El Rio

I'm not sure why I've been so lackadaisical about writing my personal appraisal of El Rio. I've been just a handful of times in the past year, and honestly not been disappointed with my experiences here. The only times that dishearten me was when they decided to close the bar for private events, often leaving me disgruntled to find another place to wet my whistle.I can think of worse things in life like JD Vance becoming VP. Now that would be a tragedy. I usually find myself here when they open at 5PM during the week. Jasmine has been my bartender of choice, and she makes a mean cocktail whether it be a rollicking $8 Tequila Sunrise (photo: https://yelp.to/zp4Bw0t2Cx) or one of the house specialties, the smoothly spiky $12 Margarita Silencio Mezcal (photo: https://yelp.to/NJiZldM8EI).More often than not, I find myself sauntering over to the expansive back patio where one part was usually being decorated for an imminent group event, while the remainder was free for solitary drinkers looking for a moment of reflection while imbibing a libation or three. I've yet to have a problem of overstaying my welcome, but then again, that's part of the inclusive nature of El Rio. Indeed I belong here.DRINKS - 4 stars...not lethal but potent enough to make me think the Carmen Miranda cutout actually movedAMBIANCE - 4.5 stars...it may have the only vibe in SF close in spirit to WeHo spots like The AbbeySERVICE - 4 stars...usually greeted with genuine enthusiasm...Jasmine is a gem of a bartenderTOTAL - 4 stars...if you need space for your cavorting, this be itRELATED - Exploring Bernal Heights? Here's my collection of places I've tried and reviewed: https://bit.ly/2CaaWFe

This past week we visited El Rio. This is a dive bar located in the mission district. Surprisingly this was my first time ever visiting, as I have lived within the neighborhood for almost 30 yrs. We met friends at El Rio for drinks as KQED hosted trivia night. The bar does not serve any food, it's strictly for drinks. There is a back patio that makes you feel at home. The patio has tables to sit at and a small stage area where the DJ does their thang. If you put together the awesome vibe and the back patio along with friends to hang and have good drinks I can honestly say it was a pretty fun night. Our group "Los Enamorados" won 2nd place during trivia, we ended up grabbing a free KQED grocery bag and a tequila shot. After trivia, the DJ started throwing some good jams out and the crowd started dancing. Fun, relaxing night filled with laughs.

Big ups for the outdoor patio area; it's big, now with awnings to protect you from the rain, and a stage for the DJ. When a party is going on with an outdoor DJ, this is the place to be. El Rio hosts various fun queer parties; check out their IG for event details. Mango is a fun one for the female-leaning peeps. For some events they have food, but otherwise you can only get snacks at the bar, like popcorn. Their cocktails and beer options are nothing special.

WORST BARTENDERS IN SAN FRANCISCO. Good luck getting a drink and don't expect good customer services.

We were next door at Mothership's patio when we heard 90s music jammin' from El Rio's patio. Closed our tab and scurried over to El Rio. Except when we got there, the bartender told us Bingo Night is starting in several minutes (so the music will be cut).*WHOMP WHOMP WHOMP*"SO, that one time I gave my taxi cab driver a BJ...."  - Bingo Caller Dayam, this ain't your grandparent's bingo...and I'm here for it!So, we stayed...I got so excited for the storytelling that I spilled my Hendrick's in the process and nearly fell...¯\_(ツ)_/¯Even though we didn't come for bingo night, the storytelling did NOT disappoint. Neither did the friendly bartender, chill [small and distanced] crowd, and awesome dog-friendly patio with secluded nooks...SO much better than Zeitgeist!OTHER NOTES:* El Rio has been open for nearly 44 years!* Super nice masked bartender (he was by himself).* It's a dive bar so PBRs and wells, though they do have some top-shelf selections. They're known for their bloody mary. * One hella generous pour of Hendrick's, one Fernet neat, and one soda = ~$25 (pre-tip).* Crowd: On a Wednesday evening, it was a mixed crowd of 20-30 somethings. * EVENTS:  --Bingo nights are every 2nd and 4th Wednesday of the month, from 7 PM - 9 PM.  --Live music on weekends; sometimes there's a cover charge. --Salsa Sundays.* Rotating local food vendors. On the night I visited, Tex's BBQ was selling link plates ($10) and rib plates ($12). * Photo booth in the patio. * Clean restrooms with TP for daaaays. * $10 min. for cc's.  * Very difficult metered and residential parking so Uber/Lyft there.

Fun venue indoors and outdoors catered to lgbt but everyone is welcome. Great latin events.

Heard so many good things about this place on social media so I HAD to come here to see for myself!!! We went here for the Queer as Fourth day party. El Rio EXCEEDED my expectations! I was expecting a regular degular experience but omg this quickly rose to the top of my list for places to party! I've never felt so safe in a venue! Bartenders and the crowd were super friendly! The music? 12/10!!! I can't wait to come back and this is definitely gonna become a staple for me and the homies ;)

This place is a good bar with good drink selections. There is also lots of room in the back of this bar. A cool place to go.

Came here while celebrating pride this last Saturday, was pretty busy but not too overwhelming. Ambiance was nice and the DJ had some great tracks playing! Not a lot of seating but understandable especially during the last week of pride. Don't really agree with other reviews in regard to the bartenders; they got around to us pretty quickly and actually listened to me when I asked for a "light pour" which I really appreciate! That night I was feeling pretty generous so I'd been giving out bigger bills as tips to staff and one of the bartenders was nice enough to not charge me for my first drink! Highly recommend for anyone wanting to bar hop at queer friendly establishments.

One of the few queer bars in SF that is welcoming to all queer people and not transphobic or misogynistic like some places in the Castro. Super yummy drinks, friendly staff, very cute vibe, and great events! One of my favorite bars in SF!