Trad'r Sam

Maybe I shouldn't give it five stars I don't want it to be filled with tourist. It's a dive tiki bar in the outskirts of the avenues in San Francisco. Not many tourists go here. It's more locals. I used to hang out in this bar all the time because I lived down the street and my best friend was also the bartender, we had a great time there and I still go back every once they have a big tiki bar drink with a lot of rum type cocktails, and addition to all the normal beers and liquor that most bars have

A fun little tiki-themed dive bar in sleepy Outer Richmond! Definitely feels like a lot of locals hang out here. I came here with a group of friends on a Friday night and it was packed. We got a bowl and some individual drinks, and the price was cheap but the drinks ranged from decent to pretty awful tasting lol. My pina colada really was just sugar milk. All drinks were very sugary and I feel designed to get you druuunk. The bowl was enjoyable though!

To me, I'ts good not great. The clientele is bifurcated, (1) locals at the bar and (2) the Youngs coming later in the night to drink communally from a tiki bowl. Feels like the kind of place where people are known to each other but not especially welcoming if you're not in that crowd. Could just be me, but when you open the door, all the heads turn to see who it is, if they don't know you they return to their conversations. They had outdoor seating / parklet for a while but it's on Geary Blvd so heavy traffic and a lot of fog and wind, I can see why they let it go.

One of the best priced bars I've been to in a looooong time. We came in on a Saturday afternoon with a big group and were able to take over a whole section of the bar. Since it was the middle of the day, the tiki vibes were felt a little less, but the tiki drinks were flowing. There was only one bartender working, and he was such a trooper. The menu is huge and didn't come with descriptions of each drink, so we had loads of questions for him. He was also happy to make us off menu cocktails that we requested from showing him the recipes. They had football playing, but were also happy to turn the music on for us since it wasn't that important of a game (no one local). I don't love super sugary drinks and since the ingredients weren't listed I went off menu, but did taste a few of the tiki drinks and will definitely be ordering one of those banana ones next time. It was dessert in a glass without the intense sugar flavor.

I must admit I dropped by only cause I was in the neighbourhood and the prices caught my eye but I'm so glad I did. We came by on a Friday around 5pm and ordered 3 drinks - White Russian, Pina Colada and a Boozy Banana-Chocolate ice cream shake! They were all delicious and spiked appropriately to make you wanna go for another round. The place is pretty small but has great tiki bar vibes. It had around 5-6 people when we got there but I would imagine a whole lot of people at night so might wanna get here early if you are looking for tables. It's a cash only place but they do have an ATM inside. The menu is extensive and has a whole lot of interesting things with no explanation so I would suggest you go with whatever you heart is calling out on that particular day ;)Fantastic prices, great cocktails and fun little tiki vibes - definitely coming back with more friends.

One of my longtime faves ...one of the purest expressions of a dive bar....Tradr's is a real neighborhood joint in the Richmond district. First off, post COVID, they cleaned things up considerably. The bathroom is no longer a landmine and the outside got same sprucing up . They also serve popcorn! The drinks are solid and clearly the draw...the scorpion bowl and the mai tai are awesome. Watching the niners and giants is a mainstay.

I was this many days old when I finally stepped into the oldest tiki bar in SF... only lived here for six years. Ha.

After a brief stint of being closed, Trad'r Sam has reopened with a remodel and refresh, and probably some of the most affordable drinks the city has to offer. They're famous for their scorpion bowl and other booze filled bowls that are all around $20. For $20, after drinking one of these, hopefully shared with someone, will do the trick. They are all blended to order, and come with long straws to sip out of. We got the tidal wave, and it lived up to its name. Other spots I've gotten bowls at in the city charge $45-65 and sometimes even more, and none of them compare to the flavor of Trad'r Sam. So for a third of the price, it's really hard to beat. Most beers and shots were under $10. Most of their cocktails are around that price as well, so value here is real good. There's plenty of TVs and self seating so good for small to medium sized groups. It is cash-only, so make sure to hit the ATM beforehand or use the one they have there.

Right in the nick of time came my 6,800th Yelp review milestone, and I'm handing it to this legendary vintage tiki bar out in the Richmond that I just tried yesterday. The Chronicle reported its demise a few weeks back due to a family legal dispute. I just figured that meant it was permanently shuttered. However, I read an update a week ago that it had reopened, so I decided to take the trek.Make no mistake. It's still a dive but in a good, unpretentious way. The rusted neon sign is still the same with the lightbox on top advertising "Polynesian Drinks" (photo: https://yelp.to/yZSAjqYcRC). Dominated by the horseshoe bar, it's not a big place with a few tables around the perimeter. The decor was surprisingly somewhat muted for such an old-time tiki bar with the palm tree lights the loudest feature inside (photo: https://yelp.to/NwHySuSg7N).The most impressive element was the huge cocktail list, three menu pages worth with reasonable prices. Jeff was manning the bar, and I ordered the $10 Pina Colada (photo: https://yelp.to/823PPinGsA). It was quite a delightful mix of rum, pineapple juice, and cream of coconut, perfectly blended. I was chatting away with a couple of local guys around my age. Not gay, just funny.They kept asking me about restaurants and bars I could recommend in their neighborhood. As you can imagine, I couldn't shut up. I think I kept them entertained, and all of a sudden, I ordered a second libation, the $10 Mango Madness, which featured mango purée mixed with tequila (photo: https://yelp.to/hpCG86g9KA). Quite delicious. What was I saying again? OK, I gotta run, but I'll be back. 6,800 reviews, baby.COCKTAILS - 5 stars...the tiki drinks were delicious, voluminous and relatively cheapAMBIANCE - 4 stars...not quite there decor-wise but improvements are planned SERVICE - 4.5 stars...Jeff knew how to mix and blendTOTAL - 5 stars...welcome back, SamRELATED - Interested in tiki bars here and everywhere? Here's a collection of bars I've patronized and reviewed: https://bit.ly/3SpoS3c

I asked the bartender to close my tab because we were only getting one punch bowl to share and he purposely kept it open.. when i verbally asked him to keep it closed. He took advantage of the fact that I was young and I assumed it was closed because i got my card back. Because he left it open without me knowing, he gave himself 20% gratuity without my consent. I feel super uncomfortable because i verbally asked to not start a tab but obviously he wanted to tip himself whatever he wanted so he kept it open. It was the middle aged white man with brown receding hair... beware and be firm with closing your tab.