The Bitter End

Unfortunately, had quite bad service on a recent visit. Have been here many times before and usually love it. Came in for happy hour, asked a couple clarifying questions about the happy hour deal and attempted to make friendly conversation; terse and unfriendly responses to everything. (Mind you there are 3-4 people in the bar--these are not peak hours.) Quite the opposite of the desired outcome when you visit a neighborhood joint at the end of a long day (in otherwise good spirits). I understand that everyone's entitled to their day--even a bad one--but feels a little silly to spend money in a bar that draws the service line at pouring you a beer. Hoping for a better experience next time!

You must try the guava cider and fish and chips with the mushy peas! I dont know why I liked the peas so much, but I did. Pascal is a great bartender and makes sure youre taken care of and does it with such warmth. Definitely come here for free games of pool on Mondays and trivia on Tuesdays and Wednesdays!

Martina and Pascal are the main bartenders here. Usually on different nights. They are just Epic. This place has that understated cool vibe that only comes from being in business a really long time. I believe since the 70's. It's quite dive-bar-y, but it's also such a great hang out, who cares. Excellent Tues. Nite trivia party. Get the chicken sandwich. It's terrific. Very tasty. All the good stuff. Nice selection of draught beers and ciders and aged whisky.

Great atmosphere, great music. We ordered fish and chips and a Bitter End Burger. The food came out hot and was really good. This place also have 2 pool tables upstairs.

Best trivia in SF! Come early to get a seat and order yourself a bacon avocado burger and a pitcher if you don’t want to keep getting up for drinks. Fast service and good vibes. Thanks Tim for hosting trivia and having great questions!

Fun little neighborhood staple dive bar. Decent selection of draft beer and liquor - never had the food, but it often smells good!

One of the proper dive/neighborhood bar with pool tables and fuse ball on second floor.. Definitely has some soul in it…

This place has surprisingly good food at great prices! The drinks are super affordable, too. They have calamari on the menu, and I'm not mad at it. I order it often, actually. Nothing fancy here, so if you're a cocktail person, you'll be disappointed. However, they will make you one if you ask. Keep it simple. The bar staff are awesome. Seriously. They're the best. You can sit and chat or go upstairs and play pool. There are also tables and a fireplace in the corner, so you can work or read if that's your style. Overall, it's a great neighborhood spot for an easy night and some food.

Good food good service good atmosphere Great people I'm hooked go as often as possible

Ordered sampler $15 and two sodas... charged me $31. Think I got ripped off. Typical bar food. Thought we'd try a new place. Probably won't return.

A friend invited me here for Tuesday Trivia and I'm so glad I came! Trivia starts at 8 and I got there around 7:50 and it was already pretty packed. The vibes were so cute, they decorated the place with so many lights and holiday decorations. There's also a 2nd floor with more tables and pool as well. You order at the bar and our table got the sampler platter, fish and chips and bitter end burger. Loved everything! Trivia was very fun, Tim was the host and it seemed like there were many regulars. Would definitely come again!

I went for Tuesday night trivia for the first time. It's 8-10 which is on the later end and I don't love, but the host is extremely entertaining and it is well run. We got a hamburger, fries, and drinks. The food was yummy and hot when served. Service was excellent and overall kind people! For trivia: there are 4 rounds, 2 general knowledge, 1 music and 1 photos. Answers are peer reviewed so you get to interact with other people which is cool. Cash prize to split and a round of shots for the best team name.

This is a cool 2-story dive bar in the Richmond, with pool tables, foosball, darts upstairs and ample seating downstairs. The drinks are relatively cheap and their bar bites looked a good price too. There was confusion with our tab since there were 2 cards with the same first name, and the bartender told my boyfriend she lost his card before she dug around some more to find it. I think they ended up charging someone else's tab onto our card, but we closed out every time after that initial mix-up with the tabs. I guess if you have a common name, be careful about keeping a tab open. Other than that, there was a younger crowd upstairs by the pool tables and a chiller crowd downstairs. Service was a little slow, but there were only two bartenders to a pretty large crowd. Bathrooms were actually pretty clean and usually no wait. This is definitely a good bar to stop by!

The BitterEnd is a staple to the Irish, and anyone lucky enough to live in the Richmond. The Motley Crue of Seamus, Ryan, and Pascal always makes for great company. Theres another woman who works there who I think might be someone's meemaw? She does more talking than serving, and unfortunately I'm too impatient to wait for no joke 20 minutes before I get my beer even if there's only 10 people in the entire establishment. The food is otherworldly love the pepper steak, Tim's trivia, and the curry fries. Fun place to destroy college kids on the pool table too. Even funnier to watch the awful first dates. Vibes are high, lights are bright, just be careful what you say as it's an old converted theatre and voices carry

I love this spot especially for Tuesday trivia. Tim does a great job! Good pub food - I like fish and chips. Sometimes they have a club sandwich too.

I want my ashes spread here . Great pours . Great service . Pool table . Touch tunes . Last time I was there Halliburton hit a game winner on OKC , vibes . The TV was in black and white , but I don't care , they probably already fixed it. This is the go to bar in the Richmond .

The staff is fantastic. They can pour a drink in the blink of an eye with a bar 3 deep waiting. The drinks are cold and reasonably priced. Great music is always playing. There is a pool table upstairs and some darts. I'm

Good cocktail, friendly bartender, relaxed vibe. Didn't try the food but maybe next time.

Had my welcome drinks here on a Thursday night in December before my wedding, and it was a hit! We rented the upstairs for a very reasonable price and guests could purchase their food and drinks individually. It's a fun dive bar, and for our group of people it was the perfect vibe before the more formal wedding the next day. Great prices for typical dive bar drinks and decent food! I worked with Paschal on booking the space and he was professional and easy to work with!

The bartender with white/grey hair is so unfriendly that he really ruins the atmosphere in the place. He could be barely greet us and did not make us feel welcomed at all. A couple of women waited at the bar while this same bartender ignored them while he busied himself stocking stuff upstairs. He didn't even bother to lean over the balcony to greet them or say that he'll be right down. They left after 5 mins. I see why the bar is named The Bitter End. Worst of all, beer was warm and flat. The shots were the smallest we have seen, like a teaspoon.

Food - 5.5/10, but you're not coming here for the food I've come to the Bitter End dozens of times for Trivia night, which is great and boosts the rating. I've managed to try most of the menu in the course of these visits. Here are my thoughts. Note that the menus tend to be inaccurately priced, so expect to pay more than what you see. Drinks are sometimes in stock, and sometimes not in stock. Fries - they're usually pretty good. Get the garlic and cheese ones for some extra decadence. Clubhouse sandwich - a sizeable plate. comes with fries. Cheese could be better, seems like it might be like Kraft or something but overall fairly solid and a big portion. The chicken they use in this is the same as in a number of the other chicken dishes and you can taste the "grill" marks. I'm going to assume this is frozen/pre-cooked. Fish and Chips - Fish was pretty bland. Two small-ish pieces. Felt like it was mostly fries so value wasn't really there. Shepherd's pie - surprisingly pretty good, pretty sizeable portion, but nothing mindblowing Sampler platter - Not sure if bad luck but the wings were way too salty to the point where I didn't want to eat them. The Zuchini stix were overcooked and bad. Fries, Chicken, Mozarella sticks were fine. Onion rings weren't great, mostly breading that came off easily. Chicken "Curry" - The chicken was like a pre-cooked grilled chicken that was heated up and diced. Dry, overcooked. The "curry" was more like gravy. Not a good dish. Chicken tenders - one of my go to's since it's usually pretty good. You get 6 pieces and some ranch sauce. Calamari - Appearance reminds one of onion rings. Okay, I guess? The seasoning and breading is like what you'd find on a tyson chicken tender. Salty. Bacon Avocado Burger - A decent burger. Comes with fries Onion Rings - Meh. On the lower end of onion rings. Salmon - shockingly not that bad. Mozarella sticks - are what you'd expect. Comes with ranch which is somewhat disappointing as a marinara sauce would be much better. You're not coming here for the food, but if you want some food while you're here, it's okay.

I went here last night with some friends for a birthday party. Everyone was given the okay to come inside except for one of our friends (who ironically is the oldest at 26) and was denied entrance and kicked out for a "Fake ID". Even after trying to fight it / explain it's just a Florida drivers liscene/learners permit; they refused their entry. The bouncer working on 6/24 is incredibly incompetent and rude. myself and my friends look wildly different from our IDs, one had an out of state ID as well, and it feels like he barely looked at ours and instead just targeted our friend. This bar lacks any way to prove IDs except "looking". there's no scanner. No nothing. Do NOT come to this bar if you are out of state. Or just don't come to this bar in general; it's crowded, has bad decor, and has an incredibly rude bouncer. There's dozens more within walking distance which is what we did after this horrendous treatment.

This is a down-to-Earth, basic bar for drink. The entrance welcomes you with older, smoother wood paneling on wall and floor. The bar sits in the back on the left. The building has tables, booths, and high tops in the back along the wall plus upstairs seating. The mood is chill and respectful save for trivia on Tuesday nights. Not only does it stock my favorite oat sodas and whiskey, it also has an affordable food menu. Yes, $18.95 for a steak dinner. I had it once, and it was tasty. As public transportation goes, the 38 Geary is a couple blocks south. The Bitter End opens at 4pm, always, and without fail, around 6pm the doorman begins checking IDs.

This is me and my friends' neighborhood bar - and some of us don't even live in the neighborhood! Super friendly staff who we know by name, great trivia on Tuesdays, tasty pub grub and just a comforting homey atmosphere.

Pretty chill bar that I visited on Saturday afternoon. They have really tasty ciders, I loved the guava and angry orchard flavors. Played two rounds of pool in the area upstairs, you do have to pay a couple quarters to play but the bartender gave us change. I also heard they have trivia on Tuesday nights which gets pretty packed!

Great bar - 4 kids just walked in saying they were gonna leave a bad review since their fake is didn't work it should be the review right after this one - the door guy is great / polite but serious about his job and does a great job- I have worked the door I know - anyway don't believe their review- place has a great staff , good beer selection, pool tables, darts and it's chill - plenty of room to not be in the crowd - they have food but I haven't tried it .

Super fun local spot with a full bar. Only 1 bartender and I felt for her! Strong martinis for only $9. For SF that is the best deal! Everyone is laughing and having a great time. Upstairs there is a pool table and darts. The best part is selecting music from the CD machine - what a throw back.

Solid dive bar if your in the area with friends. I am a bit bias since they ran out of 805 beers, but at least they had the go to Coors Light to have you feeling bright all night ! Also they have billiards upstairs

The Bitter End has been an establishment in the Inner Richmond for years. Trivia on Tuesday hosted by Tim is a fun way to help the week pass by quicker. The bar is stocked with all the usual favorite beers and liquors you'd expect at a pub. Yolanda and Pascal hold down the bar during the weekdays so you can always expect some friendly faces when you stop by. Great bar games are available. Downside is there sometimes is a long line at the pool table.

Oh, how sad that the Bitter End was my bitter end of the bar crawl that my friends and I did after brunch one Sunday. This was our fourth and final stop, thank goodness. I was totally wasted but was still able to enjoy and observe what I love about this bar... the upstairs area. My friends and I grabbed our beers and headed upstairs where there were a few tables and no one else. Everyone was enjoying the game on the TVs downstairs. This is a super divey and inexpensive location, which I appreciate. Not somewhere I'd opt to order cocktails unless it was a simple well drink. The beer selection is acceptable. There's even food! I probably should have ordered some of that. Definitely a hot spot to watch the game and hang out with your buddies. This isn't really my first-choice pub, but I'm glad I was able to check it out!

Been coming to this place for a while, trivia on Tuesdays are definitely the time to be there. There's an older guy bartender who's real reliable, but some of the other bartenders are a little strange. Came in the other day, friend asked for a penicillin from a younger bartender I hadn't seen before, and he said "we don't do the kind of stuff here." ??? You're a bar? I've ordered stuff like that before--Moscow mule, dark and stormy, margarita--and there's been no problem. Service seems to depend on the bartender.

So happy to have The Bitter End in our hood. Love this friendly neighborhood bar. Always a fun start on Clement Street, my favorite street in the city. The bartenders are the best, the music always good and a great spot with friends. Highly recommend this awesome bar.

The lady friend and I tried this spot after dinner. I remember going there during the late 90s/early 2000s and it's good to see that they are still around. It still had that cozy, slightly-divey feel to it, that I like so much. There were plenty of open tables and I was glad. It was a Saturday night and I wasn't in the mood to be in a standing room only joint shouting in my friend's ear to converse. The key elements of a good neighborhood bar: bartender who isn't stingy with alcohol, good music, a regular crowd (no hipsters/no gangstaz/no techies). This is the kind of bar to drink, chew the fat and be merry. I've been to hipster bars, gangster bars and techie bars. They're fine, but I've always been more comfortable in dive bars. Anyway, this bar fills the bill. I had a pint of Stella and the lady had a cocktail. I took sip of hers and the alcohol was nice. We spent a couple of hours there, and I could've stayed there longer but didn't want to be out too late on the Thanksgiving weekend (maximum enforcement period for the Po-Po). I saw a few patrol cars drive by and even stop right in front of the bar to have a converation with a rowdy bunch outside. I don't go to bars nearly as much as I used to, but still love a places like this. If you're looking for a pub that has a good selection of booze and just quiet (or not noisy) enough to carry on a converation. This is a good chill spot if you're in the area

I came here for the first time Saturday night and it left such a great impression on me! I live in Oakland and live for bars where I can talk to a friend, don't need to wait in line, plenty seating, not fight for the bartender's attention... this place was the PLACE FOR ME! I'm always so weary about SF bars due to the list I mentioned above but it's so nice to see these kind of bars are still around. On Saturday night- this place had energy but not so crowded where you want to run home and be a hermit. I grabbed whiskey on the rocks from the lady bartender who was oh so sweet! She gave me "Thanks for taking care of me, Mom" feelings! I got Glennfiddich 12 for $10- not bad for a good night. My date and I sat by the fire place and had our drinks- we were able to talk to each other without yelling- a huge plus for me. We then went upstairs to play pool until closing time- didn't have to wait too long for a table (there's 2 and it's one dollar in quarters to play). Overall, such a great night here and I'm super excited to come back again.

Fantastic bar! A Tuesday night playing trivia (hosted by Zuba I think fun guy) and the Bartenders killed it and the vibes were great. Food was 10/10 and drink were just perfect. They let my friend go on aux and play some bops. The people around us were great, service was so quick with food, and seriously the bartender(Irish man? w/ white hair) was so attentive! Quality night!!

Got denied entry for using my passport as an ID. They said it was "really weird" that my license was expired. Sorry man I got that thing 10 years ago lol

For anyone wondering, they're still closed currently. Went last week on a Friday to check. Review - I love this pub, always a pleasure to visit on the rare occasion that we go out drinking in SF.

Got to meet the new bartender tonight (taller guy with a left arm tattoo) and he fuckin sucks. He had the audacity to charge me $20 for two WELL drinks and when I told him that that's not what I paid for them the day before he replied "well I wasn't here yesterday". Hella rude dude and ruined the atmosphere of one of my favorite bars. Pretty sure he was overcharging people so he could hook his friends up with drinks and/or pocket the difference as tip. 0/10 recommend the new guy or the Bitter End when he's working.

I went to this pub with high expectations with my party of five. I'm not sure if it was an off day, but the women bartender greeted us then while we were ordering drinks, she started talking and cut us off to another group that came after us. She did this multiple times and it was so frustrating that it was so hard to just get one drink. Her attention was on everyone else that came after us and we were also the only people of color there. It just gave me bad vibes and we left right after.

The Bitter End is a neat little neighborhood bar. What I like about it is that it is casual, affordable but well stocked. The folks there are friendly, and the food decent. TV screens will show you whatever sports game is on, on any given day - although I would not call it a sports bar. The Side Bar across the street is a cozier place - see my review - but it does not serve food. The Bitter End has a lot of competition, on Clement St. between Arguello and 6th avenue there are a lot of little bars and pubs, but it holds its own, and it should be frequented. I'd recommend it for a casual drink, some solid unpretentious food, and if you are with a group it will probably suit you better than smaller places like the Side Bar.

I don't know if a $7 whiskey sour is acceptable for the size of the glass, but I don't care because this bar is so inviting. It's casual and chill, and has such hipster decor (like the lights in my pictures.) The upstairs consists of the women's bathroom, along with a pool table and some dart boards. It's overlooking the bar downstairs so you could people-watch if you get bored. lol It's a perfect location to have a good Friday night out with your friends. The music was an absolute plus--they were playing The Police all night!!! I had a great time.

Interesting vibes, the two female bartenders were crying which felt uncomfortable to ask for a drink.

The Bitter End is one of those perfectly acceptable Bar and Restaurants that gets the job done. I don't have anything negative to say about The Bitter End. At the same time, if someone asked me where to go grab food in the Inner Richmond, I wouldn't recommend that they make it a priority to visit. Personally, I'm a fan of any place where you can sit at the bar, grab a beer or a cocktail, watch some TV and order some food. This is your place. You can come for either Pub Food or for Brunch. They have a solid selection of tap beer. It's not quite an all on Sports Bar, but you can get a good look at TV's if that's your plan. I've done the Burger here a couple of times and it's unexceptional, but not too pricey. Likewise, I'd say the same of the Brunch. I'm not saying anything overtly negative, but it didn't give me reason to be proactively positive. I would definitely give the nod to nearby Richmond Republic Draught House in terms of food. (Hearsay Food Review - I know someone who really seems to like the Sheppard's Pie) Bar-wise, it's got some good things working in it's favor. Full bar. Laid back clientele. Cool activities area upstairs with a couple of pool tables and darts. The service seems friendly enough. I've never found it to be overly crowded or loud. The prices aren't too bad, either. In short, you can certainly do a lot worse. I wouldn't go out of my way, but this is an easy spot to grab a low key meal and a drink out on Clement Street. If I lived pretty close, this would be a regular staple since it's not super-expensive and has never disappointed.

I came here to meet up with some friends mid day. The security guard sitting at the window eating his burger asked to check my ID. He proceeds to grab my ID with greasy burger hands and spends 5 minutes looking at it with his flashlight. He tells me he cannot let me in because there is "something about it." My ID is just from a different state.

I have to give it a 5 since I used to go here underage in college and they are awesome owners (I had a fake ID its not their fault). But I have had so many fun times even after I was legal. Sit at the booth immediately next to the door and watch every other person run into the door because one of them is locked. Fucking hilarious. I like the seats across from the bar for 4 people, its intimate, close to the bar and bathroom. If you are trying to be social head upstairs for pool or darts. I hate to talk shit on this place but the food is a for sure pass.

IT WAS HORRIBLE! The bartender was using her hand as strainer for peoples drink!! Instead of using two cups or an actual strainer she would put her hand under it and let it pour out! It was absolutely disgusting. It was a blond bartender and she looked a bit off so maybe she was drunk or something but there is no way I would ever let her serve me. Not even to mention that we're still in a pandemic and she's doing that! The owner really needs to check their employee before she gets them shut down. Only reason I don't give it a 1 star is because the burger I ordered was at least good.

The Bitter End...Thanks for always giving me a good end of a night. This is a great cheap dive bar, but the music is always loud and the crowd can get kind of rowdy. Downstairs is a bar with lots of beer on tap (New Castle, Guinness, Anchor Steam) and cider on tap. A pint of cider or beer is $4-5 while a pitcher is $18. The bar tenders are super friendly and try to be super fast - I suggest ordering from the right side of the bar to get noticed. There's open seating everywhere and the upstairs has a few pool tables and darts. I just love the overall feel and diveyness of the place. It is loud, but it is a great chill kind of night - nothing too aggressive. This is a great night cap or pre game kind of place!

Ok, five stars because of the great service and AMAZING shepard's pie but I seriously need them to take it off the menu. It's too good and I'm going to die fat and broke.

Pitchers of beer, darts & pool!!! Great place to hang out with your friends. Not one those ratchet bar, it's relatively quiet, perfect for nights where you just want to catch up with your friends and still be able to hear every word they are saying without having to scream at each other!

Bouncer + bartender declined a valid license, offered to show alternate ID as well as other documents. Literally 24 and got declined for going in. Either way the bar is usually dead and came on a Friday night, take your business somewhere else. If you're here just go 5 minutes out to the marina and have a better time

Ah, The Bitter End. When I first walked in, I didn't expect it to be so loud. The music made it somewhat difficult to get a smooth conversation going without having to yell WHAT? HUH? He finally came and we walked around the bar and upstairs to find a quieter spot. The night started off fine with the typical generic topics of life and ish. Then somehow one joke after another, I somehow managed to destroy this guy's presence here by questioning his existence on earth. By the end of the night, I compared him to the Zika Virus in that he is hated by many, he destroys people's lives, and some smart scientist is on the path of finding a vaccine to get rid of him. His response, "At least I was remembered for something big". Hah, what a good sport. Got the Stella which was only $4! What a steal. Also got the basket of fries which was about $6.50? It got busy around 9ish. Service was great.

Great neighborhood bar for drinks, pool, darts, and trivia. The weekday bartender Pascal is a San Francisco legend! Sometimes it gets too crowded on trivia Tuesdays so be sure to get there early

I came to The Bitter End with a large group after an afternoon at the 540 Club and a reading at Green Apple, making this the last of three stops on a long, wonderful day in the Inner Richmond. I was a little drunk when I arrived, and I was at least as drunk when I left, without any disasters either in between or after. But I guess "The Safe, Pleasant End" doesn't have much of a ring to it. We were able to walk in without difficulty with like eight to ten people on a Monday night between 8 and 9. We got a nice row of tables downstairs and pretty much had the whole place to ourselves. This is a great thing for a neighborhood bar. The bartender was nice, if I remember correctly, and I think I had one or two Racer 5 IPAs. The beer selection was decent, though I thought 540 Club's was better. I also ate dinner here, choosing, for whatever reason, the grilled salmon with salsa. My friends gave me shit about ordering salmon at a pub when there were so many pubby items on the menu, but I must've been in the mood for some healthy-ass grilled fish? I don't know. I enjoyed it in any case. Not the kind of entree you'd come to The Bitter End to consume, but a moderate $12.50 and was perfectly serviceable. It came with some kind of a vegetable medley and a choice of garlic mashed potatoes or french fries. Those details are lost to time. I had a lot of fun at The Bitter End and would spend some time here if I lived in the area. It's a cool bar with a calm vibe and some food for when you need it. Seems like it has all it needs to be a neighborhood stalwart.

Surprisingly interesting bar in the Richmond area Before walking in, the place looked pretty small from the outside--I didn't expect anything other than a typical neighborhood bar. Turns out, when you walk in, it's a large 2-story establishment, with lots of customers, energetic background music, and bartenders who look like they have been working there for years and knows a lot of the local customers. The service is professional, and there are pool tables and darts on the 2nd floor. The customers are usually large groups of family or coworkers who go there to chat and hang out. Definitely one of the more interesting bars I've seen in SF, with a nice group vibe. Would recommend stopping by.

Came here for drinks on a Friday evening with the boyfriend who lives in the Inner Richmond and frequents this bar fairly often. It was my first time and I loved it! I loved the bar environment, it was very inviting and social while still having a slightly-divey feel to it, which I really enjoy. There were no seats at the bar so we seated ourselves at one of the tall tables, of which there was plenty. We ordered a couple rounds of drinks - me with my usual G&Ts and my boyfriend got whiskey gingers. All our drinks were well-made, fairly strong (which we appreciated!) and reasonably priced. I think maybe $8 per drink which considering we were in SF is a pretty good deal to me. Also the bartender on Friday evening, who I believe is also the owner, is wonderful and very friendly, which makes the experience that much better. We did order some bar bites since we had skipped dinner, which were pretty basic and tasted like food from any other bar, but not bad by any means! I'm sure we'll be coming back here lots - it's my new favorite bar in the Inner Richmond for sure!

Had a good time here playing pool with some friends here last night. Even though my pool playing leaves a lot to be desired, luckily my partner is a bit of a shark. The place is nice, I lucked out on parking (though it seems like it could get tough at times). Jovial Crowd. Newcastle on tap. Mmmmmm. I look for that. I just wish they had a sign on the bathroom that said "Ladies Room" or "Senoritas" or SOMETHING so I didn't have to go trying to open like every other closet door to find it (for some reason the Men's room is marked Men but there's nothing on the women's room). Even if they didn't put "Ladies room" on it.... "Restroom" or "Bathroom" would have been fine. SOMETHIN... throw me a bone here, people.... Lord knows what I'm gonna find if I keep opening all these little side doors in a bar full of drunken college students!

It's the best bar in America, by virtue of subtraction. Let me explain. 1. It's not a performance space. There's no room for it, so unless you're running the music round at Tuesday Trivia (at 9pm), take your guitar elsewhere. 2. It's not a dance hall. Again, there's no room for it. While there's a jukebox, it isn't meant to be your DJ. The disco ball is only utilized once a year. 3. It isn't known to be a great restaurant, though the food is pretty decent. Nothing to write home about, but if you need a bite (until 10pm), their fare will more than suffice. 4. It's not a sports bar. There are three tv sets whose content is skewed towards bay area teams. If you want to catch your favorite out-of-market team this isn't the place to do it. 5. It's not a place to "be seen." Sure, you might run into some attractive patrons, but nobody gets dolled up to go to the Bitter. You'll find people from the neighborhood and a lot of locals, dressed, well, normally. Miniskirts and stripey shirts are rare, though feel free. Think about why you go to a bar in the first place, then cut the crap. What are you left with? A comfortable place to talk, and booze. The Bitter provides both of these well, and nothing else.