The Lark Bar

Two blonde chicks walk in a bar. Two guys walk in behind them. They get served first. Two girls. Never been to San Francisco get ignored. As if we don’t exist. So. Not sure what is going on here. Thank goodness for the patent attorney from India (Seattle and New York) and the bouncer who shared a love for the Cleveland Cavaliers!

Stopped by Lark Bar after doing a quick happy hour nearby. One of my girlfriends decided to lead us here on Friday, April 22^nd around 6:45pm.
It wasn’t super packed when we got here which was nice. We were able to find an area with a table in the back on the left. I was in a scotch /​whisky mood, so I decided to order an Oban 14. They didn’t have any, so the bartender was nice enough to give me a taste of a couple whiskies so I could pick the one I wanted. He gave me: Port charlotte scottish barley, Mortlach 15 year old, and Highland Park 12 year old. I’m not really into peat, so I chose the Highland Park 12. I’ve had it numerous times before. Good go to scotch whisky for me.
Fun bar. I had a good time hanging out with the girls and catching up.

Awesome dive and sports bar, went here to catch some playoff games and the bartenders were super friendly with making sure our games were on.

Now that it’s open for real, a comfortable, dark, woody but not over-​themed, non-​dive bar, value priced in any neighborhood but especially this one. Twists on classic historic drinks, like a daiquiri with absinthe, all at 1999 prices, at $ 8 they are better than the $ 12+ versions at other craft bars. So it has become a go to bar for real people, a diverse crowd of sports fans, old friends, and other non-​fancy people who want a solid fancy drink.

I thought I would take a different route to 3^rd street to the Bart station instead of my normal route down 2^nd street.
I like that a glass of beer from the taps are $ 4.00 but I didn’t like that I wasn’t very much acknowledged when I came in to look at the beers on tap. I felt uneasy asking questions about a few of the beers on tap. I like to know what percentage and how the beers I took interest was tasted like. I know it isn’t a brewery but I am pretty picky when it comes to my beers since I like everything but IPA. I wasn’t sure why since I came in right before the Tuesday crowd came in but that’s my only complaint since I just wanted to grab a beer at the bar before I headed home.

This is the best happy hour spot near the FiDi/​Soma. You may find that your friends will not want to go elsewhere for happy hour.
1) Ultra cheap beers become cheaper with happy hour. $ 4 drafts of good beers (racer, stone, lagunitas etc).
2) Close to Montgomery street bart which makes it easy for your friends to come
3) Great service
Happy hour in SF has increasingly become a status symbol. The places are getting nicer, but the bills are getting higher. When you invite people to the Lark Bar, your friends will be relieved to drink on the cheap in a non pretentious environment. You may find that your friends will not want to go elsewhere for happy hour.
It’s best to pay with cash here if you can.

Ross is AMAZING very sweet bartender made us feel at home forgot I was at a bar not my house if I wasn’t on a college salary he deserves MAD TIPS real sweet guy!!! Normally bartenders are annoyed or really rude when girls come in drunk asf my friend and I were not! He suggested the paninis and they were great! my friend clogged the restroom which we’re sorry about!!! I will be coming back the people hanging out there were also super nice

Eh, not my favorite — actually checked this place out Bc of reviews from other Unilocalers, bartender was more into his friends posted at the bar which was annoying, but I get it friends are friends for a reason, no wifi so I couldn’t do work (usually like to post at a bar have dinner and a cocktail when on the road) it was a block away from my hotel (the palace). If anything have a panini because it hit the spot especially on a cold rainy day.

Wanting to grab a quick shot before we continued to bar hop in the Mission, my friend and I stopped by The Lark Bar. Since he works closeby, he said he comes regularly for beers with his coworkers.
The bar is dim and has a rustic charm. My friend said after the change in ownership, the place was remodeled and a lot cleaner. I like! I also like that there are TVs, so I know I can come here to catch some games.
Montgomery BART stop is really closeby!

Not much visually changed from Dave’s except fewer tables, replaced by a handful of bar height two tops giving maybe a little more standing room.
Maybe a *little* cleaner as others have mentioned?
Bartender was friendly enough.
Time will tell if they do more to «hipsterize» the place.

Ah, the drama surrounding the lark and the demise of Dave’s.
I mean, the block was hot on this one… SFist wrote a «witty» article about how «another tech-​bro pretentious» bar was taking over an iconic SF space by the same owners at Local Edition around the corner.
While true about the new space, the charm that Dave’s had is definitely still there. The interior is the same but maybe cleaned up a bit, the drink menu has matured and the bar staff is on their game. Their happy hour, considering its in FiDi, is about as good as it gets. $ 4 draft beers and a few bucks off of their specialty cocktails. The food menu stayed the same (which has been adored by many) and price points reflect as such.
The crowd is non-​pretentious non-​techBRO FiDi crowd who are all engaging and nice. Around 6pm it was pretty easy to get a table for two and drink orders were swift. Shout out to the staff for being friendly and efficient.
All in all, Dave’s is still around in spirit and the Lark definitely would make them proud.
Pro-​tip: get a shot of Jameson and ask for their pickle back. the juice is a house made pickle juice from pickled cauliflower, cucumbers, etc; it’s definitely unique and a must try.

Its a cool place; a bit more pricey than one would expect from a dive, but also comes with better selection than one would expect from a dive bar. Overall though — I cant easily identify anything memorable.

This remodeled bar is top notch. Drink prices are very affordable for San Francisco. The pour is heavy on shots and service is great as well.
Krystal behind the bar btw will make your day. service is great!

Cocktails were on point and the staff was awesome. Not in town much but I’d go back for sure!

The Lark is great! I’ve been there a few times after work for a beer and a quick dinner. Service is great and it’s much cleaner than Daves ever thought about being! Glad to have an new place in town that still has an old school feel!

I love the location, what a great turn around from Dave’s.The staff is very friendly and the service impeccable. They have a great beer selection and yummy snacks.

Great hospitality, great beers on draft and still has the same vibe as Daves! Excited the new name has carried over the old familiar feel as the space!

Lovely bar. Great beer and cocktails and service! Good lighting, ambiance, and very clean!

Although we all loved Daves and are sad to see it go… stoked about The Lark Bar. Just a bit cleaner, still the awesome
Neighborhood vibe, better bar food, awesome bartenders. Surprisingly the prices are still low and there isn’t a pretentious feel. What more can you ask for? Excited about the new bar :)

I work downtown in San Francisco and was excited to see the remodel of this bar to The Lark. I was happy to find out they serve all kinds of drinks, from craft cocktails to Irish coffees, while still staying true to the dive bar look and feel that they used to be with the old ownership. I love that they’ve kept a wide selection of beers on tap, as well as great TVs, which has been great when I’ve dropped in a couple of times to catch the final football games of the season.
I have heard some concerns about this change in ownership, but I have to say that the bar has stayed fairly similar to what it was in the old Dave’s, but now has an improved whiskey selection and cocktails than previously. Seems like a win win to me — looking forward to coming back!

An early release from work so thought there was time for a swift pint at Dave’s. But it seems that bar is no more, and The Lark Bar is a very poor substitute.
The interior has been stripped out and all the chairs are gone; now it’s standing room only around beer barrels unless you can get a seat at the bar. When fellow Brit journalists came over for Moscone events we’d spend hours sitting around drinking huge amounts, but that’s not possible now.
The bar itself looks cleaner than it did; less cluttered and more open. But it’s no longer a pub for regulars — more of an expensive McDonalds of booze with attitude. The beer is still OK, but whisky comes in homeopathic quantities and a fancy glass is supposed to make up for this.
Staff are surly and treat customers like we should be grateful for them doing their job. That’s a massive minus point, since the old staff were gems of their profession.
I suppose it’s kind of understandable — the new owners apparently come from the next door liquor store, a place so overpriced it makes the gougers at Zain’s look reasonable. They are obviously trying to keep some Dave’s features, such as the menu — which was never the bar’s strongest point — but I fear another watering hole has gone the way of hipsters.

Well, I knew it was inevitable that some disgruntled ex-​patrons/​employees would waste no time in trashing the new incarnation of Dave’s. Personally I couldn’t care less if any of the old employees were offered a job or not, in my opinion the new ownership has every right to hire who they want.
I was a huge fan of the old Dave’s and was pretty bummed when I heard it was under new ownership, especially when I heard the new owners were responsible for several bars of the type I would never frequent.
Still, so far so good, prices are still very reasonable and the vibe is very much the same, I will happily continue patronizing this place if it remains as it is!
Looking forward to Baseball season so I can drop in for some beers and Giants games.

As my lunchtime bar, Dave’s was the place to go. They said the Lark bar would not change too much from Dave’s, and I have to say they didn’t. Can’t speak to the food, since I just go there to drink, but I did see a crockpot on the counter. And the music was a little more modern, plus they did clean the place and removed a lot of the crap on the walls. But for Dave’s fans, it is pretty much the same, new bartenders though.

An article was published on
about the transition of Dave’s to Lark bar. It is full of untruths and deception. I was unable to publish my response for some reason, but here it is for Unilocalers.
Dave’s regular here. It’s not cleaner, it’s repainted and all the cool stuff is gone. It’s not cheaper, it’s more expensive. There were always TV’s to watch sports on at Dave’s. They also always served food and did a pretty good lunch business offering sandos, hot dogs, nachos and chowder along with the chili and chili dogs. I know all the bartenders and not a single one was offered a job, regardless of whether or not they would have taken it. Dave wasn’t a victim of rent increase, he wasn’t even offered a lease renewal. As for the regulars we all drink at Louie’s now, because nobody wants to come to Lark after our friends at Dave’s got screwed over. So just to clarify, this entire article is based on untruths and bad information.
I can’t in good conscience drink at the Lark based on how all the good people of Dave’s: from Dave himself, to the bartenders, to the huge group of regulars, that all lost out when Dave’s was taken away from this city.

For now during a soft opening it’s almost exactly the same as its former dive bar incarnation, Dave’s, but for a new sign out front, a newly-​installed vintage looking wooden back bar, and the disappearance of all of the claustrophobic old tables. If you’re looking for a dive bar in this old location, serving chili late at night, you’re still good. Considering that the owners are the team that launched Swig, Bourbon and Branch, Tradition, Local Edition, and Rick House — and the Cask store next door — it seems likely that some unannounced surprises are in store here.