Mini Bar SF

You know I love this hood! I will always have mad love and respect for this hood, my old stomping grounds!
There are super friendly bartenders (and thanks for carding me! WOOT)!
There are beers on tap, beers by the bottle, wine and bubbly and some other spirits, too! Prices are quite reasonable and won’t break the bank.
It’s a cozy and friendly neighborhoody place, where 1 or maybe 2 or 3 may know your name. If not, everyone here is so casual and chill, you could strike up a convo with someone new.
Seating in the front and back lounge area with few tables, and about 10 bar stools at the bar.
You may see a dog or two, here, as it’s pet friendly. What is there not to love?
I’ve only been here during the weekdays, so can’t speak to how it is on Friday or Saturday nights.
I’ll be back Mini Bar! Cheers and hope to see y’all there soon!
Happy 2016!

One can get a proper drink at Mini Bar, if a proper drink is what one hankers for. In fact, it’s more of a head-​down, proper drink kind of place than the hip, urban lounge it might portray itself to be. It is certainly not the most friendly bar I’ve ever sat at, but it is populated by locals, and there’s always someone interesting next to you, whether you want to talk to them or not.

After being shamed out of Bar 821 down the street for (gasp!) having the audacity to order a vodka drink, my friend and I slunk down the road to Mini Bar. So glad we did! This is the chill, laid-​back vibe I was searching for, but with friendly staff and a much more comfortable environment. We were lucky enough to snatch one of the couches in the back room, which made for great conversation and just enough privacy. The music selection was stellar, with many genres and styles which sparked many discussions about Motown, the evolution of U2, the film «20 Feet from Stardom», and how Aretha is still relevant today. I would definitely come here again when I’m in the area, and I suggest it for anyone looking to have a casual evening out with great friends in a welcoming environment.

This is a great no frills bar. Small friendly, great bartenders with a nice pouring hand. What more could you want? Always feel welcome. Great art, great vibe… Hella thankful for a bar like mini… also the drink prices are good too! Oh yeh, it’s never crowded cause it’s mini.

Really great little bar! Looks a bit divey when you first walk in, but it’s actually totally clean and friendly. The female bartender acknowledged us immediately and was super attentive when we needed replacements. They had lots of cool art on the walls from a local tattoo artist, they played decent music, and drinks were pretty cheap ($ 6 greyhound, $ 4 beer). Definitely stopping back in next time I’m in the neighborhood.

Came here with some friends and had a wonderful time. The bartenders were accommodating and helpful. I tried Fernet for the first time and shared some rounds with our group. The selection was robust and the bartenders took the time to explain the drinks.
The place was not too crowded for a Saturday night. They do not take credit cards but there is a cash machine. This was a blessing in disguise as it prevented us from ringing up a fairly large tab!

Some of the best bars and restaurants are on Divisadero and Mini Bar holds its own as the alternative to the fancy spots down the street. While the other places have mood lights and fresh fruit lining the counter Mini Bar takes it back to old school beers and hard cocktails.
You come here when you want to find some Divis locals or just some eccentric SF transplants. The bar feels a little grungy and dirty but that’s exactly what you want in a place like this. No need to get dressed up they will treat you like family and the crowd is a little older which if you don’t want to be surrounded by 21 year olds is a great feeling. The music is a great mix covering all decades when I was there I heard a bit of 90’s rock and some country on top of that. The one bartender was great when we were there and its quiet enough that you don’t have to yell over each other to hear a conversation.
The bar holds up to its name as you enter there are a few scattered tables and one narrow hallway to the back. You are going to get nice and intimate at Mini Bar. It’s also a great place to watch a game or two as there locals are into the SF sports scene and get into what’s going on. As your make your way past the bar there is another seating area in the back. There are a couple of couches in that area and if you do need to sit and spread your legs this is the place to do it. The place is very pet friendly as well so don’t be surprised to see quite a few dogs lining the floor taking in the music as well.
Really the only negative to this place it can be hard to find a seat and when that happens you have to stand and when that happens you block up the entire place so it can be a little much. I was there on a Monday night I can’t imagine what it’s like on a Friday night. Overall if you want to avoid the posh neighboring bars and just kick back and have a beer. Mini bar despite its size is more than up to the task.

I came here for the first time last month and the best word I can use to describe it is «divey». This is the type of place that has super cheap drinks (whoo) but where you’re afraid to set your elbow on the table because it’s sticky with years of accumulated beer.
We sat by the round table by the door and beware, it’s really tippy. Throughout the course of the night we upended 3 different drinks (a bottle of beer and 2 glasses of wine) on ourselves because of this. And no, it wasn’t just because we were drunk :)
That said, the bouncer, who witnessed the scene, was super nice and gave us replacement drinks on the house. They also stuffed a wad of napkins under the table leg and we had a much more stable experience after that.
Personally there are some other bars in the area that I much prefer if you’re looking for a few casual and reasonably priced drinks, Fly Bar and The Page being two of them. But this also seems like a local favorite and if you don’t mind the divey atmosphere, go for it.

Mini Bar is totally under the radar in a busy flourishing neighborhood. The gentrification of the Divisadero corridor has left the established bars alone for the most part.
When you walk in to Mini Bar you get a funky cross section of the people in the hood. Some older, some younger but really just never know. The last time we went in the bar tender was making Paloma (grapefruit, salt, lime juice, sugar, club soda and tequila) for someone else and it looked great. I see people complaining about the drinks not being good and this being a dive bar. It’s all true to some degree. They have only a few beers on tab but the beers they have are good.
It’s a dive of a bar and its perfect. The bartender knows how to make good drinks, there is usually not a huge crowd and the music isn’t too loud. You could have a nice conversation, a couple drinks and life is good. And it’s not expensive.

Genevieve is a great barkeep and the place is the perfect local bar. It’s dark, but not too dark. They play good music which fills the room but isn’t too loud. It’s a great little bar but tables to spread out onto. Happy hour till 7p is $ 5 well drinks, $ 2.50 tecate and if you’re lucky they might even give you some chips and Quesa.

This is my favorite neighborhood artbar. I almost hate to give it a review because I would like to keep washed masses out… but, I really appreciate the monthly changes in displays of 4 – 6 local artists… any establishment that supports the arts, especially local artists gets two thumbs up from me!!!

My go-​to neighborhood spot. Never too crowded (but I go on the early end of the night), great service, and reasonable prices. Not much more to say…

The bartender was rude and uncongenial. I am accustomed to standoffish goth servers but this chick was fucking whack.
I’m accepting of someone not appreciating my humor but this chick was basically a butt hole in terms of her service, despite my over-​tipping. Her being a goth chick is okay but being a B word is not! I am the spender of money and we were not in her house, she was combative and jerkish. I would NEVER send my friends here and I would NEVER recommend Ty’s place. Even though they get an extra pt for having Pliny.

It’s not as small as the name makes it seem — but it’s not big. Booth seating in the front and like 10 bar stools otherwise. Probably like 400−500sq ft?
Nothing spectacular about this place. It’s just a small bar. I would ever choose to go there… just ended up there due to friends. It just doesn’t offer anything different or any one good thing to hang its hat on…
I guess the name in kinda good??? Kinda…

Solid bar. Came in here for shelter from the rain while waiting for friends to arrive before seeing You Won’t open for Lucius at The Independent.
They didn’t have mint for a mojito and didn’t have Malibu for a Malibu pineapple so I ended up with Bacardi Pineapple that tasted like ass. At least it was only $ 6! Definitely a no frills kind of bar. No cocktail menu but plenty of beer selections.
Love the art on the walls and you can tell a lot of regulars frequent this place since it seemed like everyone around me knew the bartenders. Love the fact they played Tom Petty as soon as I walked in!

Meh. We came here late one night while looking for something open and not too crowded. I always like to ask bartenders at cocktail bars to surprise me with something good. I’ve never had an issue at Rye, Redford, or similar cocktail bars with that request. Most bartenders see it as a way to be creative and try something different. You would have thought I asked this girl to solve a quadratic or something– deer in the headlights. Don’t put «cocktails» on your window if your bartenders don’t feel comfortable making them. Drinks are cheap… lots of bottled beers, maybe 5 on tap?
There’s cool local art on the walls at least. Very narrow space. A back room with couch and some chairs. Clientele is white, hipster, tattooed, pierced, etc.

I usually love Mini Bar. Great local art, great music, vibe, etc. But you guys really need to reconsider the bartender you had on July 14^th in the evening. Rude, lousy hosting and general unpleasantness. When I go into a bar to spend my hard earned cash, I expect at minimum a basic level of customer service. I used to bartend so i don’t need someone to be a suck up. Just don’t be a wanker. I’ll go back but not if she’s at the bar.