Pi Bar

willjschmidt

California

4.08/5  rDev +2.3%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4 | service: 4 | selection: 4.5 | food: 3.5 | $$$

A beer-themed bar located in the Mission. We went on their Russian River night for SF Beer Week so it definitely was not a typical night. They were pouring about 8 different Russian River beers. $5 for a 6 oz pour and $9 for a 13 oz pour. They also had 4 other beers on-tap such as Moonlight, Speakeasy, etc. It looks like they have about 12 taps and a decent sized fridge full of some top-notch bottles. The place was crowded but not terribly so. They have beer decorations everywhere which is pretty cool. The have a small kitchen that serves pizza. We tried some pizza which was mediocre.

In summary, it's a very good beer bar. Definitely ran by someone that knows their craft beer. It's a welcome addition to the SF beer scene.

02-10-2010 22:01:17 | More by willjschmidt

hophopandaway

United Kingdom (England)

3.76/5  rDev -5.8%
vibe: 3 | quality: 4.5 | service: 3 | selection: 4 | $$$$

$5 for a tiny wine glass of beer!! WTF! In my opinion this is a pretientious bar with massively overpriced beer, staff that aren't particularly interested or attentive and uncomfortable seats.
Upon walking in the waitress looked up from doing something under the bar and waved her arm in the approximate direction of the chalkboard and said "that's what we got on draft, do you want the bottled menu or food" without looking at us.

Upon inspection of the board there was a list of about 12-15 beers that all looked okay but the concerning thing was the lack of pricing info; the only information on there was two pictures of glasses, one with $5 next to it and one with $9 next to it. Were they all the same price? I've not seen that anywhere else but it looked like it. What I found most annoying was that "Death and Taxes" by Moonlight Brewing was $9 for a large glass (Looks about 10-12 oz) when it was $4 a pint in Toronado and $6.25 in Monk's Kettle. I think that is taking the piss.
I can't understand all this paying $10 for a tiny glass of beer. I think beer should be drunk in gulps, not sips.
In the end I took the happy hour deal and had one of their "large" beers and a slice of pizza for $6.28 (2 pi, gedddit?) and the pizza was large and tasty. If I'm near Mission I'll be sticking to the Monks Kettle in future, it's cheaper, both more transparently and reasonably priced and the staff are friendly and knowledgable, oh, and the seats don't hurt your arse after 20 minutes.

02-21-2011 03:17:53 | More by hophopandaway

DaveHS

California

4.13/5  rDev +3.5%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4 | food: 4 | $$

A great little Mission bar that you could easily miss if you weren't looking for it.
The interior is utilitarian, an open rectangular space with a bar, a few tables, and a kitchen in the back.
About 10 beers on tap (I didn't count, could've been a few more or less) and a very solid bottle list. I have been here a few times for their happy hour special (slice of pizza and a beer for $6) and always enjoyed myself. They always have a few Russian River beers on tap. Pliny and Supplication seem to be regularly available, and last time I was there they were featuring some draught beer from Grand Teton, which was cool to see. The bartenders are always friendly and seem to enjoy talking beer. It's a solid beer bar for those days when you don't feel like fighting half of San Francisco to get a pint.

07-20-2010 23:34:57 | More by DaveHS