Buddha Lounge

Mark is my favorite bartender in SF. The place is always hopping. The music rocks. The drinks are cheap. All Hail Mark and the Buddha Lounge!

Great service. The little old lady and the littler older man really wanted you to get what you want even if they don’t speak English. They’re famous for their Chinese Mai Thai and for 9 $ you had better order it even if it feels casually racist to do so. They either use Tiger Wine or Chinese Whiskey, mattering in if you all my friend’s Mom. Cool Buddha shaped beer bottles. Divey and fun.

For those that are keeping score at home, I search far and wide in SF for the greatest of great rocky bar stool establishment. Well welcome to the Buddah Lounge. You’re going there to meet Mark, the vibrant tender that brings the energy and uniqueness to light the dark walls. I think that’s what everyone is there for. A man that brings you one liners that only a great comedian can provide, but he isn’t even trying. That’s the Buddah Lounge.
A place where you can drink amongst people that are in it for the same thing but remembering to check the ego at the door or else Mark will make you in a single roll of the dice. Martini, whiskey,
Asian mystery concoction, or a Buddah beer — you have to cap the night with one. Just do you!

Great little stop in China town. Super low key and went here a few times. The bartenders were all very friendly.

Good prices bring some change because they dont play music unless you play the jukebox there was a full bar and i was the only one spending money on the jukebox while every one enjoyed my playlist no one wanted to spend a dollar to keep playing music.

Asks for the specialty Mai Tai, it’ll do the job! So good, the bartender is very nice. I deff recommend this place to sip and relax in the midst of your touring!

Nice dive bar on corner of Grant and Washington?
in any case, I normally go to Li Po across the way, but this place opens a bit earlier
they have started carrying coors light, so that is a good thing
this bar tends to have more tourists than Li Po, probably because it’s location makes it easier to stumble into
usually quite a bit louder and livelier crowd in here than Li Po too, so if that’s your thing, then this is the bar to choose!
found that its great to grab a couple beers at corner by door and just sit and watch the characters that come to visit Chinatown… just like watching reality TV!
fully stocked bar with many choices, not too expensive for san Francisco either, so if you need a rest and a drink in Chinatown, this is not a bad choice!

I’ve never had this much fun at a dive bar before! If you are bar hopping around Chinatown, this MUST be one of your stops. It’s a small bar but not too popular, so perfect for bringing a few friends over. I didn’t expect to stay for very long at first, but the bartender Mark is absolutely hilarious. At first I was annoyed because he only likes to pay attention to the section of the bar closest to the front door, but after a few drinks, calling him over didn’t bother me. Plus he needs to buzz you into the underground restroom, so don’t be shy to speak up.
Cocktails are pretty good. Wide variety of beers, including the iconic Buddha shaped beer bottle. I was even curious about all the Asian bottles of whiskey strewn across the back counter. But the true prize is getting to play Chinese dice games with Mark. Ask him to teach you Liar’s Dice or 1−4−24. You will have a blast and even make some friends on the other side of the bar like I did! Great bonding experience, and I’m totally coming back and bringing more friends to experience Buddha Lounge.

Third stop on a Chinatown bar crawl. It was Friday, August 7^th around 8pm. We stopped by for one drink.
The drink of choice? Jameson! Washed it down with a water back. The bartender was really cool and I really liked the vibe of the bar. Cool place to drop by for one drink or even hang out for a couple of rounds. Very mellow.
Another cash only bar, so remember to bring some money!

You know what? I’m gonna go ahead and disagree with my fellow Unilocal Community Manager pals who’ve visited this spot with me or before me. I don’t find the bathrooms creepy at all. IN fact, with the metal cage blocking the entrance to the basement that you must have someone buzz you in to go down — I felt safer in a restroom than I have in years.
Then again once you let a creepy dude or gal into the caged basement of hell, and you’re down there — all bets are off. This is either the safest basement bathroom or fresh toture if you get stuck down there.
But enough about my personal nightmares… Buddha Lounge Buddhay!!!
The drinks are cheap, and Mark is a goddamn riot (I love a dive bar bartender who isn’t afraid to tell you off with a smile on his face — insta buds!) Plus after losing my shirt playing dice I needed a laugh. That Mark, he’s a sly mofo, he acts like a victim and then BOOM, drops the hammer and wins out on dice every single time.
Drinks drank, dollars lost, good times all around — Def-​o a new fave spot in SF’s illustrious Chinatown!

«It was a hot and sweaty afternoon, the kind of afternoon that makes you see things… dicey things»
There’s no way I would have ever found this place if it wasn’t for my bud, Ruggy. He lived in the city for quite awhile and has a great sense for weird spots and amazing deals, like three-​dollar pizzas! But that’s a tale for another review.
A large group of us wandered through the streets of Chinatown for bit before coming to Buddha Lounge. Is it fancy? Not in the slightest. Do they have a bathroom? Yes, but it’s in the basement of what feel like a scene out of «Deer Hunter». Do they have three-​penis whiskey? Yes, but they were all out during my trip. Bummer
My friends and I ended owning the jukebox and playing 1−4−24 for about two hours. 1−4−24 is a dice game, in which you roll dice in hopes to get 24, but you also have to have a 1 and a 4 in your dice arsenal… you know what, just Google it. Beyond dice games and three-​penis whiskey, it’s pretty much a dive bar that look like something out of, «Full Metal Jacket», «Platoon» or pretty much any psychologically messed war movie of the same vane.
The bartender here is also pretty amazing, but be careful, this guy is 1−4−24 champ and he will get at least three of your five dollars. Buddha Lives!

Such a fun spot! Total dive, but with little touches that make it a solid bar. Play some dice, have a goof with Mark tending bar or put on some swanky tunes on the digital jukebox. Drinks are cheap, so the rounds keep coming. A great pre-​game spot before you hit the town or after you’ve crushed a bag of dumplings. Do it!

You say Mark, I say Mak. Or Mock. Or something. Anyways, this place is an absolute gem. It doesn’t fit a ton of people, but there are always fun people inside, and Mock makes this place 10,000 times better. Make sure you play one of the two dice games he’s totally willing to teach people. And know that if you play against him, he’ll win.
If you’re feeling adventurous, try the weird Chinese whiskey stuff in the weird porcelain bottle and chase it with a Buddha Beer. I guarantee you’ll love that you tried it, and absolutely despise the taste.
Wanna use the restroom? Have Mock buzz you downstairs, then wonder what goes on in that large room behind the gate. But seriously, this place is great. A unique experience to be sure.

So fun! Great music from the jukebox and Momma Lee is awesome! Good spot for a cold drink and some fantastic people!

Stopped in for a quick drink before strolling China town, SF. It’s a small dive bar that offers free popcorn and a juke box. Bartender lady is friendly and quick to make drinks! Not my type of bar but pretty awesome for quick drinks.
Bathroom is located down stairs in the basement, pretty scary and creepy. You’d also need to get buzzed in by the bartender.

Cute little place in Chinatown. The bartender was having a great time when I was there. We ordered 3 cocktails for 19 $ so Im not complaining. Like many other mentioned this is cash only. You can do some great people watching at this place– especially on a hot Saturday afternoon!

I am not from SF, but was in town for work and thought I would check Chinatown out like I do in every city. I am not Chinese, but I lived with a Chinese guy once, so I’m pretty good, also I am really good a Street Fighter, I digress.
I walked into Buddha bar and ordered a round of drinks for 2 of my best friends. These guys are great, except for Stefan, that dude is the worst.
After a few drinks I had to urinate, so the bartender buzzed me into the basement area…(I know, why would the basement have the same security as a New York City apartment) and went to the bathroom. Before I could get back up the steps the lights started flickering and a dragon came out of the ground. At first, I was like «you know, I knew I would see a dragon today, just one of those days», then I was like «holy smokes, a dragon». After the dragon killed me, (I was grossly under prepared to fight a dragon. I mean he could barely move, since we were in a basement, but what am I going to do, punch a dragon, yeah good luck with that Buddhay {Pronounce that buddy and it’s clever}) I woke up and was sitting upstairs the entire time, I had just went on myself!
Buddha Lounge has the best acid.

Super dive. I love liars dice and the Buddha beer bottles.
Bartender provided peanuts /​popcorn. Pretty much a basic small little dive that I will return to frequently!
By the way, play Liars Dice against the bartender and tell me if you win ;).

A Chinatown SF dive bar known for 2 drinks:
1.) Chinese Whiskey Mai Tai. It comes in a Chinese canister and tastes herbally/​flowery. It tastes very weak, but is a creeper drink and is stronger than you think. Worth it for a bar crawl /​on the way to North Beach 3 blocks away.
2.) Buddha Beer — light Heineken-​like beer in a unique Buddha shaped bottle. Fun novelty, but it’s not that great a beer.

For my money, MaiTais at Buddha Lounge beat LiPo — cool dive-​bar vibe is better, too…
PROS: Corner of the street locale, good for a quick in-​out adult beverage if you’re on a pub crawl; decent jukebox; decent pours — I like the taste of alcohol in my adult beverages
CONS: Cash only — but nearly every bar in CTown seems to be cash only
We liked the Buddha. .. tasty MaiTais, friendly service and a good location.
Cheers!
RL