moved here, and Jay's done a great job. Sometimes there's a wait, but it's 100% worth it. Of course there's gonna be a wait for some place this awesome. Big fan. read more

Here's the deal: If you want to spend $60+ to have a stylist meticulously cut, place, and glue each individual hair on your head - don't come here. If you want to get a well-executed haircut by professional barbers, watch some older Al Pacino movies on a high-def flat screen, browse some porn mags, and generally have a damn good time for around $20, then get to Sunset Barbers. The father/son team at Sunset has been cutting men's hair since before most of their patrons were born, and once you go there, it's fairly obvious why. The service is excellent, the atmosphere is relaxed, and for the price that you pay, it simply can't be beat. I wouldn't think of going anywhere else in the city. read more

the man's man barbershop with an old school feel. Entertaining Conversations as well, Jay can talk about anything and everything local sports to G.O.T. etc! It's hard to find a decent old school barber (NOT a pretty boy hipster HAIRDRESSER) these days. I've Been coming here for years no matter where I moved district to district in SF, only Jay makes the cut! read more

This place has that kind of old timey men's club barbershop thing going on, where you can make banter with the barber about sports or news while you get your hair cut. They have lollipops and stuff at the front counter, in case kids come in, I guess. They only take cash though, and it can be difficult to find parking around here. Its right off the N-Judah route, however. read more

This place is nice- I'd been looking for an old school barber shop in town. Aside from the standard barber shop things, they have nice hardwood floors, a couple of TV sets, and plenty of Playboys. They're also not at all expensive. There's not really a lot to say about this place, which is exactly how a barber shop should be. read more

Found this place by chance when looking for a new barber a few years back walking the neighborhood and haven't looked back. Jay runs a family owned business where his dad cut before him and occasionally will make a cameo. I've never left unsatisfied with a cut. Jay can make great recommendations for each persons hair type and when you build a rapport he just knows what to do without you even having to say anything. If you're a sports fanatic he's your guy...I use to dread getting a haircut but now I look forward to it. You're also not going to beat the price of $25. Coming from someone that's lived in the same area for 30+ years, it's great to see a family business still thriving where the majority of businesses have monopolized. Hopefully Jay will be cutting my hair for 30+ more years. read more

Great haircut, great price and quick. By far the best and most consistent quality haircut around. This place is what a barber shop should be... yes you may have to wait, yes the owners don't coddle and hug you... and yes, you're going you're going to get a high quality haircut. The people who complain about this place can go back to Great Clips... There are plenty of us who love to come here. read more

Cool place, nice guy, and a good cut. Walked in, didn't even have to wait 15 seconds, as I was walking in there was another guy getting up. The cut was rite on, quick and he remembered just what i wanted when i went back the 2nd time. would recommend it to anyone. read more

I went for my first haircut at the Sunset Barber Service yesterday around noon. I chose it based upon favorable Yelp reviews. I cannot claim to be a brilliant expert on haircuts (Not having too much hair, I often buzz my own head without the benefit of a mirror) but I thought Jay did a great job. He took his time, chatted amiably, and seemed to pay attention to detail. I had asked for a short, professional haircut, which I got. The surprise shoulder rub at the end actually felt pretty good. The 'guyness' of the place is clear but not overbearing. Girly mags are interspersed with other mainstream mags. Financial news was on the tv. It was a very comfortable, relaxed experience. The price, about $18, seemed very reasonable. read more