I was between lunch and dinner in downtown San Francisco, so I decided to stop by the Thirsty Bear Brewing Company for some tapas. Thirsty Bear is an American style brewpub with a Spanish inspired menu. The kitchen advertises its approach to cooking as "A Contemporary, seasonal approach to Traditional Spanish Tapas & Paellas!"
Looking over the incredible tapa menu, there was so much to choose from: empanadas, smoked trout, albondigas, seared duck breast, and so on. After a mouth-watering read of the menu, I decided on the Chorizo Stuffed Monterrey Bay Squid.
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| Chorizo Stuffed Monterrey Bay Squid |
For my beer, I chose the all organic Valencia Wheat Beer. Brewed with unmalted wheat and spiced with coriander and orange peel, the beer was a deliciously fun and lively drink, spicy and thought provoking. When the waitress asked me what I thought of the beer, I mentioned that it reminded me of pumpkin pie. One could spend all afternoon drinking beer and eating tapas at Thirsty Bear. Civilization at its finest.
Thirsty Bear is housed in a charming old building with red brick walls, 2 person tables for you romantics and larger tables for groups. The open kitchen in the back allows you to watch your food as it is being prepared. There is a very long, classic bar for the belly-up-to crowd. In all, if you like bar bites, Thirsty Bear is worth your time. I only wish I had time for some serious paella. Next visit.
Thirsty Bear is a short and pleasant SF walk from Montgomery Station. Check out Beer By Bart for easy directions.
Monday - Thursday: 11:30am - 10pm
Friday: 11:30am -11pm
Saturday: 12pm - 11pm
Sunday: 5pm - 10pm
Friday: 11:30am -11pm
Saturday: 12pm - 11pm
Sunday: 5pm - 10pm
661 Howard Street
San Francisco, California, 94105
415- 974-0905
San Francisco, California, 94105
415- 974-0905
1 comment:
I joined my wife and two friends at the Thirsty Bear after a Giants baseball game on a late-Saturday afternoon in April. The pub is a 15 minute walk from Giants Park and the after-game crowd on that day was mellow. We sat in the large bar area where our ballpark attire fit in well. My wife and I really enjoyed the Hoppenkopf German-style lager which was one of the seasonal brews. Check the chalk board above the bar for the brews available! One of our friends liked the Hemingway daiquiri and my taste of the drink confirmed this. Our group shared a few of tapas plates. My favorite was the morcilla flatbread. We also enjoyed the patatas bravas with a spicey brava sauce which begged for sips of Hoppenkopf as a nice paring.
The atmosphere was very appealing. The openness and proximity of the tables to the kitchen and brewing tanks gives it a brewpub feel. The casual atmosphere of the bar area invites one to stay longer to enjoy a second pint of ale while discussing that dropped ball at home plate that enabled the Giants opponent to win that day.
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