John Colins
90 Natoma St
(between 2nd St & James Lick Fwy)
San Francisco, CA 94105 (415) 543-2277
- Hours:
Mon-Fri 5:00 p.m.-2:00 a.m.
Sat 9:00 p.m.-2:00 a.m. - Price Range: $$
- Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
- Parking: Street
- Good for Groups: Yes
- Wheelchair Accessible: Yes
- Outdoor Seating: No
- Music: DJ
- Best Nights: Wed, Thu, Fri
- Happy Hour: Yes
- Alcohol: Full Bar
- Smoking: No
- Coat Check: No
18 reviews
Neighborhood: Nob Hill
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422 Reviews for John Colins
Our go-to place when we're sick of our other happy hours, or when we want to go out but don't want to pay cover.
Always a good time at John Colins!
You know I'm a fan of bars that serve champagne in mini bottles!!!
Small but great after work bar to hang out, very busy on most nights, and is more of a standing bar with some seating on the side. Solid drinks and simple service. Pretty noisy so at times you do have to have the excuse to yell at each other...
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Small place, always busy, very yuppity financial districty crowd.
Even so, I like coming here occasionally and I always get a bloody mary. They put Guinness in it, which I think is interesting.
It's clean, the bartenders are nice and they always have a screen up playing random movies. Kind of expensive but what bar in the city isn't.
Noisy, but great music. Crowded, but awesome upstairs area if you can get it with a bunch of friends/co-workers. This place is really fun to hang out in, lots of great things to look at - people, art, even film!
Has a decent happy hour, although it's only a dollar off all their exciting cocktails. I tried their signature drink, the John Collins (so eponymous!), which is basically whiskey with citrus and honey. Definitely a stiff and nice drink for whiskey lovers. My friend with bad taste who doesn't like whiskey thought it was disgusting, however.
Other than that, though, I didn't find anything else about this bar to be too interesting or enjoyable. Maybe it's just not my type of crowd, but I don't think I'm too unique in my search for a vaguely interesting place to drink away the work day. It was a lot of people (that I didn't necessarily want to talk to) who were drunk and shovey and loud...but not in a fun way if that makes sense.
The bartenders were pretty nice, though. Overall, I would come back here, but only if someone were pushing it.
What is it with me and bathrooms?
I must have been a temperamental toilet in a past life or something, because I have the worst luck with bathrooms in this one!
So last night, we headed over to John Collins for a little after work libationage. I have my new LA girl in town so we had to show her around and since JC is so close to work, why not.
Upon entering, I thought we had accidentally entered Anchor and Hope. Very similar design with the high ceiling and the exposed brick, but I guess when you share the same building, tis bound to happen. After saddling up to the bar, we started ordering drinks. I was super tired and needed a second wind so i opted for the Espresso martini. The mantender said it actually had caffeine in the vodka (sweet!!!) and whether that was true or not, the drink definitely put a kick back into my step.
From there we proceeded to drink a few more martinis and low and behold, it was time to break the seal. Yep, a girl can only go so long without a ladies room stop ;) And so I headed to said ladies room and wouldn't you know, it was occupied. Damn! But what's this, the men's room is open, hmmmmmm.
Eh, falk it, why not. And so I headed in and locked the door. From there, I began my business and what happens next? Oh, ya know, the friggin door opens and there stands a man looking for his room.
"Shit, shit shit!!" was what I exclaimed and quickly kicked the door shut. Oh my god! How embarrassing and of course he was cute. Why wouldn't he be? That is just my luck. And so I washed my hands and made sure the bright red mortified glow was still on my cheeks and exited the bathroom. He was trying to contain his laughter and when I looked at him, he looked at me and we both burst into laughter.
Ahhh, I love life.
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A great stop in for a refreshing cocktail...
The atmosphere is lively and all the bartenders are friendly. There is a great assortment of cocktail remedies waiting to be ordered...
Try the spicy shot. It'll be sure to wake you up or take you right out of your seat.
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Ooh I like this place. I went on a Saturday night. Not too packed. Just the right amount of people! Lots of seating possiblities: love seat, benches, bar stools. the music was good: Hip hop! Most definitely dress to impress (BUT NOT vegas style, thank you), and not so much the scene for those that rock HUFF, more for the Banana Republic. LOL. you know what I mean. parking is a little difficult because there is Osha Thai around the corner.
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Warning all sneakerheads: you can't get in after happy hour =(
Aiight, so liked the mojito I got here during happy hour with some co-workers; I liked the paintings on the main floor & the overall aesthetics; and I especially liked the fact that it's hella cutty.
This past weekend, a group of 6 (including myself) were not really dressed up but didn't wanna spend the night at home. I mean, if there was an actual fire at your apartment building that same afternoon and the whole joint smelled like burnt tires, you wouldn't wanna stay at home either! I remembered the cutty-ass John Colins and suggested we hit it up that night. I THOUGHT I read here on Yelp that there isn't really a dress code and that you can find people in suits mixed in with people in sneaks and fitted New Eras. Umm.. I was wrong and misinformed.
Everyone in our crew except me (miracle!) was donning a pair of sneaks that night. As soon as the guy at the door sees us approaching the velvet ropes, he's like "Dress code, can't let you guys in." He points to all the Js and Dunks to make a point. "I can only let YOU in," he adds, noting that I have arrived in pumps. Right, like I'd go into the bar without my friends. Fuck I look like!
The night wasn't a total bust, as we ended up going to Tunnel Top, sneaks and all =)
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the bartenders are good and that milky orchid-laden cocktail is tasty. BUT. this place gives me some serious anxiety. where do i sit/stand? stop staring at me! who are all these dudes? i can't breathe! hey assholes, whaddaya lookin at? oops, sorry, coming through, sorray... let's go to the mission right away!
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I was hanging out at Steff's with my co-workers, getting schooled in a game of pool by my pool shark co-worker K and was drinking my whiskey on the rocks, when out of the blue, the girls wanted to go to John Collins.
We walk around the corner into an alley and into John Collins.
Ummmm, look at the suiters and suiterettes mingling in the middle of the bar, look at girls, they look at me, we all turn around and exit.
This place had a bad infestation that I just wasn't willing to deal with....someone please call Clark Douche Control. Kthxbai.
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I've worked in the area for several years now and this place has always been solid for mid-week and Fri night HH....one of my favorite places to get my favorite drink in the city that is until 2 weeks ago when all the bartenders were chicks.
I like my gimlets up sans ice and my drink had a ton of ice in it and filled half way...wtf! And what's up with the orchids in my drink??? Not that I don't like orchids...they are my favorite flower but seriously wtf!
Went back again last friday - opted for beers - seemed like a safe choice and AGAIN the chick bartenders effed it up- they served a warm beer. It's in a friggen bottle...you knew it was warm when ya pulled it outta the fridge...jesus. And we didn't even get the little bowl of snack mix...ugh
You still get 4 staaaas but seriously....bring back the boys behind the bar.
Lively happy hour. It does get crowded because the place isn't very big, but there is a small upper level. Drinks are very good and prices are alright. I'd definitely come back.
Back in the day in "The City", before most of these "yelpers" moved here or when they thought San Francisco was just Fisherman's Wharf, this was truly a great diverse city. We didn't have all these Elitists, Transplants who think they are City folk, and separatists acting like teenagers. Have you ever heard the expression, "you can't judge a book by it's cover?" Did they teach that where you're from?
That being said John Colins is a true old skool "San Francsico" bar. Everyone is welcome! From the Stripe Shirts to the T-Shirts, Straight Blondes to the Afros, Tall ones, skinny ones, fat ones, green ones, and shooby dooby do ones. Hip Hop, 80's, Soul, Reggae, Rock, Ska, Electro,Punk... John Colins is "Everyday People" .
Rock on with your badself JC! Herb Caen would be proud. See Ya on Friday and Saturday Nights where I always end my evening! Mahalo Nui Loa!
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I was first introduced to Mr. Collins my first week @ my new job when my boss took my co-worker and I out for drinks ~~ and to get acquainted. It's a small bar but if you get there early enough (6ish-7pm), you'll get a seat on their comfy couches :) They have goldfish, too! They make pretty good sea breezes, which I appreciate, and have a shweet happy hr. ($3 draft beers!) When it gets packed, which is on most nights, you'll have to elbow your way to the bar...but even then, its not horrible...people are nice enough to make room.
Note to self: do not take multiple shots of patron...and then go to more bars after...
This one guy asked me what I was going to order and when I told him I was having a Guinness, he blinked and paused for a moment before saying "Wow." Maybe because I'm a small, little asian girl, he was taken back by the decision? ... but you have to admit...a Guinness is pretty appropriate ~~ it tastes like chocolate milk, son!
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Eh.
Pretty chill place...good music, decent crowd, I can't really remember what I drank here this night (because we went for a friend's birthday and our drinks were paid for, not because I am an alcoholic..on this night at least). If you don't like sitting, this is the place for you.
The two things I remember are:
1. We broke many of their glasses, and I tipped the ice bucket over at least three times. I was drunk. Sorry.
2. The line for the men's line was extremely long, because some guy was droppin a fatty deuce. At least, that's what I told all the guys in line (half were my friends, I'm not an asshole, really). I recall it was initially intended to be a funny prank, but once the bartender came out and knocked on the door, I knew there was no going back. In addition to his notifying the Phantom Pooper about the long line, I was screaming, "Dude, pinch it off! There's a line out to Bayview here!"
By the way, not one person jiggled the handle to see if the door was actually locked, including myself.
Anyway. It was funny at the time, but you know. I was drunk. Sorry.
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In reading some of the negative reviews, it seems like most of the reviewers don't dig the FiDi crowd and their style of dress. If you don't dig that crowd and that style of dress, then yeah, the Mission Bars are probably where you want to go.
But you know, this bar is in the Financial District, and yes, it is full of working stiffs. If you are a working stiff like me and are forced to wear a dress shirt and slacks to work (and don't mind other people that also do), I am pretty sure you'll like this place. The place has got pretty good happy hour specials, looks pretty nice on the inside (I like the surfing videos in the background), and plays good music (I heard some DJ mix in Lynyrd Skynyrd to Outkast to T.I..... what other bar would do that?). Anyway, this is my favorite spot (as a nerdy dress-shirt, slacks-wearing type, of course) in the FiDi. although don't everyone come at once. this place is starting to get really packed.
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When we first walked in, we almost ran right back out due to the wall/sea/herd of people in there. It was Friday during Happy Hour so I expected it to be crowded but not THAT crowded.
However, I'm really happy that we stayed because once we moved to the back, where it was less crowded, I had an awesome time.
Beers were pretty cheap, and all the cocktails had pretty orchids. Of course while intoxicated every girl in there put it in their hair, making it look like a luau in SOMA.
The bartenders were really friendly, especially the co-owner, John. Even though the bar was packed, he was really attentive, and hooked it up with beer. (The asian girl + french girl combo works well) He even opened up a little Pommery Pop for my friend and I to share with him once he found out that she was French and that I studied in France. Truly amazing service!
As Happy Hour turned into Happy HourS for us, we started analyzing their business strategy drunkenly, to the extent of estimating price per decorative orchid.
Good times. We will def go back soon! =D
I really didn't like this place when I first walked in. It was after work and I was looking forward to a chill bar where we could just sit down and grab a couple of drinks. Well, the bar was way too crowded. My friends and I could barely find a place to stand. But after we got our drinks, a table freed up and I started to have fun. John Collins has a nice chill vibe to it. It gets a little loud with all the people in there, but I didn't mind that at all. The crowd starts to die down as the evening progresses, but this is a good place to go to grab a drink after work and then head off to dinner.
saw NBA player and former UNC star Jerry Stackhouse here before, other than that, decent place for HH.
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Me and my girlfriend often debate which of us coined the term 'mothertucker.' We use the term to describe the button-down, office casual, marketing/PR/finance drones which stampede out of their various offices at 5pm sharp and trample anything in their path to the nearest watering hole.
If you want to see some prime specimens of the shallow, vapid species Mothertuckerus Horribilus engaging in the mating dance of the damned, I suggest you check out John Collins. Perhaps you'll also spot the increasingly common species Bartenderus Douchbaggeri when you're vibed by the jerks behind the bar sporting ed hardy knockoffs and serious 'tudes.
At least the peanuts are free, so you can throw them up in the air and watch them land on random idiots.
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I Admit it. I review Bars, Lounges and clubs based on the party I'm with. I'll try not to with this one.
Place seems pretty chill. I think the owner has an obsession with pit bulls because that's all there is in the brick walls. Music was a mix from new school to Michael Jackson old School on a Saturday Night. Dress code is relaxed - I was able to get in rockin my Jabbawockee shirt and Dunks - but the men had to tuck in their shirts. lol.
Drinks were alright - I ordered my regular red corona and the dumbass bartender put TABASCO in my shit - I was like wtf? and gave it back to him. "It's Corona + grenadine syrup+ a shot of vodka yah dimwit." DAMN.
The ladies room was kept clean the whole night I was there and big ups to the ladies that 'go'. The line moved WAY faster than the mens. So +1 star for that.
They're pretty strict with the smokers outside - you must stay on the side walk and can't yell. WHY? Coz Baron Davis lives right accross. Nice.
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A great little bar in the heart of SOMA. I have been here a few times and I must say it has always been a really fun experience. It's a rather cozy place, but you can tell that it has a flavor of its own. They play pretty good music with what I think is a small room upstairs for dancing (but I've never been there myself). And they play interesting and captivating movies on a huge screen above the door ( I have seen snowboarding/surfing videos to naked ladies). It's definitely a place you can sit down and talk to your friends since there are quite a few tables and little ottomans everywhere. Sometimes it gets a little crowded, but it has never been too unbearable. Most important thing though, not too many creepy guys lingering around and being sketchy like other places (ie: The Dirty Martini).
The bartenders here are absolutely great and so are the drinks! I came here twice for friends' birthdays and they always give you a free round of shots for everyone in your party or free drinks. My favorite drink here is the Leilani. It's a total girly drink, but absolutely delicious.
It's a good place to unwind with a group of friends, probably a good place to start your barhopping adventure for the night.
a trusty little spot after work.
small but with enough seating along the walls and tables to rest your drink. cool but laid back.
and its got a trusty loyal following. so much so that even with the bathrooms and water out of order on a saturday night...the place was still packed.
we left harlot after cheering dj solomon a happy b-day and headed over to john colins. but no bathroom is a buzzkill for this lil lady so we stayed but a wee bit before heading to xyz.
minor glitch so once they have it all fixed up, i'll be back sipping a drink in a jiffy.
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Only times I've been here, I've been or gotten super drunk. Like drunk, a guy walks up to my friend and tells her, I think your friend is sitting on the floor in the back of the bar, drunk. Anyhow, really into this place: good music, cool crowd, located near a lot of other stuff.. don't know why I haven't been recently actually..
Sometimes on weekends there's a line though- which is annoying.. cause it's just a bar. But then every time I've been here I happen to be wearing some interesting (not necessarily slutfest) outfit and get let in right away. So... wear funny clothes :)
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This is a great Happy Hour, pre-party or after the party spot. The bouncers and bartenders are so friendly and the place is usually pretty busy with no wait to get in.
I love the music here too but I am not a fan of the John Collins drink---Its basically John Collins version of a Long Island but worse. It promises to get you drunk though!
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So not at home here. But my usual suspects like to "stop by" either on our way to or from other places. We've never lasted more than one drink - most likely b/c we've never been able to 1) sit, and b) hear each other.
I find the whole doorman/ line/ cord thing showing you the way to the door a bit much and feel like I sold my soul when entering. If you've read my other bar reviews you've likely figured out my preference (umm, dive with I/net juke), so you already knew this place didn't have much of a chance with me.
This is one of my favorite chill-yet-trendy-but-casual bars in the city. I've been here for happy hour multiple times, but I ventured here one Saturday night after a disappointing start at Boss, and was very surprised to see this place spilling with people. I guess I never thought that a popular weekday FiDi hangout would be just as popular on the weekends. Prices of drinks are on par with neighboring bars, but because it's always so packed, it can get tough getting a hold of a bartender. They have funny flicks showing on their big screen, and the music they play on the weekends is awesome. If you're lucky enough to snag a spot on their leather booth seats and ottomans, you can stay here for hours chatting away with friends.
I hate that they only have one bathroom for the ladies though. Don't they know that girls are always lining up at the bathroom and take forever? I guess that's why the men's bathroom here is an impromptu unisex bathroom on busy nights...
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Its an early crowd, but this place has late night potential.
Really picks up between 6-8. Don't remember how strong the drinks are, which probably means strong. The music is loud. The decor is perfect for SOMA, and the location near 111 Minna and Osha make for a good trifecta of a friday night, or a wednesday.
Out with some old college fraternity brothers, after we had some wine and homemade limoncello, we found this place after it was recommended to us by the doorman at the bar we had intended to go to. So down the block we went and the doorman at place #1 did us right. This place was bumpin' on a thursday night. We strolled in, proceeded to the bar and got our groove on. One of my friends was wearing a trench coat and pirate hat; women went crazy over the hat! We had blast drinking at the bar, making new friends and grooving with some chill hip-hop/funk and downtempo. Definitely coming back here the next time I'm in town. And on our way back home at 2am, we saw the other doorman and tipped him nicely for the recommendation!
I absolutely heart John Colins!
Cool little factoid ... Both John and Colin, the 2 owners, are previous bartenders from WISH. (A few years back I celebrated another *big* Bday at WISH, so I was kinda crushing on this connection) They wanted to open their own spot that would bring lively, fun music and more crowds in the same general SOMA area they love. Score! It worked!
I hosted my 3x (no way I'm spreading that # across the net...) birthday here a few Saturdays ago. I reserved the entire upstairs, where the DJ peers over the crowds from, and got ready for the party to begin. Lailani was uber friendly and helpful, she's Colin's wife and in charge of special events and parties. Every single one of the staff were super friendly and helpful with me and my partiers. They set-up bottle service and the party began!
We brought my fave Sibby's Cupcakes for the party goers and settled into the comfy and plush couches in our vip area. This spot upstairs is perfect for a group of 20ish - can't really hold much more than that. It's also perfect as you can eye the crowd downstairs. Ya know, see if there's anyone you want to see a bit closer ... ;) Extra bonus, you're up-close-and-personal with the DJ! You know what that means... Your own personal playlist! :) Speaking of playlists, they tunes are those that we remember from a few years back - the kind you love to groove to. Perfect!
Before long, the entire bar was packed! The overall vibe was low key, friendly, hip SF... Just the way I like it. The drink prices, after our bottle service, were reasonable - hey, you're drinking out & about in SF, you aren't going to get a $5 martini... ;)
I will definitely be back to hit a Happy Hour or after dinner at Anchor & Hope with some friends!
Thank you, John Colins, my Bday was a success!
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Douchebag city!
Lots of guys calling each other "bro", hi-fiving for no reason, doing complicated sequential fist bumps (bring it together, lock it up n twist, kaboom!) obnoxious bar-side manner, ordering yeager /patron shots and yelling at each other "YOU READY? Bring it!!" The time I was there they got absolutely wasted and helped themselves to some birthday celebrant's party hors d'oeuvres, I was disgusted, everyone was disgusted. As I was driving home, I realized that my friends are real douchebags.
Great music, great staff and 4 stars for putting up with us!
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I don't know why I don't come here more often- I really love the overall vibe of this place and it's so close to work and home. I like the seating against the wall, the dim-lighting, the quirky art and the fact that they have thick curtains around the door- which keeps the cold air out of the front area (why don't more bars and restaurants do this...makes so much sense). I'll have add JC into the mix more often.
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This place is aite..
You enter through a velvet curtain and you'll notice people looking up above the entrance, watching the film projector. They played random stuff from a skateboarding video to Fast Times at Ridgemont High..yeahhh..!!
Cool art on the walls..the crowd is very unpredictable, which makes watching who comes through the velvet curtain interesting. There was an eclectic mix of middle-aged, older crowd, pretty diverse. They played hiphop most of the night--mostly from the 90's. DJ's chillin upstairs in a loft--where I saw a couple dancing.
Okay to hang out for a few drinks, I guess..try it once.
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Small place that goes from chill at 5 PM to over the top loud by 6 PM. We stopped there on a Friday after work to take advantage of convenient location and cheap drinks. Just as we sat down and started enjoying ourselves, the DJ showed up and started laying down the tunes that were shaking the walls. It was not just loud, it was really LOUD, the kind of loud you would expect at 1 AM in a packed dance club when you have shout to be heard.
The place gets a lot of things right (cool space, nice art on the walls, reasonable prices) but the noise level was so off, we had to leave without finishing our drinks. What's the point of coming to a happy hour with friends if you can't chat?
Cool little brick bar in SOMA to grab a drink after work. Their drinks are well priced and its usually not too crowded. However, if you're looking for a place to dance, I wouldn't recommend this spot. Its too small and the crowd usually isn't coming here to do that. Its more of a place to unwind after a long day at work and enjoy living the life in the city.
For a cool factoid, Baron Davis from the Golden State Warriors lives next to John Collins. So on occasion, you will see Warrior players there hanging out.
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Fun little space that can be laid back but often takes itself too seriously. Go with that in mind and you will have a lovely time.
Nice, chill lounge with awesome, extremely affordable drinks. The Dark & Stormy (ginger beer w/rum) is a must-try. The bartenders are very friendly, the music is great and I love the fact that there are so many couches. Right now, the wall is covered in dog paintings - SO cute! The only thing about this place that I'm not the fondest of is that there is only one women's bathroom.
new favorite bar
Pavel = best. bartender. ever.
It feels DAMN good to be back in SF!.... ;)
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I like this spot - it's cool, attracts an nice crowd and is perfect for happy hour any day of the week. Also, the drinks as amazing. They did a great job of making the place look interesting and it has a cool-urban feel to it....it's prefect for San Francisco. Most of the people who are here are from the Financial District so you can feel very comfortable strolling into the place with a suit on. They have great unique cocktails (try the Moscow Mule) and they aren't over-the-top expensive.
Check it out!
