1. Cinnabar

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San Francisco, CA

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Cinnabar

3.9 (47 reviews)
InexpensiveDive Bars
Closed • 3:00 pm - 2:00 am (Next day)

Cinnabar Photos

CINNABAR ATMOSPHERE

What's the vibe?
Juke Box
Divey
Classy
Moderate noise

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Reviews With Photos

Bartender reaction after I said Tom Brady is not hott
Joe M.

Was in the area to see a show. The area itself has seen better days but this bar is not to be passed up. Definitely added this bar to my list of go to dives in SF. Asked for proof of vax when I rolled in, which is fine, i am fully vaxed up baby. Plenty of TVs for sports watching. Very nice for viewing ya crudy football team haha. Bar is nice and long so plenty of seats available. The bartender is a hilarious sweet lady. I almost collapsed when she mentioned Tom Brady being attractive. Why?! Haha. She even showed off a lil bit of her spanish. Drinks are nice and strong. Bathroom is what ya expect. Dive in the rough worth checking and catching a game on the tube

Let's just play only one type of music all night In 5 songs they repeat a group and a song.  Ugh.
Douglas A.

The bartenders are friendly, but they have been out of Jack Daniels for over a week. I substituted a cheaper whiskey and was charged the same price, and the next shot I was served a different one and charged a lot more. Tonight was fairly dead there, but someone took over the jukebox and played their songs as priority, so for over an hour it's been only Spanish music. Won't waste my money there again soon. I've been there 10 times in the last month according to an app that tracks that.

Monica O.

Was in the area and needed to kill some time before heading to our next destination, so we popped into Cinnabar. We were greeted right away by the bartender, who was a very sweet girl. It was happy hour and the drinks were cheap, I ordered a vodka and 7up with a cherry, somewhat version of a dirty Shirley, and this drink was super strong. Chatted up with some folks in the bar and before we knew it, it was time to make our way to our next stop. So if you're looking for cheap strong drinks and friendly service, give Cinnabar a try!

Mike W.

You can run a dive bar without eye-candy bartenders, a swanky backdrop, top-shelf hooch, or beer on tap. A bad location or a grungy interior is also forgivable if the place is known for kitchy decor with a sense of history or an amusing array of oddball clients. But if a bar is in a bad location, has icy bartenders, lacks any kind of creative decor, and hosts insular and unfriendly clients, how the hell can it stay in business? Halfway into my first round at Cinnabar, I found myself repeatedly pondering this question. Cinnabar is big for a Tenderloin drinking establishment. Rectangular and far longer than it is wide, it has an excess of square footage that most South-of-Market dance clubs would give their eye teeth for. Two TV's service the bar while one stands guard over an interesting area with a large table and opposed-couch style seating. The Giants were playing the Rockies that night, but both TV's shunned baseball in favor of the latest vapidness from "American Idol". Decor is sparse and absolutely devoid of soul. Every bit of it was mass-produced advertising decor from major breweries. Only an SF Giants wall-mirror broke with an otherwise consistently bland decorating scheme. The bartender had a coldly transactional demeanor similar to that of an IRS auditor, and the music was straight out of my worst junior high bell-bottom-jeans nightmares. After back-to-back selections from the Bee Gee's, ABBA, and KC's Sunshine Band, I managed to tune the whole thing out much like one would a repetitive squeak from an aging sedan. Three clients at the point of the bar engaged in lively banter, but they left not long after my arrival. The remaining clientele were about as talkative as fire hydrants. An older man to the left of me was good for an occasional single sentence reply, and all I could get out of a Korean man to my right was brief eye contact and a single grunt. I glanced down the bar to see four other lounge-lizards that were equidistantly spaced about two stools apart. All of them seemed perfectly content sitting in total isolation while staring blankly into space. Cinnabar's only saving grace was a decent selection of beer in bottles, a rarity this deep in the Tenderloin. Their liquor selection looked OK, but drink specials called "Turbo Charge" and "Fire Blaster" looked like something out of a bygone Godzilla flick. I didn't even want to know what was in them. The bottom of a Sierra Nevada Pale ale left little reason to stick around. I walked out the door just as the jukebox started belting out ABBA's "Knowing Me Knowing You". Ick. I visit some pretty seedy places, and seldom does a bar leave me fruitless in my search for just one scrap of charm or character. Cinnabar is a rare exception. If you're on a dive-bar exploration through the Tenderloin, just leave this one alone. 5-20-06 Update: This place is being gutted from top to bottom. Capenters are doing a complete re-model. Probably won't be open for awhile.

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9 years ago

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9 years ago

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13 years ago

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16 years ago

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14 years ago

Not really a dive bar at all. Huge empty, cool. Bottled beer. Skimpy liquor selection. Perfect!

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13 years ago

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Review Highlights - Cinnabar

“I usually make it out to this place once a month, and it's a great divey little place.”

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Tunnel Top - Chill vibe on second floor

Tunnel Top

4.0(854 reviews)
0.5 mi•Union Square, Financial District
•$$

This bar is so much fun! It was across the street from my hotel, so I popped in by myself for a…read moredrink. I wish I could remember the bartender's name because we had a great conversation, but he was so sweet, welcoming, and treated me like a local/regular. He made me a delicious lemon drop and I went upstairs to one of the tables at the front window to people-watch the street below and catch up on all the many text messages I haven't sent back. It's a quirky, colorful, fun dive bar with 2 levels, the upstairs being kind of a balcony that wraps around the whole area. They don't serve food, but they do accept cards now... I saw in other reviews that it used to be cash only. As the night went on, they dimmed the lights and played upbeat club/dance music with party lights. I still had a good time just chilling, but it would be a fun place to get turned up or dance with friends, too. I'll definitely be back here! It's good San Francisco character and vibes!

What a fun spot!!! Tunnel Top is one of those divey SF watering holes that are great for groups or…read morefor brave solo warriors. The bartenders are highly knowledgeable and attentive. The atmosphere, although sometimes loud, is quite chill and inviting. This is also a cool stop to make if you are on a date; especially if you head upstairs to the seating on the mezzanine. Overall, I'd recommend this place any day of the week, but I'd warn that it can be a bit crowded on Friday or Saturday... it's good safe fun, check it out.

Photos
Tunnel Top - Interior upstairs lounge

Interior upstairs lounge

Tunnel Top - Old Fashioned

Old Fashioned

Tunnel Top

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The Rumpus Room - The view from above.

The Rumpus Room

4.3(86 reviews)
0.2 mi•SoMa
•$

This is such a great space in a not so great area. We recently [rediscovered] coming here after…read morebooking so many concert shows at the nearby Warfield Theater. I haven't been back here since the late 1990's-early 2000's, when I was a club kid coming up from the suburbs to party late into the night in the Folsom, SOMA, TL, Nob Hill, & Castro neighborhoods. I believe that it used to be called the Arrow Bar? And the venerable Tu Lan is still next door. Everything else around here has seriously gone downhill... open drug usage, unhoused, unstable, and just plain derelict & bizarre behavior & people going on in front of this bar. But, if you can wade through the depressing sea of inhumanity out front, the Rumpus Room is your sanctuary for good drinks, great music, cool/divy ambiance, and a crowd that just wants to have fun, drink, and party! Outside, sure it's not much. You'll have to pass by the saddest sights, but once you cross the threshold that is the front door, you are greeted by some sweet music, a long packed bar, ambient lighting, and some mighty comfortable stools. The bartenders here are friendly, social, engaging, composed, chill, and just plain nice, despite this place being super busy, crowded, and on the verge of being overwhelmed. The music being played here is probably better than the concert that I'm about to attend. Always cutting edge, sometimes metal, sometimes electronica, sometimes indy, always on point. The bar itself is clean, comfortable, cozy, and a great place to pre-game before heading to a concert. They even post showtimes & tell you who is going on & when at the Warfield, so you can time your drinking according to when you want to leave to see your favorite bands. The drinks here are great. The list is extensive & awesome. All of my favorites of beers, ciders, IPA's, hazys, seltzers, lagers, stouts, ales, and booze. I tried their house Mule, and now I'm addicted. It is pre-made and poured from a tap, but it is so delicious. I usually end up having 3-4. Their other cocktails like the Paloma, Old Fashioned, It'll Do, and Whiskey Smash are all amazing too. I could drink here all night, but I'm in town to see a show, so parting is bittersweet & hard to do. The bartenders, bar backs, and even fellow drinkers are all amazing here. Everyone is here to have fun, is super nice, and downright chill. The space is clean, it's roomy, there's even an upstairs, and the bathroom isn't as noxious as most dive bars can be. Love this bar, will be back every time we come to the area for music, arts, entertainment, or amusement. No excuse needed to head to Rumpus Room before going anywhere else around mid-Market, this place is amazing, fun, safe, and satisfying. Get your drink on here before doing anything else around SF.

Beers for $3-6? Yes!…read more Beer and a shot combos for $10! What a good dive bar find. I don't normally come this way to 6th Street; this was a good surprise. Check the menu at the tables or up on the board on wall behind the bar. Great prices It's all dim red lighting inside and there's an upstairs with a more private area plus a cool section looking down to the bottom floor.

Photos
The Rumpus Room - Moody and milk glass-y.

Moody and milk glass-y.

The Rumpus Room - The bar and it's draft list. $1 off during happy hour!

The bar and it's draft list. $1 off during happy hour!

The Rumpus Room - Upstairs

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Upstairs

Cinnabar - divebars - Updated October 2026

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