Owl Tree

Great little bar with no stress or wannabe superstars and good mix of tunes! Happy bar staff, cocktails at $ 11, plays sport …

That place is very dark cozy and full of rambunctious intoxicated tourists and locals fresh from their cubicles it was noisy crowded and two yuppie couples got into a spat over a dog near the door so I slammed down my house wine and left I would go there again because it’s down the street from the Commonwealth club which I am a member. I visited there a few months ago and just got around to remembering to review them today.
Considering what she had to work with the lady bartender was very pleasant.

Can here with a large group of associates for a bachelor party on 10÷13÷15. I ordered a round of seven tequila shots. It was the 1^st drink of the night for me. The bar tender poured the «tequila» out of the shaker and not the bottle, somewhere off in the comer and not in front of me. She said she chilled the shots for me, did not ask for it to be chilled. I took the shot and it was water. Everyone looked at each other and acknowledged it was just water. The group insisted we just leave, and my group walked out the door, I paid the tab, thought about it and immediately tried to go back in the bar.
I felt foolish, for I got hustled like a drunken teenager in Mexico on Spring Break.
People in the group insisted we just carry on to our destination, so I caved to peer pressure, left. It still bugged me the next day, I called the venue and politely and professionally asked to talk to a manager. Who ever answer the phone told me there is not manager here.
If you come here, pay with cash, for who knows what other scams they pull here.

A great spot to grab a drink before dinner. There’s nothing really special about the drinks there but the crowd always seems friendly and not your typical Polk street or Marina kinda of crowd. Don’t order mixed drinks here. Be safe and stick with the ordinary beer and wine if you don’t want to pay 12 dollars for a surprised gin and tonic

Above-​average find in the area between Union Square and Nob Hill. While it might look like a dive bar from the outside, the interior feels just classy enough to avoid the divey feeling, yet the prices are quite reasonable (particularly at happy hour) and the selection of drinks and cocktails quite decent. Depending on the time of day, the crowd here can vary widely, from people grabbing drinks after work to visitors staying at nearby hotels and a wide cross-​section of locals. A nice atmosphere all around.

Cool place to hang. Small but comfortable and dim but inviting. The interior and décor gives a very nice classy atmosphere for a night out with a few friends or on a date, and their drink/​cocktail selection make things even better, not to mention friendly and professional staffs who are attentive. Well done. See you all next time!

Two Words: Mai Tai’s.
The Best! I literally sit at home thinking of how tasty this drink. No one has come close to making this wonderful concoction like Owl Tree does. Throw in an awesome bartender, Zoe, and you got yourself an amazingly chill night.
So what have we learned? Go see Zoe and request the all powerful Mai Tai!
Oh… And their bathroom is super clean. Who doesn’t love a clean bathroom?!

I really like this place for its atmosphere. It’s nice bit not too nice, the staff were great and it was just small enough to feel cozy without being cramped. I like this place on slow nights to have a relaxing drink or to take a casual date to.

Rip off joint. We will never go again. We go in sometimes before we head to A.C.T.(we have season tickets) but this evening was our final time. Sour faced Asian female came on & prices went up, plus she gave us the wrong drink. Don’t worry, we will never be back, plenty of other places nearby.
She blamed the hike on not being happy hour anymore, however we were never charged that much on our previous visits. I think, once she heard an accent, (I have one), she decided we were dumb tourists & wanted to rip us off. Travelers, beware. Unless you like being ripped off.

*swoon*
This is my go-​to dive when in this part of town. It is on the edge of Union Square and the «Loin», so you don’t get a crowd from either region. Rather it is very eclectic, maybe from the neighboring hotels, or service industry peeps. But it seems everyone here knew of its confines. Not many random hit-​ups.
I seem to have missed the original incarnation of owl memorabilia strewn about, but what we have now still revels in true dive form. Dark, soft lighting. Awesome music, mostly from the 80’s. When Prince’s «Controversy» comes on, that is an open invitation to plop my rear in one their «coffee table» spots, and definitely have a few. They have Four Roses Bourbon, son!
And they had one of the «Dirty Harry» flicks on loop, so you can reminisce on what SF looked like back in the day… when China Basin didn’t have the ball park, nor the high rise condos. Pure dive bar entertainment.

zero stars, the bouncer here is a child. Brought a big group and one person went outside, he didn’t let her back in, saying he didn’t need to have a reason. Well we spent over $ 100 on drinks for a group of 3 but apparently that doesn’t matter. Obviously we wouldn’t want to keep the tab up if they aren’t going to let our friend in. Never ever coming back here!

I do not recommend this bar! I was in there with a group of friends and everything seemed great. I went to the bar to get a drink and a man the age of at least 65 grabbed my butt. I pushed him off of me and told him that was inappropriate. The bouncer clearly saw this occur bc he walked up and told the man «you have to leave». I assumed this was under control. I then noticed that the man was allowed to stay in the bar. I told the bouncer that he should have kicked that man out and his response was «i know, but…»
My friend and i saw the man was the. Outside and allowed to reenter the bar bc according to the bouncer «he had to go to the bathroom».
In my opinion this behavior is inappropriate and unacceptable.

I liked this bar. It has a really nice feel to it. Moe is a nice bouncer and the bartender was really nice. She didn’t ask me to tip her unlike a lot of other Bars, so she was given a tip. I’ll come back again for sure since my favorite restaurant is right across the street. It is a bar that isn’t trying to be something that it isn’t. A lot of bars try and put up a fake front but not Owl Tree I respected what they brought to the table a nice simple atmosphere.

Cozy and nice seating but once it got busy it was very difficult to get a drink. We left and brought our money elsewhere.

I love this place. It’s dark and cozy, great cocktails, good vibe. I will definitely go back.
I was with a group of 5 people and we had dinner at La Colonial and popped in here for after dinner drinks. We sat in the back booth, the staff was attentive, the bathroom was clean, good décor, good music, fun classy crowd. My only mini complaint is that it was hot and stuffy, the air flow was lacking, but it was a warm day and it’s an old building. I will go back for sure!!!

I have a friend that has lived in San Francisco for 14 years, and THIS is the first bar he ever visited here. This is a lowkey bar to share all your secrets with friends, bring a date, or just enjoy one of the many incredibly strong & delicious drinks on your own.
The first one I tried was the Blood Orange Margarita ($ 10) because how do you see that on a menu and NOT be curious to try such a tasty sounding beverage? And tasty it was. My other favorite is the Effen Vodka Cucumber Gimlet ($ 9) which is super simple but strong. The Fresh Tito’s Greyhound ($ 10) and Mango Mojito ($ 9) weren’t my favorite, but that’s just because I like to taste the alcohol in my drinks.
It’s almost amazing how many different types of seating they managed to cram into such a small bar, but it’s cozy and I like it. Owl Tree, you have definitely made a regular out of me. I’ll be back!

I love my friends when they show me cool places in the city. I love them more when they cool places have happy hour. (Yes, my love for my friends depend on happy hour deals…)
Owl Tree is awesome in a couple of different ways:
— Located close to Union Square aka it’s not in a sketchy area
— Happy hour from 4pm-​6pm
— Happy hour deals: $ 4 draft beers and $ 5 well drinks
— $ 10 Jameson shot with a beer
— Cheese, salami, and crackers… for free!
— Has a TV if you want to watch games after work
— Awesome (friendly, attentive, and fun to chat with) bartenders
Owl be back!

I have to start out with the fact that this place has a special place in my heart. I always come here and I always have a fantastic time. The drinks are average price, but they also have some drink specials. My favorite is the shot of Jameson and a beer combo. How can you say no to that?
The bartenders and customers are all really friendly, welcoming, and just plain awesome! The first time I came here this woman was having a Birthday (sash and all) and she bought a roll of shots for everyone around her. It was awesome! Those are the kind of people that come in here and thats what makes me keep coming back.
It is a great neighborhood bar that has great atmosphere and vibes. I love this place! And it doesn’t hurt that they give out free cheese, salami, and crackers too!

«Unexpected find» is a great way to describe Owl Tree. What will likely happen is a friend will drag you here. Upon looking at it from the outside, you will say «Not another Tenderloin dive bar.» You will hope there is not sawdust on the floor, which was quirky the first time and gross upon further reflection.
Instead you shall find a surprisingly classy interior with good seating, reasonable prices and sturdy drinks. A friend gave me her Manhattan, it was a Manhattan. How anyone can taste anything besides the whiskey is beyond me, but people «in the know» said it was a good one. I ordered a Moscow Mule (delicious) and a margarita. The margarita was, of course, for a less manly friend than me. But if I did drink that margarita, I would say it was fruity and boozy without being overwhelming in sweetness or alcohol.
Overall, a good find and somewhere I would certainly take a date I don’t want to spend too much money on.

Very cool corner bar spot. We had one more round before hitting the theater. Popped in, very friendly bartender, made our drinks and had a great experience.
Seemed very clean, not super loud, decent prices, and clean bathroom… Not much more to ask for.
There is a jukebox, atm, and tv’s.

Why won’t that owl stop looking at me. Seriously I pass this place nearly every day and its always there. Staring at me. Always.
Besides the scary owl the Owl Tree is actually a great after work or industry night type place to check out. Be forewarned you should only go here if you are looking for an intimate time with friends or a stranger at the bar. This place is tiny! Seriously there might be living rooms out there that are bigger than this but sometimes that all you want when getting a drink.
Inside it actually really upscale and trendy. There is a bar immediately when you enter and to the left are tables and chairs and a vip type reservation area. We were able to get a party of 10 people at one of the tables but that takes some advanced scouting.
There is a reason most of the reviews for this place are so short and that’s because there really isn’t much to it. Decent drinks and cocktails, limited seating but its about the people you are here with not about the location and as a bar it does a great job of actually being a bar. Just watch out for that damn owl.
Pro Tip: There is another damn owl across the street from owl tree just look up when you exit. They are everywhere.

This place is the best option for drinks in this area on a Monday our Tuesday night.
Bartender was cool and quick. Full bar and plenty of draft beer.

Entramos a este bar a tomar algo y nos pidieron los dni, s o pasaportes… Solo mis acompañantes lo llevaban, pero yo lo tenía en el hotel; el barman se mostró inflexible y me dijo que a pesar de que yo quería una coca-​cola light, al haber alcohol en la mesa (mis acompañantes pidieron cerveza), tenía que presentar sí o sí mi identificación, así que tuve que ir a buscarla al hotel, que estaba relativamente cerca… Este episodio me causó un poco de rabia; luego recapacité y ahora considero que no por tener leyes diferentes a España en su país o el hecho de que el barman quiera cumplirlas a rajatabla le hacen un negocio merecedor de una mala reseña.
El sitio es pequeño y acogedor, con luz tenue, agradable y con algunas mesas. Se respiraba buen ambiente y la gente iba arreglada pero sin resultar snob. También la media de edad estaba acorde con el lugar (no habían adolescentes, probablemente por las medidas que se toman en la entrada y que he comentado).
Me quedé con las ganas de probar algunos de sus cócteles ya que he leído que los preparan muy bien; quizás el año que viene si vuelvo tenga la oportunidad de probarlos :)