Sam’s Cable Car Lounge

What a great place to grab a beverage, watch the game and be treated exceptionally! This pub was wonderful!

Came by just for a few drinks and everyone was super cool and nice! Talked to the owner for a bit and he gave us free shots of fireball! Such a cool place!

Best Cosmo’s ever!!! We stepped in because it started to rain, so why not have a drink? What a great little gem. The Martini’s and Cosmo’s were made to perfection, which is difficult to find. We were given snacks; a bag of popcorn and plate of cheese.
The owner was very nice. The staff is wonderful and the patrons were friendly as well. It feels comfortable like your neighborhood bar, casual but definitely not a dive. I will definitely come back when I return to SF. We are the tourist that they trapped, but had a great time! So be aware of all the additional charges. We didn’t mind, we expected to pay a lot for everything while in SF.

Service was slow and not really friendly. Drinks here were okay but they have a mudslide on the menu that’s not even blended.. Gross. Don’t go out of your way to visit but they did give me free cold popcorn though.

This is my third year visiting SCCL in a basis time. I deeply enjoy this lounge which is unique for its multicultural and multilingual ‘shades’, sometimes. It could be a sports bar to enjoy with friends, or a ‘hide out’ site for your cozy days. Personally, my deal going there is because of the Bohemia Regent beer from Czech Republic, who makes beer from 1378 A.D. until today; it taste like heaven. The human factor could not be ignored easily, Elizabeth is a skilled costumer service personnel who is ready to assist on sitting, or clarifying about the drink chart… and the bartending guys are so cool… See you next time, folks!

awesome bar/​lounge. Very friendly service here. Nice place to grab a beer or cocktail. They have free peanuts And popcorn which was a plus! Great way to start NYE!!!

Decided to take a break from Christmas shopping and crowds and came across Sam’s cable car bar and stopped for drink. Within minutes we were greeted by the sweetest host Theresa who made us feel so special and welcomed. The owner Sam also came out and greeted us. The hospitality was Behring amazing. The ambiance, service and drinks are excellent. We stopped for a quick drink and ended up staying for over three hours due to the hospitality. This is for sure our little treasure find spot in the city and we will return. If you stop by make sure you say hello to the kindest woman in the city… Theresa!

Our first time at Sam’s. One of the coolest bars I’ve been to in the city. Great service, great choice of alcohol and friendly staff. What more can you ask for?

Holy hell, what gives?
Who ever is in charge of pricing their cocktails is a crack smoking socialist Nazi. A crack smoking socialist Nazi that obviously doesn’t care about return business.
Case in point:
Me: Can I please have a double Chopin over, with a twist?
Them: Sure! But there will be a second twist! You’ll have to twist your mind around the tab when we give it to you!
Never in my LIFE have I paid $ 36.53 for a small glass of vodka. Mind you, this is my standard drink of choice, and I’ve been to a fair share of bars that will gouge for a premium drink, but never, NEVER to this extent.
I kindly informed the bartender that this was the most I have EVER paid for this type of drink, and she apologized, and told me she hears that from people on a daily basis.
WTF???
I urge you all not to support this establishment. They are clearly out to bilk the casual tourist and passerby, not to run an honest local watering hole.
Shame on you Sam’s Cable Car Lounge. Shame, shame, shame.
EDIT: They charge an AUTOMATIC 18% gratuity, and then have an additional tip bracket on the bill.
The manager agreed to remove the 18% charge. Thanks, I guess.
FYI: the same drink at Lefty O’Douls $ 12.25… TOTAL! So much for the «exclusive real estate justifies the price» argument…

Had 1 beer. 16oz $ 5.50 drafts for happy hour. Lost a star for the 18% added gratuity. I was going to tip $ 1 anyway but still felt cheap not adding another $ 1 on top of the service charge. I guess it does have tourist trap written all over it. Not a ad place to grab a drink though.

The music is awesome. Thanks Nikki for the delicious cucumber & basil martinis and service with a smile! Jack makes a Great Manhattan! Sam, I want to go to your wine house. Mamma your sweet. Thx for making me feel welcome with Lee.

My cousin and I were about ready to walk home when we saw Sam’s. Initially I thought it was a cable car gift shop but a few squints of my eye revealed wine & cigar.
I’ll try to add more later but long story short one drink easily went to three, Sam’s a wonderful proprietor and takes good care of his customers.
Security is awesome. I’ll have to add this to my union square routine. :)

Welcome to SF great Bars! Fazit Ende!
Sam’s Cable Car Lounge ist ein Volltreffer!
Großartige Bar in direkter Nähe des Union Square, besticht er durch die coole Art einer großartigen California City Bar!
I’ll Love it!
Alle Drinks die das Herz benötigt!
Cooles einfaches Essen als Beilage (Nachos, Pizza, Sandwiches uvm) — läuft!
Gute Atmosphäre– leichter Sportsbar Charakter und gut ist!
Sehr sehr sehr empfehlenswert
PS: von 2−6pm ist Happy Hour! Draft Beer 5,5 $ — Otters. 6 – 6,5 $ — alles gut

Great service, good people, bar staff so friendly and chatty. And great recommends, know their cocktail’s and helps patrons out! Open til 2am on Fridays, great place to end the night and grab a pizza cross the road.

Free popcorn and peanuts takes some of the pinch out of the $ 9 pints of Lagunitas. Stopped in here while waiting for my wife to wrap up at Cowboys and Angels. Realized this tourist trap holds no secret pearls for locals. The staff was nice enough and the service was quick. So take it as it is…

Awesome place great staff !!! So much fun!!! Great fun place to stop in!!! Loved the atmosphere and the drinks. Irish coffee hit the spot in a Cold evening:.

This place stunk, and the billing is shady.
Took me a while to get a drink order, I sat there a good 5 minutes while the 3 people behind the bar were chatting with other people who had already ordered and weren’t ordering.
I got a Pizza for dinner and it was over-​priced and tasted like they got it out of the freezer section of the local grocery. However it was loaded with pepperoni so they get an extra star for actually putting topping on their pizza. Well them or whatever factory pre-​made, froze it, then and shipped it to them.
I ordered two old-​fashioneds with Bulleit rye and a $ 18 pizza and my tab was over $ 50. «WTF!» I’m thinking to myself, the drinks weren’t that huge (granted the better whiskey warrants an extra charge). I notice something on my tab as a «service charge» to which I was later informed is basically an auto-​tip at a 20% rate.
So no matter how your service is, you’ll be tipping them 20%, heads up on that. I always tip well but this still frustrates me. It makes sure they get a large tip out of you while not providing you the quality of service to warrant it. I’m not some hard-​ass who comes around and expects the world out of my server for them to get a higher tip but I don’t like my gratitude to be forced either. I won’t be returning here and if I wasn’t in such a pinch to find a place with a TV on my way back to my hotel I can’t say I would have even gone in there in the first place. Much regret here on this visit.

Been here quite a few times and have brought different peeps with me.
Was there yesterday with 2 girlfriends. We were «Shopping till you drop» and it was one of my friends birthdays.
We were met at the door by the very friendly Sam. Found 3 seats at the bar and had smiling faces behind the bar welcoming us and Roxanne remembered me. Got drinks right away and when Rox found out it was my friends BD, she said… First drink on me!
Sam came over later and told us about his Wine and gave us a complimentary glass paired with some cheese.
My friends were very impressed and I am sure will be stopping here again in the future as a small break from shopping.

As a local, always a good stop by and bring my out-​of-​town buddies by to start the evening before din. The window spot is our fav for people watching.
The staff is so personable. Drinks and appetizers are reasonably priced in this tourist hot spot.
The best seller is the staff, especially Salim and Sam.
They have fun and creative drink specials. Don’t forget the happy hour from 2 – 6.
Although the atmosphere is always bumping and lively, it can sometimes be a little much for the desired chill and hang energy.
Well worth the drive by… cheers.

Durch Zufall sind wir hier das erste Mal gelandet und fanden es von Anfang an recht entspannt.
Direkt einen Platz an der Bar bekommen, wurden wir nett von den Damen hinter Theke empfangen.
Ein Long Island Iced Tea war die erste Wahl, der direkt vor den Augen gemixt wurde.
Geschmacklich und von der Größe her wirklich gut.
Dazu wurden Erdnüsse und frisch gemachtes Popcorn gereicht. Hier kann man es gut aushalten.
Musikalisch war die Untermalung eher europäisch angehaucht, so wechselten sich die 80igern mit den 90igern ab, gepaart mit etwas House und Dance.
Das Publikum ist auch sehr bunt gemischt. Vom Amerikaner bis zum Touri besucht hier alles die Cable Car Lounge.
Wichtig ist beim Einlass den Ausweis parat zu haben, denn dieser wird bei jedem kontrolliert, egal wie alt dieser ist. Schon etwas lustig. :-)
Die darauffolgenden Abende schauten wir immer mal wieder hier vorbei und wurden, nach zwei Abenden schon, mit einem großen Hallo begrüsst und gleich an der Bar platziert.
Fast schon wie Stammgäste, gab es dann auch einen Fireball Zimt-​Likör auf Haus.
Preislich bewegt sich die Cable Car Bar in einem guten Rahmen für SF und ist bei den Bieren, sogar günstiger als umliegende Bars.

Came here on my birthday. It’s right next to the mall. Saleh was nice and friendly, made nice conversations. The owner came by and gave me birthday shot! free popcorn and nuts! Will be stopping by again!

We went here as I recognized the name from researching where to go on Unilocal before our trip. It’s alright… very dark inside, and the staff is kind of awkward. The bartender was not chatty, but the bar-​back was, but somewhat negative.
We had a California Mule and a Golden Gate Gimlet. Each $ 15. They had the SF Mandate as everyone does on the bil here, but they also include a Service Charge (tip) so beware, and don’t tip on top of that if you don’t feel it’s deserved. We had one drink and left. They give you a bag of popcorn and a dish of bar nuts.