House of Shields

Ok. You have alcohol back there, 1 star. There is a dude at the front checking IDs, 1 star. You have ice, 1 star. Cucumber? Energy drinks? Prosecco? Fresh herbs? No.
Who’s your target crowd? Not sure.
Maybe you like it this way.
Your answer: «We’re not THAT bar.»
Bye Felicia.

Great drinks and very professonal bar staff.

We initially walked in here to start our night of drinking but it was pretty empty and no TVs (there was a warriors game on). So after the game, we came back and it was a little more hopping. But we were still able to snag a table in the back. They also have an upstairs area but not sure if that was open to the public at the time. I have a couple of friends who are regulars here so I let them order. I tried the Gold rush. It’s bourbon, honey and lemon served in one of those old timey champagne glasses. It was delicious and strong. It’s dark and the ambiance is very intimate. I only tried the one drink but I wouldn’t mind coming back to try some of their other cocktails.

I recently hosted a private reception at HOS. Eric Passetti was very communicative and returned emails promptly. I knew the cocktails would be delicious but what was a pleasant surprise was the food – I requested all-​vegetarian appetizers and Eric put together a great (and plentiful) menu.
The upstairs loft was a great setup and location for the event. I only wish I had thought to reserve an extra hour because our guests were having such a good time.
When we have another event, we will think of HOS.

The Moscow mule is made perfectly every time I order one for me and all my friends.
When in the downtown area this is easily one of the best places to come.
They could use more seats but it’s not that bad if your in a bigger group than 4

We found this place in the area of where our Hotel was. It is very cool inside, diverse crowd and a very knowledgeable bartender! He could really mix up any concoction you can think of or just tell him what you like and voila he’s got something special for you. Love the old, cool décor and lovely chandeliers. Great Place to bring out of town guests!

I mean, I came here for an alumni happy hour so I had a ball. The bartenders are friendly. Would I come again? Maybe if in the direct area or I worked nearby?

Great happy hour spot! The company I intern with reserved the upper floor for us after hours one recent evening, and it was perfect all for us away from the crowd and chatter down below. We could hear each other talk, cocktails were tasty and made to preference, and the ambiance made for a nice evening spent.

The ONLY REASON to come to this bar is one of the bartenders has the most awesome and amazing Christopher Walken impression! I have tried to drop random quotes from his movies and he will break them out in perfect form!
The cocktail drinks are made slowly and with care (tasty). The time taken might slow down service which is cause for concern when crowded (not usual), but worth it in the end. However the atmosphere of the other bartenders make it appear that they are only working there sarcastically.
Again, not sure of his name, but «Christopher Walken Bartender»… You Rock, Make Awesome Drinks, are a blast to be around and make this bar worth it. Without you, this place is a depressing dark wooded gin joint with bad plumbing.

Is there an upstairs or another room or is this bar just quite small? There’s not really a good place to stand around and there are very few seats, so it’s a bit awkward, especially carrying a purse and briefcase and whatnot after work.
A coworker of mine suggested this place for an office happy hour destination but I cannot see this being fun to go to in a group. When I went, I was with a girlfriend and the bartender was really awkward about asking for IDs, I was unsure of whether he was asking for mine and or my friend’s. He should’ve just asked for both of them with conviction to be polite if he was unsure of just one of us. I ordered a dirty martini and it wasn’t dirty enough. It really didn’t taste dirty at all. At the time, I wondered if maybe I had just been drinking unsophisticated dirty martinis, but then I realized that I’ve had dirty martinis at the Top of the Mark, The View, et al. and I’m quite certain that I haven’t been getting poorly made martinis at EVERY spot aside from this one. The martini was at least $ 12 too.
I would go back here for a beer if somebody invited me but I wouldn’t go rushing back out of choice.

I’m a fan!
Cheap beer.
Diverse Crowd.
Nice selection of scotch and whiskey and the bartenders can whip up a nice martini according to my wife.
Cool build out too with a lot of wood and ornate design features on the pillars and ceilings — great light fixtures as well, which give it a very old timey vibe. It’s dark, a bit of a dive but with a lot of character and charm. The neon sign out front reminds me of LA’s «Seven Grand.»
Supposedly, there’s an underground tunnel that leads to the hotel that was used by thirsty patrons during prohibition. Not sure how true this is but it makes for a cool story.
At the end of the day, it’s a great place to start or end the night!

Okay I’ve been wanting to come here for a while it definitely it has its charm. No TV’s just drinks. It was pretty packed on a Friday even though there was no real happy hour.
The crowd is a little more mature then the surrounding bars and for me thats a big plus +2 stars just for that.
The bartenders seemed really helpful and cool. And we were able to find a booth seat another plus.
The old school décor and cool dark ambiance was also very different. I’m sure my company would love to go again its different enough to make it a unique place in SOMA for us.

I find house of shields to be an okay place to hang out. I was a bit miffed by $ 12 drinks and really lax service. But I can’t get everything I want, right?
It’s a rather narrow space, but extends along the front of the building, and maintains a classic look with tile floor, wooden booths, and a bar that has wooden shields embedded into it. The vibe of the space is a little odd — a place that hearkens back to a previous, simpler time where boozing was done in secret and illegally, but falls short of the charm of some of the other speakeasies in the city.
It certainly has classic drinks like moscow mules in copper cups, and a pretty good old fashioned. The thing that irks me a bit about this place though, is that sometimes I can feel slighted by the service, like when I tried to order two old fashioned and it took 15 mins to get them! I know drinks can take a while, and I know I should be more patient, but the drink is also $ 12!
I expect to have to wait at Zeitgeist, and I expect to be intentionally demoralized there when I go to order, but I think the classic watering hole should have a slightly higher bar for service!

HOS offers a nice dimly lit bar, easily accessible to the working SOMA crowd. As most bars in the area the music volume is almost always unnecessarily louder than needs to be.
Bartenders here have all been world class in my experience — these guys make it worth coming back.
HOS gets stars for accessibility and not doing anything wrong, but it doesnt do anything memorable hence only the 3 stars.

Este bar é bem legal, principalmente porque existe há muito tempo. Com essa vibe meio speakeasy você pode tomar bons cocktails, uma cervejinha ou vinho e sentar com os amigos em um dos box.
Provei o Moscow Mule e achei bem feito. Foi servido em um copo de metal gelado como deve ser. Os drinks com whiskey e rum envelhecido também são ótimas pedidas. E você vai perceber que o bar ainda tem uma cara de ser do começo do século XX.
O serviço é educado mas não é fantástico, os preços são na média dos bares do Financial District.

Whether it’s Happy Hour or a midnight capper, House of Shields tends to get the call more than most SOMA spots. It has just about everything for everyone: killer drink selection, plenty of space, friendly bartenders, and a decent crowd just about every night. What’s more amazing to me is that this place has been around for more than 100 years, real talk.
Wine-​os, cocktail lovers, beer enthusiasts, there is something for everyone. As a man of the cocktail, I’ve had more than enough moscow mules here to consider myself a semi-​regular (when I’m around). Served in a chilled metal cup with with a handle, it beats holding a glass any day. I can also vouch for their old fashioned as well, which is very potent.
The rustic décor is a nice change of pace from the overly white collar neighborhood. Ambiance is never dull and the intimate vibe makes this place more about the company vibe than the usual nightlife aura. Even the bathrooms are fairly retro, but in a vintage early 1900s kind of way.
Timing is everything. If you come during a primetime hour, finding a place to sit or stand can be tough. The second level is not keen to good ventilation and the booths downstairs are really 4 person areas at best. Sometimes it’s kind of nice to sit at the bar and get pulled into some good conversation while sipping your poison.
Be good to the bartenders and they’ll be super awesome right back. Don’t be afraid to request for a bigger pour and even though the accept credit cards, cash is always king.

What a cosy, quaint, cute spot!
After an evening of amazing food, getting lost in a mirror maze, and way too many bad jokes, we stopped by House of Shields for a drink. Walking into this wooden haven of old timey San Francisco was a delight, and I felt like I should have brought my porkpie hat and perhaps a cigar (unlit, of course) to fit in! This treat of a spot has intimate little booths that we squeezed our group into, then ordered our cocktails and beer from the bartender. My cocktail had elderflower in it (I can’t remember what else), and was tasty. The prices are reasonable, and the service prompt and efficient, especially for being quite busy.
I feel like this is a bit of a hidden gem because it looks almost divey, or super stuffy from the outside, so I hesitate to write this and reveal my secret… but you guys probably already knew about it, right?

Me contaron que este bar existe desde 1925 (o ahí lo vi, no sé). Muy bien ubicado, es –por lo que vi– un lugar muy concurrido para todos los que trabajan en el Financial District después de godinear todo el día. Tragos largos tradicionales a precio regular. El mobiliario está super cuidado: los boots, el mosaico del piso, la barra, vamos; hasta el baño tiene algunos muebles originales de aquella época, cosa que lo hace ver literalmente de otra época. Aunque no tienen dijey, el playlist es bueno y actual, a buen volumen para poder platicar. De día es oscurón pero se filtra la luz por las ventanas, de noche la luz es super suave, pero perfecto para que todos los gatos se vuelvan pardos. Ojo, parece que el secamanos da toques.

This is a pretty good spot for grabbing those well deserved drinks after leaving the office. It’s got an intimate, low key vibe and it feels classic but not fancy. You’ll find plenty of people in suits, so do not expect the hipster crowd. They have a small but interesting selection of drinks and the barmen are pretty good at their job, meaning your 12 USD per glass will probably not be regreted.
If you fancy a beer, then this is probably not the best spot for you. They do have a few, but they are not so interesting and their prices not so friendly. All in all, I’d say this bar works for catching up with friends, enjoying a nice cocktial.

Super fan de l’endroit ! Sans doute parce qu’on se croirait dans un film ricain des années 20, mode prohibition. Le temps s’est complètement arrêté ! Plafond haut, ambiance tamisée, bar ultra-​complet niveau alcools, et ces jolies alcôves…On y vient pour siroter des pale-​ale ou IPA au fût, ou pour les cocktails — jetez-​vous sur l’elderflower royal — préparés avec soin par les barmens classy !

J’aime vraiment bien ce bar. Il y a un côté pub super décontracté et un peu «dive bar» sur les bords, et en même temps le lieu a vraiment un côté super chouette avec ses banquettes, ses cocktails, ses boiseries, son plafond haut et ses barmen qui s’y connaissent vraiment bien en cocktails. Et le choix en bières, cocktails ou alcools purs est plutôt cool aussi.
En résumé, le House of Shields est parfait pour :
— un verre à la cool dans une ambiance «normale» et pas branchée pour un sou
— se poser tranquillement dans un box et pouvoir parler et bien rigoler entre collègues
— des boissons vraiment pas mauvaises en prime
Adresse multi-​validée d’année en année !

Came here on a rainy Friday night. We had some time to kill before our dinner reservation, so Peter L suggested House of Shields. I’ve never been here before, so I was down to check it out.
Walking in, HoS has a very dark, old school kind of vibe. A little dive bar mixed with old charm. Dark large booths and lots of wood. We had a group of 5 people and luckily were able to claim a large booth.
Scrolling through Unilocal,it seemed like the Moscow Mule was the drink to get. But Peter suggested the Gold rush: bourbon, honey, lemon ($ 11 each) instead. I’ve never actually had a Gold rush, so I figured why not try it. It was good. The citrus went nicely with the bourbon. I actually didn’t care for the honey flavor since I’m not a huge fan of honey as a sweetener. But it was subtle, so it didn’t totally bother me.
For a rainy night, it was fun ducking into HoS for a quick drink. Would like to try some more as the Smoke Stack and Brooklyn sounded mighty tasty!

Really slow service tonight.
Dark with lots of old wood. Plenty of wood booths and comfortable bar. Loud 60s music.
Bar tenders are courteous and fast and know their drinks. Excellent classic cocktails with large, single blocks of ice. Good selection of bottled beers, including Duvel. A nice, «traditional» atmosphere. Wonderful place for a drink.
A great Old Fashion and Sazerac.
This is what a cocktail bar should be like!
But, no Wi-​Fi and they want a credit card AND an ID for a Moscow Mule because they are afraid of losing the copper mugs.

House of Shields rivals any SoMa bar in drink quality and overall atmosphere. Between the high shelves behind the bar, the mixology skills of the bartenders and the colorful mix of business casual and just plain crazy patrons, it’s hard not to have a good time here.
Slink to the back and you’ll find a second level that is usually dark and barely occupied on weekdays. I like to come up here and people-​watch, although I know that sounds kind of creepy. It can get loud downstairs so this perch is better for small groups and conversations.
A shout out as well to the bartenders. Good attitudes are contagious and on my multiple visits I’ve always seen smiles from these guys. Keep up the good vibes and drink-​slinging and I’ll keep spreading the word.

J’ai l’impression de sortir à peine de ce bar (alors que j’écris ces mots à 8h du matin !) surement parce qu’on y a passé une super soirée !
Après la journée au bureau, un diner entre collègues, j’ai décidé d’en rejoindre d’autres dans ce bar. La devanture né paye vraiment pas de mine, ça ressemble à un dive bar, encore un.
Bref, j’entre. Et là je suis très agréablement surprise par l’ambiance (le volume sonore est correct (contrairement à beaucoup d’autres lieux aux US), on s’entend parler, et c’est tant mieux parce qu’on avait prévu ça, de parler !
La déco: hauteur de plafond de folie, comme une ambiance de prohibition qui y règne, la lumière se tamise, plus on avance dans la nuit, très bonne impression.
Ils ont un bon choix de bière ! J’ai pris une Matilda en pression, bière locale, ambrée, légèrement amère, mais pas trop (enfin bien comme j’aime !). Le barman est super pro, enfin je veux dire il est très impliqué dans son travail: il n’était pas sur que ma bière soit fraiche alors il s’en est servi un petit fond avant de me la servir !
Et mon collègue CM de Séville qui était avec nous, a eu une bière de fond de fût, qui n’était pas remplie jusqu’en haut. Le barman, lui en a offert une autre.
Le service aux US c’est quand même fou ! On y est pas habitués, mais moi perso, je m’y fais bien :)