The Cinch

I don't know what is wrong with this place. I used to be available to pay with credit card but now I'm forced to pay with cash , I asked the bartender why he never gave me a straight answer. I asked for a shot of tequila and I have to ask for lime and salt. What the fuck are you guys fucking doing? I am a professional mixologist, I will be more than happy to give you a training for free so you can be a professional bartending because you have no skills no manners is ABC or bartender, sweetie

The Cinch is a good old school gay bar on Polk Street. Shotgun long bar with pool tables, and a jukebox. The bar has tons of history and kitsch... Bartenders were nice, as well as the patrons here. It's a place you can have a good drink and actually carry on a conversation.

Pretty fun using the bar app to play music AMI jukebox...billiards is fun $2 and trying pinball machines $1..as well as seeing the ephemera on the wall..the app has a list of different bars you may have not visited or heard of...it's different with the AMI jukebox app..Polk St...1970s.

gay dive bar with 2 pool tables, secret star wars themed back area. worth checking out! no food, strong drinks

You make me feel mighty realYou make me feel mighty realOh you make me feel mighty realYou make me feel mighty realIt's hard to envision nowadays, but Polk Street was the city's gay mecca back in the '70's. The Castro gradually took the title, and there's nothing left of the gay culture on Polk. Except this one bar which has miraculously survived and is now the city's second oldest gay bar (next to the glass coffin, Twin Peaks Tavern). I had not been in ages but stopped by to see if it changed.Nope, it looked pretty much the same. Still looked like a saloon decorated during the Watergate era with rainbow draperies slung over the ceiling. You still open the vintage fridge door to use the urinal trough. The back patio and pool tables were still here. Plenty of room at the long bar late in the afternoon as the regulars were all huddled close to the front door.No frozen drinks served here. This was no tiki bar. Never was. Not quite a dive though. Too much character and frankly too welcoming for that moniker. All cocktails were $10. Music to my ears. Also Tina Turner on the jukebox. She's simply the best. The Mai Tai was pretty good, too, not too tart (photo: https://bit.ly/44mWJjo). So was the Makers Mark & Ginger (photo: https://bit.ly/44o2rkS). For the good timesDRINKS - 4...can't beat ten bucks, and their Mai Tai was pretty goodAMBIANCE - 4 stars...vintage and kinda cliquishSERVICE - 3.5 stars...some bartenders were nicer than othersTOTAL - 4 stars...needs to stick around to keep the Polk Street gay legacy aliveRELATED - Exploring Nob Hill? Here's a collection of places I've visited reviewed: https://bit.ly/2IfTVOB

This is the place to be after pride. Every other place is just a bit too packed in. As this was highly rated K bar, I visited in 2023 and had a great time. Drinks for $10. Noticed there is toilet paper above the bathroom just outside the entrance in case they run out and they will a couple times per night. There's a men's room that only has a urinal and then another room that is all genders. That has a normal toilet. The other side area is a refreshing zone although a little smoky from my personal preference.The bartenders were wicked busy being that it was a Post pride party, but they did manage to get a couple drinks in my face. Really enjoyed laughing and goofing off with them.. One gentleman had a Stonewall shirt that he got while he visited the village in New York, which is where that bar that was rated in 1969 actually resides .

Happy to see this place is still going strong! Tuesday happy hour was pretty packed! Haven't been in, in a very long time. Used to come here all the time back when I lived in the neighborhood. Now that my office is only a 15 min walk away, I plan to come back much more often. The bartenders were super nice and attentive. Very respectable pour and prices. Diverse crowd. Love it!

One of the oldest gay bars in SF so I had to check it out. The back of the bar is like entering a scene in Star Wars. The design was a lot like Oga's Cantina in Disneyland. The drinks were cheap and the vibe was chill. Meet some nice people. The issue for me was the smell and the bartenders not washing their hands. It strongly smells like urine in the back. I saw the bartender leaving the urinal multiple times without washing his hands and that's disgusting.

Strong drinks, great music, pool table, and a really cute patio to smoke. Run, don't walk here the bartenders are also so sweet.

People, drinks, pool, ambiance including very lovely backyard which closes earlier than the inside out of respect for the neighborhood