Wild Side West — Restaurant in San Francisco

A bar with many stories, The Wild Side West is the quintessential San Francisco experience. It's full of history (just ask them about the "Janis Joplin pool table" and the shenanigans she pulled there), it's decor is eccentric, but the atmosphere remains easy - without pretention. Despite it's labeling as a gay bar, it's actually an everyone bar with a hidden secret. That secret - so carefully concealed behind it's brown wooden walls and bar - is the lush green garden in the back. Once you have your beer (or excellently made cocktail) slip off the pressure of being an adult, and indulge in the magic that is the outdoor garden. Step down into the small encove and find a table perfect for get togethers with friends, or venture further to find a kind of open air art museum, with both nicknacks large, and small, embedded in the flowers and plants. This place is both romantic and refreshing, a little get away while still at home. There is much seating to choose from, but don't forget to sit in my favorite seat: the swing bench. Swaying gently on the bench with a mint mojito in hand, makes me feel like Blanche Devereaux out on the veranda. Even if you don't enjoy pretending to be a cultured southern lady of means, your date/lover/friend with turn to you and understand that you KNOW the places in SF to go (and why you are such a cool kid, it's not even a big deal to share this oasis with them). As for you: sip your beverage, listen to the slight creak of the bench wood and enjoy this respite from the calls of a demanding world (but remember to scoot over...

I chanced into the Wild Side West while exploring the city on foot back in the early 1970's at the old location. I did not know that it was a lesbian bar. I found the beer to be very cold & the atmosphere to be welcoming. As I drank some more beer the bar filled up and it's orientation became obvious. I entered into meaningful conversations about cooking and other topics with a few of the other patrons. My experience there was so pleasant and enjoyable that I reflect back on it until now, prompting my review here.

I subsequently married a wonderful woman and nurse who had close relationships in the Greenwich Village gay bars in New York, where she worked as a hat check girl while attending nursing school. She imparted to me a great deal of information on the LGBT community and we both traveled to Washington, D.C., to see the quilt laid out on the Washington mall. She passed several years back & I really miss her but I treasure her kind heart to everyone. Isn't it wonderful when we can all get along? Cheers to the Wild Side West community and keep up...

First time I went it was fine, the bartender was okay but didn't really interact. The second time the bartender made me and my friends feel completely uncomfortable and unwelcome, and made snide sarcastic comments. I don't often get to be in queer femme spaces so I was looking forward to actually feeling welcome somewhere... No wonder lesbian bars are dying out if this is the case. The drinks we fine. The bar doesn't look nice enough to be a nice bar and doesn't have enough character to...