21st Amendment Brewery
Categories: Pubs, Breweries, Restaurants [Edit]
Neighborhood: SOMA563 2nd St
(between Brannan St & De Boom St)
San Francisco, CA 94107 (415) 369-0900
- Hours:
Mon-Sun 11:30 a.m.-2:00 a.m. - Price Range: $$
- Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
- Parking: Street
- Attire: Casual
- Good for Groups: Yes
- Good for Kids: No
- Takes Reservations: Yes
- Delivers: No
- Take-out: Yes
- Waiter Service: Yes
- Wheelchair Accessible: Yes
- Outdoor Seating: Yes
- Good for: Lunch, Dinner
- Best Nights: Thu, Fri, Sat
- Happy Hour: Yes
- Alcohol: Full Bar
- Smoking: No
- Coat Check: No
248 reviews
Neighborhood: Mission
"Still awesome. Went for the Sunday brunch. My friend got the boxty benedict and I got the one with the grilled soda bread. Pretty tasty,…" read more »
521 Reviews for 21st Amendment Brewery
I like beer. Check.
I like a variety of beer choices. Check
I like good food. Meh..
I don't like standing. Darnit..
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Great place for an after game gathering. We needed something to numb the shame of our shutout defeat tonight.
Bar was packed, so we headed upstairs (my first time up there). They have another small bar and many tables - so we slid into a booth/bench and had a blast. My husband gives high praises to their home brewed IPA. Our friends loved the pomegranate cider.
We left a little after 11p - still packed.
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1 Previous Review: Show all »
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02/03/2008
I'm not big on beer, so I can't really comment on the brewery part of this establishment. But the… Read more »
Hands down, best steak sandwich I've ever had. I can't stop obsessing about polishing off the other half for din tonight. B/F loved his burger, too. The watermelon wheat beer was great, who wouldn't love a beer with a slice of watermelon on the rim?
It was extremely loud and very testosterone-rich, but what do you expect from a sports bar? This place is five stars for what it is...
After hearing about one of my roommates and David O. rave about the Hell or High Watermelon beer I knew I had to try it. A group of us came in before a Giants game a few weeks ago. We got there right when they opened at 11 am so we got some price seating!
Hell or High Watermelon beer is excellent - I think we had about 7 each before we made it to the game.
We also had a veggie pizza to share as an appetizer and it was good. We asked for some cheese and the waitress came out with a big brick of it and grated it onto our pizza.
I will be going back for beers before another game.
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Been coming here regularly for a couple of years. Not too much to say except the beers are fantastic. My fave is the 21st Amendment IPA which is their house beer. The drawback is that they are usually out of it on tap. Went there today and the ONLY IPA was a guest brew from Stone in San Diego. Drank the English Mild (I think) instead.
Food menu is great, but a tad pricey. As for food, I'm a huge fan of the Jerk Chicken. Their pizzas are fantastic as well. Check out the blackboard for specials.
One thing that would be nice would be to see their beers served as Imperial pints instead of standard pints for $5.50. A few blocks away is Thirsty Bear and they do Imperial pints for the same price.
I prefer the food here though. I'm drinking 21st's IPA as I write this. Belch.
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Went to 21st Amendment last night before the Giants game. Wouldn't recommend you go at that time as the place was PACKED but they do have a beer garden on the side of the building that makes things a little less crazy.
I'm a beer enthusiast and don't typically love fruit beers but of course had to try the fabled watermelon wheat. Although I was skeptical (I love watermelons but not watermelon-flavored things) I was thoroughly impressed by this brew. Nice foamy head, fresh watermelon taste on the tongue and that good crisp wheat finish. The Transcontinental IPA however, is unbelievable. I prefer a really hoppy beer and this things got bite, not to mention the 7.8% ABV.
We started with the Artichoke and Crab dip which was way too overcooked and came with maybe 10 bite-sized pita chips. Despite the crustiness the dip was delicious. We asked for extra chips and the server brought us out a slightly better portion but we later found that she charged us $2 for them. My friends ordered the veggie burger (apparently very good), the spinach salad (good portion and tasty walnuts) and the veggie pizza (just ok quality vegetables and the crust was too floppy). I had the chicken sandwich with mango remoulade. The chicken breast was pounded super thin, and the dutch crunch it came on wasn't very crunchy. It was still a tasty sandwich with all the flavors combined and the thick cut seasoned fries were delicious.
Overall we had a good time, it's a nice place to stop off before a game since it's only a few blocks from the park. If I were only rating the food I would have given 3 stars but the beer deserves a 4 star rating.
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beers. occasionally strong beers (ouch. and they do mean strong).
they lose one star for eliminating happy hour prices during ball games (can't blame 'em, just saying) and for getting rid of happy hour snack prices. also understand the economic wisdom of it...just sorry to see the $3 snacks and beers fly out the window with the basket that kjkwkmi tossed (not a metaphor).
so much time squandered, blocking out the corporate woes of pizzawhirled. so much bonding at layoff parties, promotion parties, and just general mayhem. how i will miss all that i don't remember. how much i've come to love drinking on the shuttle schedule. and how bonding it's been to have good friends walk you carefully out from the den of iniquity...
While I was lucky enough to have fantastic (not to mention super sexy) company, my overall experience here was not impressive.
I really wanted to try their Come Hell or High Watermelon Wheat beer, which was proudly displayed on their website. I was told nope, sorry, that sold out yesterday. Why not update your website? I settled for the Pomegranate cider, which basically tastes like all other cider in the world.
Fine, my company was cute so I was not as concerned as I may have been. Moving on to food- I tried the buffalo chicken pizza with goat cheese- sans onions. WTF- there were like 3 tiny balls of goat cheese. That's it. I have photographic evidence of the lack of goat cheese. You can't give me my watermelon beer, and you can't give me a decent amount of goat cheese?
Service was so-so, but I wasn't really paying attention.
One drawback is their design- it can get really loud in there.
I may go back. Or I may not. Bring on the fruity beer, bishes!
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Love the watermelon hefeweizen with watermelon slice as a garnish instead of a lemon! The food was pretty delicious too especially the cobb salad that we ordered. My friends who tried other beers also really enjoyed them. When Beer Fest tickets were sold out, we decided to create our own beer bar crawl. 21st Amendment was a fun stop along our tour! I recommend sitting upstairs because it tends to be a bit less jam-packed.
Glad to have a place like 21a next door to work. It's very consistent, decent crowd and fried calamari complements good beer very well. It's off the beaten path enough that it doesn't get destroyed on days there are games at the ballpark.
Very tasty beers and happy hour prices are decent. Currently on a hoppy ipa type kick, which is great cuz they have some good ones and seem to rotate what's on their beer board fairly regularly which keeps things interesting.
That having been said... I think the Double Trouble Imperial I.P.A. is a bit of a misnomer. I.P.A.'s are named after an extra hoppy and alcoholic brew and shipping technique used to keep beer from spoilng, pioneered for shipments to both India and.... you guessed it Imperial Russia.
So (as far as I know) IPA means both or either imperial pale ale or indian pale ale. So in reasoning this out, i guess it could be imperial indian pale ale? Historically, probably not super accurate, but certainly plausible.
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Mmmmm- soo good! I went last night with a group of 7. The 20 minute wait was more like 10, and was painless due to my 8th Anniversary brew. Yum. They have a cool beer selection and basic bar and grill menu. I opted for the burger, and loved it. This place is fab.
We've been coming here since 2000 and I've really been disappointed with their evolution. Not the beer - that has always been top notch (particularly their IPA and Pale) - but the marketing machine they've become. I feel like they've lost itheir soul since the ball park opened. Their beer is 6 bucks on game day, and over $5 on non-game days. To give you an idea of how cheesy they are, they just started distributing their beer - in cans (!!). Is that supposed to be kitschy? And no can liner so you can even taste the aluminum. And 'm not loving the no happy hour policy on game days either. Watermelon wheat beer? C'mon. That's not beer! But then again, people love it...
As for the food, it was better when they had the old chef, but they have your standard burgers and good salads. Onion rings are great, too. I certainly don't come here for the food though.
I've got some advice for the owners though if they want to in any way get back to their roots as a great place to get a beer and hang out - take a roadtrip to Portland and take a page out of any of the 30+ brewpubs in the city on how to run a chill, non-commercialized place. But for true beer lovers who want a low key place to get delicious hand crafted ales, I'd take the Bart over to Berkeley and hit Triple Rock instead.
In case you're wondering why I still go here after slamming them, it's a) convenient to the ball park, of course and b) Jeremy's in South Park is across the street...and I have to admit, c) their IPA rocks!
What's up with the distribution in cans though...?
I hate Watermelon (there goes that stereotype), but somehow I love 21st Amendment Brewery's Hell or High Watermelon Wheat Beer. Someone should have told me about this beer sooner (which a co-worker tells me that BevMo now carries). I regret to inform my liver that since my office is located 1 block away I see more Hell or High Watermelon Wheat Beer in my near future.
Oh yeah, the Steak Sandwich (with jalapeño aioli) and a side of those huge and crunchy onion rings = Yummmm.
What would I improve - The service.
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They have really good beer here, but the food is super greasy and kind of gross. The place is always too crowded, but at least they try to open the beer garden once in a while.
I am so torn about this place...
Positives:
Beer is fantastic!
Appetizers are great
TV's for sports watching are big and nicely placed
They have a beer garden type setting outside (rain or shine) on game nights.
Negatives:
The crowed can be somewhat... popped collar
The bar space upstairs gets packed and the seating isn't really arranged all that well.
On game night this place is a zoo
All of the negatives are not the establishments fault, but sometimes they keep me from going. If you do brave the crowds try the watermelon beer! It is YUM!
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Some people say three time's the charm.
I say: 3 strikes and you're yelped (again).
My last 3 times eating at 21A have been highly disappointing. Once, I asked the waiter for an "untoasted bun" on my burger. He brought out a patty on a bed of greens. When I repeated what I wanted, he snatched it back. Not one word of apology. Another time I got the burger again. This time, i dared not make any bun-related requests for my burger. The result? A burger with the texture of pita chips - crunchy and hard.
And finally, the last time I went, I went for the chicken sandwich. What I received was a slice of chicken that resembled of a regular chicken breast that disappeared between the roll in which it was sandwiched. Our waiter brought it back to the kitchen and later brought me a new one muttering, "oh..they made a mistake on your previous one." Do they have a different guy in charge of each slice of chicken? On the way home, I drove past a McDonald's billboard advertising the chicken sandwich. It looked much more fullfilling than the sandwich I received. That's saying a lot.
All 3 times I ordered iced tea. The first 2 servers never gave me a refill or even acknowledged that fact. The 3rd server finally asked, but not until I was ready to pay the bill. The enthusiasm I once had and the high regard I once paid it are quickly disappearing just like that refill.
21A, I can no longer recommend you to others in good faith. Especially not after I downgrade you to 3 stars. Maybe I'll give you another chance, but as of today, you have struck out.
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1 Previous Review: Show all »
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01/15/2008
Even without tasting the food or drinking the beer, the layout of this place is something that sets… Read more »
The food is great they have a good selection of beer as well. The appetizers are really good and the burgers! YUM!
I'm a big fan of the brewpub but this place doesn't really cut it. My beer was tasty (the 8th Anniversary) but they were actually out of what I first ordered (the Watermelon wheat). I ordered the Santa Fe salad, knowing it wasn't going to be healthy-- I just wanted it to be delicious. The lettuce was cut really small and the toppings were sparse (couple of beans and crunchy stick-things here and there). The steak strips could not have been more overcoooked, I left most of them on my plate. Not the dense, filling salad I was hoping for. My bf had a burger--it was a little dry and mostly "eh." The fries (thick steak fries), I have to say, were super tasty and well seasoned. I stole more than a few off his plate after picking at my disappointing salad. I get this is just a Applebees-type joint and that's fine but they should be able to execute a salad and a burger. Don't think I'll be returning...or maybe I'll just go for a beer and a basket of fries :)
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Went here tonight for a little work shin-dig. Not bad. The layout is a bit weird but still a cool place to hang and have a drink. The beers I tried were pretty tasty. The I.P.A. was decently hoppy but still smooth. The stout was creamy with a slight bite. The E.S.B. was a straight standard E.S.B.: nothing special but well done. The food was good too. The only lowlight was the fries which were a bit bland and soft.
I was pleasantly surprised by the parking availability. There were plenty of metered spots right on the street and free 2 hour spots a block away by the park.
I would totally come here often for an after-work drink (if work wasn't 50 miles away!)
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BEER: Good beer. Watermelon wheat is memorable.
FOOD: Tasty burgers. Calamari was so-so.
SERVICE: Friendly. Enough servers during crowded hours.
ATMOSPHERE: Lively. Good parking. Definitely a baseball crowd.
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I use to come here after a certain class I was taking on 2nd street would get out.
Since then I have been back a few times, I love their variety of Belgium beers, they really pack a good punch and taste so good going down.
Appetizers here are tasty too.
Friendly bartender.
great place for someone like myself who does not own a TV to catch a game on the screens while enjoying a beer.
I work around the block from this place. I don't drink beer, so I'm probably rating it lower than a beer lover would.
The food is fine. Nothing great on the menu, but nothing too horrilbe either. They used to have this buffalo chicken salad that I was addicted to, but their last menu revamp pushed it off the menu. I've tried most of the items on the current menu, but no real standouts.
The service is horrible. The servers and bus people are nice enough, but tragically slow and lackadaisical. When it's crowded, forget it. Your lunch will take at least an hour and a half... most of that time waiting to order, waiting for food, waiting for bill, waiting for change... possibly dying of dehydration before you manage to get your server's attention.
I've never been in a restaurant that takes so long to bring a bill, collect payment and return change. I will usually ask for my bill when I place my order, but it still takes the course of my entire meal to wrap up the whole process.
When it's not crowded, it seems like all the staff just slow down to make sure that there's no such thing as grabbing a quick bite to eat here ever.
I've come here both during the weekend and during work lunch hour. I had to admit that pretty everything about this place is ok. It's not horrible and it's not great, it's just hmm... decent. Service and food are both decent but nothing you would probably write home about. Truthfully I cannot remember what I ordered or whether it was good or bad. I guess it satisfied me enough?
I must admit the watermelon beer is the best thing going on here. I usually get some every time I come here. Why is it if you dine in restaurant that the beer is 4$ but when you get a 6 pak to go its only 10 bucks?!?! The beauty of dining in I guess.
I'm not a beer expert but they have a good assortment of their own beer. The 9.2% ALC Double Trouble ain't no joke!!
The clientele is pretty mixed for the most part. It's usually packed here during Giants games so try to avoid it if you're not into big crowds. It's actually pretty crowded during lunch hour so again, if you hate crowds, don't come here during that time. There's parking around here but if you don't enjoy metered parking for 25 cents every 5 minutes then take the bus or come over 6.
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I tried the "El Cubano." It's a decent cuban sandwich- one of the best I've partaken in west of Ybor City... Like many sandwiches that are pressed, sometimes the insides aren't hot enough. I think restaurants should warm the meat and cheese before pressing the sandwich. The chips you pay a buck extra for are good- house-made Kennebec chips.
I go to this joint for the Hell or High Watermelon Wheat beer. I was surprised to see it come in a can. BTW, it's available @ BevMo. Garnished with a slice of watermelon(which is the poor man's viagra), this stuff is so refreshing!
I was actually surprised my panino was tasty...
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1 Previous Review: Show all »
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02/03/2008
The main reason I go there is to partake in two or three Watermelon Wheat beers garnished with a… Read more »
Hadn't been in a long time, but was looking for someplace to watch the Olympics with a buddy, so we went to 21A. Glad we did. We sat at the bar, and the service was good, friendly, welcoming. Even when we asked if the channel could be turned to the Olympics (from the 49er exhibition game) the woman behind the bar pleaded our case with other customers. I had the Santa Fe Salad which was very good;my friend had the chili which he also said was very good. We also had the apple crisp which actually was pretty awful. But all in all, a very good experience, a nice place to hang out.
Clever. The name, I mean. Clever.
I agree with all the bally-hoo on the Watermelon Wheat beer. It's good. I think I had pizza here, too. Who can remember?
This place gets the five star treatment for reasons other than food, drink and clever naming.
But, alas, there's no time to 'splain.
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Good place for after work. Therre is a lot of parking on Brannan after 6PM. The happy hour is $3 for beer and other discounts. I'm not sure what the hours for happy hour are but it was over by 7PM. Anyway, there's a lot of space for groups and the upper level has its own bar. They also brew their own beer.
I used to like this place, but I think they officially lost me tonight.
It wasn't anything egregious. I didn't find a shoelace in my meal. My waiter didn't radiate attitude. My beer was good.
It's just that the hamburger and onion rings they served me were so... well... weak, that it got me thinking about respect. Yes people, respect.
A burger at 21st Amendment starts with Nieman Ranch beef, which is great. But then they toss it into a big, dry, tasteless bun that has seen neither grill nor toaster. It's as if their intention is to keep you from enjoying the quality beef they just cooked. You just can't.
And the onion rings. I'm pretty sure mine were twice-fried. In other words, they were fried in advance, then fried again to reheat them. They were so hard I thought I broke a molar when I took my first bite.
Two stars is more "punitive" than I might normally be after just one sub-par hamburger, but like I said, it's about respect. A hamburger is a simple thing, and it doesn't take a lot to make it sublime. To make a bad burger - especially when you start with quality meat - is disrespectful to the food, not to mention the customer.
Cooking for people is a sacred enterprise, and a sub-mediocre hamburger just says you don't care.
Lots of other places to eat in this small city. Sorry guys.
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like everyone else, I have to give big ups to the watermelon wheat. I haven't even been to the brewery yet, but I've had the watermelon wheat, and plenty of it. The folks at 21st amendment, like me, make an annual trip to the boonville beer festival. This beer caught my attention the first year I went, and I've been hitting up their stand, first thing once inside the gate, and staying near by ever since. I can't wait to finally make a trip down to the restaurant and brewpub. I'm sure it'll be great, but that beer would garner 5 stars all on it's own.
My wife, Stella, and I hit this place on our way back to the hotel from Sonoma. After a day of hoity-toity wine drinking which was really enjoyable, 21st Amendment was a fine place to finish up the evening.
I've been wanting to try the watermelon wheat beer ever since we first started planning to visit SF. I was not disappointed, it even got a 'not bad' from Stella who hates watermelon. We were also very impressed with the service which was the second time in the entire trip. What is it about SF restaurants that we couldn't get decent service?
We had eaten dinner already so we didn't get a chance to eat a meal there but we both agreed that we should have tried to make time to grab lunch here earlier in the trip. The menu sounded like it would be quite good.
Stella did get some form of dessert while I had a second beer, the IPA, and really enjoyed it. The presentation of the dessert was really nice as well which leads me to believe that 21st Amendment cares a little more for their food than do most brewpubs.
I look forward to actually eating here on some future trip.
Good for a burger and a beer.
Good beer made in their brewery. I recommend the Watermelon Wheat. Good food; tasty burgers and salads.
Come to this place for the beer. The food is average. It is sometimes appropriate to eat and drink here. Like, if you're with a group of four or five and you've been drinking and it's dinnertime. Otherwise, just come here for the beer.
There's a decent selection here, and it' s a good brewery. If you can talk a bit of brewer lingo, they might let you take a look at the fermenting tanks and stuff in the back and let you sample some of the stuff they're working on. Also, these guys can their beer, which is awesome. Most people see beer in a can and think "oh, cheap beer. Blah." But really, the can is the best skin for a beer. Exposure to light makes beer taste like crap, and a can does a much better job of keeping it out than a translucent bottle. Most breweries that make good beer don't can their beer because it's a bad marketing move. But the brewers at 21A know what they're doing.
The food is a bit overpriced and not all that great. Just average. The crab cakes are okay, but the fennel salad they sit atop is too...well, fennely.
The service is good enough. Although the last time I was there, our server dropped half of a sandwich in my lap. So I picked it up and handed it to him, and he proceeded to just put it back on the plate and serve it to my friend without so much as an apology. C'mon guy...what the fuck? It wasn't a big deal...my lap was fine and I think the guy was new and nervous, but still.
It's a good place. C'mere for beer. But I recommend you avoid the watermelon wheat. That shit is just a novelty...it tastes bad.
There is a large painting of a person on the wall...does anybody know what the gender of this person is? I've asked at least half of the staff, and nobody has any idea. Who is that?
great onion rings & interest beers
average pizza, and the fish & chip was on the dry side
Yes. Solid. I like the Watermelon Wheat beer. They do a good job with the IPA. Oh, yeah, and they usually have some good cider. And*hic* I'll try the heavy stuff this time, too. Sure. I usually try a few different beers here and leave with a pretty good buzz. The food is good but not a standout.
The servers are pretty on top of it and manage the post-ballgame crowds pretty well.
Best overheard at the bar:
Drunk Girl: I'll have a tumor please
Bartender: A what?
dg: A pint of tumor.
bt: TRumer? The pilsner?
dg: Yeah, I SAID the tumor.
Had lunch, sat quickly, BBQ Chicken Panini was good, salad a bit wilted.
Service for lunch I must say was good, just did not keep an eye on my soda water.
Like the feel and I will go before a game or after again.
Previously had a very good caprese salad, hope to see that when tomatoes are in full swing again.
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A solid mid-scale loft-industrial-ambiance-esque diner experience in the SOMA area. Good shrimp poppers, juicy and salty burger with a healthy dose of bacon and avocado (if you order yon add-ons, of course).
A pretty good little brewery restaurant right in South Beach. I went for lunch during the workweek, on my "work from home" day (actually means "send a few emails and go to a bar" day). Beer selection is of decent variety and quality... nothing amazing but not terrible. Got the classic chicken sandwich which was actually very tasty.
Crowd was an interesting mix of grizzly old blue-collar workers and younger, mid to late 20's people who I assume work in SOMA. Friendly bartender, decently friendly crowd. All in all a solid experience.
I've always enjoyed 21st, from work lunches to happy hours and pre-Giants game watermelon beers.
I was here over the weekend for a post-Giants game downer beer(s) and some onion rings. Granted, I was a little, umm, HAMMERED, I really enjoyed the rings. I mean realllllly enjoyed them. I think I ate them all. My bad. The staff was really accommodating to our drunken whims, and didn't kick us out at all. Hooray 21st!
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Going downhill.
5 years ago, this would have been a 5 star rating, however they changed chef a few years back, and now they are even serving can beer. This is a brewery... for shame!
The food is ok... The beer is ok... but this is not a great destination anymore. :(
