Showdown

Two words: spicy beers.
I lovingly consider the Showdown to be my mid-​Market home away from home. It is definitely one of my favorite bars in the city because of their reasonable prices, super nice bartenders, photo booth and SPICY BEERS. What is a spicy beer you ask? Well, it’s a can of Modelo, with a salt rim, a generous helping of spicy sauce, and a lime. For only $ 4! I can drink them all night long (the inevitable heartburn is totally worth it). You can bring your own food in, which I really appreciate, because there are some great places nearby (like Taqueria Cancun and Tu Lan). The bar gets pretty busy around 7:30−8, so I like to get there around 7 to get a seat at the bar. There are random DJ nights which can be annoying at times, but otherwise it’s a great place for happy hour drinks or a fun night out with a group of friends.

Went here last night (Saturday), it was a lot of fun. I do recommend getting their early to get a seat. We got there around 7:30 and they were already at max capacity (bouncer said they reached max capacity at 7:15), even though there were only about 15 people ahead of us we still had to wait for an hour before we were able to get inside. It was fun and entertaining. The bartenders were attentive and we received good service.

Showdown is a pretty standard neighborhood bar– not much seating other than the huge bar, and just drinks and complimentary bar snacks– no other food. You can bring in your own food though– I love the burritos from Taqueria Canún around the block so this is a plus for me. Drinks are pretty cheap, and the bartenders are fairly friendly. It can get relatively busy, but you can usually find a seat since the bar is quite long. They also have a pretty good beer selection on tap which is always a plus. Happy hour is till 8 and beer is $ 3 during that time, and well drinks are $ 4. They also apparently have live music on weekends though I have never been there for that. Sometimes service can be slow since there is usually just 1 bartender and a lot of people to serve due to the number of seats at the bar, but nothing too terrible. Probably more like 3 and a half stars, but I round up due to the nice beer selection and good prices.

Free pickle backs hey hey hey good music full bar friendly down to earth staff and cool art

Decent drinks small bar sketchy neighborhood. There was only one bartender on a busy Saturday night and to top it of she was really slow. Hope to make it in a different night.

GREAT SPOT! The bartenders are all fantastic and there’s almost always a place to sit. Every first Wednesday of the month they do a super fun comedy show. Highly recommend checking that out or just stop in for a good drink.

Very affordable drinks, their happy hour is great, the bar tender was super inviting And nice, he acknowledged us and got our drink orders right away, yummy crunchy snacks with every drink and free pickle back with any drink, love this place!

This is by far one of best service experiences I’ve had in a bar! Angela was fantastic, especially for being on her own in a decent-​sized bar. Cool spot. We’ll be back.

There is a first time for everything and this is the first time I have ever had the pleasure of enjoying the combination of whiskey and beer together. This is also the first time I have smelled a new brand of spoiled beer and vomit. One is more favorable than the other.

The old Arrow bar. Rumor has it some bands playing the Warfield come here post show…
Digging the spicy beer. Playing later tonight here.
So far so good!

It’s an okay bar, with room to sit on the back, and cheap beers. Not much going on, really. GO there with a group of friends at 8pm and you’ll have a good time for sure. The waiter is really nice.

Great bands, cheap drinks. Angela the bartender handles high volume with ease. She’s truly on point and a sweetheart to boot.

I was in Showdown on a recent Wednesday night when a DJ looking guy walked in. From that moment onward, it was clear trouble was in store. Dubstep and other electronic disco jams quickly replaced the divey Classic rock tunes I had come to love.
I was sad, but then something amazing happened. I started liking the techno. The deep beats, the quickened tempo, the yells from the DJ guy on the mic, including my favorite: «where is everyone?» Um, I was there and having the time of my life.
Happy hour goes till 8, I think. I finished my $ 5 Anchor Steam local brew purchased in said timeframe, nodded to the barkeep, and walked out a new man.

I came here for a comedy show, but it never happened. That was a huge disappointment, since the bouncer even told us repeatedly that it was going to happen. My friend and I still stuck around for a draft beer, which is $ 5! Talk about an awesomely cheap bar. The vibe is chill, the bartender was nice, but nothing special. Hopefully the next time I come here for a comedy show, it will actually happen.

Great dive bar. Strong drinks and comfortable seats. Cover charge after a certain time, but great for an earlier drinker, such as myself.

This is a perfectly capable bar on Market and 6^th, and its slightly divey, grungy air provides a welcoming haven from the lurkers that are literally parked right outside the door.
The bartenders are quick, helpful, and generous in their pours, so there is not much to complain about. The drinks are also cheap and this place is so unpretentious it really doesn’t feel like you’re in SF.

This bar reminds me of a drunken hook-​up: you should have known better, but you went for it anyway.
My friend and co-​worker Briana M. suggested that we check out this place. It’s on 6^th, just past Market and on the way to Mission, so I already knew it was going to be a sketchy walk over. The sidewalk was crammed full of the city’s most unique vagrants. I would not want to walk down this street alone, especially late at night.
I guess the down and dirty factor adds to the bar’s hipster charm, although this place was full of tech bros and sketchy groups of guys looking for a lady friend.
Drinks are on the inexpensive side, but my whiskey ginger tasted like garbage and I could not even finish it. What kind of cheap whiskey or ginger ale are they using? It tasted like flat sparkling water and stale beer over ice. Ugh.
A couple of my friends tried to use the photo booth, but the machine stole their money and didn’t produce any picture strips. They told the bartender, who was quite rude about it. As we were leaving, she gave them their money back but didn’t seem happy to be doing so. It looked like she was the only one working last night, so maybe that’s why she was stressed out. Friday nights should have at least two or three bartenders on staff to keep up with the crowd.
I love a good dive bar, but this one just seemed like it was trying too hard to be cool and not really succeeding. Lyft drivers must love this place, since everyone seems to take it to and from the bar. I will stick to the Mission or the Castro.

Came here for the new comedy open mic on Tuesday night, which was great. There was a lot of funny comics, and the place was packed.
This bar is such a gem in rough neighborhood. The staff was friendly, excellent drinks, and great atmosphere.

Our hero has been by Showdown a couple of times and has found it to be pretty much the same most of the time: loud, dingy, but pleasantly cheap. So in that respect, they’ve got consistency going for them. The bar is pretty narrow and small, and the décor could be described as grungy. It’s such an ordinary place that you’d almost miss the bar if you weren’t actually looking out for it at night. A couple of the other reviews have mentioned dancing, and there is indeed a «dance floor» area in the back, but our hero has never bore witness to any footloose antics here. It’s overall just a laid back, divey place to load up on cheap booze efficiently.
Bottom line is it’s nothing too special, but it’s a solid standby for when you need a cheap drink along Market street.
PROS:
— Cheap drinks for around $ 5 – 6 a pop.
— Bartenders are friendly and you usually don’t have to wait long for service.
CONS:
— The music is always way too loud and it’s a bit difficult to have a conversation in the back of the bar.
— They only have a couple different types of beer to choose from and it’s not too uncommon to see people with a tall boy of PBR here.
— Bartenders here seem to be hit or miss on some more complicated mixed drinks.

Stopped by the Showdown before a show at Mezzanine, and I guess it served the purpose of grabbing a few drinks before moving on to our next destination, but I certainly wouldn’t go out of my way to return. First of all, they have that annoying (and very SF) habit of not taking credit cards AND not having an ATM that works properly.
Also, I like the colorful cast of SF characters as much as the next gal, but it’s a bit disconcerting to not be able to step out for a smoke or a chat without being aggressively accosted. I definitely don’t suggest walking to or from this area alone late at night!
The place itself is small and cozy and provides whatever drink your heart could desire (though no food). It’s not a bad bar, just unfortunately situated. And really, you have no one but yourself to blame for not accepting credit cards!