Bar Drake

First time here after years of visiting SF. Great little lobby bar and great ambiance to unwind. Another Kimpton Hotel gem. Ryan our bartender was excellent. He is very attentive and great at making you feel at home and welcomed. He was able to come up with a drink after my mood and what I was in the mood for. Try the Paper Plane. If your new to whiskey… not me… this will get your love for it started while getting you ready for a fun evening with friends. Not to mention it’s a drink that goes back to the 1920s.
Bön Soir!

Excellent drinks, well mixed and nice original creations. Bartenders are nice, however the service is nonexistent except at the bar. Prices are okayish.

It’s a great spot to have a drink and unwind a bit. I usually stop in before having dinner at Scala’s which is also located in the Sir Francis Drake Hotel. The old school vibe includes a classy tone with a hint of yesteryear. The bartenders are personable and professional though a bit slow at times to get to patrons. I don’t care for their measured pours especially when they are charging the amounts they do for cocktails.
The drinks are often weak.

Unilocal 365 Review Challenge — Los Angeles #14 — #365
Are you looking to find some shelter from the cold San Francisco weather?
Do you need a small getaway from whatever?
Bar Drake located in the Sir Francis Drake Lobby is the answer you’re looking for. Even though the bar not as modern as other Union Square Bars, it has it’s nostalgia written all over it. The detailed décor all around the lobby and mezzanine are great to take a few photo ops and just bask in the glory of this one time 19^th century hotel.
In the morning they offer complimentary coffee and tea for hotel guests and later in the day, the bar area can be busy and seating can be limited. Me and my Dad ordered a few drinks which were very strong and quite tasty. We also ordered a couple pricey appetizers, they were ok, and the staff were very friendly and hospitable.

My friend Robert and I stayed at the Sir Francis Drake for NYE. We checked in and then had drinks in the bar. Our dirty vodka martinis were great! Many people were already dressed up for New Years and Robert and I critiqued their clothes while we enjoyed our drinks. Some of the women were wearing the most beautiful dresses. We sat at a comfy table and the bar tender gave us complementary nuts. The bar area was a bit chilly, probably because of it’s location in the lobby of the hotel. Hey, I’m from Wisconsin and I’m used to snot freezing weather! Ya know? You betcha! Especially up nort! But, next time I think I’ll wear my long underwear!

Fun little place to grab a drink — bustling — good Manhattan. Mix with the tourists! Feels more East Coast than West Coast.

A nice bar in the lobby of the Sir Francis Drake hotel. The choice of cocktails is pretty good and the bar tenders are very friendly and knowledgable.
Prices are not cheap and expect to pay hotel prices for drinks. They do give you bowls of snacks to munch on and they do have a bar food menu that seemed to have a few good choices.

This one is unique. The hotel repurposed their grand entrance to make a lounge with a massive bar. I get the idea and the concept, but I feel they’ve completely missed the mark with their space usage. The concierge and front desk is pushed off to one side, hardly noticeable when the bar /​lounge gets busier, which doesn’t serve as a warm or welcoming for guests coming to check in.
The staff was friendly and fairly attentive but I think it was very poorly designed, which hurts the vibe.

Best Manhattan, ever, though perhaps I’m an odd one that likes them sweet. An elegant, fun place to sit and people-​watch and/​or chat with travel buddy. Bartenders were helpful & friendly. We stayed at the hotel & this bar was part of what made the visit a good one.

Great Service

I’m not in love w this bar even though I am a raging alcoholic and they have high quality bottles here. Their house drinks are okay, but not really great for the price (3 drinks ran me like $ 40) and it took them a really long time after I ordered one to actually make it. I dunno if that’s standard or a one-​time thing. But once I figured out the house drinks weren’t great (took me two drinks to wrap my mind aound it) and ordered up a drink and told them what to put in it and it was decent.
I will note that they have a house punch w cilantro and chile pepper, lemon/​lime and other Mexican stuff that was interesting and out of which they make a somewhat interesting margarita-​like thing. You might like to try it if you are like me and like to try new and unusual things. I didn’t love it, though.
I just think for the price per drink, you should love it. There are a ton of bars w all the accoutrements in Union Square so it’s very competitive as far as quality. In fact, Scala’s is in the same building maybe 100 feet away w a full bar too. I’d try that next time.
It’s a nice setting and they do have a few somewhat obscure liqueurs which is nice and they make okay drinks, if you don’t mind that they aren’t mind-​blowingly amazing. At least, IMO.

Came here to have a quiet drink and read while waiting for a friend’s wedding because the lobby of the Westin St. Francis was a chaotic zoo. Bar Drake had comfortable couches, it was much more quiet and the bar tender made a good gin martini, straight up with a twist. Stirred not shaken, of course. You never shake good gin.
Of course it was a bit pricey but that’s to be expected at lobby bars in fancy hotels. I would definitely do it again if I was in San Francisco and required some quiet and a stiff drink.

Came here to start our girls night out. There was plenty of places to sit on a Friday night, which was nice cause we were wearing out sky high heals. The drinks here are really good, I had a drink that was a twist on a Pisco Sour and it was delicious, egg white and all! The hotel is gorgeous and added a little elegance to our night.
Didn’t try any of the food, but it did smell very good.

I love the way this lounge is in directly up the stairs from Powell Street and right in the same area as the lobby of Sir Francis Drake Hotel. The extremely high ceilings and décor have a regal to them. The staff here is very accommodating and the drink menu is versatile and fun! ;-)

Came here for a late afternoon snack before heading back to our hotel and driving back down to LA.
Not much to say. Came during the day, dessert was ok, kinda blah.
Anyways. I’m done.

I am a little biased because I was staying at the Drake, they give you a couple of free drinks. That being said, I loved the atmosphere and vibe. The bar was always packed with locals and travelers alike.
Chelsea was a great bartender, giving great recommendations for local restaurants and such. She was just a great spirit behind the bar.
The mixed drinks were always well made, and had a nice twist on traditional cocktails. If I lived here, I fell like it would be easy to be a regular.

The food and drinks are beautiful just like the space aside from the wierd red pirate statue thus only 4 stars.
And they are pet friendly in this hotel.

A friend & I were walking around Union Square in the drizzly rain, looking for a place to go have a few drinks in a nice setting… a doorman recommended the «little lounge at the Sir Frances Drake Hotel»
So we walked a few blocks & went to this lounge… it is directly to the right as soon as you walk into the Hotel. Very small but nice inside with a cozy fire going & comfy couches. We sat right next to the fire & was greeted by a very nice lady right away with a drink menu. (coming here you should automatically expect to pay higher prices) I ordered a glass of sparkling wine & it was about $ 18.00 a glass… I don’t know if it was just my love for San Fran or the ambiance or if it really was the wine but… the wine was some of the best wine I’ve ever tasted.
Here’s the only negative thing about this lounge (in my opinion)– there was a lot of older men here. I would say men ages 45+ … they came at us like piranhas haha the good thing about this place is my friend & I only had to pay for our first drink after that all of our million’s of drinks that night were paid for haha
My advise to girls my age– stay clear… unless your a gold digger! If you’re a gold digger… THIS PLACE IS FOR YOU! lol Enjoy.
I’m taking a star away for the sugar daddy vibe that crowds this place. ;)

Hmm, it seems strange to even call this a bar. There is certainly nothing speak-​easy about it. You walk into the hotel and cue Tag Team because Whoomp! There it is!
Seriously. You are a few feet away from the hotel’s check in counter. There’s not a whole lot else to say about this place.

This bar seems as old as some of the people working there. However, they also seem to share the same kind of charm…
Situated at the very top floor of the Sir Francis Drake Hotel, this bar and restaurant offers stellar views of San Francisco along with good wine and food.
My friend and I had their crab cakes along with a glass of red wine (for him) and a glass of white wine (for me). Both the cakes and the wine were just delicious! And the sun setting as we were there couldn’t of made it any better. Though I don’t quite know how I feel about them playing the Movies of James Bond soundtrack…
Apparently there is also dancing here at night, although we didn’t stay for that because 1. we had plans to have dinner elsewhere, and 2. I don’t think it would have really been our type of crowd.
But, for some good appetizers, some good wine, and a good view w/​great service, I cannot complain about this place.