The Showdown

To gaze at this structure when dawn is breaking , I found myself loosely associating it with Edward Hoppers painting of a New York block early morning; in the clam quietness of early morning , the establishment look like a stately mansion, its rich brown exterior framed by yellow facade of nearby business. It’s a lovely sight even at nighttime when it’s mostly empty but not forlorn ; it’s small blinking lights make the place into lighthouse of sorts.

Excellent little hole in the wall. The beer & shot combos are such a great deal. Good pricing and fun options. Exactly the vibe we were looking for. A tiny bit louder than necessary with both the music and college football at full volume, but not the end of the world on that if you just sit next to the open garage door seating. Service was friendly and quick!

We discovered this gem a while back and visit every time we’re back in town! It’s a local stop but also attracts tourists- everyone welcome. Great beer selection. Jake gave us an excellent dinner suggestion and now that’s a favorite stop too! He also saved me last week from a boot/heel crisis sending me across the street to Al’s where I was fixed up and back on the road to dinner! (Firenze by night) the Show Down is a must!

I’m a local and if you want a fun, friendly and tasty bar vibe in North Beach this is your spot. Can’t say enough about the great staff too.

These might be the best nachos I've ever had. Apologies for the pic but I annihilated the other half already

Favorite place in North Beach for a decent beer. There is plenty of space and always a good vibe. They take care of their taps.

Fun place to watch a football game, enjoy some flavorful snacks and people watch. The food was surprisingly good and tasted like it was made from scratch in-house.

Two of us went here for some non-alcoholic mocktails and unfortunately there were none. However, the bartender very kindly offered to make some instead, which is very nice. The price for two small non-alcoholic mocktails were like $8 each, which we found a bit expensive. The atmosphere is quite electric 👍 Thank you.

Great food, great staff, great drinks, awesome Prices! TVs are solid, always showing the right games! Bartenders are always accommodating to get the games you want, if they can!( (.networks these days). Pool table is on point! Food is always on point! In my opinion, niot going to get better grub in the hood if your looking for games And a party' 5*****! Check it! You won't be disappointed Looking for some fun, snacks,. Burger, best in the hood! Amongst other things and all around good times ! Good people watching too with giant windows! Always a good time!!!

Bartender so drunk she couldn't take my order without 3 tries. Later asked me back to back if I wanted to order last call food before it closed. If you don't have other options this is certainly a place that technically ticks the boxes of being a restaurant or bar.

The service and the drinks here are super. My old fashioned was a true old fashion' I'm tired of these fake old fashion cocktails with crushed ice (lol). Make sure you hit up Joe for the best experience. If you fancy, there is also a pool table that is pretty busy. I haven't had the food here but their hangry special for 15$ can't be beat !

Came here for a spot to play a board game and it was absolutely amazing. Such chill vibe. Patrons AND bartender were adding. Enjoyed my time here. Also by far one of the best/freshest Shirley temples I've ever had. They used their cherry juice to make it, as opposed to bottled grenadine. Such a chill spot, especially for a random Sunday (close at 2am). Will definitely be back.

A block off the main strip but I really liked it here with a fun bar menu. The gentleman helping me was very nice... -- I initially wanted the espresso martini on the menu with tequila. However, it seemed that it was already premade. A lot of places that I've been to just leave it at that but the bartender took it upon himself to make it with a little twist. So that was pretty cool. It started to get crowded after a while but he was attentive and kept checking up. The drinks were really delicious. Usually, I try a special cocktail and then resort to tequila sodas after. But I had a few of these bad boys, perfectly crafted. I didn't try any of the food but they had a selection of salads, corn dogs, etc. I'm not in the city too often but I'd definitely come back here again if in the area.

Good vibes from customers and staff!!! Really clean place with great food options if u come on time 12am at bar Mexican restaurant next door recommended, open til 2am and they have 2 pool tables

Jess and Juan were amazing! They are very attentive to all of their customers. Jess is hilarious and super hot! Juan's playlist is good vibes, so come on by Fridays and Saturdays if you wanna have a good time!

Looking for a cool spot in lil Italy. This bar is dope. Many of the surrounding bars are cash only and if not cash only, it's a 20 minimum if you want to use your credit card. So this spot is winning based on the fact that they don't hit you with all that. The smah burger and garlic fries are a big deal. The bartender Zack, is not only cool and on point, but his music selections had me stuck (80's /90s Hip-Hop). Differently the best bar in lil Italy to me, for those reason..

Last night was such an amazing experience. There was a great crew behind the bar. No wait time even though the bar was busy. I will definitely be back to visit!!

Fun bar for cocktails and pool. It was pretty busy when we arrived which was a good vibe. They also have food that we tried. Highly recommended the popper and fried chicken sandwich. Also outdoor seating which is nice for the nice warm day which happened to be the case. Service was kind of slow as there was only two bar staff working, taking orders and making drinks. If ordering food, a pager is given to you. When food is ready, you have to come back ti the bar to pick up.

I'm late to the party on this place but it has recently become one of my go to spots in north beach. When Maggie McGarry's and Tupelo get too packed, I'll head to The Showdown for place that's more relaxed but still has great energy. The bar tenders are nice, good variety of drinks and they serve food as well. They also have a pool table, which is a fun amenity.

Super cute place. The bartenders all complimented me which was super sweet. And the lemon pepper strips are what made me write the review. That f**king slapped. Also Valentyna was super cool.

It was 90 degrees in San Francisco today--too hot for my local dive. I came to the Showdown bar in Northbeach and discovered this is the COOLEST bar in town! No, not because they have air conditioning, instead, the bartenders made it cool as $@&!! Sorry, didn't get their names but one was terrific with a great haircut and the other was a junior Olympic golfer. I may have some splaining to do if I don't return to my old spot. Well done, Showdown, I'm a fan!!

Can't give it the full five stars as I didn't eat on this visit, but I'll update soon. Drinks were great (thanks James), and the overall vibe of the place was spot on. Everyone seemed to be having a great time, but no one was too rowdy, which was a welcomed change compared to some of the other bars in North Beach.

Bartender took care of me and the food was on time and on point! The chicken sando was

The Showdown is the hippest, coolest, most authentic bar and grill in San Francisco. It has great staff and great customers, with the latter ranging from young adults to seniors. The food is excellent bar food. Pool tables are a major feature. While other San Francisco (non-bipoc) establishments sink deeper into the City's Slough of Despond, The Showdown rises in a place that is truly old San Francisco, like a spectre of indigenous merriment, California Latinx hospitality, and "Frisco mystery." All are free to come and go in peace, but the ratio of real people to the kind of fakes that pollute North Beach today is impressive. Come with joy. Don't leave until you have to.

Great spot for drinks, snacks, and/or pool! Right now they have some very tasty seasonal holiday drinks available (I liked the son of a nutcracker one with creme de violet!). Service was fast and the ambiance is laidback, but festive. Never a bad choice to come here!

Absolutely horrible experience. Rude staff, overpriced menu items. Would not recommend coming here

Good selection of slightly overpriced beer. Then they added 1.39 to the price for tax and fees.mostvplaces include it in the posted price.

Zach is the HOMIE. He made the best drinks hands down. Such a fun atmosphere and great food. Will definitely be back! Thank you Zach! You're the best bartender ever.

Was hankering a burger, but not the fast food kind, so finally gave this place a try. Since it was lunch and I was working from home (alone), I skipped any drinks to go. I'm pleased to report that there were some really tasty food items, even without the help of alcohol! Pantera Double SmashBurger: This was really solid for a pub burger! Sometimes the focus is too heavy on cocktails and beer, that the food is an afterthought. But not here. This had a lot of the good qualities of an In-N-Out burger, but less of a fast food feel because of thicker patties. I really liked the sauteed chopped onions, they were teeming with flavor that carried through the whole burger. The cheese was really good, seemed to be the right sharpness to add some flavor without being too sharp as to dominate. And the bun seemed to have butter or something making it even richer with a nice crispness. Chicken Sando: Sadly, this wasn't quite the same caliber as the burger. The breast meat was a tad dry. The breading wasn't that thick or that crunchy. And there was nothing really remarkable about the toppings, kinda bland. Morale of the story, stick with the burger! Delicata Rings: Normally I'm not a big veggie guy, especially when grabbing pub food, but these were very memorable. The shape of delicata squash is actually a brilliant choice for a riff on onion rings since it's essentially a ring when cut cross-sectionally. When battered and deep fried, it reminded me a bit of kabocha tempura, which is another favorite of mine. Loved how the squash was pasty and soft while the batter was thick and crispy. Only thing worth noting is that they're a lot more filling that onion rings, so you're gonna feel stuffed if you have this with your burger.

beautiful light fixture. want more parrots. lager was good. loved ghost hunters on the tv.

The squash rings are life! The boochcraft 7% and tastes just like a lightly sweet kambucha. Idk where the alcohol is, but it's there. Zach was really sweet, made great suggestions for drinks and local places. Thanks for a good time, good music, good food, good drinks, and all that jazz.. sincerely a derpy tourist who got lucky with this place!

Can never get enough of their burger. So so good! Love that they're open late and ambiance is great inside.

Great bar. Very cool vibe. Awesome wooden interior. Pool table. Great outdoor seating. Good beer selection. Just didn't love beer in a plastic cup, although that might be an outdoor seating rule. Check this place out.

It's a fine bar for a quick drink but it has its hits and misses. No happy hour per se but all-day drink specials like greyhounds and shot + beer are a nice touch. They also have a kitchen and I really enjoyed the burger here. Well-seasoned and the patty had the crunchy charred bits you've expect from a smashburger. Choice of salad or smashed potatoes as a side. Now the fried chicken sandwich on the other hand was a weird miss.The fried chicken was fine but the slaw was oddly sour which threw the whole thing off. The vibe's trying to be a little fauxthentic blue-collar if you will and it can get loud. Turning the chapter from King of Thai to The Showdown. It's fine but probably not going to be a regular neighborhood hangout.

Walking down the street this bar caught our eye by the vibe it had going on. The bartender is super nice and attentive, ordered the castaway with out knowing it was new to the menu and was blown away but the taste of it ( a must try!) being out of town from Miami it takes a lot to impress us and this place and that drink did it!

Pleasantly surprised! Came here on a friday afternoon for happy hour with some friends after a long day of packing up for a move. I grabbed a texas mule ($10), so good and well made - and then for food I grabbed the Hot Chicken Sando. The sando was great and had lots of flavors, it did not look like a conventional chicken sandwich but was still delicious! Overall, dope spot to chill and reasonably priced drinks and food!

I really like how the patio is constructed. As for the food, I was simple and got 3 carnitas street taco and an order of Garlic fries and they are delicious! Reasonably priced and a decent amount of space to sot and hang out to watch the sports games. Highly recommend!

The music was too loud when I was in, but the service was friendly. Friendly locals as well. One pool table. Nice old building.

Typical bar, nice art. Did not have most of the cocktails available. Served in plastic cups, food was okay nothing special. Good music, and beautiful art. Much younger crowd, good for art.

Definitely my vibes. Fairly laid-back, good selection of beer/liquor, impressive food menu, pool table, and super affordable--one of their specials is a shot of fernet + a mini bottle of Miller High Life for $6. Sold. Now I'm on a quest for finding those adorable tiny bottles of High Life, so get at me if you know where to find them. Check them out--I think they're still fairly new. Plus they're from the same peeps behind Tempest (a popular spot amongst co-workers) so you know it's good. Cheers!

Great pub , cold beer with a big selection . Service is great and there setup for COVID 19 minimal contact is quick, efficient with GREAT. Everything on the menu is set up for a upper end gun pub, but it's prepared with love. For mr it's fried but I'm not stuck eating a Oiled plate. Good selection of cold beers and great food at one of the top people watching corners in San Francisco.

This is MY kind of bar. Craft cocktails; great drink specials; pool table; yummy pub grub; lively music. All of this brought to you by the good folks behind Tempest (another cool spot). This is a bar (dare I say it) for adults, not Millennials. I think The Showdown could give 15 Romolo a run for its money. Oh, and they have a $6 Fernet and Miller High Life special! Can't beat that. Welcome to North Beach, guys! We're lucky to have you in the hood!

This is currently my favorite spot to get and check out food in North Beach. With the loss of so many epicurean institutions to the neighborhood lately it's nice to see The Showdown active and keep the food culture of North Beach as alive as much as the Phoenix emblazoned on the flag of San Francisco itself. I am happy to see this latest addition to the neighborhood. I have slowly yet surely worked my way through the food and bar menu with an adventure amongst my taste buds to get excited for at every visit. I was and am currently very partial to the Tempest potato skins beautiful topped with Quail Eggs. I have also slowly been implementing my own variations and creating a secret menu within theirs, shh! The Bar menu serves most to every pallet and something to welcome you to the neighborhood whether it's a $6 Miller High life and fernet Special or a fancy shot of imported Japanese Whiskey. Every one behind the bar has years of experience or comes from a background that makes it a more than comfortable place that is keeping the North Beach magic alive.

Came here for the beer and was not disappointed with a unique selection of new and interesting drafts. The bartenders were friendly and knowledgeable. I didn't try the food, but the menu looked pretty good. Maybe next time I'm in town I will try the burger which is highly rated.

This is a food review... the poppers were great but burger very over cooked, almost inedible. Looks like a cool spot otherwise.

Came here yesterday for the first time and liked the menu plenty. Their samosas were a super good value and helped tide me over before dinner. Shot-and-a-beer combos were good too! Their music was pretty raunchy and I think it didn't quite match but it was fine. And their outdoor seating was off-kilter which made it easy for a bit of spilled beer to slide down the whole length of the table. But I wasn't expecting this place to be fine dining or anything, so these comments are more about setting expectations for other bar goers.

Super dope location. I've worked in restaurants for 11 years, so I'm pretty well versed in a good spot to watch a game and relax. This is it.

We live up the hill from Showdown and they have a great burger! We have gone there a number of times and had a great experience. We ordered food tonight to go and it seems that it may have gotten put off to the side before we got it so the food was a little cold once we got it home. However, we called and let them know and they put on a MASTERCLASS of customer service. They were willing to do far more than we needed to make it right. There food is already really tasty and their desire to provide a great experience has made us a life long fan. Get the burger and keep supporting this great local business.

Wow!!! This place is awesome. Fantastic service! . I ordered the food and I was so so so shocked at how good it was. Everything homemade and not frozen. The Mac!!! The corn dogs!!! The jalapeño poppers...so fresh and good. Omg highly recommend!!! And they have Mario!! Yes!

Visiting from out of town. Was looking for a drink and some food. Came across The Showdown and was pleasantly surprised. The bartenders were great and very friendly, which is what you expect when sitting at a bar. Had the Tito's Moscow Mule and Cheeseburger. Both outstanding! Highly recommend this place. Would definitely return. Thanks!

We popped in here on New Year's Eve to catch up with some besties who live in the city and had a great experience! The bar itself is very large for San Francisco! There are quite a few seats around the bar and then they have plenty of tables for friend gatherings, a pool table, and a section where you can order food! I had a dirty martini and it was delicious. My husband got the beer + shot special for $9. He was a happy boy! All in all, a great place to meet up with friends! Good vibes all around. We'd definitely come back.

Liked the place for a short time, went in tonight and was clearly purposefully ignored by both bartenders. Stood around for over 10 minutes while they served everyone around me. I tip well and its the only bar i stop into since its close to home, guess that was short lived. Very petty behavior imo for an establishment that otherwise has great crowds, great food and great drink specials.

Wish they had a happy hour special. Good and affordable bar food too!! Loved the chicken fries and garlic fries.

Came to The Showdown on their opening last Thursday and was pretty impressed! As a huge fan of when this place was utilized as King of Thai, it's great to see such a beautiful building being put to use again as a bar/restaurant with great prices. I really like the Pour Guys' other establishments and can't wait to see how it goes with this place. First and foremost, the bar staff was super friendly, especially Zak, who is a known neighborhood bartender who is always in a great mood and tentative. Also, the food was super bomb, and unique. Where else can you go to a bar and get a plate full of strawberries with cream or a giant burger or even plates named after the original tenant, the famous "La Pantera Cafe". The food was good sized proportions and tasty. In regards to the drinks: the menu wasn't fully developed yet, as I'm assuming from the other Pour Guys locations, I think they'll end up bringing in the cheap shot + beer deals, which they are known for. However, at the time, I ended up having the "Solid Gold" Beer, which for $4 was super good. Looking forward to trying some of their other drinks! Welcome to North Beach!

Do you enjoy delicious, affordable, and nonpretentious cocktails? How about paired with elevated/authentic bar food in a friendly and energetic environment? Get your ass to The Showdown ASAP! The Pour Guys have struck again expanding their family into North Beach. Their brand speaks for itself if you've ever ventured to any of their sister/brother bars (Tempest, Louie's, Connecticut Yankee) and they nailed it once again with their newest addition. Their GM, Jacob, kills it when it comes to hospitality and mixing incredible cocktails. Whether you're a seasoned regular or just happened to pop in, you leave feeling like you made a new friend in bar form. The cocktail menu is small but mighty with a supporting cast of carefully curated draft beers featuring some local gems. Whether you're hungry or not, it's hard to resist their food menu. THE BURGER DOE, JUST TRY IT. TRUST ME. And if meat isn't your jam, they have plenty of refreshing fruit and veggie options that will equally blow your mind in the land of pizza and pasta that is North Beach. The space itself stays true to the Pour Guys motif but The Showdown found a way to create its own distinct and stylish brand. The beautiful wooden bartop makes you feel like you're at a fancy mixology place but without the bullshit or inflated prices. Similar to the Tempest's setup, they have a separate food window (but inside)for busy nights so you don't have to flag down a bartender if you just want some food. Pro-tip: if you're trying to decide between a couple of items, get them both. You won't be disappointed.

Excited the Pour Guys opened another spot and in North Beach. This use to be King if Thai back in the day (10 years ago). Great beer selection, craft cocktails, the food is amazing....I'm biased to the corn dogs but love the variety of too good to be true bar eats, full dinner menu, and the vegetarian and even vegan options. Say hello to Jake (bar manager) if you stop by, he's the ginger with beard behind the bar that can make you a delicious drink with a smile.

This is now the primer spot in North Beach! Amazing cocktails, fantastic beers and incredible food! Service is on point! These guys did it right and I can't wait to come back!