Oldest operating tiki bar in the US, since 1937! Glad I walked in before reading the reviews. Everyone was super friendly, drinks were super cheap ($9-$10???) and not bad. There was a guy outside who suggested we try the banana cow, which as the name suggests, is banana with milk and sugar and rum. It was decent, but I liked the pina colada better. The bartender had a little extra liquid from my pina colada, so he made a tiny extra lava flow for me, too. Lots of dairy! Cash only, but they have an ATM inside. read more

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I haven't been to this place since 2016. It was good to be back with friends and order bowls again. I'm glad it wasn't as busy when we came, and we could get a table with our group. The bowls were good, and the price was reasonable. I had a good time! The bartenders were attentive and made the bowls quickly. FYI if you decide to come here, it's cash only, and there's an ATM inside, but there's a fee to withdraw. You are better off going to the bank in advance and withdrawing funds. read more

Trad'r Sam - Hurricane - Dive Bars Near Me - San Francisco, California

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Great everything -the intimate seating ozone you tore out. but for the love of Christ put exhaust fans in the bathrooms.

We got the lovers cup which was great. Superb prices and kind bartenders. Loved coming here and seeing the origins of tiki bars throughout California. Smells a bit of cigarettes but can be ignored considering the beauty here. read more

Trad'r Sam - Lover's Cup - Dive Bars Near Me - San Francisco, California

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This place is awesome and only cost 10 bucks. The bartender is great. cash only bar but pretty awesome place and finally decent prices. It's dicey but I like it that way. Finally a reasonable price at a bar!!!! read more

Trad'r Sam - Banana cow, mai tai, butterscotch surprise. - Dive Bars Near Me - San Francisco, California

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Love for my favorite dive bar. Polynesian theme. Massive . Manhattans are $9 and you can't drink two. read more

Trad'r Sam - Manhattan! - Dive Bars Near Me - San Francisco, California

This is a fun place that gets you really happy after sharing 1-2 bowl drinks with a couple of friends. I was pretty shocked at the large quantity given for the low price, definitely worth it for a good time!! There is a slight difference between the mangareva and the tidal wave but still both pretty yummy and tropical! read more

Trad'r Sam - Trad'r Sam's Mangareva - Dive Bars Near Me - San Francisco, California

Been through here over the past 30 years. The remodel is a brighter cafeteria. The bar service was garbage. We watched the bar tenders go past "our guy" 3x and they weren't even making drinks. When he asked they said, "chill out". After decades of great memories this version is crap. As a guy, it was a sausage fest, and can't speak to the drinks cause we couldn't but one with these knuckleheads were barely working. They could have never handled the crowd during It's heyday... this place was sick, and now ijust lower your expectations! It's crap... read more

Great location, great cocktails, chill vibe, Love the experience... not overwhelming interaction with the bar-tender... he left us to ourselves to soak in the Tiki locale. We will be back! Soon! read more

I can't believe it's taken me 3-4 years to come here. Well I guess I can. From all the places I've lived in San Francisco, Trad'r Sam has been further than my laziness was willing to carry me. Finally I had a therapy session nearby and what better way to celebrate success (or mourn unfortunate events) than to have a Scorpion Bowl with friends? It was pretty empty on the weekday I was here, and the crowd didn't ramp up TOO much over the course of the evening, unlike most tiki bars in the city. I like the divey-ness of this place, which is odd to say about a tiki bar, but I concur with their decision to channel all efforts into making the best drinks possible. After finding a booth for my friends and I to sit in, we ordered a Scorpion Bowl, the most popular option. It was very pineapple-y and soooo good. Dangerously strong, especially when shared between three people. And it wasn't expensive at all. That's what happens when you save money by NOT building a bar in the middle of downtown. I love that there seems to be quite the regular crowd, and the bartender banters with them. Cash only but there's enough reviews and information about Trad'r Sam for you to have done proper research. Can't wait to come here a few more times before we move out of San Francisco... it's worth the trek to Outer Richmond! read more

Trad'r Sam - Scorpion Bowl - Dive Bars Near Me - San Francisco, California

Super good drinks . This is a good bar try to get there early if you go to get sits this place has a good environment. I love to come here with my friends and coworkers to talk and just relax. Service I can say they are pretty friendly they are super nice . read more

A bartender here named JJ made me some incredibly tasty drinks. Reasonably priced and very good.

Great dive bar, Mai tai is good, not a syrupy sweet "mai tai", bar tenders are super nice and friendly. It is a dive bar, if you can't appreciate a dive bar and are expecting a very "done up" theme bar this isn't the place for you. If you want an authentic old school dive bar with a tiki element and good environment this is the place for you. Great music played at a reasonable volume, night I was there was mostly 90's early 00's alternative, heavy on Nirvana. I've been driving past this place for years, but the straw that broke the camels back and made me come in was reading all the negative reviews this place had - I had a strong feeling the people writing negative reviews were just negative unhappy people. After having finally came here I can confirm, if you come in with a good attitude you'll have a good time. If you have a bad attitude or are looking to be offended, please spare the rest of us just trying to live normal lives. read more

I've been here twice. I really like the atmosphere of the place. The drinks are strong but good. My friends and I enjoyed them. The main issue my friends and I have with this bar is the service. The dude with the ponytail who often bartends is quite rude and has an attitude that made my friends and I feel unwelcome. I have heard there's another bartender that's a lot nicer so I would try going when she's working for a better customer service experience. read more

The drinks in this bar are as beautiful as the owner who served them. She was so sweet and kind. Prices are wonderful for how much you get! Highly recommend for this calm quiet bar. Definitely a relaxing time :) read more

Trad'r Sam - Mai Tai - Dive Bars Near Me - San Francisco, California

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What a fun place!! Been there a couple of times recently. Both times were really enjoyable and the bartenders are great!! Hats off to Gia and Leo who have served us the last two times. read more

We met the owner Angie. She makes the BEST drinks. Her Mai Tai was so good. She did not skimp on the alcohol. Definitely will visit again when I'm in town. read more

Trad'r Sam - Mai Tai - Dive Bars Near Me - San Francisco, California

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There's a very in your face MAGA vibe at this place, I live nearby so walking past the bouncer was hassling a small group of 20 somethings. As the people left in disgust, the bouncer turns to me (I'm a 6'2" blond, blue eyed white dude) and says some racists stuff I won't repeat. I tell him what to do with that stupidity.... Boycott this place. read more

Drinks were very sugary and the overall atmosphere was pretty far from a TiKi bar (sport games playing on TV). Not a great experience and less immersive than Last Rites, Smugglers cove or Zombie Village. read more

Just left without being served or acknowledged for 35 minutes... sitting at the bar with two friends. New decor is sterile and the magic of the place is gone. Go literally anywhere else for a tiki drink read more

IF YOU WANT TO SAVE MONEY COME HERE. Was very skeptical about coming to this place after reading the reviews but came her with a bunch of friends and had a blast! It's a very old tiki bar and is CASH ONLY but had a atm inside. The drinks are a generous size and very affordable. I got the Tiddle Wave bowl which was $20 and is made to share with 4-5 people. Super worth it and huge!! Other drinks are around 9-10$ read more

Trad'r Sam - Tiddle Wave - Dive Bars Near Me - San Francisco, California

San Francisco has a really good tiki scene. There's Smuggler's Cove's extreme dedication to history and craft, Last Rites and Zombie Village with their amazing decor... But this one, this one deserves the most respect. It and Smuggler's are my two favorites in the world, for directly opposite reasons. Trad'r Sam is the oldest operating tiki bar in the world. Yes, you read that right. Since 1937. 4 years before Pearl Harbor, the rush of troops to the pacific theater, and their subsequent return that carried Polynesian culture and led to the rise of tiki. Before Trader Vic came along, before Don the Beachcomber began his rise and fall, before Disney STOLE THE NAME (how ironic!)...Sam's was here before all. It does actually predate even tiki culture itself, having opened as a bamboo bar and becoming the grandfather that would spawn hundreds of descendants (currently 27 in the bay area alone). The craziest thing is you would never know any of that just by visiting. There's no proud story declared on the menu, no fanfare. Half of the people are the bar are drinking beers or well drinks. The jukebox on the wall is usually blaring rock or pop or country (I make it a point to spend some money on Hawaiian music to set the mood). The only way you'd even know this place's history is if you happen there upon a quiet time, you can even ask the bartender about the picture of the cute older couple over the bar. They bought the bar decades and decades ago, though I'm not sure if they bought it directly from Sam himself or not. This place is a dive. Amazing prices, sticky menus, sticky floors, sticky tables, worn out furnishings. It is perfect. Even the divey patrons are overflowing with character. I brought my parents here and my Dad found another guy who'd been at college in Hawaii the same time my Dad had. They started reminiscing about old Hawaii. By the time our night was winding down, we were all singing along to the Don Ho classic "tiny bubbles," a song we'd put in the jukebox. These sorts of memories and connections can't be faked, imitated, or otherwise replaced by the sterile atmosphere of fancier places. One more note on those prices - you can buy a bowl for $20 that will get you and a friend very intoxicated. Oh, and it'll taste good too. Trad'r Sam seems to be doing just fine; it has a regular crowd and is always packed on weekends. But, San Francisco has a keen ability to destroy good things these days, so I always worry. Appreciate it while you have it, and enjoy every chance to pay respects to this piece of history. read more

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Despite other reviews, I had a great time interacting with the bartender. I met a local who will be moving out of San Francisco and we had a nice chat. I know all this sounds good but my biggest problem was with the drinks. They are nicely priced but didn't taste good at all. For my first drink, I asked what they recommended and they said it was a banana based drink... Wasn't good. I then decided to choose my next drink and didn't like it at all. Since it was on my bucket list, still glad I made it read more

The drinks were fine, pretty strong and reasonably priced. The ambiance was also okay. What really threw my friends and I off was the bartender, who was at best ~ quirky ~ and more realistically just straight up rude. He quite antagonistically told my friend and I that he hated all Scorpios and they all sucked after seeing we were Scorpios from our IDs, which was honestly more comical than anything but still kinda weird. He also responded extremely rudely to my friend when she asked him a question about the menu - he swore at her and basically implied she was stupid? Really don't think I'll ever come back here given our negative experience with the bartender. read more

I love this place so much!!! The Chi Chi drinks oh my... amazing! The bar bites (apps) are so good and priced awesome. The ribs are so good. Every drink on the menu rules. This place has a special home in my heart. read more

What an incredible Tikki bar! Hands down the absolute best Piña Colada and Scorpion Bowl I've ever had. Would highly recommend. Here's the thing-- this bar is not gonna have all the bells and whistles--in fact, their bathroom might be a little misshapen and their stools have seen their fair of....patrons--but NOTHING will beat the strong, well-balanced drinks. You have to come visit the longest-running Tikki bar in the US! read more

Trad'r Sam - Dive Bars Near Me - San Francisco, California

One of the few places with real pours, real bartenders connected to the community, and this one guy bernard oh my god he's so hot.

A spiritual experience. A right of passage. A gauntlet. All apt descriptions of one of SF's most beloved watering holes. Recent renovation/refresh looks good. Don't overthink your drink order. read more

For me, their only downsides are that they're cash only and smell faintly of pee. Otherwise, they have a great drink menu, friendly staff, and good vibes! read more

Apparently this is the oldest tiki bar in north america? Come for the strong drinks, stay for the great people. Feels and is an neighborhood hangout in the best possible way. Might just me your next go to spot. read more

Trad'r Sam - Are you kidding me? A little taste of history, tradition, and strong tiki drinks. Love a neighborhood classic. - Dive Bars Near Me - San Francisco, California

So. Loud. I missed the Banana Cow and dive bar ambience during the recent closure and hoped the reboot would bring back neighborhood divey comfort. I'm impressed with the revitalization of the old historic murals re-exposed after decades behind dusty, kitschy, palapas. But no. The music is at ear shattering levels. Can't even hear myself talk, let alone who I am with. So much potential. So much fail. read more

It's heyday as one of the first Tiki bars in San Francisco is long past. More neighborhood dive bar that anything else, rumor has it that Trad'r Sam is getting a makeover. Regardless of current ambience, the Banana Cow is a cocktail that is not to be missed. Made with blended fresh bananas and rum, this drink is reminiscent of the boozy milkshakes that were all the rage a few years ago. I am not a big fan of fresh bananas but make it into something resembling ice cream, I am all over it. Service was also really nice and friendly for an early afternoon drop in. read more

Trad'r Sam - Banana Cow is house special. - Dive Bars Near Me - San Francisco, California

AWFULLLL. I came here about a year ago and met an AWESOME bartender. Her drinks were awesome too. Nothing like I've had before. She had a cool vibe in there too. Apparently they remodeled but the decor, well actually now there isn't any. they got white floors now too. I don't know what bar would want white floors you can see everything on it. Sorta gross. I wouldn't go again with whoever is running the place now. read more

I'm embarrassed to admit that the first time I went to Trad'r Sam's, I got into it with a Scorpion bowl and lost. It was a fun night, followed by a painful next morning. Since then, I have learned my lesson. This place is still a lot of fun, kitchy and has cool drinks. I like divey tiki bars, big cocktails and old school SF charm. Fun place to bring friends, dates and celebrate birthdays. read more

When I go to San Francisco I stumbled upon a old original Tiki bar the last of it's kind. The drinks are awesome and there is something for everyone besides the mixed fruit drinks they also serve bottled beer. I gave it 4 stars, cuz if you go at night the service is slow going so I go during the day hours and I have no issues getting served, and it's a cash only bar if you dont have cash there is an ATM in the bar for quick cash for a slight fee of course. So far the banana drink is my favorite its delicious like I said there is something for everyone. read more

This place used to shine like no other. With the wonderful bartender who, you could tell, loved her job and loved the people. Didn't see her here though. Looks like new people. The man who "owns" the place is exceptionally rude and tends to yell at customers.. Drinks used to be better too. No fun decor either. Disappointed. read more

This place is a shit show. This is my first and LAST time I will ever come to Trad'r Sam. My group wanted to grab a few drinks at a tiki bar. We stopped by Trad'r Sams on March 12, 2021 at around 9pm. Immediately, upon meeting the only employee, a middle aged woman with brown curled hair, I saw red flags.. 1. Bartender not wearing mask When I met the only employee, she was not wearing a mask and says "I don't believe in masks". There is literally a sign in the front of the bar that says that everyone should wear their mask. 2. Very opinionated bartender My boyfriend tried to order a shot. She says "don't order a shot! You are wasting your money. Order a rum drink instead" 3. Very rude customer service My friend: What kind of tequila do you have? Bartender: Cazadores My friend: Is that it? Bartender: You tell me what kind of tequila you drink at other bars? My friend: I just want to know what your options are..? Bartender: No, WHAT KIND OF TEQUILA DO YOU DRINK? I'm trying to teach you a lesson. If you want Patron, what do you think is the better tequila option? I've been a bartender for 30+ years so I know what's best. I have a long line here and you are wasting my time. Basically, this bartender was being a b*tch the whole time we interacted with her. So, I wonder if this bartender gets triggered every time a customer asks what tequila options the bar has? She is the only person running the show, taking orders, making the drinks, and seating people. Maybe she is stressed out on a Friday night. But does that excuse her from talking down to her customers like they're stupid? Absolutely not. Drink Reviews The lava flow was watery and sour, not tasting any rum in there. Moscow mule tasted like water and vodka with heavy syrup... My Overall Thoughts Bartender is not wearing a mask and staying 6 feet away, putting her customers at risk due to her own personal beliefs. If you want to be treated like shit, talked down upon from a bartender with no mask on, and have watery drinks, by all means, this place is for you. OR you can just go to Tiki Haven 5 minutes away where they treat their customers with respect, follow covid guidelines, and have tasty drinks. Your pick! read more

A newly renovated dive bar with a slightly seedy crowd of people who dont seem like the typical crowd of wealthy tech bros, old folks, professional parents, and college students that live in the 26th Ave neighborhood. But folks, this is the oldest continuously running Tiki Bar in the world! If you are a fan of tiki, you have to go right away. Skip the mai tai, go for the banana cow. Plan on dieting for a week after a few of those. Mmm. read more

If you're looking for a cheap and good time, this is the place to be. I've been to numerous tiki bars in the city but this one takes the cake for most bang for your buck! The drinks are STRONG and we were able to get 2 large tiki bowls for roughly $20 each. The bowls were shared among 6 people and it was more than enough. The bartenders were hilarious and service was amazing. Everyone was welcoming and they even have some pinball machines in the back! The tiki decorations are adorable -- definitely gives off more dive bar than the other overpriced tiki bars in SF but I loved it. The one thing to point out is they ONLY ACCEPT CASH! So don't forget to bring cash or there's an ATM available. read more

Drinks as strong as ever, same price, with a new look you can bring a girl too. Clean and smooth, with the new look, and the same Dive feeling. Check it out. read more