House of Shields

This is an historic bar across the street from the Palace Hotel. Rumor has it, President Warren G Harding was here getting housed when he died. In order to not cause a commotion that he was drinking, they snuck him back to his presidential suite at the Palace Hotel via n underground secret passageway. When I went, the passageway was long closed. It's now a sewage line or something gross. You can feel the history in this place. It's a great place for an intimate gathering, where there's a few booths that are good for a huddled drink. The bar is overall kinda quiet. There's rich wood surfaces carved with intricate designs all over the place here. They don't make bars like this anymore. The beer list isn't too impressive, but they serve a lot of cocktails. Keep an eye out for the Warren G. drink that's a sly homage to the president that may or may not have died here. The service was fast, professional, and kinda aloof. They serve Guinness on tap, but the guy didn't see fit to let the foam settle before topping it off. Whatevs. As long as the drinks come quickly and cheaply. I didn't see any famous shields here, no Brooke Shields, no Colin Shields. The bathroom was small and clean.

Great local bar across from the Marriott. At the time of our visit, it was somewhat hidden behind a construction wall, but we managed to find the front door (also successfully found it on our way out -- after a few cocktails).Shanty (sp?) is an excellent bartender who knows how to make a proper Negroni and a decent (Rye) Manhattan; he was also very adept at keeping up with the numerous customers, and knowing their beverage of choice. The place can get pretty busy, depending on the day and time you arrive, but it's a favorite go-to for my brother and I when we're in town for a music festival or whatever.On a prior stay at the Marriott, the House was closed for a private party (regrettably, we weren't invited), so if you have a special occasion, you could do worse.Trivia note: the place got its name from the clientele that used to hang out there (and maybe they still do -- just not in uniform).

Anyone that knows me knows I'm all about speakeasy type bars. Reason being that speakeasys generally have more of the hard to find liquors and creative bartenders. On Thursday a buddy of mine were in town for a concert and had some time to kill before doors opened. I googled speakeasys and came across this place. We Uber'd over and the place was relatively empty, (only about 3 or 4 other people). The place has a very classic feel with all dark woods and no televisions. They really want to lean into the old timey feel with this establishment and I appreciated it. We bellied up to the bar and were quickly greeted by Lenny.I decided to start off with an Industry Sour. This is a cocktail that is equal parts Green Chartreuse, Frenet Branca, Lime Juice and Simple Syrup. Normally when I make this at home or order them at a bar I tend to swap out the Frenet for another Amaro as Frenet is a bit minty for my taste. I asked Lenny if he thought the drink would be good with Averna and he said it would be too sweet. He let me taste the Averna and I agreed with him. So I decided to just go with the drink as spec'd. Lenny made it. I took a sip and I gotta say it was probably the best Industry Sour I've ever had. When I asked him about it, Lenny noted that he put a bit of saline solution in the drink. This made all the difference in the world and illustrates what I love about speakeasy's. Lenny knew just what the drink needed to take it to the next level.So for the rest of the night I just left it in Lenny's hands and every drink he made was great. I asked him what he would make with Smith and Cross Rum and he said a Last Word. Sounded crazy to me, but it was another great drink.Next time I'm in town and looking for some tasty cocktails, House of Shields will definitely be high on my list.

I've been here for a few after work happy hours and it's usually pretty mellow. Me and my girlfriends decided to check out the Downtown First Thursday block party. On our way to the Bart station this place had music blasting from it, which confused me. When we looked in we saw a DJ & a full house of people having a blast. We went in and ended up staying until the end. OMG the vibes were amazing! The drinks were really good and the DJ was playing music our souls needed to hear! (my friend is actually in the process of booking him for her wedding). I've never seen this bar like that. Now we try to go every first Thursday we can. 10/10 would recommend. Order the espresso martini, so good!!

Great ambiance and service. A no nonsense bar where you can get a great cocktail and good conversation with friends.

Great bar with a nice ambiance! The cocktails here aren't too different from what you'd find elsewhere, but taste great!

this place is beautiful and I think I liked it more because I got taken here recently for birthday drinks so there's a sentimental value but honestly this place could use some oomph. I mean the cocktails were actually pretty good, I had the red dress (gentle reminder HOS that you need to update your menu on your site cuz the menu I saw 2 weeks ago WAS NOT on your site) anyway, and this other bourbon almost julep like drink but spicier and I believe it had amaro nonnino omg it was so yummy. I forget the name but it was very good. My issue I think was the atmosphere, although it is studded with old sculptures and ornate architecture, it was way too bright, dim that b!!! maybe add candles? make it a date or like sophisticated bar as intended, it just seems like a sad bright sports bar without the tvs now (they were playing dad rock all night) idk love it but the vibe needs help.

All places are crowded on the last Thursday of the month. For this month, we were lucky enough to find some seats at the bar. The bartender made amazing recs! I got amaretto sour as they didn't have midori sour. I asked for extra sweet, and the amount was just perfect for my girlie tastebuds. The bar has all dark wood interior and vintage / "old-fashioned" kinda vibe. Really liked the place and learned about a new drink! My coworker got this smokey flavor + moscato + passion fruit + jalapeño (no idea what it's called), but it's quite good. Coming from someone who doesn't like strong drink, I think the unique thing about this drink is that I can taste all the flavors (listed above) in a small sip.

They charge a 2.5% fee if you use a credit card. They do not mention this hidden fee anywhere on the menu, and it's not cool. I had the Irish Hill drink, with Irish Whiskey, lime, yellow chartreuse, pineapple syrup: It was OK. I think it would have tasted better if there were no 2.5% rip-off credit card fee.

We had a great experience at HOS. James the bartender was amazing because he saw a woman in distress and left the bar to go help her. He is the gentleman this world needs.Also the cocktails were amazing:)Thanks James