Atlas Tap Room

Wow, words cannot describe how I feel right now, but Ill try. I have been coming here for some time now on my lunch break with co-​workers. Good food, good beers, same ol’ same ol’. Ive met the owner a few times, seemed like a nice enough guy. He owns/​runs the place next door as well, Archive (Ill write a review for this place later). Bottom line, if I was rating this place on food/​drinks/​price alone, Id probably give it 4 stars. If thats all that you care about, then I guess you can stop reading now and disregard this review.
Today I go in after lunch with a few friends who dont look like they work downtown. We had already gone for 1 beer at Steph’s. I saw a waitress that I know, she told us to sit down at a table, and before we are even all sitting, the owner comes right over, looks my friends up and down (both slightly punk-​rock dudes) and says «I cant serve you two, you’re intoxicated.» We started to laugh thinking he was just kidding, obviously my friends weren’t drunk, if they were I wouldn’t have brought them in there. But he says it again, then says how one of them «stumbled on his way in.» I proceeded to tell him that I’ve been with them for the last hour, they’re not drunk, but he had already made up his mind. We left of course; who would want to be in a place like that anyway, but the point is… holy shit! This just happened! BTW, his «stumble» that maybe occurred (no one saw him do it) could have been from the ankle operation that he had the year before, or whatever, who cares if the guy stumbled. The owner didnt know if he was handicapped. Someone wearing a button down shirt ‘stumbling in’ wouldn’t have ever in a million years gotten kicked out so abruptly, within 10 seconds of sitting down. It was totally a case of the owner not wanting ‘their kind’ in his place. Disgusting.
It’s really funny, I had just finished having a conversation with one of the two that got kicked out about how the city is changing so quickly, how Soma has changed so drastically because of all the greed in this city. And then this happens. I went back in later on before I headed home on BART, hoping that the owner would still be there so I could look him in the eye and tell him that he’s a total disgrace to this city, and that he should be ashamed of himself. That was a bunch of class-​profiling if I’ve ever seen it, and to be honest, I havent seen it EVER in the city or even in the Bay area before today.
If all you care about is getting a microbrew and a panini and not anything about how people/​businesses like this are completely ruining what was once an amazing, inclusive, and tolerant city, then by all means, keep coming here. I for one (and for the many, many friends and co-​workers that I have in this section of Soma), will never come to this establishment ever again because basically, this kind of behavior is a plague on this once great city.

This place has become my go-​to after work/​happy hour spot because it’s a block and change away from my office. The beer and wine selection is good (I usually have a red wine like the Malbec or Cab, but my coworkers who like beer have tried the stuff on tap and otherwise and like it). If you’re here by 4 – 5, it’s perfectly empty and a nice place to catch some conversation if you’re in a group. Like all places downtown, it gets crowded by 6:30 or 7.
The food here is delicious too! The charcuterie, while really good, is a tad overpriced, but that’s the FiDi for you. The Ahi tuna was really delicious and I would recommend! The cheese plate is pretty unique as well.

We were originally planning to go to Archive Bar and Kitchen but they were full so we came here and sat outside. We were able to order from the Archive Bar menu and they had some summer special plates. To help Unilocal’s search engine, I’m going to list what we ordered from Archive that they do well:
ceviche (seasonal I think)
gluten free pizza
happy hour
Yes, they have an awesome ceviche here that is inexpensive for what you get and their gluten free pizzas are as good if not better than their regular pizzas (this opinion was from a «normal» person, not a glutard like myself).
There were five of us in the group and we ordered ceviche and several gluten free pizzas. We all got to enjoy a great meal together and no one besides myself would have known it was gluten free had we not ordered it. If you don’t believe me, try it for yourself. Amazing!
I believe they are careful about cross contamination but if you are celiac you will want to double check just to make sure as you always should. I had no reaction but double check to be sure!
They also had a good selection of ciders and a good happy hour.
I’m a fan!

I want to love this place, I really do. It has a great location, a refreshingly casual vibe for downtown, and good prices — and I love finding a place with lots of both beers and wines on tap (with the option to order carafes of wine — hard to find). But (and this is a big «But»). .. the service has been weak to downright awful on my two visits. Last night, my friend and I were either ignored or treated with mildly snarky distain by the two servers on duty. I will give Atlas another try, in the hopes management can work on the service issues.

I went for happy hour. The waitress treated me like I was a dummy. I don’t think I am a dummy. The stool was kind of uncomfortable to sit on. All in all, convenient and whatever.

We initially tried to grab lunch at their sister restaurant next door (Archive), but the place was too crowded. So we decided to make Atlas Tap Room our Plan B.
It turned out to be a solid lunch spot. Located at Mission @ New Montgomery, It’s just a few blocks from our office, and they have outdoor seating. I ordered the chipotle chicken sandwich, and my co-​workers wound up getting salads. My sandwich was huge and tasty. I could only finish half of it. One of my co-​workers had some concern about the quality of the chicken. I, for one, thought it tasted fine.
If I have one minor complaint, it’s that everyone dish came with a bag of Lay’s Potato Chips. Don’t get me wrong, I like chips as much as the next guy. But when I go to a restaurant in the FiDi/​SOMA area, I expect a little more creativity. At least take the chips out of the bag and spread them on the plate.
All in all, Atlas Tap Room is a perfectly fine lunch + happy hour destination.

Lunch at Atlas Tap Room was ok. I really enjoyed my spring chopped salad. I however did not enjoy the addition of the industrial grade tasting, slimy chicken that cost me $ 4. I didn’t even eat it as it was real gnarly.
The sandwiches/panini’s are king here. They are large and in charge and really nicely priced at around $ 12. What is up with Lay’s chips though? For reals? That’s all you could come up with in the land of the Bay Area… Lays? Not sure if they were going for kitsch, but it ended up kind of dumbing down the meal.
The first few bites of poke were tasty, the fourth bite ended up with some foulness. No one went further.
Service was solid and we were able to eat outside, although outside is basically the sidewalk of a busy street. Great for people watching, not the most zen.
It’s convenient and not expensive. Take it for what you will.

Man, I really liked the service here — you can tell they’re trying hard and are very hospitable! But the food was just a miss for my table.
We ordered the ahi poke to start and all agreed it just tasted «off», which is not what you want in your tuna. I ordered the summer salad, meant to have watermelon, citrus, mint, and feta. What came was a giant pile of cubed watermelon with a tiny sprinkling of feta (let’s fix the cheese to melon ratio here). The chicken that my friend added to her salad was a strange slimy texture, and didn’t look super high quality.
The lesson: order sandwiches instead! The caprese panini was delish! Full of yummy stuff. The side of Lays potato chips though? I think they can do better than that.
If you want a simple lunch with not a lot of gourmet flair, Atlas will do.

Came here for lunch with a couple of other CMs, and it was ok but unfortunately nothing to write home about.
I had the black bean and avocado salad with grilled chicken. The chicken was ok, not too dry but not juicy either, and the vinaigrette was overpowering to the point that my mouth was a little sore afterwards. The avocado was ok — a little sad looking, though, and the bean salad aspect was a little overwhelming — it’s a large portion!
Our server was fine, not super engaged — it was a busy lunch rush and we were outside, but still.
Likely not somewhere I’ll go out of my way to return to, but perhaps if I’m in the area in the evening I’d try it again.

Nice place for a happy hour. I came here for a friend’s birthday and had one of their draft beers. They have cheese plates and some appetizers. Their offerings are pretty typical, but the space is really nice. Beautiful brick wall. Just another nice downtown bar.
It gets kinda cramped and staff were going back and forth so much I always felt like I was in the way. Pretty sure one server was getting ready to punch me in the face!
With that said — This place is really pretty; I’d come here again.

I’m a little torn about Atlas. I want to love it because it’s practically empty at lunch (unlike it’s packed sister restaurant Archive next door) but there’s always just something off about my experiences. Maybe lunch just isn’t this place’s thing.
On my last visit, the host greeted us with a broad smile and told us to sit anywhere… Then 2 minutes later, said «oops, I forgot to put the reserved sign on this table. Anywhere that isn’t these tables.» Not super graceful, but okay. (For the record, no one sat at that or any of the other «reserved» tables for the 40 minutes or so we were there.)
They offer ~8 different $ 9−11ish sandwiches (the vegetarian option being a grilled brie with apple on dry rye that they call a «veggie panini»), 2 – 3 salads and a bunch of sides/​appetizers. I do eat meat, but I try to eat vegetarian for lunch and this doesn’t leave me many options. On my previous visits, I had the fried chicken (not on the menu anymore) and I think the pulled pork. Neither was bad, but I always feel like I’m settling for whatever I choose.
There’s nothing _​wrong_​with this place, and I’d bet the appetizers are great at happy hour, but I’m just not feeling it as a lunch spot… I’d kinda rather Atlas offer Archive’s menu during the day (or a hybrid) since they’re too busy now for me to stop by regularly.

I’ll echo what a lot of other Unilocalers have said: I love Archive but I barely liked Atlas. I went with a group for lunch when there weren’t any tables available at Archive. There were several delicious-​sounding sandwiches but I wanted to lean on the healthier side so I ordered the black bean salad with seared ahi.
We started with ceviche which was quite good. Better than my salad, which was really pretty boring. There were some small shreds of lettuce but the plate consisted mostly of black beans, some pico de gallo and some avocado. There was no vinaigrette taste or any sort of acidity to the dish so the flavors were just kind of bland. My coworker’s sandwich looked really delicious though, so maybe I just ordered poorly. Maybe I’d go back if Archive wasn’t an option again but it wouldn’t be my first choice.

Small cute bar. Wine and Beer on Tap. They have several appetizers to enjoy with your drinks.
Exposed brick interior. Neat go to place for Happy Hour.

I really like Archive, so it’s no surprise that I really like Atlas Tap Room as well.
Let’s count the reasons why:
+ Rose by the bottle or the glass
+ Plenty of seating, considering it’s a relatively small space
+ Other wine on tap
+ Within a few blocks from the office
Need I say more? Not really. It’s such a nice wine bar in SoMa, just go there and have a drink.

Archive was too crowded and busy for lunch, so my friend and I went to Atlas Tap Room because Atlas is by the same owners. I love Archive but was very disappointed by the food.
The menu is a bit more limited than Archive — three salads and 5 – 6 sandwiches. Of the salad options, there was an iceberg wedge, a black bean and avocado salad and a chopped salad (cabbage and kale). We ordered the chopped salad and, on the recommendation of the server, the fried chicken sandwich (to share). Both were disappointing. The chopped salad was overdressed and really only tasted like dressing. The fried chicken in the fried chicken sandwich wasn’t very good — the breading didn’t stay in tact and was very heavy.
Also, the ventilation in the restaurant isn’t very good so we reeked of fried chicken after lunch.
On the positive side, the service was wonderful — friendly, nice and helpful. I’m sure I’ll return for drinks at some point but probably not for food.

If you’re looking for a cozy wine bar to lounge around before leaving Financial District– this is your calling! Judging from the number of reviews, I’m pretty sure this place is new and so it hasn’t been taken over by Happy Hour go-​ers just yet.
My friends chose this cute wine bar as our first destination on a pleasant Thursday night and it was a wonderful way to start a classy night! They had a great selection of wines: reds for me, whites for my other 3 full-​bodied wine hating friends. They also had a pretty good selection of beers if you’re into that kinda stuff: P
HOURS are very limited so plan accordingly! The bar itself closes at 10 PM, but last call for drinks is at 9:30 PM and last call for food is 9 PM. Make this one of your first bars if exploring FiDi (and then head down to Novella/​Local Edition for late night adventures, of course).
Pro-​tip: Check out the bathroom, it’s so cute! There’s a chalkboard inside, where my roommate has written ‘RANA’ the abbreviation that we use to call our household. Apart from that random term, there’s really cool pictures and quotes that make this bar so very artsy Californian.

Every girl loves a night out with her girlfriends! My friends and I recently chose this place for our Thursday night wine hour. With its trendy and cozy atmosphere, Atlas Tap Room is a decent option. However, be careful about your timing because their hours are a little inflexible and doors close early.
Food ends at 9 PM, last call for drinks is 9:30 PM and the place closes promptly at 10 PM. We missed the food by 15 minutes, boo :(The charcuterie and cheese plates looked divine so I’m bummed I couldn’t try them.
As for drinks, I enjoyed my Albarino (Spanish) white wine and if I come here again, will be sure to try the California beers on tap.
One oddity occurred during payment — our server overcharged us on the white wine we ordered. She was apologetic when fixing it but did mention that we were the first to point out this price discrepancy, all day — meaning this mistake had happened, all day. While the overall service was definitely nice and friendly, this was slightly concerning to hear. You might want to check your bill against the drinks menu!

With more and more beer places popping up, I find myself drinking more and more beer. I still don’t know much about beer, but I’m learning.
Drinks:
*Shallow grave: heretic brewing co, Fairfield, CA ($ 7)
*Hop head red, double ipa and red ale: green flash brewing co, San Diego, CA ($ 7)
I normally pick beers based on ABV or name. Since they didn’t list ABV on their menu, I just picked a drink with a funny name. The Shallow grave was easy to drink. I chose the Hop head red next since I like IPAs and had a taste of it before deciding.
Food:
*Pickle plate: dill, cornichons and butter chips ($ 5)
*Charcuterie: Chef’s selection of 3 ($ 15) — served with burgundy and dijon mustards, caperberries
*Deviled eggs: bacon, dill, Spanish paprika ($ 5)
Their food is pretty good for a bar. I liked the charcuterie. It was a decent amount of meat and a nice selection. They gave us the Ghost chili which I really wanted to try. Not that spicy, but still good. The deviled eggs had good flavor, but I thought the filling was too light and mushy. I had a texture issue with it.
Fun place to go to have a drink and snacks after work.

First time at this place tonight! Great wine/​beer list, great food and even greater service!
It’s only a few blocks from my office so I have the feeling this will become a regular spot for an after work drink (or two!).

I love that there is a new tap room right around the corner from my office. I also love that they have all California beer on tap. And the owner is super friendly!
I walk by here almost every day so I was excited to finally give it a try. I always want to try new beer & was undecided, so the waitress offered to give us a few samples. I liked the Fort Point Manzanita so I started with that. Nice, smoky flavor but not overpowering. We were just going to stay for one beer then move on, but got to chatting with Kevin, the owner, & found out that he also owns Archive next door. He brought us some delicious herb (rosemary?) nuts & we decided to order another round. We were going to dinner afterward otherwise I would have tried some of their charcuterie & cheese plates.
I can’t remember if they have happy hour specials, but I will definitely be back for their great selection of CA beer.