Zeitgeist

If you like to drink beer out of a jar, under the stars with the option to feast on hot grilled hamburgers or hotdogs, all the while fearing (okay, secretly hoping) a wild biker dude will come tearing through on his hog, then Zeitgeist is your place. Even if you just like one of those things...Zeitgeist is your place. If you're really lucky Virginia, aka the Tamale Lady, will swing by with cooler full of hot, fresh goodness to sate your drunken munchies. And if the prospect of standing line to pee is the scariest thing you can imagine, there's never a wait for the port-a-potties in the back. Valencia @ 13th more

After living in Munich for two years, I learned something about the magical powers of the beer garden: a gravel and tree lined area where you can sit outside with some grilled food and a fresh liter of beer and while away the day. Now, in Munich, beer gardens can be found all over the place, some, like the Augustiner Keller biergarten seat over 8000 people, mostly self-service style. In San Francisco, the closest you can come to that is Zeitgeist, which can seat maybe a couple hundred outside in the gravelled picnic-tabled garden. Unline the beer gardens of Munich which typically offer one lager and a hefeweizen beer, Zeitgeist has over a dozen on tap. Though this is great in itself, it does create a small logjam at the bar area, especially when you're dealing with a massive crowd constantly trying to figure out what they want to have next. Here's the trick... when it's warm out and you get to sit in the sun (or shade), any beer tastes good, so pick one thing, get a pitcher of it and enjoy being outside with a tasty beverage. So, yes. I guarantee if the weather is good, the bar will be crowded. You just have to deal with it. But if the sun is shining and the grill is fired up, having to wait a few minutes to get your drink just shouldn't matter all that much, should it? more

Zeitgeist was interesting. It was a biergarten, but taken over by both tough bikers (the motorcycle kind) and young hipsters (the bicycle kind). It’s not often that one sees these two groups interacting, and I found it to be a nice feeling. They allow bicycles inside the bar, so on a busy Friday night, you’ve got to shuffle around quite a bit to let people through. The outside area is huge and full to capacity. The inside is covered with interesting signs from streets and highways. I had a good time and my drinks didn’t seem overly expensive. more

a few reviews state that the bartenders are slow, but there's a 4000 sq. ft. beer garden outside and they have one of the smallest service areas of any bar in the city, meaning they can only have two or three people working...one of the endless beer delivery guys said that the only bigger account in the city is Pac Bell park, so give 'em a break. the drinks are huge and stiff (and cheap-especially if you drink well) and the barbeque has even been written up in Gourmet Magazine. It is a dive, but when it's nice out there's gonna be a line to get in (complete w/ velvet rope) so get there early, grab a pitcher, stake out a picnic table and make some new freinds. Also, the juke has new bands you havent heard of (yet) and is like 40% local, further explaining why every band in the city get drunk there. more

This bar is a blast. Filled to the gills with biker/hipster/scenesters, it doesn't take itself too seriously. Skip the inside and head straight for the back. Row upon row of picnic tables are lined up on a huge patio. Come Sunday they fire-up the BBQ and for a small pittance you can have ribs or burgers with your beer. The jukebox is what you would expect in a place like this... Rockin. more

This is my favorite biker bar, and by biker bar I mean bike messangers! Zeitgeist resembles a German beer garden crossed with the hipest parts of the Mission. Go on a sunny day and be prepared to be surrounded by the buzz of happy drinkers. Beware of some of the regulars who are a little protective of their turf. A great place to dress in black. more