Happy bar in SOMA.
Below is the email correspondence between me and my friend "Cletus" that resulted in a happy hour spent at John Colins:
Cletus: Drinks on Friday?
Me: Totally.
Cletus: Any ideas on the place?
Me: ....Um? I've gotten really bad at this picking places thing. You have any ideas?
Cletus: How about John Colins? Some people at work recommend it. (Mind you, everyone I work with is under the age of 25.)
Cletus: Sure. Might be good for some laughs.
After this was decided I proceed to do a little online research, cruising some entertainment blogs and review sites for John Colins and was confronted with information both alarming and encouraging. Crowded (alarming), good happy hour (encouraging), frat boys (alarming), cool space (encouraging), lots of bad cologne (alarming). Anyway, the decision was made and I really do need to try to go out to new and different places every now and then.
I sent Cletus one last email reminding him to splash on the the Drakkar Renoir and headed down to Natoma.
I was greeted by a wall of people and loud sounds and unless those sounds are some seriously rockin' rock and roll, this combination makes me grumpy. But I soldiered my way to the bar with thin hopes for decent gin.
Oh! Lucky day! They have Hendricks AND No. 209. Furthermore, the bartender who prepared my yummy martini for me was friendly, efficient and made a killer cocktail. The entire bar staff were not only clearly good at their jobs, but they also seemed to enjoy working there, which, take it from me, is the key ingredient in a good bartender. Everyone behind the bar had great energy and a little flare, but nothing flashy. Once I had staked my claim at the stooless bar, I had a chance to examine the room.
A wide skylight filled the room with evening light, comfy-looking setups of cocktail tables, banquettes and footstools comprised the seating in the narrow bar. The brick walls were hung with decent art, predominantly featuring American Bulldogs (I think) in a variety of poses and sizes. The crowd was hit and miss. I heard a lot about shoes and purses and guys from the ladies bumping into me on the right and a basketball game was on, so the masculinity was at an expected high. The crowd was a little young, but everyone was definitely out of college and solidly in the workforce, which is encouraging.
Cletus and his lady, "Myrtle," met me shortly. The excellent bar service persevered despite the hefty number of people jammed into the bar (the sign on the wall said maximum capacity 49. Whatever.) and when Myrtle traded in an experimental cocktail that was too bitter, the bartender was void of attitude and graciously replaced the offending libation.
I will certainly go back to John Colins. Hell, I had a good enough time to bust open the iron-clad martini rule and have three instead of two. But when I do go back, it'll be on a Tuesday night. It would be a fabulous place to meet a couple of friends for a weekday nightcap--but I think I'll skip the happy hour.
John Colins
90 Natoma Street @ Second Street
San Francisco, CA 94105
(415) 543-2277
