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This, along with Zeitgeist, are the two best beer bars to hit when in San Fran. There were something like 20 beers on tap here, with a number of rarities (it was nice to have a pint of "Pliny"!). The place was crowded on both Saturday and Sunday evenings when we went. The sausage shop next store absolutely adds to the whole experience! Yum. We had great service--the beers came as fast as we needed them to (all I really ask), and the bartenders were friendly (enough). The heavy metal was a bit loud, but tolerable. I will be back someday....
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tom ,
las cruces, NM
(12/22/2011) |
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Good beer. However, the staff is generally arrogant, hostile at times and consistantly provides slow and rude service. Tip: Bring change. If you give the bartender a twenty for one beer, he will not bring back change without multiple requests. It's their little trick to squeeze "tips" from patrons. Caveat emptor
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Jon Stone,
SF, CA
(10/16/2009) |
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I am prepared to take on anyone. (did ye get tha'?) 45 years of drinking beer says that there is nowhere on our tiny planet where you will get a better selection. Ken?
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Robert,
Dunfermline, FI
(07/01/2009) |
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Toronado is one of the classic US beer bars and did not disappoint, though my SF bay area friend stranded his LV friend (me) there when he decided to head home without any warning. The service can be gruff but that's a part of the appeal, IMHO. No true beer drinker should miss what is one of the greatest beer bars in the country.
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Jim Begley,
Las Vegas, NV
(06/08/2008) |
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I have to admit - when it comes to establishments like Tornado - a place which caters to the pure beer devotee [or, 'snob' like my friends put it] I regularly patronize The Falling Rock Tap House in Denver, which truly sets the standard for such establishments. As far as San Francisco's concerned, the Tornado clearly exceeds that standard. I was there on a break in a business trip to SF and was greatly rewarded for the experience. Their offerings on tap run across the range of all of the great Northern California micros and many more in bottles, too. I didn't get to sample as many as I wanted but the the Governator says, "I'll be back!" A word on service-I was there on a weekday night and it did get busy but not to a point where I felt it was lacking. As a fellow patron [a regular] said while waiting to get his pint refilled, "Good beer, like anything, is worth waiting for."
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Tom Rothrock,
Centennial, CO
(01/10/2008) |
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The Toronado is a place for beer and no-frills real people. If you want to go to a place for pretty people and bad drinks, this is not the place for you. The bartenders may be direct, but it is a busy place and you will find that if you are direct back and leave a nice tip, they will be happy to get you your next brew. Delerium Tremens is always usually in tap also the Russian River Pliney's and others are good. The sausage place next door is also no- frills but yummy with 3 different kinds of saurkraut, peppers, mustards and fresh baked rolls! If you want to get into beer and brewing this may be a good starting point. The Belgian Beer Fest and Barley Wine fest are drunken good times as well. Cheers!
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Maya,
Santa Cruz, CA
(09/12/2007) |
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They do have a good beer selection, though definitely not the best ever or anything. They did that stupid thing where if a beer is too strong (Drake's Imperial IPA) they will only give you a little wine glass of it and still charge you $4.50 for it. There is a lot to look at and the space itself is okay. My main beef is with the vibe. Everybody - bartender and customers - just seemed cranky (no, actually kind of pissed off), which I don't understand given the beer they had available. There was room at the bar but the guys there wouldn't scoot over (huh?), some dude sitting drinking beer with himself at a table sitting with 3 empty stools said he needed all the stools for himself so we couldn't take 2 -- just weird stuff that I have never seen in any pub. Come on Toronado, lighten up! It's just as easy to be friendly and fun! Also, Toronado, please clean your lines better or more often - if I'm going to put up with your 'tude, I'd like the beer to taste as good as it does in other, nicer places.
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laurie,
portland, OR
(12/23/2006) |
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I visited The Toronado in September. I agree with most of the comments. I love the place. It is true that the bartenders are rude but the beer selection is fabulous, and the friendly atmosphere (from the customers) is great. One comment for you reviewers: please mention whether or not the place has cask beer; it's the one thing many of us need to know about a bar or brewpub. The Toronado, by the way, has four handpumps for cask ale.
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David Vealitzek,
Minneapolis, MN
(12/19/2006) |
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Look, you whiney pansies. This is a BAR. It is NOT a tasting room or a brewery. You order a beer or get the hell out of the way. Do you walk into your corner pub and ask for free samples? Do you ask the bartenders to recommend "something good"?
The Toronado has the best selection of West coast beers you can find. Period. I'm sorry that you are not familiar with many of them, that's because they are RARE and HARD TO FIND. The best way to determine if you like a beer is BUY IT and DRINK IT.
Yes, the bartenders can be gruff and short-tempered. Did you happen to show up on a Saturday night when the place is wall to wall with patrons? Try going during the day, when all pints are $2.50-$3.50 and there are only 5-10 people there. You will have a better experience.
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Dan,
Sacramento, CA
(10/16/2006) |
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This is an amazing bar in an awesome SF neighborhood. I saw some reviewers thought the neighborhood was "scary". they must not be city folk. I would decribe it has having character and charm. We took the bus there from downtown- the best thing to do once you realize you will be drinking a lot of good beer. As luck would have it, on my visit it was Belgian month, happy hour, and hamburger day at the sausage store next door. The beer is outstanding, there are some cask beers as well. the atmoshere and service were great . Even though the bartender was very busy -Tues is a big day, he took the time to recommend some great Belgians and left coast micros. Many draughts-well maintained lines as everything was fantastic. words cannot explain the great vibe of this place. It was highlight of our SF trip to wile away a pouring down rain Tuesday afternoon with great beer, a friendly beer loving crowd, awesome tunes, and a nice greasy cheeseburger from next door (only on tuesdays and they sell out early I hear). Easily in top 5 bars I have ever been to-ever (in north america, europe, central america). Do not miss this place if you are in SF. Take a cab or public transportation-trust me
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Lynlee,
Cleveland, OH
(04/12/2006) |
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What a great place, drank ourselves under the table, got molested by a few ladies and wobbled home to bed. Made for a great night out. Highly recommended.
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Stevie Havoc,
Calgary, AB
(02/16/2006) |
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I heartily agree with the consensus here. The is hands down the coolest place to have a beer alone, with a friend or even with someone you hate. They have the most outrageous selection of beers you will find anywhere and the very eclectic group of bartenders (if you've been there you know what I mean) are very knowledgable all in their own way. To top all this off is the world's coolest jukebox. With over 100 CDs and everything from old Alice Cooper to Hank Williams to Speedealer to Tony Bennett to The Distillers to Steppenwolf...Just a great, great place
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Robert,
San Luis Obispo, CA
(06/23/2005) |
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You go here for the beer, which is great. The sausage place next door is awesome. One day it was hamburger day, the Toronado was packed and very loud. Ok with us. The next day, same time, it wasn't as packed, and was pretty quiet, so you never know. We had great service the day it was packed, even though the bartender was really busy. The next day the owners wife was bartending, she was super nice, especially after we befriended her two dogs.
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Ross Nelson,
Esko, MN
(05/09/2005) |
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I went out of my way to visit this place. I was not disappointed. There were several beers on handpump and an impreesive bottle selection of mainly Belgians. The taps poured a number of brews I had never had before. The bartender's manner was a bit on the gruff side but he was very knowledgable about the beers and made good recommendations in response to my request for hoppy West Coast IPA's. Wish I could remember the name of that double IPA but didn't take notes. I had no complaints with the service. Someone bought the bar a round while we were there so we got a freebie. It's an atmospheric, beer-lovers paradise. Budsuckers had best go elsewhere.
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Mark Stoffan,
Asheville, NC
(05/06/2005) |
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If you walk in this bar and feel awkward, you should probably leave. I had a great experience there on a trip to SF. The bar tender was surly I suppose, but in the way that I like. as said before, this is not a yuppie corporate asshole place. It's all about the beer. The best bar I've ever been to. I tried the Death & Taxes and loved it. stiking up conversation with the bartender was easy and he was very knowledgeable about beer, i think he liked my sense of awe at the black ale. Makes me want to move to the bay area.
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Blair,
Asheville, NC
(04/23/2005) |
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Best selection hands down in SF (~60 taps). Even had the rare Devil's Advocate from New Belgium. Great collection of Nor Cal micros, along with Germans and Belgians. Definitely on the seedy/dive side but I like its character. For the serious beer drinkers only.
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Darren Prager,
San Francisco, CA
(03/23/2005) |
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Went to Toronado for the Barleywine Festival, which happened to start while we were in SF for a long weekend. Wow. 55 barleywines on tap! It was mobbed, service was slow, but it was well worth it for all the incredible beer they had. From the sounds of other reviews, that's about what you should expect here: amazing beer, somewhat uneven otherwise, but well worth it if you're serious about beer...
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Eric Foster,
Washington, DC
(02/27/2005) |
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The bartenders are RUDE and NASTY. Last night both barkeeps refused to wait on us, made fun of me, and screamed F*** You at us across the bar as left.
I don't care how good the beer might be, does no good if they won't serve it. I think we were discriminated against because we were well-dressed, stopping in for a beer after a political function.
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San Francisco, CA
(11/03/2004) |
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I used to REALLY love this place. It was my beer heaven. But with the exception of the owner's wife who ocasionally tends bar, my experience with the "help" here has been universally negative over the last 4 times I tried visiting. Sitting for long periods of time at the bar waiting, waiting, waiting and being totally ignored. They were too busy in conversation I guess, it wasn't like it was crowded or anything. Or how about asking for a coke for your non-drinking friend and being told angrily "We've never sold soda here" and they walk away and serve someone else, leaving you and your request totally ignored. The people they have working here are lost souls who I couldn't imagine being hired anywhere else on the planet for any purpose other than to distribute their surly atitudes. I guess when your business is as good as their's you can take the attitude of "If you don't like our crappy attitudes, leave" So I've left.
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Redwood City, CA
(07/18/2004) |
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I would have to say that the T is by far the best beer bar in the country. I travel out to San Francisco several times a year and my first stop is always the Toronado. If you are wanting to go somewhere with a no nonesense aproach to the most incredible beer on the planet this is it. If you are looking for some kiss my ass service and some I'm a rock star help don't waste my time or anyone elses stay out of here. The staff and the patrons are there for one thing and that is BEER. Leave your ego at the door and be prepared to do some real drinkning!
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Matt Herren,
Edwardsville Ilinois, IL
(07/14/2004) |
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I have to agree with the posting a few posts down. This is a city bar in a grungy neighborhood. The bartenders are here to server beer and when it gets busy (and it does), they just keep pouring. Of you go into this place expecting to be waited on like you were at TGI Fridays, Stay away. You're here to buy beer, listen to a kick-ass jukebox, buy beer and strike up some weird conversation with one of the locals. Who knows??? It could be Me!
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Neural,
San Francisco, CA
(07/01/2004) |
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Well they sure have a lot of beers. I guess if I lived in California, was familiar with the beers, knew what I wanted, and didn't care much about the service this place would be OK. The problem is that many of the beers served here are not available in New York, or where we regularly travel. No point in coming all this way for a Sierra Nevada. Also it appears that they are big on cute marketing names for beers in California (Moonlight?, El Toro?) so reading the beer list on the wall wasn't much help. So what to do? Their "samples" were pints which cost $3.50 - $5.50. No actual samples were offered and by the demeanor of the servers, it didn't appear that requests for samples would be welcome. So we wasted about $12 and got the hell out. We should never have left Magnolia.
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Steve Checkosky,
Syracuse, NY
(06/22/2004) |
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How can such an unfriendly bar be in such a fantastic neighborhood. Not being that familiar with some of the beers here, there was no offer of a sampler of anything (no problem paying for samplers - at least you know what you're getting when you finally order a beer). So you order a beer, pay the price, and it's just a "so so" quality beer. The bartenders were very unfriendly - the entire place did not have a great atmosphere. After a very delightful visit at Magnolia (not a bad walk down the hill to Toronado), we were very disappointed in Toronade. Too many great places around to visit this place.
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Berta Pettis,
Roswell, OTHER
(06/16/2004) |
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Good beer range but more European beers than American. Helpful bartender. Definitely a beer bar rather than the other brewpubs I was used to. Well worth a look if you're in SF.
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Lee Blower,
Derby, UK
(02/09/2004) |
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Awesome!
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Same incredible beer experience, different visit!
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Stephen Lipps,
Washington, DC
(11/19/2003) |
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