The Blarney Stone

Awesome Irish bar. Walking by and decided to stop in. Great bartender who was super friendly and poured great drinks. Really great spot with a nice patio outback

What can I say? I’ve been going here for years and it just gets better and better.
Now, I’ll be the first to admit that I have a certain bias towards Blarney’s. It was the first bar I went to after turning 21 (almost 3 years ago) and years later I’m as much of a regular as it gets. All the bartenders know my name and so do most of the other regulars that go there. But, even before I did get to that point, I always loved everything about this bar. It’s located in my favorite district in San Francisco, The Richmond. Now, to many people, they look for bars that are trendy, hipster and filled with a bunch of people. That’s not my style. This place is nothing close to hipster and the only time it gets truly packed is during big sporting events– but that’s what I love about it. It’s the perfect place to go for a Sunday brunch, or for a late night drink to chat with the bartenders, or if you want to watch the latest playoff game. It’s a versatile bar.
The staff… they are incredible people. All very friendly, down for a conversation and skilled at making drinks. Prices here are very reasonable. Happy hour usually goes a bit afternoon until 7pm and most drinks are $ 5. Pretty great deal. This place is also amazing for sporting events. Though it’s usually not too packed on most days, it get’s totally stuffed if a big game is happening. Always a fun time! It will get loud and even claustrophobic at times, so this is more of a recommendation for people who enjoy that type of environment.
Obviously, this place is not for everyone, but I can confidently say it’s the best bar in the Richmond District. The bartenders are nothing short of amazing, the drinks are cheap yet good and if you ever become a regular, you’ll never run out of stories to tell to the awesome people that go to this bar.

What a fabulous place to go after grabbing dinner right across the street. I rarely go out to drink, so when I decide to go, I heavily make my decision on atmosphere. Upon walking in, it’s a «typical» bar scene — loud music, wooden chairs/​tables, and the like. However, the energy of the bartenders and clientele alike are positive and welcoming.
My initial decision to sit down for only one drink for the night ended up being two and quite a few hours of hanging out and casually chatting with the friendly, attentive bartenders.
It’s rare to find a place that makes a decent Irish coffee, so it was nice to be able to order one and have it made the right way.
Being a female in a bar is usually cause for major anxiety, but this place definitely made me feel safe and comfortable.
I will be back!

At first glance, an Irish sports bar would not be at the top of my list of fun places to spend a Saturday night but we had a fabulous time! The bar staff are friendly and they were playing totally old school 80s tunes (I mean, c’mon — Toto’s Africa came on at one point). There is a very cool shuffle board table at the back and an open air smoking patio as well. This is a very fun bar for a raucous time!

Fun; relaxed, not too hard to get a drink. Free shuffle board is fun for groups. Sports playing on screen. Was fun!

Great locks place with lots of beers and very social atmosphere. Bar tender is very nice as well!

*Don’t come for the food!*
*Probably a really cool bar/​pub for evening activities but don’t expect much for early morning brunch*
Arrived on Sunday at 10am and wasn’t greeted and seemed to be ignored by the one waitress and bartender working (party of 8). Had to take initiative to ask for waters and coffees. Then we had to request menus. Then after 15 minutes of looking at the menus and being ready to order we had to wave waitress over only to be told that chef wasn’t going to be ready until 10:30am. Even though menu said they start serving food at 10am. Once 10:30am rolled around, waitress took our orders. First round of food, 4 of the orders came out around 11am. The next 4 orders didn’t come out until around 11:20am. Waitress didn’t remember anyone’s order and had to «auction» off the items and was very unprofessional. For refills of coffee and water, she seemed to not notice when cups were nearly empty so we had to take them to the bar and ask the bartender to refill them.
Food was ⁶⁄₁₀. Very greasy omelettes, the «sourdough toast» was barely warm and minimal sourdough taste to it. The only good thing we’re the tater tots but she forgot two orders of them and we had to remind her to bring them out.
Overall great atmosphere but terrible service and average food.

Got served literally as soon as we walked up
To the bar. The bartender is a super cool dude too. Very diverse crowd. It’s cool inside and not stuffy. Inside is nice, looks like a little hole in the wall bar but it’s roomy as well.

There was one point in our athletic prime when our ambitions of turning pro burned brightest. Maybe it was that one time at elementary school when we slugged a ball out of the sandlot. Or that time when we rushed for a 40 yard return at the homecoming game. It was a time when the dream was most vivid and the hope least far-​fetched.
But we got older and dreams gave way to reality. Our locker room became a cubicle and the lucky pair of dirty cleats are now a sparkling pair of dress shoes. The X’s and O’s? Spreadsheets now. The congratulatory slaps on the behind? Cordial handshakes. Then one day, we realize we are no longer an athlete. Just another guy at Blarney Stone, looking up at ESPN with a $ 5 pint.
But our passion for the game remains resilient. Buried beneath a man faced with reality, it is ever ready to be unearthed by a timely play.
The passion begins to surface as the Giants field a perfect 6−4−3 double play. We adjust our baseball cap proudly and order another pint.
It inches even further out when a certain quarterback throws yet another interception. We furiously lament our hopes of the Lombardi to the nearest Niners jersey, but find our hopes clinging back on to the television screen by the very next play.
And on rare occasions, when the play is so spectacular, the passion fully emerges. We slap high fives as hard as we can around the bar through shouts and cheers. Three to our left, and five to our right. One for the fan across the counter who just so happens to be the bartender that night. The adrenaline rushes through our veins and feeds our passion with euphoria. And for just a moment, we feel like the slugger back in the sandlot, the star receiver back in homecoming.
No, we may never be professional athletes, but we will be the next best thing. We will be fans at The Blarney Stone.

Great service and great bloodies!!! Haven’t had the chance to eat here yet but when we are here for drinks, the food always looks amazing.

Love this spot. Great service and lots of drink options. TV’s are in abundance so its a good spot to watch sports as well. Really nice back patio as well that also has TV. Overall its a great spot to hang with friends.

One of the better bars in the Outer Richmond. All the other bars are real divey. Lots of seats and stuff. Basic stock of liquor. I always love places that have smoking sections inside the establishment, even though this could bother people with the smell and all, but cmon, it’s a bar, not a day care. Super chill, accepts cards, juke box!

Nice place !!! BUT: they have banners hanging at the pole to the the wall which blocks the view onto the large screen and do not consider taking it down even on request. So either you have a good seat from begin with or you can enjoy seeing 40% of the screen. So basketball… relay on the crowd who can see the screen to realize who scored.

Awesome local pub; glad we stumbled across it. Fresh squeezed juice for cocktails at super reasonable prices, Guinness/​Harp/​Smithwicks on tap along with Lagunitas and the standards, and a great shuffle board table.
All around great spot; stop in for a pint if you’re in the area.

I’m always a fan of a good neighborhood bar surrounded by lots of poppin restaurants. Blarney Stone has provided me with a place to go drink and chill for many years now. They get busy during games, but there’s a lot of seating and an outdoor area, so not too hard to grab a spot.
Usually my pal Jeremy P and I will grab a burrito at Gordo’s down the block and bring it in. You can do this with whatever food you like, which is nice. I think B Stone just started serving food, which is why I give only 3 stars. The food is HIGHLY mediocre. But I guess if you don’t know that a place serves food, there’s probably a reason for that.
I was on the struggle bus (but what’s new) and ordered the Fried Chicken Sandwich ($ 11) with a side of Tater Tots. I expected fresh fried chicken, though thinking about it now, I’m not sure why given it’s bar food, but got an *obviously* pre frozen, breaded hockey puck with wilted lettuce and an old slice of red onion. Truly a sad excuse for a chicken sando. The only redeeming quality of the meal were the tots: crispy, crunchy, freshly hot out of the fryer.
My friend Mike had the Chicken Tenders ($ 9) and they were just awful. Salty to the max, drenched in some kind of salty «buffalo sauce». Someone in the kitchen really used a heavy hand, this stuff was puddling in thick pools around the plate. They were also extremely tough to bite, as he offered me one and I nawed for a while. With a side of soggy fries, this dish was no bueno.
But I digress as The Bloody Mary and all the beers on tap make B Stone a great place to hang your hat for a while. Just maybe save your appetite for a Sheppard’s Pie from next door, phở for Turtle Tower down the street, or any other local restaurant. Or just stick with a side of taters to share.

Great neighborhood bar for watching the game. Friendly staff and good drink selection.

Busy busy busy place when the Niners are playing. I’m not sure how we managed to snag a table, but we did and we were happy to have a good view of several TVs.
If I were just rating this place on the service or its value as a place to watch sports, I would give it 5 stars. But, alas, I was starving after soccer practice and needed to eat while I watched the Niners eek out a painful win, and the food was just not good.
Two things were good, in my opinion: the burger and the tater tots. Unfortunately, my so-​called «friends» ordered me french fries instead of tater tots while I was in the bathroom (come on, guys. Really? French fries over tater tots? What is this? Communist Russia?). The fries were terrible, lukewarm, and just not my kind of potato (which is saying a lot).
My boyfriend got the chicken tenders and they were god awful. First of all, they were soaked in buffalo sauce… ummm…did we order chicken tenders or the world’s largest boneless buffalo wings? (Who even wants regular sized boneless wings?) That part wouldn’t have been so bad if the buffalo sauce was actually good but it was so salty, I wouldn’t have been surprised if that sauce recipe called for equal parts salt and buffalo jizz. Just gross. And the chicken sandwich was also gross. Just a poorly heated piece of freezer meat.
Soooo…just go to Blarney Stone for the beer and the sports and you’ll be fine. If you order food, you’ll most likely be severely disappointed.

What a great neighborhood bar! My friend and I got a spot at the bar where Shannon our bartender took such great care of us. The pours are super generous and they use fresh fruit in their cocktails. I saw them bring out a ton of grapefruits which inpired me to order a greyhound (vodka with grapefruit juice). Boy, fresh fruit juice makes a whole lot of a difference in the quality of the drink. I can tell that the workers love their job and the ambiance was great. It was very busy but it wasn’t uncomfortably crowded, which I loved.
One thing to point out, I noticed Shannon kept making margaritas, which my friend ended up ordering. It was really good! I swear I saw her make over 30 of those so it looks like a very popular drink of hers. If you like a good margarita on the rocks. you should try hers. You wont be dissapointed.
I plan to go back to try their food. I’ll update my review once I do, by looking at the pictures, I look forward to trying their breakfast one day. They have tater tots! Yum!

There’s no Blarney at the Blarney stone… just a good pour of Guiness… and a shot of Jamieson.
I was so buzzed after watching Paul McCartney at outsidelands… that I had to come here and get a drink or two or three. It was pretty busy but service was stellar.
Great atmosphere, Great help and good drink selection. 8 days a week!

A compact Irish pub that’s got tons of big-​screen TVs and beers on tap. Perfect for watching games with a great crowd of people and some cool, super-​positive bartenders too.
One caveat: the food preparation can veer way off course. Chicken tenders came out fried to a radioactive, brittle burnt-​brown crisp. Even if it’s fairly early in the day, say 11am or noon, maybe it’s a good idea to change the cooking oil a bit more often.
Still, Blarney Stone has a cool game-​day atmosphere and the *correct* partisan affiliation: nothing like hailing to the Leaders and Best while the Victors gets blasted over the loudspeakers after every score. ;)