I went to the Laureate a couple times last week. It happened to be right next-door to University high school in San Francisco where I was watching Nor Cal basketball. I went in before the game the place was somewhat Vibing they had a balcony, fireplace, different seating areas and a bar, and they serve food. It wasn't that busy so the bartender came right over. I think his name was Dominic and he got me an IPA. The first time I went I also tried the deviled eggs (3) and they were cool. I have to say my buddies tried the chips and salsa so it came with some guac salsa and a bowl of chips. It was pretty good too. a , but after the game we came back in the place was still a vibe. It was cool and we are went back a few days later for another game with another buddy and sure enough it was cool this time I had a margarita and the expert Cadillac and he floated something like some triple sec in it and when we inquired about the Grand Marnier with him, he got a little attitude although the female bartender said that when she made Cadillac margaritas, she used grandma Marnie, so that was interesting but other than that, I would recommend a spot. read more

Laureate - Cadillac Margarita - Lounges Near Me - San Francisco, California

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Laureate Bar honestly surprised me! I came here after dinner for a nightcap and I really enjoyed it. It's lowkey but stylish and the drinks are actually affordable. My martini ($13) was really good, I especially loved the olives they use here. I like the lounge style seating, there were couches, nooks, and chairs arranged in a very comfortable fashion. There were a decent amount of people inside for a Thursday night, mostly small groups of friends or people on dates. It's a really nice atmosphere, very relaxed and inviting to hangout in. Everyone in the bar was weirdly attractive and dressed well for San Francisco and that added to the vibes for sure too lol. Friendly bartender and good cocktail menu, they also have a kitchen for small bites. I am definitely coming back! read more

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I don't know, do you want to go to a secret super vibey retro hotel bar? I do, and I did. It was a great time. Super friendly bartender, good conversationalist regulars, and a super sexy fireplace. They also have good bar bites, and sultry little make out booths, if you are trying to set the mood. read more

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Ok this is the best bar I've been to in SF -- YUMMY drinks, sleek and sultry vibe, and the loveliest service!! Both of our drinks were honestly nothing short of incredible. I ordered the Fresh Start which was juicy, slightly tart, and the perfect blend of cucumber and citrus. My friend ordered an NA beverage which was as good as my cocktail! We didn't miss the liquor on this one at all. I loved the cozy fireplaces and r&b music, which added made this visit extra special -- we came with the agenda to have a drink but ended up staying for ages. I actually left my wallet here but called them the next day and they were so so sweet and kind about returning it and making sure I was reassured!! I'd come here any time read more

Laureate - Menu - Lounges Near Me - San Francisco, California

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TL;DR - Stopped by for a holiday party and had a great time. Delightful little spot, surprisingly attached to a hotel! For a hotel bar, this place is spacious with a gorgeous fireplace and ambiance lighting! The lighting is truly unique, they must have been custom made for the spacing. The drinks, of course, are delicious. While at $15 for a specialty, you will deeply enjoy them. They do run rather sweet! We were serviced by Kimmie, Manami, Dominic, & Jason. They were so sweet and helpful! For the food, I certainly thought the jalapeño was well stuffed! We enjoyed the pizza and spinach dip. Overall, I had great time and enjoyed it for the holiday party. read more

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Loved the cocktails and ambiance here. It's like any other fancy hotel bar in SF. Very intimate with a fire place. The lounge itself was small, however was pretty empty when we went on a Friday night. Please try the spicy margarita there, it's delicious! read more

Laureate - Lounges Near Me - San Francisco, California

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Loved the food and Drink! Maddy and Yarely are hilarious absolutely great service ! Get the gin martinis

Don't ask me don't pronounce the name of this place properly. I don't speak that language. But I do speak the language of coziness. This place is fluent in that subject without a doubt. I don't drink, so if a guy who doesn't drink enjoys a bar does that carry more weight? Maybe? I don't know. One things for sure this is the type of place you could spend hours in relaxing. Quite and cozy I tell ya. The bar tenders are magicians with the cocktails. I was intoxicated just watching them make it. Friendly people. Great vibes. Make an appearance. read more

Our bar tender was so kind and made wonderful drinks. Although a mojito is not the most intricate drink, I enjoyed it! We also ordered the pesto flatbread which was delicious! Plenty of seating with great music, definitely recommend for happy hour! read more

Honestly the Happy hour here is phenomenal. It's quiet, and quite spacious. People are generally either on dates or in small groups, but everyone seems to be relatively quiet. There are enough TVs if you were watching a sports game and the drinks are really good it's not super expensive and the snacks are also quite affordable and tasty. They were making bacon in the back, so the whole place started smelling like bacon and it was phenomenal. There's no wait staff, you order at the bar but there are people who bring food out which is nice. but it's really such a cozy spot for drinks - perfect to hang for a few hours with the girls or on a date. read more

This venue is a joke. It's always empty and they take forever to make a drink. Their management has been extremely rude to our holiday gatherings over the years. They recently cancelled a party my friend was working on scheduling there. Super rude. They are not here for the community and pander to big companies. A few years ago, the new owners re-designed the cool Mad Men-like interior to "California chic" and now it just is dirty white carpet and worn white leather. Avoid. read more

What a hidden gem! We go there every week! This local bar adjacent to the Laurel Inn hotel is so cozy AND retro swanky at the same time! Drinks are amazing, and you can get a couple of rounds at "retro" prices. A couple of nice TVs to watch local games or old movies... Romantic nooks, a fireplace, a couple of bigger couches for small groups, and even some outdoor terrace! Try the pesto flatbread and the bacon-wrapped dates! Perfect happy hour, nightcap, first date spot...just go! read more

This is a nice and comfortable place to come for an adult beverage. It's not too loud, has a good vibe, and the bartenders make a good cocktail. I have been here with both small and larger groups and every time it seems like the right place to go. It works for a couple looking to have a drink while talking as well as for a larger group out on the town being a bit boisterous. Enjoy. read more

This place has been troublesome every time I've been, which is once a year for 5 years. My friend has their annual holiday party there - and despite okay-ish drinks and an always slightly hostile staff, we return. It's a large group of local friends and they always make a decent amount of money off this party. This year, however, they took their sweet ass time to deliver any sort of contract and after delivering it canceled the date on the organizer without any explanation. This is after 9 years of using that venue for the same holiday party each year. Don't spend money at a place with hostile staff and bad business practices -- and especially not at one that screws over the locals. read more

Yum very good Good service Tasty drinks and appetizers Convenient to hotel Ambience very sexy read more

This place used to be kitschy cute when it was Swank, but ever since they changed it to The Laureate it's gone downhill. Not only did the decor go bland, there's nothing smart about the place that signifies a Laureate. The staff is rude and slow (I've been a few times as it's close to my house so I'm not basing this on 1 bad experience) and the whole experience just feels unremarkable. I don't recommend it at all. read more

Time for a HISTORY lesson bijz. POET LAUREATES were the first rappers. Way before Biggie vs Tupac and coast & hood beef, muhfuhs in prehistoric Italy BEEN trill, brah. In 1315, Albertino "Lil' Mus" Mussato got his wreath crown & gold grill for writing about the political struggles of Italy and Wakanda. In 1341, Francesco "Cescobar" Petrarch was wreathed & gold chained for his famous letters. Written on literal paper. By hand. Str8 mgafgn thug life right there. And thousands of years later, they still keep it 100: the exact second I sat down, music switched from elevator schnaz to Tribe Called Quest. They def know their audience aka me lol. MELLOW STAFF and the CORNER VIEW to soak in all the street drama. Chilllit vibes in hr. read more

Decent bar, I haven't been to many though but I enjoy this one. Then ambience is pretty chill overall I enjoy the atmosphere of the place. It's a nice bar if you want to relax I haven't been with a friend yet but this would be a place I would take them! read more

This place treated my friend horribly after being a hella loyal patron for like 10 years! She and my friends brought in thousands of dollars, an accomplishment IMO when the bar is always empty. They canceled our scheduled holiday party with no explanation to my friend or any of us who had gone in the past. I wanted to go this year too. Don't trust them. The cocktails are kinda overrated. THEY DONT VALUE LOCALS read more

The Laureate at the Laurel Inn is a great little bar with a fantastic aesthetic. Cozy, intimate and chill, this cocktail lounge has all the makings for a swank date spot or a night cap. What I also appreciate about this spot is how quiet it is. As I get older, I come to appreciate an establishment that I don't have to scream in in order to be heard by my friends, a bartender or anyone. Speaking of, the bartenders at the Laureate are all friendly and knowledgeable, making cocktails swiftly and efficiently. Overall, Laureate checks a lot of boxes for a lounge and I can't wait to go back! read more

Laureate - Great seating and overall aesthetic. - Lounges Near Me - San Francisco, California

We enjoyed the stylish warm ambiance having well made drinks over easy conversation. One drink, though poured well, was not to our liking. The attentive bartender then made a new drink - delicious. read more

Cute neighborhood bar, one of the few where you don't need to shout. It feels like you're sitting in somebody's living room. Very comfortable. read more

A neighborhood gem. I liked the mid-century setting here - it's cool. The fireplace is especially beautiful. This bar is in Presidio Heights, so it's quiet and laid back relative to what you might find on Polk Street. It's nice to be able to hear your friends sometimes. Cocktails are $10 during happy hour and $12 otherwise, so reasonably priced. Half are creative seasonal drinks and half are classics. Food was typical bar food, thankfully with plenty of veg options. It's good, but I feel like they could turn the quality up a notch. Will be back! read more

When I arrived at Laureate after being out with friends/running errands, I was very disappointed at how sparse the crowd was. Hardly anyone was there at 11:30 pm on a Friday night, like 10 people. And after what I saw, I now know why When last I was there, I had taken a friend who had last-minute mentioned she was in town for a birthday drink. Oddly we found a bunch of local businesswomen talking about feminism in their smoking lounge. I had just been out getting feedback from women about a not-for-profit project to try to make the world a better place for women to live in... so it seemed like the right place to have a drink mostly because it's steps from my house and I thought it might have women discussing the sorts of things I was involved in that day After seeing the total lack of fun that was there, I was unsure what to do, so I walked to their smoking patio and looked up which bars were open nearby on my phone. There was nothing super close or that looked worth a trek, so I peered into the lack of crowd which included a couple who looked like they were ex-cons or something from their hair, clothes, and Orange is the New Black-ish tattoos, a number of middle-aged men who were not particularly well dressed, one man who looked like my grandfather, and a few women each with a man or three talking to them. Not a bunch of women hanging out Just then an older man came out of the bar and asked if I had a cigarette for him, which I did. He asked what I was up to and I said I had come to try to have a drink with women in a sisterly sort of way after spending the day on this project that was meant to help women better express themselves and get their needs met, but there were hardly any women there, so I was thinking I would just wander the short walk home... he told me he liked drinking around women(kinda ironic) and was disappointed that the crowd was mostly men and then talked about how he liked to do cocaine, which may have been a veiled invitation to join him, but I mentioned that wasn't my thing. He went off to get his THC vape & I just sat, quite dimmed by the crowd I was walking back through to go home when I saw two girls talking. It wasn't a big group of women like I had fun hanging out with before, but they seemed kinda cool, so I asked them if either one of them would want to weigh in on whether something we were trying out to help women communicate better seemed like a good idea and if they would want to communicate that with their partners that way... cause with no party happening there, I figured I'd offset my disappointment, at how lacking in excitement Laureate was, by collecting a couple more opinions on the direction we were taking the project in. Both of them were curious and both of them said they would use a free tool like that and thought it was a good idea, which is encouraging. One of them seemed to know a lot about women's issues and handed me her business card and suggested keeping in touch. I don't really use business cards to keep in touch with people, so I just held it in my hand waiting to give it back to her when I took off and offered to send her the PDF of the free tool we were trying out because she seemed to think she knew some educators who might dig giving it to their students Then Sam, who identified himself as the manager, walks up right after she's asked me a question about how people are supposed to get the data back to us and I start explaining that it's a communication tool and that they use it to communicate with the people close to them, so we don't want any of their data from that and the only people we would collect it from are the people testing the free educational tools that we haven't even completed or started testing yet... Instead of finishing, Sam is saying, "Oh I know you!" in a super loud and annoying voice. He asks if he can give me a hug and I have no idea who he is, but I think all humans deserve hugs and I didn't want to hurt his feelings and tell him I didn't remember him, so I hugged him somewhat distantly around the shoulders neither wanting to be insincere nor mean. And he kept saying over and over(it went on for 3 or 5 minutes), "Oh, I know you" "You know you know me!" "I know you!" "You remember me!" and I was trying to be polite, but it was really annoying having the interesting conversation I was having with her that included her telling me about her being involved in creating community with women and her views on women's issues from that...replaced with vapid, repetitive drivel about knowing someone I have zero memories of. ...so after saying, "Okay", and, "Oh?" and, "Really?" a bunch of times to this Sam person who seemed to be on either a lot of coke or a lot of crack(couldn't tell which), I finally said in a soft tone of voice, "We were kinda talking about women stuff and he explained that we should include him. Include headache-inducing, awkward, pushy him. Thx He calle me rude for asking to speak privately and demanded inclusion. read more

Laureate - This is the urine covered seat and floor I found in the bathroom after dealing with the awkward, abrasive staff at Laureate. - Lounges Near Me - San Francisco, California

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Great cocktails and great service! Happy this is in my neighborhood. The environment is also very cozy.

Having been to this spot when it was previously Swank, we peeked our heads into Laureate a few weeks ago to see how it had changed. It was a Saturday night, business seemed brisk and there were a lot of people milling around. We might have hung around had the woman screeching karaoke not given me an instant migraine. This is a small bar, and while karaoke may be fun, it seems like this space is just too small for noisy karaoke. read more

No rating. Despite the promise of VIP treatment, the last two visits featured the failure to honor happy hour prices--even though I arrived just 7 minutes after 5:00 pm and at least two of my beers were ordered before 6:00 pm, I was charged full price for all four drinks I ordered--and a 20-minute wait to order just as the happy hour crowd thinned out. It seems service gets worse when there are two bartenders. They spend more time talking to one another than to guests. Sam, I would appreciate a response. Rich read more

Great neighborhood spot with a full bar, have come here to watch sports in a nice atmosphere with good people.

Laureate is located at a convenient intersection in the heart of Presidio Heights/western Pacific Heights/Laurel Heights. This used to be known as Swank. Swank was my usual neighborhood bar/cocktail lounge (technically, the latter). While Swank has been replaced by/revamped into Laureate, it is still a top-notch spot. I appreciate the modern, contemporary facelift it has received (Admittedly, Swank's style was a bit dated circa early to mid-'00s. But, I also kinda liked how non-pretentious it was before -- partially because of the early aughts ambiance.). Anyway, Laureate is still a welcomed change. Their cocktail menu is lovely and is different from Swank. They still have some happy hour deals which I'm grateful for. Otherwise, they'd lose this loyal Swank customer because part of the reason my friends and I would go there is for that menu! In terms of service, generally it's best to order at the bar because the bartenders rarely head over to the seated areas. When they do, they're busy juggling other orders as well. In other words, if you want your drink quicker, then walk over to the bar and take care of it there. I'll be back again soon because (frankly) this is one of the few solid cocktail bars in the neighborhood. read more

The bartender Dominic was great took care of everything. Drinks tasted fantastic. Lounge area is cozy.

For years I loved this place and spread the word to my friends (for the hotel and bar). Despite it being a mediocre hotel bar, frequented by basically no one, with begrudging bartenders who were constantly rude and dismissive, I stayed loyal because they had been good to my friend and I when we hosted an annual holiday party. They started off fairly accommodating. But over the years they continued to raise the rates and only staffed our events with 1 bartender which made it feel very time consuming to get a drink (and meet their required minimum). But still we remained loyal an supporter this local hotel bar. However this year, after 9 years, and tens of thousands of dollars, they gave us the run around. At the last minute they bailed on us and offered no alternative date. They communicated no reason why. As a result I do not recommend this bar anymore. They clearly do not value their customers. read more

Serious gem of a spot. Very cool atmosphere. Good drinks and snacks. Very nice to sit by the fire.

This place has a great lounge vibe, chill music, insanely good drinks and kind bartenders. If you bring your date here and it doesn't work out, it's definitely your fault. read more

Laureate - Lounges Near Me - San Francisco, California

This is an awesome place! Went here on a Tuesday when they just opened so we were the only ones there. Very chic mid century style décor. Cozy by the fireplace with plenty of seats. Feels like someone's home, so comfortable. Drinks were well made. The music was totally me. Hip hop instrumentals and old school music. The bartender was hustlin by herself, while still making effort to give us attention. After a few hours, more peeps showed up. I highly recommend this lounge. It's like chillin in your own dream state house. read more

Awesome place! Cozy for drinks and chat! Here is not a bar with loud music that you need to scream the entire time.

Alright... I've been here a few times since I moved down the street from this place a few months ago. The vibes and decor are on point and the drinks are great but mannnnnn does the staff suck. It's always somethin. Y'all are just rude for absolutely no reason. I always get the feeling that they are annoyed and inconvenienced by the mere presence of patrons at this bar. You guys could have something great here... just be grateful and kind to your customers! read more

Very long over due review. This is my neighborhood bar, community, home away from home. Been coming here for more years than I'll admit to in writing. Cozy, comfortable, chill. All the bartenders are beyond great, but special shout out to Kristin and Aika who have been there the longest. Aika is the current manager and to say she's awesome is just not enough. Corian serves up yummy food. I'm addicted to the deviled eggs. Always well taken care of. Stop by, we have a stool waiting for ya. Salud. read more

They have great cocktails that are super unique! The bar itself is super cozy and chill and a great place to talk. The bar and bathroom is very clean, feels more like a nice lounge than a bar. The bartenders are also very nice. read more

Great cocktail club with fun and creative drinks! The new interior is beautiful and comfortable, great place to come with friends or a date. Love having this place in the neighborhood! read more

Love this place! Neighborhood cozy meets sophisticated. Great cocktails and the manager was super friendly. We will definitely be back!