Romper Room

Good, strong drinks. Pricey, but worth it. And for the area that’s it’s in, the price is kind of expected. I’ve only been here when it’s pretty empty, so I had great service. They don’t really provide a menu, but if you name something, they’ll make it. Great music selection, awesome ambience. It’s a hit or miss though. Quirky is the perfect word to describe this place. I love coming back and bringing my friends.

Terrible service. Worse tranparency. Let their friend win trivia night. Never ever ever ever ever ever go there

My friends and I came in here during the Chinese New Year parade to escape the chaos, use the restroom, and have a drink. The bartender, a young man with a striped shirt who’s name I didn’t get, said he needed to see our ID’s and that bathrooms were for customers only. As we got our ID’s out and told him we intended to buy drinks after we used the restroom he turned to a girl sitting at the bar and said «I don’t need these wanderers sh#%%ing in my bathroom stinking up the place.» She nodded in agreement and they shared a laugh. I asked if I could get a drink before I used the restroom since there was a line. He said that was fine and proceeded to check the ID’s of people who came in after us and help them with their drinks. I won’t speculate as to why we were treated this way but based on this experience I won’t be returning.

I wasn’t impressed with this place at all. I came in with a work group and waited over 30 minutes to even make eye contact with the bartender to order a drink. The bartenders were working as quickly as they could, but for two people working one cash register nothing felt efficient at all. I ended up going home before even ordering my drink. I don’t feel the need to ever go back here, but they did have a cute little upstairs space with some seating which is nice to have.

This place is so fun and quirky. Gets busy and it isn’t very big but the drinks are great and overall a fun place. Great for an earlier happy hour before it gets too packed.

I’m a VERY patient person… but when you don’t take my drink order after 15 minutes of me trying to get your attention with my card in hand and looking right at you, I get annoyed and then mad. Especially when you take everyone else’s order around me including the whole team of people I came in with, the group of people that came after me, and the random businessmen demanding their drinks.
My coworker went up to the bar and ordered my drinks for me, you knew the drinks were for me, and yet you just threw the check on the counter and walked away.
Your service sucks and yeah I didn’t tip you.
It wasn’t like the bar was packed. Learn how to do the job you’re doing or leave the industry.
If it takes 2:37 for one person to serve more than 8 people, I’d have given you a 5 star rating.

I’ve loved all the bars in this location, but this one is my fave. I love the crowd it attracts for happy hour on Fridays — very mixed. Fabulous cocktails too.

Fazit: Mega coole Bar in einem abgelegenen Zwischenabschnitt direkt am Union Square!
Ein Raum
Eine Treppe hoch in die Empore
Das war’s
Ein kleines Geheimnis
Coole Bartender Jungs
Drinks Fine
Mucke gut (R&B Mix)
Rötliche beruhigende Farbe an einem Holztresen
Ein paar Bier vom Tap — passt
Leckere Coctails — obwohl ich ja eher den Classic Drink bevorzuge
Preis ok für Cisco Verhältnisse
Ich komme sehr gerne wieder

Cool spot. Cool @$$ bartenders. Not cheap drinks, but I got a free birthday shot and a free karaōke shot #winning. #Phil killed the Lil Wayne. #madflows lol. Definitely coming back.

Order a Dirty Martini and that will determine the bartenders’ abilities. I’ve had many in my drinking days and the ones made here are not so bueno. The first attempt was pretty much all vodka. So I asked him to make it again. He said something like «How terrible can it be? It’s hard to mess up a Dirty Martini.» He took a sip and didn’t say anything. He made me another one. Just as bad. Couldn’t figure out if it was too much vodka or vermouth. I think I puked in my mouth as I was drinking it. The service/​atmosphere isn’t bad. Making a shitty Dirty Martini is enough for me to never come back.

Came here on a Thrusday night and what a random find this place was. Started off a sports bar nearby and wanted to switch it up so we ended up here thanks to Unilocal!
This bar was unlike any bar i’ve ever been to before. Everything was bright pink & cheetah and the walls almost looked like an optical illusion. The drinks were all funky and sounded delicious. I ordered the Otis Gimlet which was gin and fruity deliciousness. My friend ordered a margarita with pop rocks in it! Not sure what it was called but it was so yummy! Their other drinks had lucky charms in them and other crazy things like that.
My friend and I sat upstairs in the «Leopard Lounge» which as you can imagine is completely leopard themed. I felt like i was in another world. Also didn’t seem like this place fit in Union Square/​FiDi area. More of a mission vibe. But either way I loved it and will 100% go back and try every single one of their cocktails!

Came on a Monday, not expecting a crowd, but there was!!! Apparently I came on a trivia night with my best friend and ended up having a blast on 90s trivia night! The bartender who tended up was named Phill and def added to our positive experience here. We will definitely be back on Mondays and highly recommend it to fellow shy or quiet persons looking to participate or even just observe as I did. I ordered a Long Island and mannnn it was so strong!

The music is soooo loud you can’t hear your conversation. Drinks are pricy for what you get. The layout is super squished so you constantly have people bumping into you if your back isn’t facing the wall. Passsssssssss

This place is a fun, spacious (at least when I went on a Friday afternoon) bar with delicious drinks. It has two levels with the upstairs floor filled with many tables. This is a great spot to actually hear one another and catch up with friends.
I found this place on Thrillist and it was listed as a secret bar so I was tempted not to write a review, but I do highly recommend this place. I tried three of their whiskey cocktails and all were great, my friend recommends their vodka cocktail with elderberry (tasted like candy).

Walked down Maiden Lane yesterday and spotted an open door below red neon.
Romper Room was a former club. Now it’s a coffee bar nook and café.
At the doorway I could see red bags of Ritual coffee at the Iron Horse Coffee Bar, the front part of Romper Room.
The barista was super friendly and a line developed really quickly with thirsty coffee-​loving patrons.
There are pretty blue folding tables and chairs outside for sitting if you feel inclined to do so.
It’s chilly outside. Get a hot beverage on Maiden Lane here at RR if you’re in the ‘hood.

Two of those four stars are really for the location (in FiDi, on Maiden Lane, steps from Kearny St). Totally convenient both as a pre– or mid-​game spot. The inside is like a clean bright dive bar.
Other than that, two-​ish stars since I’m still not impress with the cocktails, even less at the price point. It’s also never seem to be crowded if you prefer.
Milestone: the 7,000^th Cool vote’s review.

Many of you might know that Romper Room is a throwback to a popular children’s show from the 1960’s. Therefore, they are getting a report card instead of a simple review:
A+ for the music selection. On both visits, I found myself pulling out the Shazam app to figure out the artist or name of the tune in the queue. Whatever Pandora or Spotify station they’re using, well played!
B+ goes to Romper Room for the ambiance and décor — definitely one of the more fun/​funky drinking holes around Union Square that bunks the typical San Francisco bar expectations. No succulents or reclaimed wood will be found here; rather, it’s all about the leopard print and hot pink. Some might say it’s a bit much, but I like it!
C– for the drinks. If you are going to charge $ 12 for drinks, they should better. They’re not bad by any means, but if I’m spending craft cocktail money then I should get a craft cocktail.
Overall, Romper Room feels like a friend’s bar. A friend that I would’ve had in my early 20’s, post-​college. It’s fun, it’s cool, but has a little growing up to do. But hey, with a name like Romper Room, what should one expect?

Oh, Otis, where have you gone?
This place used to be called Otis, and I’m assuming it’s under new ownership now. The décor is all different, the ladies’ bathroom looks like a looney circus tent (you’ll see what I mean once you go in there), and the Old Fashioned was not good. I miss you, Otis.
The good: the windows now open upstairs! They used to be sealed shut. Romper Room will learn its lesson in due time.
The bad: drinks made me sad.

Very minimalist. Loved the hot pink and red décor though. I guess when you have such bright colors, you don’t need much else. Oh yeah, you need fantastic cocktails!
No paper menu’s, they’re all a tv screen… Which was not working when we got there. But the bartenders were very friendly and helped pick out a great drink. The menu did end up popping up on the screen and there were only five cocktails listed. So I guess if you don’t want those, you just ask for your go to drink. Like I said, minimalist.
I had the Tiny Dancer, which had Ketel One, grapefruit, elderflower, fresh strawberries and sage. I’m not usually a vodka fan, but it was very refreshing. And the bartenders made the drink less sweet like I asked. I was very happy with my tiny cocktail!

This place has a very cute style! It’s all pink and the upstairs is decked out in leopard print with big gigantic windows that overlook the street. So, upon first impression, I thought I would really like this place. It is super cute! I even bumped into SF CM Abby S. which was an awesome surprise!
Now despite the cute style, the drinks were pricey. All the drinks were like $ 12 which would be fine if they were good, but they just weren’t. My friend ordered two different drinks and didn’t like either. I think she even left the second one behind. The menu is pretty limited too.
I didn’t care for my drinks either and the beer menu is limited too. I ordered one of the cocktails off the menu and the bartender tried to convince me to get it without Red Bull… which was what it came with as per the menu description. She continued to explain to me how it wasn’t good and that it didn’t make the drink taste any better. So I let her make it however she wanted, but I thought it was just weird for her to tell me how she didn’t like the drink as is. I didn’t prompt her about it or ask her; this was all her, so I let her make it how she wanted, with soda. The drink wasn’t very good, so for my second drink, I switched to another one off the menu and I didn’t care for that one either.
I came at Happy Hour on a weekday (mid-​week too), so I kind of expected there to be a deal on, but there wasn’t any. I don’t know… I’m not a huge bar person, but considering our group of 4 didn’t care for any of our drinks (we each got 2)…I just don’t see myself coming back here.
If the drinks were better though, this is perfect for a girls night out. Also, none of our drinks looked like any of those in the pictures on here, and between the 4 of us, we must have ordered most of the menu. Ours just came in small cocktail glasses with no garnishes. Was this just an off night? It wasn’t even busy though.

Met up Peter L here last Tuesday. I’d been to this space when it was Otis ages ago, but the layout more or less remains the same. The space itself is decorated a little hipper and swankier. There’s also a trippy painting in the main bar area. Upstairs they have a leopard themed lounge. I never made my way up there, but you should check it out if you’re curious.
There’s a lit sign with their cocktail list. Cocktails are $ 12 each. When I got there, our group of four ordered the following:
–Tiny dancer: ketel one vodka, pink grapefruit, elderflower, fresh strawberries, sage
–Shot caller: ketel one vodka, blueberries, basil, lemon, red bull, housemade grenadine
–Mexican mai tai: espolon blanco tequila, fresh pineapple, almond syrup, jalapeño, lime, maraschino
–Otis gimlet: bombay sapphire gin, fresh mint, lime juice, fresh strawberries, housemade grenadine
Peter also mixed it up and ordered a Maker’s mark manhattan ($ 9). I was in the mood for something lighter, so the Tiny dancer and Shot caller were perfect for me. Both were light and fruity, but not too sweet.
Romper room is a really cool place to chill and grab some drinks. Since it was a Tuesday night, we were able to grab a couple seats by the bar. A nice way to start a Tuesday evening.