i love the friendly fun vibe here. the owner is super nice, helped me reserve the upstairs private room without a hitch and was uber responsive. the only problem with the space is that because the layout of the bar is long and narrow, the hideout backroom gets hot when it's crowded or the weather is on the warmer side. and the upstairs, well it's pretty much a stifling oven by the time you fill it up with your friends. they need to get an industrial size fan (or two) up there and that would alleviate the problem. other than that, drink selection can't be beat and the cocktails are legendary (gimlet is my fave). the bouncer with the super fro, i think his name is travis is so adorable! read more

I've checked in here twice, and strangely enough, I can remember both instances! All jokes aside, bar hopping in the Mission is always fun when there are bars like Dalva around. The Hideaway is a cool concept, but we weren't feeling it on either occasion. Drinks are good, reasonably priced from what I remember. There are lots of bar tables with tall stools for people to congregate around. Dark and intimate environment with good beats in the background. Probably wouldn't mind popping in here again. read more

My favorite bar in the U.S. and sorely missed. One of the main reasons I'd like to move back to San Francisco and my favorite thing about the Mission. Dark, atmospheric, sexy, and alternately mellow or bumpin', with a superb jukebox to boot. Perfect drinks, especially when Erik is making them. P.S. He owns the joint, so I recommend dropping the attitude, bitches -- you know who you are, Marina dudes. read more

Dalva - Erik en travaillant. P.S., he's the owner, so show some motherfucking RESPECT! - Cocktail Bars Near Me - San Francisco, California

Loved the hideout. Such a different feel than Dalva, so be sure to walk to the back to check out the hideout! The drinks are great and it's a cool place to chill. Only issue is that it's a super small space so it gets cramped pretty easily. read more

I really like it. Cozy with well-made cocktails and much better than average DJs.

Dark, hip and groovy tunes are what you'll get at this dive bar cum lounge. Get here early because their Happy Hour is legendary. A bonus is the jukebox (named Ophelia) is free during Happy Hour also! read more

I can only speak to Toph One's Wednesdays here.. An amazing, absurd, and utterly wonderful cast of characters, like a bizaro episode of cheers where Sam accidentally pours liquid acid into everyone's beers, and then someone starts playing records and then it's like that jitterbug scene that was cut from the wizard of oz. read more

Do you like your liquor served with a complementary chaser of ignorance and stupidity? If so the Dalva is your bar!!! Bad hosts and stupid doormen are just the start. Shitty drinks and douchie patrons await you inside. Its the Michael Phelps of disappointment. Stay away. read more

This has become a staple bar for friends of mine and I to meet for cocktails and unwind mid-week. I have been on the weekend and it's just too crowded for pleasure. But on a thursday there is ample space to sit and relax. There's a good beer selection and cocktails are usually strong :) An added bonus is the back room, where folks can enjoy an indoor smoke... a rare find in this fair city. Also, the music there is usually good, the clientele is diverse, and the bar-tenders are friendly. Overall a must if you're in the mission. read more

Unfortunately we didn't even get the chance to check out the bar as the bouncer Travis was irrationally quick to resort to physical violence when we were confused about showing ID again at the back. (We'd been unaware there was a bar within a bar) Prior to entering we showed ID at front so were naturally confused when Travis demanded very rudely to check again. It didn't take more than a minute before he physically grabbed and choked us absolutely unprovoked, giving me no time to even take out my ID. He handled the situation in the worst possible way, having no reason to be extremely unproffessional, irrational, and accusing us of nothing - we were not inebriated or disturbing anyone at all having literally just entered the building. On top of that, my boyfriend has had a severe back injury in the past and put him at risk for absolutely no reason. The irrational and downright discriminatory attitude Travis Lafouf came on with should not be in a workplace and situation where mediating crowds professionally is priority. For the sake of this institution, the crowd, and the other people who work here, I highly urge investigation of this behavior especially if it results in needless, uncalled for violence. That being said I'd be happy to remove this rating once it's looked into, but for this worker to escalate the situation so terribly is incredibly improper and needs to be spoken on. It's a huge shame and disappointment scrolling through reviews and reading people experiencing these rude and discriminatory biases as well. I was intrigued by the vibe, but these grossly unprofessional attitudes takes away from any integrity your establishment may have. You can't excuse this by simply saying "he's worked here for a while." Please don't enable this attitude - it's in bad taste. Thank you. read more

Hadn't been here since our friend Brian moved to NYC about a year or so back. still a cool spot, unpretentious and more of what DD is trying to be... read more

Dude, I totally forgot to write this up: A few weeks ago I went here late-night with a buddy and while we were sipping our boutique beers in the corner of this semi-divey little hole in the wall, a guy came in with his girl, they sat down, got a couple drinks, and then the guy started dancing. Not just jamming to the music either; the dancing resembled an odd mix between b-boying, techno head-banging, and the No-Rhythm dance. This spectacle was so compelling that we had to order another round in order to keep observing. And then the rest of their crew came in and they all left, so we left too. But we'll be back. read more

Last night I went to Dalva because a friend of a friend told me that the DJ from Mr. Smiths was going to be there cuttin it up. I got there around 10 and Toph (old school s.f. dj) was spinnin some nice downtempo selections. A little while later Jah Rocker (just learned his name) came on and played a set that in short finger banged my brain. This dude was playin some jams that sounded like they should've come from a taco truck parked in outer space. Electro organic riddims real rich and thick.These were some of the baddest Cumbias and Reggae in Spanish jams being thrown down this side of the border. I was expecting to hear the rock hip hop thing he does on the weekend but when I heard Manu Chao mixed with The Luniz " I got 5 on it" I was like" GAD DAMN this Vato (with dreads) iz the LICKS". The bartender was super friendly and poured my drinks like he owed me some money.SHEEEET SON. Rum with a splash of coke for color and lots o' lime. HMM HMM B!TCH. IT'LL GIT CHA DRUNK!! I hadn't been there for a couple of years so going back for the Red Wine Social and getting to hear two of S.F.'s more original DJ's was like getting my ears LAID for the very first time. PS. They were playin actual VYNYL. You know, like pullin each record out of its sleeve to play it. AWWW LAWD. read more

Bonjour! Je suis allez a Dalva ce soir. J'aime beaucoup, c'est tres bien et, J'aime fume en le chambre. I don't think I said anything there cause the last french class I had was sophmore year, but WHATEVER, what i meant to say was: Hello, I am going to Dalva tonight. I like it a lot, it is very nice and I like to smoke in the room. I meant the "back" but can't recall those words. Like Amber, you can smoke here and when I am called upon to party with my friends of yesteryear, i.e. graduate school, I am required to smoke. So we head here for a great scene with no discernable dorks and the smoking room. Always seats in the back....until now that I've told you...doh! read more

oh dalva, me love you long time. this is my favorite place to start a night out in the mission. it's dark, the music is loud, but not too loud, and if i get there before 9:30 i can always get a seat. the bartenders make strong no-nonsense drinks with fair prices. the only bummer is it's cash only. but there is an ATM. there's a pretty good mix of people, but the nice thing is no one really cares who else is there. read more

I like Dalva for meeting up with friends, and for happy hour, but not as a destination on a night out. They tend to have some really cool DJs though. read more

Great little bar near the corner of 16th and Valencia. It's long, narrow, and dimly lit which encompass the good and bad of this place. They have a great little room in the back with access to a small outside area. The jukebox is unique so people will either love it, hate it, or be too drunk to care. I loved it. It did get very crowded and because of it's shape there were definitely moments when you had to be a bit forceful to get by. Whenever you find yourself in those types of situations it's not uncommon for people to get rubbed the wrong way, figuratively and literally. No one got bent out of shape the night I was there though. This place is definitely on the list of bars that I can go to after work in Friday to have a few drinks. The location is also prime for finding a place to eat when you need to take the edge off your buzz. read more

Great, reliable dive bar that serves solid drinks with friendly, quick, cash-only service with plenty of high top tables that makes expanding your group to those who can stand up. read more

I am torn. I really love this place, but how can you have a bar without Hendrick's or Maker's? It just strikes me really odd. They used to have Hendrick's gin, but no more. The bar tenders are super grouchy too. read more

Awesome chimpanzee films screening on the back wall. Super cool '60's groove tunes. AMAZING bourbon drinks (go with the bourbon rouge or the rattlesnake - you'll love both). Really cool bartender. I thought about giving this place four stars, but I really couldn't figure out why I was hijacking the fifth star, so there you have it. I don't know what it's like on a Friday or Saturday night, but it's a perfect chill place for a mellow Sunday evening cocktail. read more

Damn, I didn't know they served food. I made my way to the back, nope, nothing. Walked upstairs, empty. Back downstairs the aroma of bacon was overwhelming. Wait, is that onions? I hope the bacon wrapped hot dog guy (from a few doors down) is kicking some down to dalva, because I had to find the source and once I did, no more dalva... read more

Love the ambiance. It's a pretty small place but it's not too bad. Drinks were good

Great place! I suggest you go straight to the back to the second bar (the Hide Out) and grab a drink from that menu. Those bartenders know what they're doing! read more

Extremely disrescpetful bouncer wanted to ID us to go to the bathroom AFTER we had been ID at the door. When we simply asked why, he proceeded to choke out my friend and drag him outside then shove his girlfriend out the door. Management did not help at all and took 10 minutes to offer a response at all. read more

Only had one drink here- was reasonably priced, bartender was nice- music was good... this place is in a great location if you're looking to bar hop. I'll go back and revise this review once I do, but for now I'm gonna have to say just 3/5... read more

Tasty cocktails, not too packed on a Friday night, ample seating, dug the small tables. Would be good for a couple. Thought the shitty movie was a nice touch. read more

I adore this bar. The HideOut, in the back, particularly. Cash only. Tiny space. Amazing drinks. My favorite bar in the Mission, hands down. read more

If my current life were a poker game, i'd be the straight with a handful of queens. If the Miss Universe contest allowed men to participate, the group of ladies I associate with would be the first to grab their evening gowns and sign up. So it goes. Last night I (yet again) went out with fairy-Matty and Slops, but this time our entourage also included Madame and Tiara J. While they sipped their cosmos and raspberry vodka fruity drinks, I nursed bottles of PBR and soaked in the greatness of Dalva. Now, we all know I hate the Mission...but this place almost, maybe, quite possibly could help me change my opinion. Granted, I went on the last day of the long weekend around 9:30 so the place was dead, but the "DJ" was spinning some classics, Top Gun was playing on the big screen, and the darkness of this place just swallowed me up and made me feel right at home. But last night I realized that I need to find new friends. I love my girls and all their sordid stories of sexual debauchery and butthole pleasures (homage to "40-year old virgin"), but when I make a comment about female, ahem, parts and the joys to be found therein, and am met by blank and slightly horrified stares, it's time for me to get a new hand of cards. Or a girlfriend. read more

First time trying "the hideout", way awesome . I don't think i'd go there on a weekend , but last night it was really cool ...and my "Fruit Cup" was delicious read more

Nice place for a reasonably-priced drink with some funky atmosphere. My old-fashioned was pretty damn good, with the orange peel in the drink, and just the right amount of sweetness. Minus one star for showing a crappy roller derby movie on the video when they could have showed actual roller derby footage from back in the day! Would I drink here again, you betcha! read more

It gets kind of crazy downstairs, but you have to go upstairs to the back. The back room is very intimate and low key with great drinks.

This place gets four stars based soley on the fact that when I was there, they were projecting the 1950s B film "The Women of Spider Island" onto the wall. Had I never gone to Dalva, I might never have seen this spectacular piece of cinema. The movie gets six stars. That's one more star than I'm actually allowed. That's how good it was. This review should technically be for the movie. But the drinks were good and it was dimly lit. So four stars for that buddy! read more

i am appending the appendix review. honestly, i was three sheets to the wind when i wrote th crap below after spending about $20 worth on drinks at this glorious establishment. $20 will get you far if you're with me. being a cheap date aside, my friends and i really enjoy dalva and other low key, noncheesy dives that are conducive to conversation and have consistently nice bar men and women who i recognize month after month, and who holla back: "hey. long time no see. where've you been?" i heart this place. i really do. **************************************************** reviewing dalva is like reviewing my appendix. i can't do without it, but when it gives me pains, i gotta give it some attention. did any of that transcendental nonsense make sense? anyway, love this bar. this is my go-to place if i'm feelin good, bummed, sexy, wild, tame, lovely, ugly, fatty, skinny, funny, boring....you know. i go. love it. live it. go. now. read more

the back room was the best...situated right under the stairs and far enough from the front bar that you don't get to hear everyone's drunk ass banter. it's one of the few places in the city you can still smoke in the back. it's sort of a tacit agreement that's understood among vets and locals. you could sometimes have a conversation back here and not be bothered by others. i haven't been back in a few years, but when i go home i'll be sure to revisit and check out what's changed. from what i remember the drinks were strong but around $7 for a cocktail. it's okay. i only go for company anyways not for drinks. read more

This bar is awesome! Have a drink in te main bar for a bit and then head to the hideout in back... Ask Josh for a drink (amazing bartender) and then go up to the 2nd story and chill!!! (you can even reserve the upstairs for a private party... for FREE). Definitely check this place out! read more

This place is a dive in the worst possible way. We ordered drinks at the front in 'Dalva'- they were fine nothing special. Unfriendly service. Moved to 'The Hideout' because the music was better. Ordered another round and the drinks were absolutely undrinkable. I don't even have high standards, but we took one sip, put our drinks down on the bar, and left. Thanks but no thanks! read more

I used to love going to Dalva & Hideout. Things changed a few days ago when a friend and I went to Dalva and ordered a sailor jerry and coke. SJ is clearly not top shelf. We got charged 16$ for 2 drinks, which seemed steep. We simply asked how much was the drink, in case they had made a mistake and not realized how much money we had given. The annoyed response was, "it's $8 but I should have charged you guys $9 each." WTF?! The bartender then added, "How much do you think I should have charged you?". We were dumbfounded at the attitude and out of spite with the attitude we were like we just wanted to know how much and it's definitely more expensive than it should be. He refunded us $1 for each drink and we were like we don't want it and didn't take the money. It's not that we care about the $, but it was the attitude that was dished out to us when we asked a simple question of how much each drink was. I'll still go to the Hideout for its great cocktails, and most of the great reviews are for the inner room. Will definitely pass on the attitude-surcharging dive bar. Also it was a watered down drink! In comparison, 1015 Folsom makes a better drink (which I thought was one of the worst places in SF for a drink). read more

Dalva's a great place to go to spend a chill night with friends. Their interesting concoctions are always enjoyable and the DJs are great (sometimes a little loud). DOUBLE VISION scored the upstairs room for our afterparty to celebrate our April performances, and we fit dozens of people up there. read more

Stumbled upon this place just bar hoping around the mission. Definitely checkout the back/hideout bar and upstairs area vs the bar by the entrance. Delish old fashion and manhattan- including a huge variety of bitters. Loved the ambiance and had a good vibe on a Friday night, decently priced cocktails. read more

This is a great spot in the middle of alot of very crowded bars. Maybe it's more crowded during the weekends but the monday I was there it was great. Back room for lounging, tecate on tap, and good cocktails as well. Old funk on the jukebox, and old movies on a big screen. Like my friend said "not filled with alot of people in your face". A hidden weekday gem, so if you have not been, try to keep it on the down low. read more