Gestalt Craft Beer Bar — Restaurant in San Francisco

I can't believe it was 2007 that this place opened, time flies. I used to be a regular at this place when I was, you know, young and fun. It was like a mini-Rosemunde, a cool bar to gather for beer and brats with friends mid-week. Back then, it wasn't clear that this place was gonna make it though, it was empty a lot.

And then they added the indoor bike racks and everything changed. You see, the sad thing is that for any Mission dive bar to succeed, it has to attract some portion of hipsters, that had to be part of the revenue stream. So when they put those bike racks in, it was like hipster bait. Now this place us teeming with hipsters, and they've expanded their menu and beer selection as a result.

In the end, this is still a very fine dive bar and now a stable in the Mission landscape. Lots of good memories here for me and it's cool to see a whole new generation forming their own ones...

I can't say enough awesome things about this place. Couches? Check. Awesome beers? Check. Five awesome pinball machines? Hell yes! The projector constantly streams some awesome old movie, the music selection has been consistenly eclectic, as has the clientele, and I just looove the beer and pinball combo. And ladies seem to like this place too. Also there's a pool table. But c'mon, go for the pinball and the sweet IPAs and...

San Francisco dive bars are such an endangered species that a 17 year old place seems like a miracle to have such a young location. Gestalt brings a level of community and willingness to a bar that is much needed in this day and age. Not to mention, when me and my partner’s phones died after a long night and we were out front the owner let us back in to charge until we got a car. Truly a gem, cannot...