If ever you find yourself in San Francisco, this is the only place worth drinking. Don't waste your time anywhere else. Trust me, I know from experience. read more

Really loved everything about Rye! We went rather early in the evening and it was the perfect timing for us. Great, thoughtfully crafted cocktails - some old favorites, riffs off old favorite, and some really creative house cocktails as well. We had a selection of rye/bourbon-based drinks and enjoyed each of them. Highly recommend if "brown drinks" are your thing! read more

I was highly anticipating a night of dancing and drinking but didn't end up getting my groove on since the slide nor ambassador didn't work out. Across the street we noticed a bar/lounge called Rye. I would totally come back here again. Very cool vibe and very chill. Only 2-3 bartenders at the max behind the bar so it kind of was a wait but not too bad. Drinks were generous on the alcohol side. Some of the glasses they used though were a little odd and not consistent. The decor was urban modern yet streamlined. There's a pool table at the back and a bunch of lounge chairs on the other side of the room. The place is a little small. The huge mirror facing the bar can be a bit deceiving but it made the illusion that the place was bigger. Basically a really nice spot to grab a drink before or after dinner. read more

nice looking bar, cool vibe, stiff drinks and good location

Hmmm not sure about this place. I went there on Friday night for my friend's birthday party to spend most of my precious party time outside in a "line" which is a big no-no for me and had it not been my friend's b-day, I would have cut out in a heartbeat. We finally had to take a tone with the bouncer as he was letting people in that didn't even have to wait in line and when he finally decided to let us in but not the one guy we were with, that created yet another problem....so lame. The place wasn't even at capacity so as far as creating a bogus, unneccessary line was definitely uncalled for. Oh, and don't get me started on the bartender (the male bartender). What a complete asshole who obviously was unable to work hard under pressure as it appeared as though they were short staffed....Quite frankly, I don't care. I've been to several crowded bars that can work it out behind the bar regardless....Get it together! read more

I am so glad that Rye is in my neighborhood. This place makes drinks on par with Nopa, and I don't even have to worry about waiting for the N. This ultra hip lounge is located in the Tendernob on Geary between Leavenworth and Jones. As you enter you'll find the bar but if you continue down a few steps there is an additional room with tables and comfy chairs with walls lined with wine bottles on one side, and white bricks on the other where they project their light show magic. We sat at one of the tables- at around 9 the place is not terribly crowded- and are served by a very nice waitress who is patient as we deliberate over the oh so many mouthwatering cocktail choices. After careful consideration, my drink of choice consisted of gin with pummeled kiwi, cane sugar, cucumber, and lemon. In fact it came with a sliced cucumber floating inside and I made a comment, perhaps inappropriately so, to the waitress that it looked like spa water (ie that water they serve with cucumbers and fruits). Maybe she didn't know what I meant, since she looked appalled, but I quickly informed her that it was only a compliment, since I do indeed love spa water! I only tried one drink here, since next stop was Toronado, and I had the Bay to Breakers to run early the next morning, but I will indeed be back, and plan to sample a specimen closely related to the kiwi-cucumber variety, but instead with basil. The kumquat creations looked tasty too...so many choices it almost stresses me out (but somehow I'll get over it). read more

Rye is one of the few bars I keep coming back to when I need to entertain some folks. The vibe is quite laid back and not overly stimulating. It's usually pretty easy to get into and it's open every day of the week (this is important when you need to get your Sunday drink on). It's usually pretty easy to get in and find a comfortable spot. There's a small smoking patio as well. It can take a while to get a drink and the cocktails are a bit small, so I wouldn't recommend this place if you're racing to get anywhere or racing to get hammered. Females particularly like the Basil Gimlet ;) read more

Best drinks in the tenderloin in my opinion. Bartenders are also friendly and accommodating if you want to try something new.

definitely another good bar like rosewood and 15 romolo (same owners) with great drinks. i had several (and i do mean several) delicious blackberry coolers, and i also heard a lot of people excited about the basil gimlet. not a gimlet girl myself though. the music was good, although the crowd could have been better and more... it wasnt that busy for a saturday night. but i had fun and would definitely go back! read more

Drinks are an art form at Rye. Each drink made with precision. Attention to detail from the freshly squeezed ingredients to the finessing of the glass rim with a burnt orange peel. Experience the best of the Tendernob. It's the creme de la creme of drink lists. read more

very hip bar in a seemingly pretty hip part of town. they have speciality drinks that will make you wanna hurry and finish the one you ordered so you can try another, very friendly bartenders (who even gave my gf a taste of their new, up and coming whiskey), modern paintings, art and furniture, and a small jail-like outdoor area. a little trendy and shi shi for my general taste, but a very nice place to take your friends who enjoy more of that scene. read more

everytime i walk by this place i yell at the people in the smoking room "youre in a prison!"

This isn't really my scene, but I came here with a bunch of dudes who like whiskey and scotch. Having said that, I could not pass up the opportunity to go to a place called "rye." In any case, I was impressed with their array of scotches and whiskeys, but preferred to stick with a Jim Beam and ginger after downing a couple scotches too fast. The music was alright; actually I was pleasantly surprised that they played things like Goldfrapp, Ladytron and The Knife. The crowd....very Marina-esque. No thanks. That that was my major dislike and probably why I wouldn't come back...on a weekend night, at least. read more

I do like this place but it does have it's flaws. First of all the bar area is way too small for the amount of people in there so you will be bumping into tons of people trying to get drinks, careful not to spill. The drinks were average price for the city and the neighborhood was chill enough for us to find some parking but you may not always be so lucky so have a backup plan. There is a pool table in the back near the bar and that's nice and all but it takes up a bunch of room that could go to the bar but that's another story. They have an outdoor smoking area which is caged into the actual bar which I really liked. Instead of going outside and getting your hand stamped and getting hasseled to get back in, you can just go outside and still be in the bar to get some air or a smoke if that's what you're into. Chill atmosphere except for a few bitches trying to start drama but we shut it down and had a good rest of the night. read more

It's a good place, but I'm not sure if I need to return. Rye is the kind of joint that has all the ingredients of greatness but something is missing. Maybe its the crowd I don't know, but I found the two times that I went there both disappointing for different reasons. The first time the Jalisco heat cocktail was screaming good, the second time, not so much. The first time the bar wasn't too terribly packed with annoying people, except for the sorority girls discussing like "oh my god they use such fresh ingredients, what's a sazerac?!" Oh my god I thought to myself, like any good watering hole should and if you don't know go back to TGI Fridays! Oh man I sound like a booz snob, I'm not I promise, i was wheened on Smirnoff and other horrible swills... but seriously, it's a good place, its just not consistent from visit to visit. I see a lot of eye balling of cocktails at this joint. The jiggers don't come out regularly, funny enough, the Jalisco heat which was great the first time was measured, the 2nd time, it was a Friday night, it wasn't measured and didn't exactly jive, rather the flavors of the various ingredients didn't jive the way they did the first time around. So go ahead, go check out the bar, i'd suggest a week day vs. a weekend, too nutty then... go early try their good rye cocktails and judge for yourself... read more

Rye is an excellent bar. I had the rye old fashioned cure all and it was amazing. Probably one of the top 5 drinks I've had in my life. I really liked the vibe in this bar, not too crowded and easy to have a conversation without having to speak too loudly. The bartenders here are very nice and there is an Osha Thai located right next door if you want a quick bite to eat after enjoying a few cocktails. I will definitely be back for a few more cocktails!! read more

i dropped over 200 bucks in this place and i tip 2 bucks per drink EVERY TIME. thats how i roll....and not once did a bartender offer me a drink on the house. call me a crazy white person from the east coast but to me thats just bad buisness. cool spot though( i gotta keep it real)*****i'm not going back********** read more

I went to Rye two nights ago with a friend to meet her friend at his birthday celebration. When we got there her friend was well on his way to wasted ; but I bought him a shot of patron for the birthday boy and one for myself and 2 rum and cokes. That came to thirty bucks...not bad but not cheap either. The rum and coke was nice and strong(plus). There was a nice mix of people; no cheap and slinky shirt girls and ghetto boys. No dance floor but you could dance if you wanted and the music was great!(plus). Since it's a bit on the small side my friend and I were standing near the bathroom and there was no line and it appeared clean (huge plus). Fast forward about an hour and a half later and we rejoin the b-day boy and his crowd. This fool is trashed!! And he turned 25 so I was thinking he should be over that s*** ; but he was definitely all over and inside the sloppy drunk M.O. Then real subtle-like he turns his head and spews all over the floor next to the booth he's sitting in.SICK!! So I ask the bartender for a stack of paper towels and attempt to sop it up a bit. Everyone around me was all disgusted and his buddies were embarrassed and avoiding each other's gazes. The more paper towels I spread onto the mess the more comical it became...like sprinkling petals in a wedding or something. Someone came by with a can of Folger's coffee to sprinkle on the mess and it was swept up. Ingenious!! They left, or more accurately, they were helped out by the bouncers. After that it was smooth sailing. The bartenders were all really nice and when I closed my tab after the first and only round they took off part of the tab because of the whole vomit fiasco. Awesome!! I am definitely coming back sans barfo to enjoy the chill atmosphere with no cover, fabulous staff and interesting crowd. read more

Rye is a nice upscale bar that smokers love. We tried to go to the Ambassador for drinks last night but they had a private party so we crossed to Rye. From the outside it was packed. The "cage" of smokers was full. Which was hilarious since once we got inside there was plenty of room for the most part. So when I say cage, they have an artsy installation that separates the outside patio to the inside lounge via glass. There was only one bartender there last night and we had to wait a bit for our drinks, but the space is nice, there is a pool table with girls that randomly dance around it (at least last night there was). There are comfy booths are bar seating. For a Tuesday night, busy enough, and comfortable enough. There was a large bowl of oranges and limes in front of me that I was itching to poach, but held back. I've been there for happy hour as well and I have to say it was packed. There was a special on the board, but Todd went with Blood and Sand and I asked for a Beautiful for old times sake, but they didn't have Courvoisier (umm hello you are a lounge!!) so I differed to my current go to, Fernet. Tuesday night at 10pm is comfy. read more

Fun, chic place with fresh mixology behind the bar. Love the caged in patio.

I've lived in this neighborhood for 8 years and I can't believe I just discovered Rye! Went there for the first time last weekend. My partner and I had 5 drinks total and they were all delicious. BUT the Old Fashioned Cure All is the drink that will get us to return again, and again. It was the BOMB! read more

great bar, great owner, great staff, great drinks, great smoking area. nuff said.

I've always really liked the layout of this bar, and the bartenders are decent. There's an outdoor kind of "caged-in" area, which has tables where you can sit with your drink and enjoy the fresh air or smoke. There's a pool table in the back, and it's free! My only gripe is that their happy hour is kind of puny and it's a bit over priced. Overall, it's great for a kind of special evening out. read more

the honey basil gimlet is fabulous, free pool, good vibe, nice space. went on a monday, decent crowd. friendly bartenders

This is a great place to go when you don't feel like dealing with the pretentious crowds over at the other nice bars. I'm usually one of those people who loves the mainstream "seen and be seen" places. I had been to Rye once before, but was so plastered that I didn't remember how nice it was! Forget waiting in line, forget the asshole bouncers, forget dress codes....Rye is GREAT! Nice atmosphere, chill people, fantastic bartenders (one of them recommended Hanger One Lime with Half Soda and Half Sprite- try it...although you will probably sound like the most picky person at the bar, its so yummy its worth it!), and they also carry two of my favorite vodkas- Pear Grey Goose and Hanger One Lime. What could be better? read more

disregard my previous ranting; merely the product of a lapse into immaturity. all i can honestly say is this bar is not my type of place. it happens to be a favored place for certain groups of people who i do not roll with. i am not a fan of said people coming into my neighborhood and talking down of it, but so it goes. of course, no bar chooses its clientle, but it does market and design itself after the preferences of someone. 2 stars for giving me my drink after a decent wait. read more

If it were not for their restrooms, this place would have been given zero stars. I have never experienced such rude customer service before. DO NOT be deceived by the ambiance of the place, because the bar manager can turn that ambiance into something undesirable. I think the one star might come from the fact that there are no lines for the restrooms, but other than that, I do not see why it would have such good ratings for a place with such service. The bartender was nice, he did his job, but the bar manager seems to not understand what it means to be a decent human being. He can argue that it was done with good intention, which I do have to agree, but there is a limit to how someone treats people, especially customers. I came to this bar with a group of friends for a friend's 21st birthday. Without a doubt, the birthday girl is a bit more intoxicated than the rest of us, she got emotional. The bar manager came up to us without asking about anything whatsoever and simply just assumed the situation, told us that we could not place a drink in front of her, because she is beyond her limits. Who is he to tell us that she is beyond her limits, I am pretty sure we know our friend a bit more than he knows her. First, of all, we would not want our friend to be in danger, that would say something about us as friends, and second of all, she knows her limits, because she gets acid reflux when she drinks beyond her limits. So, therefore she will not pass out, in case the bar manager did not know, there is a difference between someone being emotional because they are talking, versus crying due to an over-consumption of alcohol. I did not expect him to understand, so we just took that warning, and we just sat there for a bit, but felt obligated to get another drink since we were taking space at the bar, so another friend went and ordered a shot, but was denied the shot. What type of bar is this? Not only was she denied the drink, but the bar manager came up to us, and asked us to leave. The sad part was that we did not even attempt to retaliate, we were ready to leave, we (making sure that the birthday girl did not drink it, because that was the concern to the bar manager) just wanted to down the drinks that we have already ordered and paid for, as I was drinking the cocktail, the bar manager just snatched it away from me and said that we had to leave. There is something wrong with this picture, isn't is a violation to consumers' rights? Who does he think he is, or who does he think I am? I am pretty sure I am not 5 years old, since I am at a bar, and even if I were, he does not have the right to do what he did. ALSO, they did not check IDs, if any of us were not of age, they would have not done their job properly. SO before you go around trying to evaluate people's alcohol consumption, maybe try checking IDs, that would be a good start. Long story short, there is a reason why they had slow business, while The Ambassador across the street had lines. read more

This place really sucks! Why? Because I live in the neighborhood and they "supposedly" opened this place to make the neighborhood become better, when in fact they make it worse! Instead of paying for their recycling, they have people pull up in a truck in front of their bar at 2 am and they go in the bar and take all the bottles and dump them in their truck! It is so loud it wakes up everyone in the neighborhood. Okay, this is the "tenderloin" but look at the location, Rye is surrounded by apartment buildings and we are sleeping at 2 am. I don't have kids, but there are plenty in the neighborhood and they are waking them up for sure. They don't give a sh*t about anyone around here, they just want to put more $$ in their already full pockets by not having to pay for the recycling.......Besides that, I have been there for drinks twice and...the drinks were nothing special AND the music was so d*mn loud I couldn't even hear the person sitting next to me. Even if I was going there to be "seen" at the very least I'd like to be "heard." read more

Nice casual bar scene (very crowded); i think it must have been "tall people" night last night, as I felt like a Lillipeutian, and I stand 5"7". Average bar service. Nice alfresco area. But, man, it was hot in there. Somebody PLEASE figure out some kind of cooling mechanism! read more

My boyfriend and I went to this bar a few weekends ago. We were really happy to have stumbled upon it because the decor was lovely and there was no cover charge. I went to the bar to order a drink, and I waited a long time. The bartender served drinks to many people who came up to the bar after me. I finally said, politely, "I've been here a while", and she explained that she would help me after she had gone down the row of people standing at the bar. I told her that I was there before any of those people, and the people before them. She ignored me. Poor etiquette. We left. read more

Two words: Monkey Cage. We met up with friends at this place over the weekend. A little hard to spot. But I get it...no sign = hip, cool place. It's so new that they haven't yet equipped themselves with a credit card machine. It was a good time. We spent the entire night monopolizing the outdoor spot enclosed with a cage-like door (aka the Monkey Cage). It makes for perfect people watching...Similar vibe to Rosewood (which makes sense that they're owned by the same people). Definitely a welcome addition to the Tender Nob neighborhood. Plus, the location allows you to top off the evening with some grub from Osha next door. read more

best mojito ever! both stalls in the women's bathroom had broken locks. read more

Maybe not a bad stop if you're trapped in the Tenderloin at 7pm on a weeknight, in need of a $15 cocktail. But otherwise a pretty banal experience. The bar interior says "chic" in a very straightforward way. The specialty drinks are each just a touch too elaborate and, based on the six cocktails my friend and I put away, prone to imbalance. (Not to mention pricey as hell, and none too strong.) On the positive side, our bartender was prompt, friendly, and skillful. The crowd early-evening was casual with a gratifying touch of hipster. But as mid-evening gave way to midnight, the crowd became decidedly younger and more awkwardly self-conscious. A formulaic sea of plunging necklines and tight black sweaters flooded the space. Hip-hop-inspired pop started thumpin' and the vibe settled into girls-just-wanna-have-fun vs. guys-just-wanna-get-laid. That's fine, whatever, but I found these people to be annoyingly aggressive at the bar. read more

Great bar. Has the same feel as Rosewood but a little nicer and without the dance floor. I had a birthday party here that worked out very well. Greg even let me give him my iPod and choose all the music for the night, which was awesome. read more

i had read a bunch of reviews about this place so i kind of knew what to expect... a slick looking space and a bunch of yuppies. when i walked in, i instantly noticed how large the place seemed with its huge vaulted ceilings. i also liked the exposed brick in the wall. but after being there a bit, the place just seemed *too* empty. maybe they needed some couches or something, but i just felt like i was in an empty warehouse or something. too much dead space. also, there weren't that many people there either, so that made it seem even more dead. the bar itself was fairly small and i just kept having the feeling like some people had set up a makeshift counter in an empty building. ok, ok, obviously the place wasn't just "thrown together", but i just wasn't feelin' it. the drinks were pretty damn good though. i had a basil gimlet which although a bit of an odd combo, worked pretty well i thought. (my resolution this year is to visit 50 new bars in SF. read about it at: http://fiftybars.thisisvlad.com ) read more

i don't know why i like this place. the clientele is kind of douchie and the drinks aren't cheap. but they do have that smokers' cage, which is where i usually end up for the night, even though i'm not a smoker. so, love the cage...LOVE IT. read more

Friendly and helpful bartenders and waitresses. Nice atmosphere, although it's a little loud for my taste, but the music was good so I didn't mind too much. Cocktails were perfectly balanced. I had the special of the night, which was called the Haberdasher (shout out to my man Harry Truman!), and another cocktail, the name of which escapes me, but it had Japanese whiskey and it was delicious. The boy had an Old Fashioned and it tasted like a stick of Big Red gum, but in a good way. The area away from the bar with booths and tables is the prime seating if you can get there early enough and claim a spot. The outside area would be nice except it's where all the smokers go. Boo, smokers, I thought they were all extinct. Apparently not. Anyways, if you're in the area, definitely check this place out. I only wish they had food, but there are plenty of late night dirt cheap eating establishments nearby should you get the whiskey induced munchies. read more

the basil gimlet were amazing, and they make really good old fashioned.

Nice place. It was quiet when we went on a Saturday but it was also like 4 or 5pm. Great cocktails. Will be back.

they make some seriously nice drinks here. so nice that you almost don't mind paying nine dollars for them. almost. you've got to go during the week, or on the weekend before 11. after that it gets way too crowded and there are way too many people who look like they need go on that show what not to wear. also there was some seriously underage looking girls in this place. now, i am all for fake IDs. i got mine my first year in the city when i was living in the USF dorms and there was an address getting passed around that was somewhere in middle america where you could send $20 and a photo and you'd get back a pretty good ID that said you were from south dakota. i got mine, and you know where i went? i went to the marina. because that's where you go when you are 18. not the loin. aw, the kids these days, they grow up so fast. but i'm going to have to say get the fuck out. these kids do not belong in the loin or the mission or downtown or anywhere else where 30 year olds prefer to drink. i have fucking done my time in this city and i refuse to have to drink with the college kids. and these little girls could not have even been in college. ok, enuf of that tirade. back to the drinks. my favorite is the basil gimlet. be smart and get it on the rocks. it feels like you get more than if you get it in a martini glass. and when your cocktail is $9 you better get as much as you can out of it. i think i licked the inside of my glass. read more