Hockey Haven

Nice local bar on Balboa. Wood paneled decor, beer is not expensive- the Guinness is good. It doesn’t look like they serve food but there’s a few decent rest in the neighborhood.

Very laid back historic watering hole. Has a pool table and a great cast of players hanging out on weekends. Would definitely come back.

I saw an Irish band. I drank Guinness and Jamison all night long. I fought many men. I won all the darts. I sang in tune. I defended my ladies honor. I did not stumble. I did not vomit. I tipped well.

For a place called "Hockey Haven," they played the audio from a random college basketball game instead of the Four Nations Final. Boo!

Always a good place to hang out, tons of seating available in front and back. Cheap and quick drinks, good service, why not come down and support local bar since 1949?! Come on down and relax at this local establishment ASAP

Found out my great grand father owned this bar 70 years ago and came in here early this afternoon and I'm so amazed how amazing the staff and customer were to me and telling me stories about the bar was an amazing experience for my 1st time. Ever I love this bar

Great neighborhood bar with friendly regulars. Okay parklet, not fancy, but it serves it's purpose.

Prices are great, owners are awesome, great vibes great bartenders the people who usually come here very chill. There are clean restrooms and an awesome pool table I met my best friends here , my pool team with whom won 2 division championships. There’s a stake day I think Monday and spectacular game day gatherings. If you’re respectful and new in the city you’ll make good friends here.

Fun bar and fun music! I met up with a group of friends after a day at the park, and it was nice to be inside, it wasn't too crowded, and still be able to enjoy the really nice patio outside. You can play music on the jukebox from your phone which is nice and convenient. Make sure to bring your physical ID! The bouncer will not accept the CA DMV app on your phone.

A bar that feels like the embodiment of a Dive bar (in the best way possible) My girlfriend and I stopped by here for drinks while waiting for a table at The Laundromat up the street. The bar itself is a quintessential Sports/ Dive Bar - TV's every where playing different sports, some small tables to sit at, and a pool table in the back corner. My girlfriend and I ended up grabbing a beer and a gin and tonic respectively and just chatted and watched the PBR (professional bull riding) event that was airing on one of the TVs. Also - that gin and tonic was one of the best I've had in a *l o n g* time. Staff here were friendly (notably the bar tender and the guy working the front door) and a lot of the patrons were amicable and easy to talk to. I don't find myself out in this neighborhood often but, if I did, I could easily find myself being a regular here. 5/5 just purely based on the vibes alone.

If you ever watched Cheers on television or streaming, you would know the vibe here. Friendly neighborhood dive bar with tv screens so you can watch the local teams play the big game. And because we live in an area where we have solid sports teams, we are treated to a whole schedule of watchable games that you lose your voice screaming at the screen. It is infinitely more fun to watch a game like 49ers Eagles in a room full of strangers bound together by their home squad. I had a beer and a mezcal-soda and their complimentary turkey chili last Sunday. Made friends instantly and high fived strangers after the dominant win by the local team. So fun, I heard this spot sells steaks on Mondays. I need to come back to try that. JYW highly recommends. BTW, there is a back patio here too.

Place is very cool. I went one time with my husband and our friends and this lady bartender is rude for absolute no reason. She said that the place closes at 12 am but it really closed at 2. I know some bars close early due to a slow night but they had a lot of the regulars. My husband asked to play pool and she said only til 12. I was sitting at the bar watching the whole encounter and was just irritated and wanted to leave due to this woman's attitude towards us. Anyways my husband started playing pool with one of the regulars, and 12 am hit the clock and there was another guy bartender and my husband asked if he can keep playing. The guy was like yeah sure we end at 2. The guy had no attitude what so ever. For my experience the lady did not even come up to me at all. I was sitting at the bar for about 10 minutes while she was at the bar. Not tending to me. And finally the guy came up to me and was very friendly. He got me my drink and made conversation with me and all the while, that lady was giving me stank eye. My husband went with his friends just yesterday. They had literally just walked in and we're trying to figure out what they wanted and as the bartender was standing there. my husband was handing his ID, the lady said out of nowhere, "alright, your pissing me off." Mind you, they literally walked in and was having a good time. It's not like they were being obnoxious and loud. She said that to them about 3 times but my husband and his friends were just trying to enjoy the night. They all still were bothered by this woman. I think this place is great. I don't know what connections she has.( Other people would have been fired for giving that kind of attitude). But they need to do something about that female bartender. Because little by little this place will have more reviews like mine.

What a lovely chill bar. Friendly staff, locals telling stories, fun decor, vintage vibe, and an outdoor garden! I was on a tight timeframe, otherwise I would have stayed much longer. I love this area of the city, and and would love to claim hockey haven as my own neighborhood bar

Very friendly staff and great outdoor seating! A really cute and relatively cheap dive bar. Just a great ambiance for sitting and relaxing on a slow day. My wife and I stopped here to rest our feet from a long day walking around the city. Great idea! Really felt relaxed sitting outside watching people stroll by and sipping a cold draft beer. Just a great afternoon rest stop. TL;DR: Good dive bar.

Thank you Megan! We had a blast! We will see you next time we're on the west coast! Excellent ambience, great bartender, very friendly locals, cold brews on tap! We loved the atmosphere and the back patio was the cherry on top!

This place is very fun and had an excellent vibe! We ordered Irish coffee and some mules and a bloody Mary. So so good! Staff were upbeat and the patio outside is a nice place to sit and chill. You can also play music inside and play pool. Lots of high top seats and you can feel the local atmosphere. Very chill. Loved the Irish coffee! Got to come back. I liked it.

Sad that I live soooooo far away (read: across the Bay, lol). Perfect chill, cozy neighborhood bar. Has a nice outdoor area too! Bartender was super friendly. Plus they have chips! Woo.

Hockey Haven is arguably one of the best examples of a modern day Public House that I can clearly describe. The little neighborhood it occupies is sleepy, but still in one of the most vibrant Cities in the World. It's spacious, there are lots of good TV viewing spots, good drinks, great bartenders and a pretty stellar "Avenue-style" backyard. I've come here for years. I now live nearby (very, foggy, nearby) and I come on occasion. Love it. Great people. Interesting people. They are 100% on track. There are very few ways that you could make a fun public gathering bar as neighborhood oriented and yet not drawing in bar A-Holes. Good folks here. This place is on point for being the only real bar on Balboa Street. It's open, they've got good TV's and lots of space for a pool table. Plus the backyard. It's located in a spot of SF that locals come to gather. Great Job! Shamrocks!

Great atmosphere and attentive bartenders. Great selection for on tap beers and prices are very reasonable. Outdoor seating is available and plenty of TV's inside. A gem in this neighborhood. I will patronize when I'm on this side of town.

This is a good place but bartender girl working today (07/31/2023) had very bad attitude to customer, I cant believe that.

Watched the Super Bowl here! Wasn't crowded which was nice and the bartender made my drinks correctly and was very nice! They had a potluck style food layout for everyone for free as well which was cool. The vibe was definitely not it from the older customers though who groaned at the halftime performance and were talking about their day and what music was.

Positive: Neighborhood bar with a great backyard that is dog friendly that could have easily hit four or five stars due to it's hidden gem type of appeal. Negative: A bartender with a completely unnecessary and over-the-top attitude. Wife asked for a cocktail and bartender said they don't serve cocktails and "it's not that kind of a place". Asked for an amaretto sour instead thinking it could be simpler to make and bartender again said they don't have it and "it's not that kind of a place" and then asked the owner(?) if they had amaretto and sure enough they didn't. I finally asked if they had rum (she said yes) and if she could make a simple rum punch and she said "well we have rum and we have some pineapple juice and mixers" and then after looking around at the patrons seated at the bar, said for the third time "it's really not that kind of a place". Now the patrons didn't seem to give two hoots about all this which was cool but she kept making an unnecessary big deal out of repeating that line "it's not that kind of a place". Ok I get it, you are a cool divey place and have a reputation to uphold but maybe an easier and friendlier way to respond could have been... no we don't have those cocktails but what if I made you drink Blah or drink BlahBlahbittyBlah instead which could be close to that taste profile. Jeez.

This place is great with same faces and bartenders who know you by name and at times have your drink ready when you sit down. It's been around for many years so clientele can range from 21-75. I gave it a 4 star due to no food is served, but you are allowed to bring in food to eat it there or have food delivered to you at the bar.

Real neighborhood bar vibe. Lots of bad reviews because they didn't play the Stanley Cup - kinda hilarious. Glad to know I can come here and watch Warriors games. I really wish all bartenders had a handle on how to mix drinks. Whenever I ask for a manhattan and the bartender needs to ask someone how to make it - we're in trouble. Bar tending is more than pouring shots and pints. To be fair, one bartender made me a decent one - then the other had no idea. I think she just gave me a glass of Rye with a cherry. Overall this place is fine, but won't get much/any repeat business from me.

One of the last place that kept thr neighborhood going during thr pandemic. It has a nice outdoor patio. Sport channels are limited but the pool table is a plus. Keith is a great guy behind the bar and he keeps us come back here.

It's a Saturday...a great day to watch hockey games. Sounds like Hockey Haven is the place to go - nope. They don't even have the NHL package, and they're only playing the nationally televised game on a day with 14 hockey games. Please either rename your bar to something else, or get the NHL package and play hockey games...something you're advertising with your business name.

I never would have gone here if I wasn't recommended it. To be honest, it is not pretty to look at from the outside! However, looks don't matter at this place. Hockey haven is a true locals bar. It has such a fun mix of surfers, hipsters, people who read at the bar, old hippies, Richmond families etc - and everyone seems to get along here. They sometimes do specialty drinks like big alcoholic Capri sun style pouches. But I like it for the affordable beer and friendly patrons. There's a back patio where you can smoke if that's your thing. I can't wait until they re-open

I've been coming to hockey Haven once a week for about two years now it was one of my favorite bars but I invited friends from out of town who are a little different than the normal crowd we were harassed by regulars and forced out I will never return hockey haven even though I live close I recommend all my friends who live a little bit differently to avoid the regulars are extremely homophobic. I'm disgusted I gave them my business. I have met the owner and it's sad this happens when she is not here. I feel shame in writing this but I can't bite my tongue I hate that this attitude is in sf especially the part of town I own a home. Carmel what the hell!

Great spot to have a few drinks and watch football! Keith is the nicest man and goes out of his way to make you feel comfortable. So glad to have this spot as a neighborhood bar.

The greatest bar in the world. Never leave me HoHa. Chill local bar, once inside you feel far away from the stress of rapidly changing and bland-ifying San Francisco.

Great local bar. Nothing fancy and they have some of the best beer prices in the city.

Play pool among great players. Plus, Marla Bakery next door. Sports bar but not hockey only. Actually, hockey is probably third below Giants baseball and GSWarriors basketball .

The Monday Night Football Special. Steak, baked potato, and salad $20. Great deal! Wash it down with $3.25 Bud Bottles. Not a bad way to spend a Monday Night. Go 49ers, big win to start the season. Nice and friendly atmosphere inside. The bartender was very sweet even after her birthday celebration. Bar was busy but not overpacked. It's 4 blocks from my house and I like this place. I'll be back a few times this season.

This is a one of the best dive bar in the Outer Richmond. Great drinks! The service is great and wait time for a drink is never long. There is a great selection of beers. And (surprisingly) a good wine selection!! The place has a internet juke box and a pool table. Just an all around great place to bring your friends and hang out!

These days, we hear a lot about loss of community, about how nobody knows their neighbors anymore. In most parts of San Francisco, a city hell-bent on being the capital of the so-called global village, that's a pretty accurate assessment. But in the Outer Richmond, the local businesses are still fairly local, and Hockey Haven is among the throwbacks to a time when neighborly proximity meant more than it does elsewhere in the City today. Along with Simple Pleasures coffee shop less than two blocks away, Hockey Haven serves as a hub for 94121 neighborhood news, recreation, confab and most importantly, good times. Before 6pm, diurnal drinkers populate the place, often with the owners tending bar. An early-evening crowd talks up the news of the day before giving way to a rangy nighttime crew, right around the moment when the jukebox shifts from the Allmans to contemporary hip-hop and the pool table gets going. Some nights it's a sleepy tavern, good for chatting with locals or meeting friends after taking in a show at the Balboa Theater across the street. In the fall there's a steak dinner offered during Monday Night Football games, which packs the place. And there's usually a pretty good party in there on weekend nights, when one of the City's best bartenders is working. That'd be the tireless Erin, whose drink specials now complement a beer and liquor selection that's a step beyond the usual. The Haven's storefront doesn't seem all that welcoming, but step inside and you'll find a warm and friendly joint. (Every neighborhood has its characters, and Haven is no exception. I've rarely seen trouble in there, and the community tends to police itself.) It's a truly mixed crowd, where regulars and newbies commingle. Whatever's going on -- election season, Super Bowl week, neighborhood events -- you'll find a gregarious crew ready to loosen their jaws. By the way: It's not really a sports bar, although the TVs usually have ballgames on. Don't expect all hockey all the time, but if the Sharks are playing, they'll surely be on at least one of the four flat-screens. Also, they started accepting plastic a few weeks ago -- it's no longer cash only.

Hockey Haven is a treasure. The drinks are reasonable, steak Monday's are lifechangingly delicious, and the crowd is fun and neighborly. The best nights end up here. Needless to say, the HoHa gets the people going.

Hockey Haven looks too spiffy for a dive bar, it's a neighborhood bar though. lots of flatscreens, amenities: pool table, internet juke box, video games, etc. large microbrew draft/ bottled beers selection. ong bar, didn't see HH pricing/notice designer hard liquor available. pour: "drake's pride" (4.75) -nice stout, strong stuff bartender recommended, knows her stuff. on draught: -nice place to sit and drink/think.

Awesome neighborhood dive bar. The folks are super chill and the atmosphere is friendly and welcoming.

Great neighborhood watering hole. Great staff Carmel and Erin mix a mean cocktail. Pool table, music and TV's. NFL MON Nite food, Rib Eye Steak, potatoes, and saladCheck it out

I hate giving this place 5 stars because I don't want anyone to know about it. Words can't explain but I love it here. It's clean, cozy, and easy. My favorite place to watch any game. I love hockey haven!

Nice beer selection. Friendly bar staff. Patrons were hella chill. They had a whole round of Motown tunes playing for the 1.5hrs I was there. Ended up talking to a regular who was also from the neighborhood. Dog friendly possibly since there were two dogs hanging by the back. Would definitely stop by again if I'm in the neighborhood.

Great place! Always a crowd on Fridays when I usually. One night I forgot to close my tab but the next morning I called them and they still got my card. So I went there and they got my card and closed my tab. Thank you!

Discovered this little gem while having some local Dim Sum. Awesome Dive bar with excellent cheap drinks and great crowd. My go to place to chill and have a few drinks after a nice lunch on a Saturday afternoon.

I first darkened the doorway of Hockey Haven in the mid 80's when I was barely old enough to get a drink. A friend of mine threw a party at his place on 48th Ave, and everyone had taken some bastardized version of X that I didn't want to deal with. I quietly slipped out the door and headed down Balboa street, striking out aimlessly in search of big-city nightlife. Ten blocks later, Hockey Haven seemed to be the only thing for miles around. When I walked in, the place had a half-dozen sedate patrons...all middle aged men. Fast forward to 2006, and nothing has changed. Hockey Haven is still an oasis of nightlife in the asphalt tundra of the Outer Richmond. If you keep walking in a straight line after you pass it on Balboa street, you won't find another pub till you've crossed the Pacific Ocean. The other thing that hadn't changed was the entirely male clientele. Only two attractive women graced the establishment, and both were working behind the bar. Most of the clientele seemed oblivious of my presence, but a few cast me curt glances that said "ya ain't from around here are ya boy?" I pondered what few tourists and city-dwelling fun seekers made their way out to Hockey Haven...and figured that strangers in this neck of the woods were a rare thing indeed. Hockey memorabilia was nowhere to be seen. Still, an extremely cool collection of baseball-related photos graced the back wall. Amongst them were team pictures of the San Francisco Seals from the 1950's. Another was an autographed picture of Lefty O'Doul and Joe DiMaggio with an unknown man standing between them. I asked around the bar...nobody seemed to know who the third man was. Yet another awesome black-and-white photo showed a single player running towards the outfield wall after a fly ball, neither face nor team logo visible but with a number 24 on his back. No name was below the picture....nor was one necessary. A sizable shotgun bar runs the length of the East wall while two window-seat tables look out over Balboa street. The beer selection was pretty respectable for a place this far out in the boonies, and a chalkboard over the bar displayed a wine list that included Ravenswood Merlot, Hess Cabernet, and Kenwood Chardonnay. Guys, if you've ever taken a date on a pub crawl, you don't know what a blessing this can be. All in all, it's a pretty nice space. The locals seem OK, but they're hard to approach. If you're with a date, the wine selection can be a lifesaver. But if you come here single, the male-to-female ratio leaves little chance of meeting someone special. Eat before coming here...the kitchen in the back hasn't been used since jukeboxes held 45's, though the walking-distance restaurant selection is surprisingly decent. Say what you want, but I've taken a liking to this place. Check it out, and you may do the same....

One of the few dive bars left in the Richmond with locals on both sides of the bar. Their Irish Coffees are the same you get at Buena Vista but for $5 less. Spent New Year's Eve here last year and we had a blast!

Good casual bar out in the Richmond. There's a pool table and a golf video game. The beers are at a good price. I paid $4.50 for an Angry Orchard cider. I went here around 9:30 on a Saturday night and they had already ran out of Guinness. It's a cool place to get a good beer and hang out with friends.

Local dive bar, good for live sports, and has outdoor seating out back. TV screens are quite small.

Ahhh, many a good time to be had at this haven of... randoms. A dive bar that is consistantly filled with alcoholics, locals, and sports fans who randomly got sucked in there that night. Everyone is friendly in this outer Richmond dive bar. Gotta love the Haven.

Nice bartenders, cheap drink prices, pool table. During the day, you can chill outside at the tables on the back patio. Bam.

This isn't a bad bar, but, as others have mentioned, it would have been nice if the bar had hockey on the big screen during the last round of the Stanley Cup Finals instead of golf. During our visit two screens were devoted to both the Stanley Cup Finals and to NCAA Women's Softball while golf dominated everywhere else. I'm not bagging on women's softball or golf here, but the name of the place is "Hockey Haven" which this bar clearly isn't.

It's the Stanley Cup playoffs and they'd rather play basketball. Hey owners, I don't know if you're aware but this place is called HOCKEY Haven, you should probably have Hockey dominating your TVs. People can go literally anywhere in the city to watch the Warriors, we came here because we wanted to watch the Ducks and Blackhawks. I can't even describe how disappointed I am in this place. If you're not going to play hockey on most of your TVs, change your name.

Love the HoHa! Great Irish coffee and beautiful space. Monday's prime rib night is the best deal in the city!

This is the bar everyone wishes they had in their neighborhood. I do. I do so much that I travel across town so I can drink at the Hockey. The bartenders are fantastic and it reminds me of what I love about San Francisco. It's legit. I'm so excited Erin has taken over the bar - she is the best bartender-turned-owner you could ask for. I honestly didn't think the Hockey could get any better, but I'm looking forward to seeing what they have in store... Just go.

Been coming here since I moved here. Bartenders are super nice. Drinks are strong. But the steak on Monday night is the best thing I have have EVER had ever. Perfectly cooked, no sauce needed. For $20 you get an amazing grass fed steak, baked potato and salad on Mondays. Get it or you'll be sad you didn't.

My biggest complaint about this bar is its name. How can you be called ""Hockey Haven" and not show the conference finals on he majority of your TVs . Additionally your bartenders should know about hockey. We asked if the Ducks game would be on and the bar tender responded with "if its after the Blackhawks game then yes" Seriously it was the same game. If your TVs and staff can't reflect the most important moment in your namesakes playoff then rename yourself. It was an overall disappointment to watch a basketball game at a hockey bar.' Hockey haven should be named better or resolve to play more hockey

Absolutely love this spot! Great neighborhood bar where the bartenders and patrons truly make you feel welcomed. The drinks are cheap and the pours are generous. Ryan, Erin and the rest of the gang there are phenomenal! Hockey Haven is a diamond in the rough among Outer Richmond bars. Great if you'd like to check it out with a group of friends. Just tell them to leave their dogs at home.

I have to admit that I'm a bit partial here because I live out by the beach and the Haven's been my local spot to drink for a few years now. But honestly, it's a great neighborhood bar. The bartenders are very professional - special props to my girls Erin and Carmel - so you won't have to wait long to get your drinks and they're all pretty laid back. The jukebox is fairly diverse and the patrons aren't ALL old crusty dudes, as some of the reviews have mentioned. there's been a bit more of a younger crowd coming in the past year or so but no matter what, you'll still find some funny regulars around.

Best MNF Steak Dinner Ever!! Coming back next week.