Doc’s Lab

A very nice, quaint, little place for intimate entertainment. The spiced nuts will sneak up on you with a low and slow burn. Yum!

I went to a comedy show here tonight, and it was excellent. Food and drinks were great too. Loved the place until the show was over, and the comedian was seated off to the side so people could say hello. Had a great time talking with him until the sound guy walked over to tell us to «shut up». Yes, he said those exact words. There was a band setting up, but Since when do you need complete silence to perform a sound check? There were only a few of us and we were not being loud. I cannot recall another time where a stranger has told me to «shut up», much less an employee of an establishment where my friends and I just spent a lot of money. It was definitely one of those «is this really happening?» moments. I don’t think it’s indicative of how all the staff is, since the doorman and bartender were super nice. If you’re a sound technician, I suggest you get in touch with docs because there is no way this guy will last long.

saw todd glass in this cozy little club. great lighting and atmosphere along with being clean. bar in the back along with table service. wait staff was attentnive and friendly. didn’t get a chance to try the food but the drinks were good and moderately priced. the guys at the door were real nice and even offered to let us in early due the mid december cold. would love to come back for another show.

Terrific little bar. Good drinks and service and food. Also the entertainment is usually very good. All the KC Turner shows are stellar. Nice size room with no bad seats in the place. Acoustics for music is very good as well. Lots of history and character to the place.

We go for the music but, because it’s so early, also eat.
We love the Electric Squeezebox Orchestra, like the expensive food even though it’s too much for too little, and tolerate the tiny venue.

This is my second time at this venue and if I lived in the city I’d be here every weekend! It’s small, books amazing singer-​songwriters, has great drinks and tasty food. It’s small tho, so the first time I came at «doors open» time and didn’t get a seat. This time I was early but it’s crowded by 30 minutes before the show. My tip: Come early and have a drink upstairs and then get in line 5 – 10 minutes early.

WOW, really awesome spot. The shows are incredible, food & drinks amazing, staff really nice, atmosphere chill and not cramped.
Ive been to a lot of spots downtown and THEY ALWAYS pack people in to where you spend the whole time wishing the show was over so you didnt have to smell the person’s facial hair next to you. This place was so open and relaxed.
Had such a great time that I ended up staying for the next show! Did not want to leave.
Very happy I found Docs Lab.

Amazing comedy, great atmosphere, FREE open mic nights, good drinks and people laughing. What more could you ask for?

Prototypical old-​school San Francisco. I met the King of North Beach at his apartment off of Kearny St. steps. He has lived in North Beach for about 15 years. NB is home to him and very familiar to me as that is where I hang out if I want to hang with him. I was excited by the suggestion of Dinner and a show at Doc’s Lab, since I had not been there before.
What fun it was. Its a downstairs club. In fact, it goes under the sidewalk and street, which gives it this cool industrial vibe. I did not have the highest gastronomical hopes, but was pleasantly surprised. They have a small list of cocktails on special for $ 6. I love that. The manager came over and introduced himself. A really friendly guy. Our waitress had it going on and in no time we had some drinks in front of us. The food arrived just as the show was starting. We ordered about 7 items to share and nothing disappointed. I loved fig and beet salad and little gem salad. Then came tacos and those spicy peppers that everyone loves. Oh, the Crudo… especially tasty.
So here comes the food as the MC was taking the stage. The show was put on by Bunny Pistol, who is a long time SF performer. She hosts a show that is a hoot and a holler, literally. She wants the audience to participate by hooting and hollering. This show mixed with the great food, drinks, atmosphere and longtime friends made the night and instant classic.

Came here as part of a walking/​eating tour. Had a Gold Rush to drink and ate charcuterie and it was quite delicious. Can’t wait to come back to try their full menu!

WHAT A GREAT PLACE! A friend invited us to join him here to enjoy the Electric Squeezebox Orchestra and the whole thing was outstanding; food, music, service, all were absolutely top notch. The BIG band (4 horns, 4 trombones, 5 saxes, bass, guitar, drums, and piano) are dedicated to playing music by or arranged by local musicians and clearly this is a great source; many of the pieces are written or arranged by band members and they have tremendous pleasure playing this music together. I can hardly remember a more energizing and compelling musical evening.
One of the best things is the way in which the whole adventure was being improvised in much the same way as the pieces themselves, with the band leader and other members chatting, signaling, and jostling with each other in a free and open way such that it was, as my partner noted, a bit like listening in to the cockpit conversation of the pilots of a light you are one, letting you in on the REAL fun…
BUT THAT WASN’T ALL! The food was also very good! I have tried pretty much all the supposedly great burgers in the City over the years and these people serve absolutely one of the very best — perfectly house-​ground, served on an excellent bun, with «burger sauce» (good, whatever it was) and truly perfect fries. Who would have guessed! We also had a tasty (and large) romaine salad with hazel nuts, and the curious but interesting «Crudo, CA Yellowtail, Avocado, Blood Orange, Coriander» plate, and all of it served by an attentive, genuinely friendly, and professional waitress.
I will definitely be going back here and strongly recommend that anyone who loves good food and good music consider a visit soon…

I can’t say enough good things about Doc’s Lab! This place has been supporting local live musicians since it opened its doors. And SF needs MORE places like this one! There are too many big businesses catering to out of town performers.
Thank you Doc’s!

The venue has great ambiance, but I might as well have burned my money instead of buying their food and drinks. This bar is not cool enough for the price and it shocking that I hung out here as long as i did. For drinks, they measure the shots exactly regardless if you order from the well. It’s a bit insulting considering an order of fries costs $ 6 and amounts to less than a whole potato. Also what is with that sour cream aioli? Absolutely disgusting…
Please step your game up, Doc’s Lab.

Anyone who has ever been to the Village Vanguard in NYC will instantly feel at home in this room on a Jazz night. It’s a near direct lift of the VV, with a nicer bar. The house band on Sunday nights is a 17-​piece (more or less) onslaught of horns, keys and drums that hit as hard and tasty as the nicely mixed cocktails. And the kitchen is open, in case you work up an appetite.
The room is a basement space near the foot of Columbus, where North Beach fades into the FiDi. When the band is on, just follow your ears through the open door. The sets start early on Sunday evening, but they’re free and run well into the night. Get there while the sun is still up, or risk not having a seat, as this cozy room gets a little packed. Not to worry, though, the low-​lit basement space makes day drinking of brown liquors seem perfectly respectable and the Jazz is legit.
Kerouac would have welcomed this place to the neighborhood.

CUTE SPACE
Considering we were only in the front lounge area for a quick cocktail hour and appetizer eats for a friend’s wedding celebration, the space was very cute. Tiny but cute! We were catered to some alcoholic beverages and little appetizers. Presentation was nice and taste was great.
–skewers
–oysters
–cheese balls
–ceviche
I’ll come back for a beverage and a few more bites!

Great little underground, hidden spot in North Beach. It’s an entertainment spot and bar. So each night they have some sort of live entertainment on the stage, like comedy on Fridays or Free live Jazz on Wednesdays. This place just has a great vibe.
They have some great speak drinks, like Star’s French 75 or Hemingway’s daiquiri. Drinks range from $ 9-​$ 12. They incorporate the bar’s theme (a laboratory) with they way they make the drinks by using beakers and flasks.
This place is not only underground but also under the sidewalk. There’s these glass circles on the side walk above and if you look up you could see the people walking on the street above you.

Great spot for either dining in or having a drink in the upstairs space, or popping in for a show downstairs. We saw a comedy show and thought the space was super cozy. Service was excellent. Menu is a mish-​mash of stuff, I went ‘safe’ with a burger and it was a-​ok. Looking forward to this place being one of my go-​to spots.

The bevette and arctic chard were amazing. And mushroom kale appetizer was a perfect start. Mixed with some breck whiskey and drakes beer, best dinner in a while.
These guys have created an amazing menu and everything I ate was a perfect compliment to the next.
The bourbon selection is huge.

Came on a Saturday for a Burlesque show. From outside you would think you passed it and you may just have. It’s literally a door you walk in and then down a dark staircase into an underground venue. It’s dark, cozy and has a pretty sweet bar in the back of the space. A small stage up front that’s draped with blue and purple back lite curtains. Quite cozy. They seat you as you enter and then you’re pretty much on your own for drinks unless you can wave down the ONE server in the joint. Now grant it, she was the ONLY server so I do cut some slack here with my next sentence. She was a tough nut to crack. We tried being friendly, tried making some small talk and even tipped her $ 20.00 before one cocktail was served. Still all we got was one cold server who seemed to be put out by having to wait on us. No worries we knew we were running a tab up at the bar so we got our own drinks from time to time. We didn’t eat much so I can’t comment on the food but the drinks were stiff and delish! The show itself was fun. Can’t go wrong with taking the hubs to see half naked woman dancing and being seductive and not tacky, but sexy and classy. All they need is one more smiling server and they are set.