The Turks, Rats Eyes, La Guardia

The Hemlock Tavern

The Hemlock Tavern is located at 1131 Polk Street, in between Post & Sutter, one block east of Van Ness Ave., about 2 blocks north of the Great American Music Hall, in San Francisco's Polk Gulch neighborhood.

The Hemlock Tavern is open 7 days a week from 4pm - 2am, and is strictly a "21 and older" bar. ID's are checked at the front door. Happy Hour runs daily from 4pm - 7pm, with $1 off all beers and cocktails.

The Hemlock has a sweet jukebox, a pool table, and $1 bags of hot peanuts for your snacking enjoyment. The actual bar itself is a 360° walk-around on two different levels and there are tables, chairs and wall bench seats throughout the main bar area. For the tobacco enthusiast, you can bring your drink into the Hemlock's heated smoking lounge, which itself has tables and barstools, and is mostly enclosed but shielded from the street by some lovely plants and shrubs.

In the back, the Hemlock features a newly expanded live music performance room, physically separate from the main bar, that hosts 5-6 nights a week of local, national and international touring entertainment. Though it's free to get into the bar, a cover is typically charged at the entrance to the music room. While retaining its intimate charm, the expanded music room now offers more overall space, a larger stage for the bands, better sightlines for the audience, and an improved, fine-tuned sound.

Every Monday night, the Hemlock presents its Punk Rock Sideshow deejay event (SF Bay Guardian Best of the Bay winner 2004) in the main bar and occasionally has deejays on other nights of the week.

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