The Dubliner

If you want to go to a place where everyone knows your name, this is the place to be. Dabin and Otto always take care of me quickly and efficiently and I have no notes! This is definitely a place to make your local watering hole.

If you had a picture in your mind of a typical neighborhood Irish pub then this is it. Most bars like this only take cash, but even though they still use one of those cool really old push button ding registers they actually have a card processor thingy too. The bartender if friendly and helpful when asking about nearby eateries. Now, about the bar tools who hold up the end of the bar to keep it from falling, well they are the part of what makes a local watering hole fun. The conversations and comical pokes n jabs as new old customers come n go is as much fun as watching your favorite late night show. Drop by have a drink and just listen, at some point maybe you'll have something to add and be able to get in on the fun. Best place in town to experience true Irish sunblock ;-)

Super friendly. If you're meeting someone here, be sure to specify West Portal rather than the other near one on 24th St (happened to me recently)

Long-time fine neighborhood establishment, great array of libations, plenty of screens for our sports, and they don't judge you if you don't order a Guiness!

Love the bartenders. Great local bar. Fun atmosphere.

Like a going to a bar with a cute bartender with an Irish accent?!? Then BOOM! Here ya go! This place was a lot of fun! I came here to watch the basketball finals and had some friends meet up with me later. Yes, I went to a bar by myself and unlike another review here I did not get harassed. The people there were really nice and the bar mascot, a dog (whose name I cannot remember), is super friendly! We played music on the joke box later and had a couple rounds of drinks. It was really fun and not that expensive. There is a pool table upstairs but I never ventured up there to play. Overall, not a bad spot to hang out and I heard they will also have the NFL Sunday Ticket again this year!

Friendly staff good atmosphere. Best Guinness in San Francisco

My daughter took me there a couple of weeks ago. We played a couple games of pool. We had a couple of beers and Steve was the bartender. Great service, and this is my kind of establishment, we will be back.

I was looking for food but they do not serve food . The bartender was really nice he was helpful. The place was nice and the decor was really interesting. Lots of pictures and collections.

I really enjoyed my time at the Dubliner. When I travel, I always look for dark bars that when I enter, heads turn. I picked a great one. As I entered the locals were bellied up and quickly looked as I sat at the bar. It wasn't but seconds after sitting the fabulous bar keep grabbed me a beer and I was well on my way to making new friends. After about two beers, I knew almost every local at the bar, I got to hear stories of the neighborhood (most locals had grown up in the area), and I left feeling like I would miss them all. Super friendly, welcoming, and buzzing bar (good buzzing, not overwhelmed buzzing). Cash is always best as you have to meet the $15.00 minimum to use a card. If you are in the neighborhood and looking for some social interaction, you will find good people and good drinks here.

Great neighborhood bar! Good vibes and drinks. Numerous TV's showing different sports events Pool table upstairs... highly recommend

Awesome Irish bar in West Portal! Always easy get there by train or to park. Festive and decorative for holidays and sporting events. They have a pool table upstairs and the jukebox is always playing music just loud enough so you can still have a conversation at the bar. Drink specials post all the time and Otto behind the bar always makes me feel very welcome. She is fun and friendly and talkative to all that come in. She's even so kind as to offer awesome Irish food treats once in a while. A good place to meet up friends or meet the locals. Love it!

Nice divey bar to pull up and watch sports at! Stevie the bartender was great and attentive, never once was my glass empty! Unfortunately, there is no food service here BUT there's a bomb sando spot a couple of blocks down the road that we ordered from and we were able to eat them in the bar as we enjoyed watching some football. Solid drinks and even better service 5/5, I'll be back!!

Started playing trivia here a year ago. Great way to spend a Monday evening. Starts at 8 and doesn't go to late. Well done questions. Get out of the rut of Monday, Do something fun.

Friendly pub. Environment is comfortable and mellow. There are a few nice watering holes on West Portal so don't miss this one that is a bit further down the strip. Prices are fair and drinks mixed well. This pub is not to big, not to small, but just right. Same with the lighting. Bright enough so see that it's well kept. Me likes. :)

What a great bar! Not just a local spot, a destination bar with great drinks, jukebox in the form of AMI Music, clean bathrooms, low priced drinks and pool. This bar is so much more than it's amenities, the people behind the bar provide kind and friendly banter and plenty of hospitality. Was happily surprised by this truly quaint Irish style bar. What makes it Irish? The non judge mental and roaring good time. A must visit for a drink and a super cool place to hang out and immediately feel like one of the regulars, even though it's your first time. I always say it's about the people and this place doesn't disappoint. They think it's about the people too!!

Easily the best bar in the area. This new bartender just started but you could've told me he's been here for 20 years and I would've believed you. mike made the best espresso martinis I've had in the city to date. You won't regret coming into this establishment

After having dinner nearby, our group of eight stopped by The Dubliner for one more drink. We walked in on Saturday, February 25th around 9:30pm. It wasn't too busy as there were only a few people sitting along the bar. They have a larger table in the back, so the girls headed there to sit down. The boys and I stayed at the bar to order some beers. I got a Stella Artois. They have a good amount of TVs scattered throughout. Luckily, I was able to catch the end of a Warriors game. The feel is a little divey, but still comfy and clean. The bartender was really nice and patient as it took a while for the five of us to figure out what we wanted to drink. Good bar to catch a game while sipping on a few drinks.

Great neighborhood sports bar. Filled with locks that know the game and teams. Staff that never let your beer get low and always friendly. Definitely a must in the area

Fantastic neighborhood bar with a wonderful, diverse crowd. Staff are real, no nonsense pros who keep the atmosphere light, and the night full of laughter. The Monday Night Trivia is a great time, with a great crowd. Definitely worth checking out.

Beer specials? Yes. Liquor specials? Yes. Friendly service? Yes. Authentic San Francisco bar? Triple yes. In addition, if you're a soccer fan, the Dubliner West Portal is the home of the Peña Athletic Club California, the official supporters' group for Athletic Club de Bilbao of LaLiga. The peña meets at least once a month for games. Whenever Basques from the Bilbao/Bizkaia area come to San Francisco, The Dubliner West Portal has become a must-visit!

Jim, Auto, and Connor are my favorites! the best bartenders here and also the nicest. they make my experience here better than most. I definitely recommend to come here when any of these bartenders are working, or just in general. This bar is fun and I enjoy it.

The dubliner is the places to be. It's casual, fun, and just an easy place to be. Now the bartenders they are one of the best parts of the place Otto is a personal favorite but all are great! She's fun and really makes the bar feel fun and safe. She also knows how to make a good drink. You can't go wrong if u the want a good drink and good people.

Not good if you're a guy of color. 4 friends walked in there yesterday early in the afternoon. They got the cold shoulder from the bartender who carded them and gave them the 3rd degree. These are guys in their late 20's with CA real id driver's licenses. They ordered beers and sat down. Then the police showed up and went directly to their table and asked what they were up to, said the bartender called because some folks were hassling him. Police left. They finished the beers and left. Will never return. Oh yeah, they were 3 Latinos and one Black. Everyone in the bar was white. Ok bar for white folks I guess.

Another local bar that's not divy and not odorous, with friendly female bartenders, and without barflies. Mostly locals hang here since it's not convenient to get to unless live in the vicinity. There's a number of plasmas/LCDs all around the bar for whatever one wants to watch, though it is very loud to make out what is said even if the place is half-crowded. There's a couch and a jukebox in the back, with an upstairs loft-like section with a pool table. Beers and drinks are a tad pricy. The place is packed, or mostly full, on Wednesday Trivia nights (http://www.brainstormer.com/venueDisplay.aspx?venueID=262&state=ca). The special is Pilsner Urquell on these nights, though there are rotating specials along with that. Usually, there are a dozen or more trivia teams, so it is more difficult to win or place (and there are regulars=teams that always end up among the top five each week). The host is this dude who is very fun and down to earth. Our team won once, so it's possible...though we haven't placed again since then. I like to think we retired at our peak. Milestone: the 300th "Funny" vote's review...

Amazing craft cocktail called The Ole Razz Matass. A delightful creation by a man named The Moose. Wouldn't give me the recipe but after watching him make it the third time it appears to include Muddled Raspberry, Agave, Fresh Lime, Mezcal, and some strange bottle he kept in his vest that he kept sniffing. DE. LISH. US. Would replace my blood with it if possible. 5 stars.

Really fun bar! Bartenders are great. Patrons are great. Local pub that is fun and friendly. You will definitely have a good time here, meet a few new folks, and have a great time. Really like this place. Check it out if you are in West Portal

The Dubliner is my favorite bar in SF! Great atmosphere, great drinks and the bartenders are amazing!! I highly recommend everyone to go to the Dubliner on Monday nights for trivia! They always have very creative and fun categories for trivia!

This is my favorite bar in West Portal! It truly is similar to the bar Friends. After a few visits you will have a ton of new friends. Otto is the best bartender I have ever encountered and always have a great time when I stop by. They do alot of customer appreciation nights of BBQ from Sunset 29, trivia night, birthday bashes, etc If you are looking for a bar with a younger crowd in West Portal, this is your spot!

Great little bar, with friendly bartenders. Good music. Paid $3 for a beer. Flat screen TVs. Will be back!

Truly the definition of PUB! Lots of regulars and plenty to drink. There is enough seating to come here with a large group and a nice area upstairs for playing pool as well. There are at least 4 or 5 televisions in here to watch all the current games airing. Was here to watch game 6 of the ALCS. There was a fair amount of people here when I came in. Most of the folks sat around the bar. Just an overall good atmosphere. The bartenders are very nice and sociable with the patrons. The lady bartender was a hilarious when I was here. I think she is also one of the owners of this establishment as well, not sure though. Come and check out this place on a Friday or Saturday night. #cheers

UPDATE 5-16-07 the "odd wall display" TV's are gone, and smaller LCD's facing the bar have improved this place's coefficient-of-sports-bar by a two to one margin. ************* "A good businessman does not an interior decorator make." One look inside the latest incarnation of "The Dubliner" bars drives this point home. The wood you face when you're looking at the bar is stained Oreo-cookie dark, while every other panel in the place is a-la-folding-table simulated blonde oak. The result looks more Modesto-California than Dublin-Ireland. Televisions are present, but they're freakishly placed in discussion-unfriendly positions. Two screens sit at the end of the bar, and one-of-two people sitting closest to a TV has to turn their head 180 degrees away from the game to make eye contact with the person behind them. Other TV's are built into an odd wall display above the entrance to the pool table area. They're too small, too high, and too oddly located for anyone to pay attention to. The day crowd usually has a half-dozen middle-aged men watching a game. They're fairly talkative, but interaction between them is stifled by the position of the televisions. Sports fans tend to cramp towards the TV's at the end of the bar, and conversation amongst them can be fairly awkward. The night crowd started off wall-to-wall on opening night, but cooled down immediately thereafter. There was a lull for several months, but last time I popped by it seemed like the Dubliner was becoming a post-event hangout for the mid-40's sportcoat-and-evening-gown crowd. It was around 10 PM, seating was near capacity, and 9-out-of-10 patrons looked just like they'd just gotten back from the Opera. Several *beautiful* women were on hand...and even though most of them wore sizable commitment-rocks on their off-limits fingers, the better part of them were mature enough for a man in his 40's to admire. And come nightfall when the lights get dimmed, the blonde oak paneling doesn't look half as bad. T.K.'s (the previous tenant) was a gritty place that had it's problems...but it had a soul, and one that perished completely during the process of a tragic remodel. The new bar is clean and sterile, but utterly devoid of character and decorative virtue. Sports and decor aside, it's not a bad bar. The night clientele is mature and upscale, surrounding restaurants are plentiful, and the K,L, and M MUNI lines stop within a short walk of the front door. Still, I've come here in search of the West Portal vibe on occasion, but always wound up feeling like a round peg in a odd-shaped hole. I'll pop by periodically to see if it evolves....but for the mean time it's got pretty stiff competition from Portal's Tavern across the street.

This place is a decent bar. There is a pool table and a couple more tables upstairs. The bartender was really nice and friendly. The decor is pretty cool. They have lots of neat artwork and a lot of tvs to watch sports. There are usually a good amount of people here and it has a fun vibe

I used to love this neighborhood bar. Then the owner sold it and most nights it's full of hipsters. Most of the regular bartenders left or were let go, replaced by frat boys. It's too bad because it was a fun place to put some music on the jukebox, have a few drinks & laughs. I doubt I'll be returning ever again.

The Dubliner is a neighborhood gem filled with friendly staff and patrons. I've been coming to Dubliner for years and FYI as of recently it's under new ownership and they're making the right moves forward (new beer lines, expanding drink selection, repairs, etc). FOOD/DRINK: They don't serve food, but you may find a few bags of chips. I've never seen an issue with outside food and I believe it's actually encouraged for you to deliver there. As for drinks, I keep it simple with Gin & Tonics, Tom Collins, or just Hennessey Privilege. Privilege was actually off the menu, but the owner was nice enough to add it to their selection 1 day later. AMBIANCE: The bar is shaped like a rectangle, with 1/3 of the space as the bar counter, and 2/3's for tables and a walkway. TV's are practically visible from any seat via the bar or tables alongside the wall. Picture frames take up the majority of the wall space, it's clean, cozy, and welcoming. They have an upstairs as well with 3-4 small tables and a pool table. Does it remind me of an Irish Pub? Not too sure, this is the only one I've been too. SERVICE: A clear winner here. The bartenders are amazing, Otto, hands-down is one of the chillest people out there. Someone you can talk too and give it to you straight - no censorship. The owners here are very transparent and hands-on too, I've seen them each time I was there. CREDIT CARD: Yes. PARKING: It's street parking on WP, but on the blocks that isn't too busy with restaurants (between 14th and 15th ave). If you're coming at night, you won't have a problem - don't drink and drive. ;] OVERALL: When people generally ask me, "Which Bar should we go to?" Well, Dub's is my answer.

I go here about once or twice a month with my soccer buddies. The best reason to go is named Kristine and she tends the bar while dispensing carrot sticks and other roughage to the sozzled regulars. Otherwise it has nothing to recommend it. Oh, and they took down the TK's sign so now I have trouble finding it from the street. July update: Kristine's gone, prices still high. Time to find a new hole. They lose one star.

Favorite watering hole in the neighborhood. Congenial bartenders who make sure your glass isn't empty for too long. The new owners got new keg lines and the beer is fresh as ever. Plus, for a local Irish pub, they can make a pretty good Manhattan!

The Dubliner. Definitely left a great impression on my first visit. I came here on a Tuesday night and despite it being slow, the bartender(she was from Nottingham) provided excellent service. I am glad I stopped by for two drinks, I will definitely be back all thanks to the bartender from Nottingham! Cheers.

Great bar! They make the best bloody marrys and are dog friendly! They have a pool table and the games are on. Don't miss this spot!

Great neighborhood bar. Otto is the best!

This place has charm and class. I rented the room upstairs for an event and the staff was friendly, helpful, and made the party a great success. I recommend calling ahead if you want to reserve the room upstairs and letting the owner know how you want the furniture arranged. I had about 15 people up there with a table of food and there was room to sit down and enjoy a drink away from the noise and crowd downstairs. The staff went the extra mile for us, they put my cupcakes in the fridge, put my serving dishes through the dishwasher, cleared glasses and paper plates during the event, and even swept up after us. Be sure to tip generously, these people work hard and deserve all the love.

Great spot, clean, fun and very affordable. Great staff, and pretty awesome beer selection. Make new friends and hangout at the bar with a dog!

The Dubliner and the Philosopher are my two favorite bars in the West Portal area. Of the two, the Dubliner is my fave because of the friendly and super cool female bartenders at night that always remember me and take extra good care of me even on rare occasions when I haven't been in for a while. In the daytime, there's an old guy working the bar that is okay, but it's just not the same. Good STRONG reasonably priced drinks. Nice crowd, a little of everything. Great little pool table upstairs too, although it can get a little hot up there in the summertime. With a little luck, you might even get rockstar parking right out front. What more can I say...it works for me.

I like beer. I like pool. Pool table is free. Wait, what? Yes... free. At least it was last night. And I had one really good run. But overall I was doing much better at knocking all my opponents balls in the holes. Technically he won 2 games and I won 1, BUT I did knock more balls in the holes, so I am telling myself I won. Seems completely fair to me. Plus my mom taught me that girls get to make the rules at stuff like this. This place is definitely a neighborhoody bar with beer and locals who talk to you and beat you at doubles in pool. Once again, I can't believe I live like 5 blocks away and I never come here. I am so going out in West Portal more often. Stumbling home is way more fun than cabbing home. And I got like an extra thousand steps for my pedometer contest.

Situated towards the end of the 'portal stroll'. My date and I stopped in here after our Grindhouse double feature. The two cute flirty girl-bartenders gave an excellent pour, and indulged patrons with witty conversation. We had a gush-fest about the recent Pedro Aldomovar film Volver. My drink* (mount gay,ginger ale,lots of lime,dash of bitters) was excellently executed each time. I shall visit again. . . . *ccLisa G.

Cute neighborhood bar that gets pretty packed during happy hour and on the weekends. A few tables along the wall and there's an upstairs lounge area. I saw a pool tables upstairs and quickly ran up. "Where do the quarters go? *looks around the table* Wait it's free!? SCORE!" Now to brush up on my skills or lack thereof. A handful of tvs behind the bar to watch the game. Fully stocked bar and drinks specials everyday. Clientele include very cool neighborhood peeps and suits from the financial businesses down the block. Walls are plastered with sport posters of Bay Area sports teams (of course).

I live nearby this bar, so it's a handy little place to get a drink. I only frequent bars with clean bathrooms and I have to say, this place does a pretty good job keeping their bathrooms clean. They have a pool room upstairs that is usually unoccupied, and good if you have a group of people with you. The bartenders are nice and if you spend lots of money, they aren't against giving you one or two drinks on the house. That's always a plus! It would be nicer if there were a few more attractive people there and fewer freaky middle-aged guys trying to grope my hair!

I would say that this is the nicest bar in West Portal. I visited this bar on a Saturday afternoon with a friend of mine. The bar prtion was all dudes watching sports and talking smack to eachother. We headed upstairs to play pool. (1.00 per game) Its a pub folks, not a wine bar. Although they do serve wine, I don't reccomend it. Stick to beer and mixed drinks. There are 4 bathrooms here, a mens, two unisex and in the very back the cleanest ladies room I have encountered in ANY bar ever.

When I first walked into this place it was empty ... Let me clarify, When I first walked into this place I was smiling, then I noticed it was empty and I continued smiling because I was gonna start drinking ... and it was only 2pm on a Monday afternoon. The good ... They have all the traditional bar drinks, no food, a pinball machine, and one of those new internet jukeboxes that can play anything if you pay. The bad ... The new "fake-wood" paneling and shiny decor makes this place "not so irish" feeling. The bartender, with an irish-accent, responded with "Yeah it's been revamped" after I questioned her why the place felt so new. I expected a few more dents in the walls and more teethmarks in the bar wood. And the ugly ... In a grid like fashion they had repetitive sports "greatest moments" pictures hung on the wall illuminated by the standard pool table style green lamps.

Decent sized bar with three bathrooms - always a plus in my book when there are ample toilets around! The layout of the bar is pretty awesome with a pool table overlooking the bar and a long bar that extends to the back. I love coming here to hang out with friends; unfortunately, i'm usually the only Asian in the bar which doesn't bother me TOO much considering I am a "banana." Yellow on the outside and white on the inside, but it is a little disconcerting to know that you're the only non-white person there. Also, other than the normal college age white boy group, my group is usually the only group under thirty-five. Not to say this is always a bad thing, but a lot of the patrons at this bar sit by themselves or are "regulars." All in all, this place is a great place to kick back and chill with friends, but don't expect to meet your future soul mate here.

Stop #1 on the West Portal Pub Tour... As expected, I spent most of the time here in waiting-for-peeps mode, until Arturo showed up. Luckily I had the 49ers-Raiders exhibition game to keep me company, but I almost made the mistake of cheering at a 49ers touchdown...turns out the Irish dudes in here were Raiders fans. And you don't antagonize Raiders fans. Nevertheless, this is not a Shannon Arms-style, Irish-pool-table-brawl dive. With the wood-paneling, the art-deco GGNRA posters, and the little LCDs, it's actually rather polished (albeit in a soulless type of way), not unlike the Dubliner in Noe Valley. It's also a bit overpriced for being so out of the way (and largely deserted). $5.50 for a Guinness? That's kind of stretching it. Still, the balcony with a pool table was pretty nifty...this could definitely be a good venue for pub quiz.

Clean... check Clean restroom with a lock?... check Mildly curt (some are Irish) bartenders... check Free food on occasion... check $3 happy hour... check Free pool... check Enough TV screens to make most people happy... check Great selection of alcohol... check Chance i'm going to get pulled over whenever i leave... check Will i be back... check

Why doesn't anyone come here on Sundays for football? DirecTV complete game package, and free hot dogs/sandwiches/chips! You are all idiots. I mean, don't come, no, uhh, this place sucks. Maybe I'll keep my precious sports bar a secret... West Portal is seriously under-rated.

After writing my Yelp review, the owner of the bar sent me a message apologizing and letting me know that the jerk guy I mentioned was kicked out for good. I'll probably be back and I'll let you all know how it goes!

I've come to this place a few times and this last visit takes the pie for the worst bar I have ever been to. First off I would like to say that DISCRIMINATION is a form of racism. I came in with a friend to watch the NCAA finals to knock back a few drinks and enjoy the game on Monday 4/4/2011 at approx 6:30 p.m.. Man we made a wrong decision even stepping foot in this place. The bar wasn't packed or anything. About 12 people to be exact and there was an old man possibly the owner who was the bartender that evening, he had a real bad attitude and screwed up our order. Then he tried over charging us on our first and only round when the sign on the wall clearly says $4.00 for a beer "ALL DAY, EVERYDAY". I could tell that he didn't like me from the start but we sat and had our drink and watched the 1st half of the game. After wards I walked up to the bar to buy another round of drinks for us. The bar tender kept walking back and forth ignoring me for about 15 mins as I was politely standing there with a $20 bill in hand. Was I not getting something here? I'm a paying customer, I brought a ton of money to spend so we can watch the game, and I'm not getting acknowledged as a customer. Then on the other end of the bar with a simple nod of the head, a customer gets helped out and is served his drinks promptly. Then someone else is served right away right next to me. I waited for the bar tender to come back but every time he walked my way he wouldn't even bother to look at me or make eye contact. It's not like this place was packed at that moment. That's when I realized that he wasn't serving me because he was profiling me against my ethnic background. I looked around and there wasn't another ethnic colored person there. At first I thought, "he'll come around and serve me" but as I stood there waiting and waiting the bar tender never even bothered to acknowledge my presence. I felt so DISCRIMINATED against by the worker/owner (possibly) that I vowed to never come here again. That man whoever he was, was such an @ss and refused to serve a paying customer. I have told all my friends and my contacts about this experience that I have taken it upon myself to write this review to let everyone know what happened on 4/4/2011 at the Dubliner. I ended up going to a diff sports bar that night and was able to catch the last 2 mins of the NCAA Finals game. No thanks to the Discriminating Dubliner.

This is a great place to go to after a long day and just relax with some friends. Whenever I come here, I ALWAYS see someone I knew in high school so that makes for some interesting times. The upstairs area has a pool table and is small, but its a nice alternative to the downstairs area which can get pretty crowded. I don't come here all too often because there's not much else going on in West Portal, besides Portals across the street, but this is a great local bar to go to for happy hour.

1) They have Blue Moon, my absolute favorite AND they serve it with an orange as it should be served, not with a lemon like many of the bars in the city do 2) Trivia night on Wed is oh so fun. I suck and always lose but still somehow manage to talk my trivia skills up to everyone else in the bar and love that they have a good attitude about it