McBaker Grocery and Liquor

I live right nearby this place. It’s pricy and it doesn’t offer a huge selection. My friend has repeatedly told me that it is called a «convenience» story for a reason. The convenience is the location. Yes. Also, I noticed that it was closed at 7 on a Sunday night. That’s pretty weak hours. I’ll keep it at 3 stars because the man that works there is a friendly guy.

My friends and I had a special understanding with the owner of McBaker: we would look the other way about his inventory being — almost all of the time — painfully low on any and all necessities; and he would look the other way when we bought bottles of whisky three times in a single day or when we complained because he was out of Mickey’s hand grenades.
And so, our little Cold War went on. The only real speed-​bump occurred when he not only did not have any horseradish, but did not know what it was.
Also, never ask to use the bathroom. i made that mistake once and can never un-​see what I saw. Picture: The «Saw» movies crossed with a construction site.

They have $ 2.25 out the door forties of high life. Which is pretty awesome. Other than that it’s not very exciting.
Yay beer!

Oh wow, look, another NOPA convenience store. This is not among my favorites due to high prices, weird layout, and overall store dirtiness. Add to that it’s 2 blocks from Fulton and 3 blocks from a Lucky supermarket, and I just see no reason to hit this place unless you live on the block and it’s late.

Overpriced but highly convenient. They have a little bit of everything, including a clever name, a ATM outside and an AMAZING burrito place across the street. It is what it is, if you need groceries go to Lucky 2 seconds away, but if you need to grab a bottle of wine or a bag of chips, McBaker Market is your pick.

This place gets four stars purely because of the convenience it provides. I think this is literally the closest business to my house.
I would never actually come here if I didn’t absolutely need something just because anything you can get here you can also get a supermarket or drug store for less $$$. However, I cannot tell you the number of times I picked up emergency toiletries, late night drunken snack food, and pre-​drinking cases of beer that I should have picked up sometime in the afternoon at Safeway before a night out.
Even with the conveniences a place like this provides there are several corner stores in SF where the dude behind the counter is an asshole, but another thing that’s great about this place is anyone who I’ve gotten behind the counter at any given time is pretty nice.
this place also has has an ATM outside, which of course charges a ridiculous surcharge, but hey like everything else about McBaker Market when you need something ASAP it’s right there.

McBaker served me a damn fine need when I damn well needed it.
After cutting out halfway through an 80-​degree Bay to Breakers, and having been sober all morning, I needed a beer. An ice cold muthafuckin’ beer. McBaker’s served me not only a cold beer, but a couple of plastic cups, and an excellent story.
It seems that we had just missed some hot, drunken, live, girl-​on-​girl action that had transpired a mere hour prior in line at the cash register. Better yet, the girls didn’t even know each other. And even better yet, the clerk told us about it. it supposedly consisted of some stumbling, falling, then impromptu stranger sex. I don’t know what to believe, and I don’t need to. I was exhausted, low on blood sugar, hot, sweaty, and thirsty, and the only thing that could satisfy me more than an ice cold Sapporo was an ice cold Sapporo combined with a story about a random act of gratuitous sex.
Bravo.

does anyone else think this place is way over priced? You go into the cold section, everything in there seems to be way too expensive. The owner and his son are rarely kind enough to keep someone coming back, although given the location, it’s hard not to.
To be honest, I really wish the three places on this intersection would go down (one world, neon and mcbaker.)

It took me five years to write this review. OK, that’s not technically true, as Unilocal didn’t exist in 2003. But I really did first see McBaker Market in 2003, and ever since then, I’ve wanted to pay the place a visit. I know why I didn’t at first; they were remodeling it – except that they were actually remodeling the building that now houses Green Chile Kitchen, which is at Baker and Fulton, not Baker and McAllister. (Hey, I was new to the neighborhood at the time, and the only reason I had to pass by these corners was to look for parking late at night before I came up with The Pattern and when I still was an idiot and used to drive places and return late at night.)
So there was all this buildup. And I really wanted this place to be as clever as its name.
You didn’t notice the cleverness of its name? Well, the store is at the corner of McAllister and Baker, so it’s called McBaker. Get it? I know, it’s not very funny or clever – it includes only part of one name and the entire other name – but McAlaker would have sucked, right? But I really was expecting amazing things, so you can imagine my horror when I walked up to this place and was immediately put off by the annoying guy talking loudly on his cellphone in the doorway. I thought, «Man, this place must not have any standards if it allows weirdos to hang out in the doorway all day.» So I walked in, grabbed my obligatory candy bar, and waited at the counter. Guess who my cashier is? Yup, cellphone guy. But he doesn’t even end his call. He simply walks around the counter and proceeds to stand there while I’m holding my $ 10 bill out. He’s having this really important conversation, so he can’t do his job. He eventually takes the bill and gives me change. As I walked out of the store, he followed me and planted himself in the doorway again.
The place itself is OK. It’s really old-​looking inside. As a convenience store itself, it probably rates four stars, especially because it has one of those old-​school advertisement/​clock/​wall/​four-​poster-​bed-​looking things over the cash register. If you saw it, you would know what I mean. It loses two stars for this guy’s rudeness but gets another one because its name is so classic and because I loved the place before I had ever been inside in 2003.

The owner at times a scrudge and unwelcoming, but at times he can be extremely friendly.

Owner is a real gent. I enjoy talking it up with him after coming back from work. Has a fair stock of juices, booze and energy drinks. Also caries soy milk which is a nice plus for me. Has some good stories about whats the up around the block. Also a ²⁴⁄₇ ATM machine outside.

My second-​favorite corner store after Nimers. Mr McBaker is a little less personable and his store is smaller and not as well stocked (I like cheezits, but he has had the same one box of «reduced fat» cheezits and nothing else for months to give you some idea). But it’s about half-​a-​block closer to me than Nimers and has longer hours. Nimers for night cravings and McBaker for the day if you happen to live around the general McAllister/​Lyon/​Baker/​Fulton vicinity. Otherwise you probably don’t care.

why are we reviewing this. the only people who go here are the ones wo live within 2 blocks and need some ice cream or some butter. its dirty and not cheap but whatever. it works. you would never seek this out and if you have to go here you probably didn’t come b/​c of the Unilocal reviews

mcbaker is absolutely fantastic! it has everything from year-​old, pink nonsense coated cupcakes to kraft mac n cheese for almost 2 dollars to pringles containers that are dusted daily to homies (the little plastic figurines) for sale out front. HOMIES! it’s incredible. the best part about mcbaker is that albertsons is apx 4 blocks away, but the charm of the owner or the purchaser’s sheer laziness inspires them to pay about a dollar more per item than walk the distance (although, the energy drinks are the same price as at albert-​land.) i choose mcbaker everytime… i just wish it had self check.

McBaker market has what you need in a pinch if you happen to inhabit the Fillmore-​Haight-​Ashbury-​Anza Vista ambiguous anomaly around Baker and McAllister Streets. If you’re too lazy to go all the way to the Albertson’s, then head to McBaker, they may even have some surprises that Albertson’s does not carry (razor blade refill cartridges [seriously how can albertson’s never stock these?] and incense for example). Plus if you are an avid lotto player, the management never treats you like a second class citizen. A reasonable selection and prices for the average couch potato, plus a great selection of bargain cookies near the floor to the left and on your rear by the register. Four star class.