Dear Guy Bartender, Please put less flair into your cocktail crafting and more care. I asked for a drink with Bénédictine. You volunteered up a Monte Carlo off-menu. I was pleasantly surprised, because that's pretty much what I had hoped you knew how to make. Sadly, what I got was like absolutely no Monte Carlo I'd ever had. But I just didn't have the heart to let you know that your suave moves behind the bar do not a classy cocktail make, as evidenced by the puzzled looks I got from colleagues who also sampled my beverage. Please Google the recipe for a Monte Carlo, refresh your memory, and save some poor future Bénédictine fan from the same fate. Expressly yours, -Kevin -------- Dear Lady Bartender, Thank you for the delightful chocolate cake shots. Your efficiency, the yumminess of well-proportioned liquor, and the ridiculous size of the shots all made up for the errors of your colleague. I appreciate your salvaging the reputation of the establishment at which you are employed. In gratitude, -Kevin read more

Not really impressed. The interior and bar setup are stellar, beautiful fireplace, but I will not drive myself to the brink of insanity from desperately trying to get a bartender to take my money. It took far too long to order a drink. I would love this place for a private event where I could actually enjoy the space AND have a beverage without hassle. It's hard for me to enjoy my surroundings when all my focus is spent trying to catch the eye of a bartender. 5 stars for the setup, I love it, totally my style lounge. 2 stars for the ambiance mostly caused by poor service, thus creating many antsy agitated customers hovering at the bar. read more

OG spot classic SF bar lounge. Where we have a mix of all walks including locals ,writers, professional athletes,a transsexual Lady, stock brokers , attorneys lol hookers and everyone else. DJ always play great dance music in the square U great first spot to hit that night! read more

Swig is conveniently located near Rye, the Ambassador, etc in the TenderNob. I've enjoyed a few great nights at Swig. It's always fun for dancing and great tunes and is a much classier version of Kennedy's or Fiddler's Green. When you need a break from dancing, there are comfy chairs to rest on too. The cocktails are good and reasonably priced. My only complaints are the line that can sometimes take a while to get through and the lack of bathrooms (2-3 total for guys & gals is not enough for a fairly big club!). read more

Rene C. and I wandered into Swig last night for a VIP Gogobot Party. And yes, we both bat on both sides of the plate......in terms of writing both Yelp and Gogobot reviews of course. However, I do have to watch myself at these events as Rene C. is much more worldly in areas of specialty cocktails and learned conversations with other fellow travelers. I remain in awe of that ASS! I had a really nice time and many thanks go out to Margaux for putting the party together and of course Travis, Ori/Michal, Amy, Sharon, and the rest of the Gogobot gang for making this very useful travel website possible. It was also great to run into Ron L. (also a fellow Yelper) and finally meet Alex. the beat box cellist was also pretty cool. My only regret was Gayle's unavailablity due to her animal shelter volunteer work. However, she did agree to help try out the new Gogobot App when we go to Spain next month. As for Swig, it was a nice venue, the bartenders were friendly, and it was a comfortable place to hang out. The place eventually got a little noisy and crowded, but there was a lot of great energy around where we've been, what we've discovered, and where we want to go. read more

Swanky yet not pretentious drinking spot. Passion fruit vodka. Cost to worth it rating: 3 Return worthiness: yes Highlights: - Passion fruit vodka: 42 below flavor. I'm a flavored vodka girl so was thrilled to find something new and quite delicious. They had a few different flavors from this NZ producer like honey and kiwi as well. - Wall of liquor bottles: an impressive sight with the brick wall behind the bar covered with shelves of bottles - Bartender process: the industrial engineer hub appreciated their efficiency. In the crowded bar, she'd bring someone their drinks and take another order at the same time so everything was always moving so there was no lag. - Decor: big open window up front so it was a frame of a wall giving an open feeling to a relatively small square place. I was mesmerized with the bellagio-like glass lighting structures on the ceiling that looked like prickly red sea urchins. Lowlights: - Long line later in the evening I enjoyed my drink and hang out time here and would come back. read more

Seems to me that a lot of San Franciscan's don't like Swig. In life we have to know how to make the most of something. Thanks for all of the reviews guys; we had a blast at Swig! Problem: Swig is overcrowded with no where to sit on the weekends. Solution: Come on a week night. Problem: Drinks are Weak, and expensive. Solution: Order a Beer. Problem: Too much dorks/bridge and tunnel. Solution: Bring your own friends, sit by the fire, keep to yourselves and enjoy the flames. My Fun Night at Swig: Catching up with a friend from Munich after some friends were out swing dancing at Le Colonial - we wanted to bust a move to a few more songs. So we set out in search of a smooth wood floor in the neighborhood. Blue Owl had too much carpet and not enough space. Ohhh... Swig! With a Roaring fire on a cold winter night how could you not like this place?? Maybe some people had a bad experience here but late night we had a great time! Not overly crowded (week night). Beer was perfect, music was good, and they didn't kick us out when we started swing dancing. Perfect wood floors for leather bottom shoes. Date Rating: 7 Pick up Scale: 2 Strong suggestion: if you're coming here bring your own friends and be in a loungy mood. Seemed like there were quite few "nerds" here fortunately I love em! read more

Swig - Need I say more? - Bars Near Me - San Francisco, California

I've been going to Swig for a long time and seen its changes over the years. I'll drop by if I'm bar hopping in the neighborhood. This place gets crowded on the weekends. Usually they'll have dance music, but not really a legit "dancefloor," peeps are just dancing everywhere. Cocktails are well made, but waited awhile'z to be served. Good place to hang out with friends, listen to some good music or chill out with some drinks. read more

This place is a great place to go for happy hour if you work in the financial district. They have great drink choices and it's a pretty mellow bar. You can sit by the window for some fresh air or you can sit by the fire. I found this place cozy and somewhere where I would like to bring a book and drink. I would recommend this place to anyone who is looking for chill and well priced happy hour. read more

My experience at Swig was just okay for me. Nothing to rave about. The music and the dj was just very wrong for this place. Wasn't really feeling the whole 70s - 80s mash up of disco songs. I like the set up at Swig though, the atmosphere speaks for itself. Swig is in walking distance from Ambassador and Rye. TIP: Just hire another dj. read more

172. We were looking for a place to grab drinks and chill to end my birthday. Stopped by this place. It was decently packed, and we had a little area of our own so it wasn't super crowded. Drinks were actually strong. Surprise, surprise. Maybe I had a little too much since it was my birthday? Note: This place isn't really a dance club even though that's what it says here. They do play some good jams though, and you can do a little dance in the corner if you feel so inclined to. read more

Live band, no cover, small spot. Lots of dancing!!! read more

Pros: No cover charge, large bar (2 stars) Cons: It's only 1 large room, making dancing close to impossible. It's very difficult to get a drink. They hold the line. There are NOT enough chairs. They let WAAAYYY too many people in -- meaning it feels like you walked right into a sauna once you step foot inside. They just seriously need to tell people that they are doing a 'one in, one out' policy at whatever point, so people in line know they've gotta leave or wait a while. Also, the drinks are on the pricey end. Save your time and money and go somewhere else. Plus there are PLENTY of places that don't have cover or dress code. Oh, and lastly, the DJ that I had on the Saturday night SUCKED!! Played a bunch of songs that NO ONE could groove to and did NOT know how to mix. ugh ... terrible. read more

When life gives you lemons and locks you out, you walk to the nearest bar and drink up. Just so happens, my neighborhood bar happens to be this chill place. Please note that the only reason why this review gets 4 stars is because they don't serve food. How are you gonna get me liquified up and not even have some almonds or a potato to chow on!?!?! Bump the speakeasy vibe, but give me food with my spirits. But I digress. Nevertheless, if you're looking for a chill place to chill after work, or a late night hang out with some friends, Swig is it. Likes: -pretty good drinks with happy hour specials -good selection of spirits (translation: if you have a fave drink, they should be able to make it) -typically a different band/theme each night (from salsa to tango to almost any genre of music) -great place to chill with friends or with a group, if you're in town for a conference -located on bus line and near BART -great music nightly -the front windows open on nice evenings, so you can have a great drink while you people watch -great ambiance overall Dislikes: -bring your own food, folks, because it's not served here! (although, you're welcome to bring some in) read more

I probably needed to have a few more "swigs" of something to have the same amount of fun that others were having in this bar the other night- but all in all,Swig served up downtown fun in a neighborhood bar sort of way. The music was all 80's all the time- played loudly (LOUDLY!) and while there really wasn't a dance floor- that never stopped us before so move over people and let Chicago's own Andy F show us his moves! (which he did and let me tell you that guy can dance!). The fun part was that the rest of the bar got into it and were clapping and dancing right along. My biggest surprise was that they had such a limited beer selection. I think that there were only 4 on the list and none that I wanted. Oh and ladies if you go- there were at least 2 times as many women as men in the place on a Saturday night so competition is fierce. Go with your game on if you are hoping to meet someone. Friendly bouncer, patient bartenders and a DJ who kept the songs going all night. Not sure that I would go out of my way for the place, but since it was a block from my hotel- it was a fun stop on the parade of bars that we seemed to be on the other night. read more

I absolutely loved this place until closing! I go out all the time and this club counts as one of my favorite places to visit in sf but once it turned 1:25, I hated this place. The bouncers were so eager to kick us out before we left. Like honestly, give us ONE MINUTE to finish. I've heard about the hostility of this place so I decided to time it and it was less than A minute from when they told us to leave and finish our drinks. You could be a little nicer. I was having an amazing tune until closing. Would recommend as a starting place (some places are better) but if you plan on staying until close, expect to be pushed and shunned down by the bouncers. Trust me. I love this city! , San Diego babe read more

Nothing particularly special about this place. But a nice spot for a drink or two if you can park yourself near the window in the front. read more

It's an OK place. I like the plush couches but you have to claim one early. The music sounded like what you'd hear at any bar...it was a good mix though. The drinks were reasonably priced I guess. Not really that exciting...it attracts a wide mix of people which is always good. I had a good time people watching. There was even some guy that reminded me of an anime character. I don't think I'd go here by choice but if someone wanted to go here, I wouldn't refuse. Get here early though because it fills up much later in the evening. read more

I have been to Swig many times. Some friends and I actually rented the two rooms upstairs for New Year's in 2009. The pricing was very reasonable and we enjoyed the bartenders and drinks provided. I love their fireplace and it's got a pretty spacious dance floor though the music has been hit or miss for me. Overall I've had pleasant experiences here and I foresee going back many times. read more

Swig has been a staple in my life for a long time. If I have had a long day and need something sweet I will go get a cookie. If I need a pick me up in the morning I can grab a soda. They are always quick and the employees have always been kind! They have high quality products and everything that they produce is always made with love! read more

I visited this bar without any plans. Great bar with amazing drinks. I tried their cocktails, superb. 10 min walk from civic center bart stop. This is going to be my go to bar for sure. My favorite place in the bar, Sitting near the indoor FirePlace. read more

Swig - Bars Near Me - San Francisco, California

I'm hanging out enjoying my Jack and Coke with my friends in the upstairs lounge of Swig. We believe we are the only ones in the room, until a couple comes stumbling into the room, clearly out of their minds already. We are seated comfortably by the railing over looking the bar. There are four corners of this room, and this couple chooses to post up and start MAKING OUT literally 1 foot from where we are sitting. Seriously!? I got pictures of you connected to this review, so don't try to deny it, whoever you are! About the decor of this place, one thing you will notice is the huge wide open space as you enter. This place is perfect for getting your groove on. There is a large bar to the right of the lounge and a large fireplace to the left. There are the additional breakout "makeout" rooms on the second floor. The bathrooms are located on the first floor towards the back. The crowd is mostly twenties to thirties, and the bouncers don't enforce dress code at all. I saw some guy walk in with his throwback jersey on and a lady in crutches go strutting through the line. The music vibe was great, but that could be just the in house DJ that night. He was playing old school Hip Hop to Top 40, but mostly Hip Hop. Broke out some old school jams that I had not heard in a long time, like TLC, Baby Baby Baby. Drinks were reasonably priced, I paid $13 dollars for a mixed well and a beer. But the awful kicker and the reason why I had to bump this down one star was that the drink glasses were definitely not sanitized well. I got a sore throat the next day from whichever two drinks I consumed. read more

Swig - Love, in this club - Bars Near Me - San Francisco, California

See all

First time here on a Saturday night for a birthday party. Bartenders were nice and attentive. Drinks were average. Good ambiance. So, I was going to give this place 2 stars, but after the DJ telling me very rudely to "GO AWAY" after I requested nicely to play some music that had a bit faster tempo-screw that! To the DJ-your music selection is quite poor-time for an update! Asked the people that were standing in line while using the bathroom-they're not planning to ever come back and neither would I! Yes, this place did start shooing everyone out at 1:20 a.m. :O( Poor customer service! read more

Swig is a great posh bar. The drinks are amazing and original. The music is great and the atmosphere is beyond. The bartenders here are mixologists and my favorite is the corpse reviver. It basically tastes like adult lemonade. Basically this place is perfect for a good classy night out read more

Swig - Corpse reviver - Bars Near Me - San Francisco, California

It's Sunday, and you've been stuck at the office all day. And somehow you are not alone in needing to escape. For a Sunday, this was a welcome site. The great band, the accomplished dancing, and some very strong drinks really take the edge off of a less-than-relaxing weekend. Great lounge juxtaposed with a vibrant dance floor, well attended bar, not too many flies, and a good mix of every style, size and shape. Not too crowded, although I would hate to see this place on a Friday or Saturday. Parking was relatively easy on Geary. read more

The score of 3 if from the combination of awesome bartenders with the not-so-awesome neighborhood. Swig is one of those trendy craft cocktail bars stuck on the edge of the tenderloin (we can call it the TenderKnob, but lets be honest its the Tenderloin). I love starting my night out at this place because they can make a delicious cocktail. Its a dark, classy bar with only fresh-squeezed juices and a huge emphasis on whiskey. You know that they can make a mean old fashioned or a gimlet. The downside is the location. You can into the bar only after you traverse impediments such as spitting homeless people. read more

I have always had a great time in this place. It's more relaxed then the Red Wood Room a block away and the people more friendly. The drinks are also half the priced. People are still dressed up, but you see a lot more jeans in this place then dresses. There are bands or DJ that play depending on the time and night and people are here to just have a good time. It's not a huge bar and gets very crowded but it's great to come here after a dinner at Cortez or some other place in the area. It's also good for happy hour since it's walking distance from many offices. read more

Came here yesterday night. I live really close and would always walk by. It is always crowded and the music seemed pretty good. With two other ladies we arrived at around 11pm. There was no line for us to get in although it was pretty crowded inside already. My friend bought us drinks: a midori sour, jack and coke, and something else. My jack and coke was reallllly disgusting. I left it on the table. It wasn't that hard to find a place to sit. We got these square seats and then later moved onto the couch. The atmosphere and decor is really nice. I love the comfy seats and the really cool chandeliers. The line outside got really busy by 11.30pm. We got tired of just sitting there so we moved to the back by the dj to dance. While dancing I look around and see two people who looked super familiar. They were really lively and into the music. They were the two gay guys from the television show Greek. Pretty cool. They were also really friendly. The atmosphere is nice. I enjoy being able to dance with room to move. I don't think its a good place to meet people. Most people go here with their own crowd except for a couple guys I saw standing by themselves. There is a bathroom for men and a bathroom for women. When I went to use it, I didn't have to wait too long. read more

It seems most negative reviews for Swig revolve around late-night weekend visits but since I've only stopped by mid-week evenings, I actually dig Swig as a happy hour watering hole. Plus they have an amazing photo booth in the back. Bartenders aren't the chattiest but they do a decent job for a bar. I've never been here when it's crowded so service has always been fast. I really dig the beer selection on tap here - none of the brews are run of the mill here. Did tequila shots here once and they were huge. Find a spot by the fire place and you have a pleasant setting for happy hour catchups. Now onto the photobooth in the back: 1. It takes credit cards. 2. It makes you look better than you really do. Even when intoxicated. 3. For $8, you get 2 different hard copies (12 shots total) and they email you both copies so everyone gets a copy. Brilliant. I'm probably never going to be here late on a weekend but I'll stop by for some weekday happy hour anytime. read more

This was our first time here it was recommended by a waitress at 587. We had a few appetizers and drinks, great place to hang out good ambience. We didn't stay long decided to bar hop since for the night. read more

Friday 10PM - No cover. No line to get in. Just my type. Interior - The wall of alcohol is so pretty to look at. The dance floor and tables are messy. Not much room to dance. There is an upstairs area that looks like VIP because a bouncer sits at the entrance but it's not. I love that we had room to move around and put our things down. Music - OK. The music constantly sounded like it was going to turn up but never did. El Aguila - Great, crisp, refreshing. read more

PLACE IS COOL but some of the people stink. I've only been to swig once. We were chilling at a hotel-party across the street and relocated the party at Swig. We came here to get out, drink, go dancing, and just have some saturday night fun. I love how the place is set up and the drinks were pretty good. Most of the people there were great. Some weirdos but aren't there always weirdos everywhere. And there were some randoms that tried to start a mess with some of my guy friends for no reason. It happens when people are drunk but must they call us Filiipino's "chinks". For that I do not plan to return. read more

I'm on the fence with this place. Came here for GNO after having dinner at Ryoko's. Swig bar is a really nice lounge. I totally dig the setup! Love the fireplace, love the leather couches, and long bar. The front windows open up so you can literally sit on the window panel and people watch. Great decor and usage of space! We came here on a Saturday night and the music was a little off. I didn't understand the switch up from rock, to pop, to rap. And the crowd wasn't that mixed. More on the stuffy, corporate, all-American kinda vibe. I saw a lot of guys wearing designer jeans with....dress shoes. Don't get me wrong, I'm all about jeans but, how about jeans with dressy tennis shoes or casual shoes. Not shoes only sold at FLORSHEIM? As we strolled in, I felt like we were the only 10+ Asian girls that showed up! A little later, there were a few more ethnic groups that arrived but by then, we were so ready to bounce. Everyone will have their own opinion about this place - it didn't float my boat. There are better lounges to hang out in the city. read more

Last month a deal came across Liquor.com for $100; it included the reservation of the private penthouse suite at Swig and $50 worth of drinks. It was perfect timing because I was trying to figure out something special to do for my boyfriend's birthday. I purchased the voucher and then went on Swigbar.com to make the reservation online. I received an e-mail from Jessica the next day letting me know that the Saturday I requested was not available but they could do it the Friday before. Jessica also let me know that if we needed a table for cake and food they could arrange that and any other special requests. When we showed up on the Friday of the party I was pleasantly surprised by the setup. It was a surprise party and it was perfect because people upstairs can see downstairs but not viceversa. I had never actually been to Swig before but the ambiance is nice and the penthouse comes with two rooms, a private bartender and bathroom and a bouncer at the bottom of the stairs. We had about 40 people at our party and the space was perfect to accomodate. You could probably fit as many as 60, but it would feel pretty crowded. The bartender, Ross, is from Ireland and he was really nice. The drinks were pretty well priced. $7 for a well drink, $9 for a cocktail. I think the Coronas and Heinekens were $5. If you want any specialty drinks then make sure that you notify them beforehand. The bar tending area upstairs is really small so they only have the basics up there unless told ahead of time. There were a couple difference bouncers standing at the bottom of the stairs. The best one by far was David. He was friendly and when it was time to kick us out at 1AM he wasn't too pushy trying to get us out of the space. So in a nutshell, I definitely recommend throwing a party upstairs at swig. You don't have to do anything to decorate. You just bring your own food, cake and utensils and they also provided aluminum foil for us to wrap up the remains of our birthday cake at the end of the night. I had a great time and the feedback that I have gotten from my friends has been very positive. read more

I came here December 10th for drinks and a little dancing. We came in I think fairly early on a Saturday night - I think around 9 something? It was low key at that point, mainly different groups of people having drinks. Not too loud. By the time we left it had started to get a lot more crowded, lights lower, music louder, and a lot more voices. This place has a very cool vibe kind of industrial modern with brick walls, low warm lighting, and a fireplace. Comfortable and aesthetically pleasing. Mainly, I have to give HUGE props to the bartenders here. They know their craft. Swig has a wide selection of liqueurs available. They use fresh ingredients. The attention to detail and technical skill of the barmen was astounding. I was in awe watching them at work. I felt as if I didn't just pay for a drink, I was getting a bit of a show as well. Not only were the drinks pretty, but they tasted excellent. Their house cocktails are some of the best I've had. read more

Although Swig is in the Tenderloin, it is my favorite bar in SF. The music is great and the drinks are amazing. The security is awesome and they keep away people who are bothersome. Also, a huge positive is they never have a cover charge. I'm already paying for drinks, so paying for a cover seems silly. Regardless, the vibe here is great. There is dancing here too. Overall, I recommend this bar for a good time and good drinks!! :) read more

Another top pick on my list for an afterwork date night. This place has that romance ambiance, good seating and crafts cocktails to make you feel like you are in New York. You can go alone or with friends and still have a good time. If thats not enough, Wednesday nights they have a live Reggae band so you can dance all night long. I consider it one of the top classier bars in SF for REAL live reggae music. read more

Swig is a great cocktail lounge with lots of seating, a floor for possible dancing and standing around, top floors for lounging and private events, etc. I love the style of their bar set-up. It's like a book shelf or organized cocktail shelf/cabinet wall. The bartenders are on point as well as their main cocktail menu. This place is one of my favorite cocktail joints of all SF. I can totally have a small social gathering here with friends, etc. It's also a great place for intimate dates because the noise volume is at a low, the atmosphere is warm and cozy, lighting is dark, etc. There is even a big fireplace in the lobby area for cozy conversations! I totally recommend this bar! read more

A beautiful Wednesday evening spent here with a group of friends. We randomly stumbled upon this place after dinner. What a cute place?! A nicely decorated, upbeat place with a chill jazzy vibe. I was impressed with the strong, well made cocktails and service. Loved the live band playing best of jazz/ blues. Made for fun evening of music, a bit of dancing and great drinks. What more can a girl ask for? read more

I kinda liked the music, a good mix of some top 40 but also a lot of the fun pop songs of the last 15 years. Drinks are a little expensive but I think I'm just not used to SF prices yet. On an interesting note, Juvenille's "back that thang up" has more staying power than any song from my childhood. That shit came out in 1999 when I was like 12 and I still hear that everywhere. Unbeknownst to most, Lil Wayne when he truly was lil was on the track too. read more