Lush Lounge is not a place that is generally my scene, but the drinks were good, the bar tenders friendly (one went out of his way to bring me back my sweater that fell on the floor) and though crowded, it wasn't too bad. I got the sense that it's a very popular place for singles. Cash only, but there's an ATM in the bar.
Review Source:I don't drink alcohol, so I can't comment on the drinks. Â A friend rented the second floor for his birthday party, so I went and was pleasantly surprised. Â
First, everyone was friendly from start to finish. Â When I told the ID checker I was here for a birthday party, he asked for my friend's last name so he could more easily direct others arriving after me. Â On the way out, I asked the security guard for bus directions. Â He saved my night by telling me exactly where to go. Â Had I not asked him, I would have ended up on the wrong side of the street and missed the last Caltrain at 12:01AM. Â
Second, the bartenders didn't dally after I made eye contact. Â I usually tip a dollar a drink, and they seemed fine with that. Â (I was buying drinks for my friends.) Â They also smiled when my friend made a joke: "The strawberry fizz [a girly drink] is for him," she said. Â
Third, the location is convenient. Â There's a bus stop right outside the bar, and plenty more on Van Ness, which is one block up. Â As of July 2013, the #47 on Van Ness goes to the Caltrain station on 4th and King, and if you're heading back, you want to make sure you cross the street on Van Ness. Â
Two final points: 1) I arrived at 9:45PM on a Saturday night, and the bar wasn't busy. Â It seems like more people started showing up at around 10:10PM. Â By 11:20PM, the place was packed; 2) in case you're wondering, this is not a bar where people dance (at least not when I was there). Â There is music--I heard Michael Jackson's ABC and recognized a few other songs--but the place gets so busy at night, people don't have space to dance.
Some friends took me to Lush Lounge for my first Saturday night out since moving to San Francisco a few weeks ago. Not too familiar with the area (except Tenderloin in general from traveling to San Francisco so much for my previous job), but it didn't feel shady at all. That could have been because of the hundreds of people milling about between bars and clubs on a Saturday at 12:30 am, but who knows.
Lush Lounge is small and gets crowded quickly, but the doormen were friendly. Two of the bartenders that served me were very courteous, prompt, and appreciative, but one of the bartenders - a tall, thin woman with long brown hair in a braid down her back - could have been a little more pleasant when I handed her my credit card and asked to open a tab. The Lush Lounge is *cash only,* and I didn't see the very small sign above the bar that read that, so I didn't know. She said they were cash only, pointed at the sign, and looked at me like there was something wrong with my face. I asked her if there was an ATM nearby, she pointed to the one by the door, and walked away. That, my dear girl, if you're reading this, is why you didn't get a tip, and the other two did.
Anyway, the review.
The Good:
Great location; stiff drinks with loose pours; young, cool crowd. A good/bad combo: it's cash only, but apparently cash-only bars cost less. I bought the first round for my friends, which was three gin and tonics. I expected to pay upwards of $30, but it only cost me $18! There was good music playing, which wasn't too loud, but was loud enough you could still enjoy it if you were there for the music.
The Bad:
I can't really write a bad review from one bad bartender, since she was probably having an off night and would normally be a fine conversationalist. The bathrooms are TINY, there's no stall (there's a toilet, it's just not in a stall, so if you have to relieve yourself it's going to be prison-style), and the line to get in was long.
The Bottom Line:
I like this place, and I'm going back next weekend.
It's a good place.
My only concern is about the public. I was stolen there while I was with my crossbody purse all the time. It was faster enough that I can't realize when someone got my phone and wallet inside my purse. It was awful.
When I said what happened to the security, he just told me that I was the second person on that night.
Obviosly, it was not Lush lounge fault, but its public. So, if you go there, don't forget to be aware.
On my first night in San Francisco, my friends and I dropped our bags at the hotel and ran out to the bars down the street on Polk. The first bar we walked into was Lush Lounge. It was packed (good sign) and had a very cool, casual feel I'm not used to. Wait, I can wear THIS and still go out? Folks, we're not in LA anymore!! I ordered my favorite drink, a kamikaze on the rocks, and I forget how much it was now, but I remember being shocked at how cheap it was! Maybe $8-10? It was good too!! The place was so popping that it was a bit hard to move about or find space, but I definitely recommend coming here if you just want to chill and have a drink. Granted, you probably will be standing with your friends as you chill, but regardless, real chill and cool atmosphere. Friendly crowd and cheap drinks, go!! When you're done here, walk out and visit the numerous other bars next to it, across from it, etc.
Review Source:I went to Lush with a couple of friends after brunch! They had happy hour going on so we were thrilled to try their drinks!
We started off with their blueberry martinis! I wouldn't usually order a martini, but this really stood out to us, and it was actually good! You cannot say no to their happy hour prices as well, compared to other spots in SF!
I also had their mojito, which was refreshing after our brunch!
This is overall a great place to hang out, grab a couple of drinks and just chill.
Since we went here in the afternoon, there was less action in the lounge, and there was only one bartender making drinks! He was very nice and took care of every customer!
This is technically 4.5 stars, because it's not the best bar in the world but it is definitely one of the best of San Francisco. If you're looking for somewhere less snobbish than Union Square lounges, but a little classier than your usual Irish bar, this is it!
The bad: the happy hour is a bit depressing and drinks are on the pricier side, as always (but not that pricey for the city)
The good: Around 8-9 pm, the music kicks up, the bartenders file in and Lush lounge becomes an awesome place to start or even spend the night. The best part about this place is the music- they blast some solid hip hop, 90's, and good time music (none of the hipstery house stuff) and it's a great place to meet up with friends, and enjoy a couple of good drinks. I was also impressed by how I shouted 5 drink orders to the gruff bartender who nodded and sped back with them drinks under a couple of minutes.
Ambiance: dimly lit, eccentrically decorated, awesomely music filled bar on Polk. A mix of college aged kids and mid 20's folks- on the younger side.
Overall: Mellow and unpretentious, great place to spend a Friday or Saturday night.
After Upcider, we decided to head out to another bar but wasn't sure where to go. We decided to check out Lush Lounge.
The vibe seems to be pretty fun and the drinks were well made. They have a cool upstairs area for people to hang out and have the windows open to keep you cool.
Overall Thoughts
I wouldn't mind coming back to the Lush Lounge if I was in the area
On a lazy Sunday afternoon this place is perfect for sipping on a Pimm's  Cup or three, pinkee finger out of course.  Muddled mint, cucumbers and orange in a tall glass of Pimm's liqueur and ginger beer.  Refreshment perfection.
Lots of raw wood, a fire place, some zen-like deco and we've got a chill spot in the hizzouse. Â It's clean and cool, kinda Rat Pack meets Clint Eastwood. Â If I lived in the area, I would most def be a regular.
There is no cover which is a plus. The bartenders are very friendly and quite fast and efficient in helping each customer, even when the bar is packed. The bar is very small compared to most others in the area and therefore it was jam packed, making it slightly difficult to walk through and creating a long line for the restrooms. There is a private area upstairs which was nice for people watching and to escape the crowd.
The drinks are fairly priced and there were many good specials. The bar is cash only which is a bummer, but luckily I knew beforehand so I came prepared. The men and ladies' restrooms share a common sink area which made it even more crowded because the sinks had twice as many people using it.
The environment was very casual and relaxed. Most customers were young adults and there were a lot more men than women.
I definitely enjoyed my experience here and would return.
Came here to celebrate a friend's birthday and here's what I like about the place:
-No cover! Automatic star for that
-Pretty cheap drinks! Well, not super cheap but definitely a lot cheaper than most bars. AND the bartenders are super nice (which, to me, seems more rare these days)
-Good music (although no dance floor because it's too crowded)
-Pretty casual. I like that you don't need to dress up to come here. It's more chill, it's packed, everyone looks like they're having a great time
One of my preferred places on Polk St. They're always bumping great music and the drinks are great. Place get's pretty crowded on Friday and Saturday nights, so get there a little earlier if you want to snag some seats by the windows or along the back wall. Otherwise you'll end up standing around. Bring cash and some friends for a good time.
Review Source:Small place, gets crowded... hard to move around and takes forever to order drinks with people standing there drinking their drinks... (get out of the darn way so people can order... !) The upstairs is pretty cool... very chill, unlike the downstairs where it's like you're packed in a can of sardines.
Review Source:PROS
- Nice place to go for a casual night cap on a Thursday night
- Male: Female ratio is in favor of the straight female
- Atmosphere reminded me of "Bullit," very cozy
- Attracted many young (20s-30s) professional
- Strawberry cooler= refreshing!
CONS
- Upstairs lounge area closed off
- Had to stand due to lack of seats
- Prices could have been more laid back, $10+ for a specialty drink
I love this place on a weeknight - it's quiet, I can have a fancy cocktail, my pick from a nice selection of scotch, or a decent beer on tap, like a Matilda which reminds me of the good ol' days drinking Goose Island in Chicago. Â There's always a spot to sit and catch up with a friend or noodle in a sketchbook. Â On a nice day the front windows are open, and the crowd is a bit eclectic and older. Â
On the weekends, I find it to be terrifying, packed to the gills with younger, hotter, clubbier people, they switch to plastic cups, and I have to shout to have a fair chance at being heard, all of which reminds me how "un-fun" I've become.
Did I like my NYE? Â YES! Â I was with friends and people who mattered to me.
Did I like my NYE here or would I return? Â H&%$ f$&$ing no!
Maybe New Years Eve isn't the day to make a good impression for any bar/lounge/club. Â But that the day I went and so did many people.
Waiting in line, one of my friend's friend commented to another friend to prepare for sticky floor. Â Four steps in, it felt the sticky.
What else was bad? Â The employees. Â I don't feel they are the brightest or the most considerate. Â It's all about the cover and the money. Â I felt like they didn't care about service or impression.
What else was bad? Â Three people got pucked on that I know of. Â Me. Â My friend. Â And another dude. Â It hit me on the shoes. Â It hit my friend all over his pants. Â And it hit some random dude on his shirt.
Was it clean quickly? Â NO! Â I'm not sure it was even cleaned.
This place is on my AVOID list.
Bumpin on a Saturday night for sure. Â I haven't done a run on Polk since my 21st. Â My friend chose this place because she was having dinner nearby. Â Place gets crowded but the birthday girl managed to snag a table. Â Good drinks specials like $9 Patron shots & $5 Watermelon Shooters. Â Surprised that the space it's bigger than the pictures make it out to be. Â
It's a chill place and I usually go for a more "dressy" lounge but it's not a bad place at all. Â And the birthday girl had a good time so that's all that really matters right? Â Only minuses: Cash only & parking was horrible! Â We ended up parking at the garage a block away for a decent rate for a little over an hour, but they're closed on Sundays, meaning we had to get back to the garage before 12AM. Â 3.5 rounded up.
I spent about 20 minutes here, which was about 15 minutes too long. Was skeptical about their quality of drinks after surveying the decor, but was assured they made "fantastic cocktails." Ordered a gin martini (this was probably my mistake) and it was a mouthful of vermouth. Seriously just horrifyingly bad. My friends ordered a round of Grey Goose vodka tonics and couldn't finish theirs either! On top of that, Lush only accepts cash. SERIOUSLY??
Review Source:I'm in love with Lush. Great ambience, great music, great layout -- just an overall good time.
I love bars with a loft setup, which means you can sneak away upstairs to have a quieter conversation, or in my case, gawk and make faces at everyone downstairs. Music definitely sounds like it's coming from an employee's personal collection. Good thing, in this case, because it's a cool kid mix of R&B, hip hop, and dance -- meaning it's laid-back but still party-worthy.
Definitely looking to come back for happy hour and check out some of the specials.
good music, chill crowd, friendly/attentive bartenders
TIPS:
- cash only (there's an atm in the corner of the room)
- only two bathrooms which means the line gets pretty long
- avoid the watermelon shooters! the deal sounds amazing (something like 3 for $12) but it tastes horrible - it's insanely sweet and artificial but at the same time it can't overpower the taste of cheap alcohol
Great place to come to pre-party, hang out with friends or if you want more of a intimate setting, you can go upstairs and suck drunken faces with your date.
Lush isn't super pretentious; it doesn't need to be. The workers are themselves; nice, friendly, polite just like any other normal human being and I appreciate that. The decor is seems almost feels almost western speak easy-esque; with it's distressed wooden shelves filled with liquor on one wall and a rustic brick wall on the other. (Minus the TV) The fireplace is a plus on a cold evening, but for a person who runs warm, like me, it can be a nuisance. It's all about being comfortable folks. And when the place fills up with human bodies + fireplace = GET ME OUT OF HERE MY ARMPITS ARE DRIPPING THROUGH MY SHIRT.(Not hot) Luckily, the ventilation seemed pretty decent so I didn't have that problem here.
The drinks are reasonably priced too. Bartenders are quick, and attentive.
Minus -1 'cause it's a cash bar only. I always run out of cash. =(
With a name like Lush Lounge, this place sounds like a Vegas bottle service joint with hotties in their hoochie mini-dresses, with velvet seating, sheer drapes, and a jammed disco dance floor of sweating young bodies with Polynesian armband tattoos and tramp stamps. It is not this at all. Â
Lush starts off the evening with a nice vibe, mature and comfy, with a casual ambiance to meet up with friends to imbibe a few and catch up with friends and their latest drama or gossip. It isn't crowded early, and the drinks are reasonable, like $8 call and $7 well.
The long single bar is to the left, there is a large picture window in front which is open on nice days to the street, with tables and chairs there and around the edges of the room. There is an upstairs mezzanine section for the overflow or private function crowd, but there isn't any table service that I could see. It is step up to the bar and order.
There are plenty of helpful bartenders, so the wait is never long. They offer a blackboard of specialty concoctions like most hip bars in SF do nowadays, but they aren't bogging down the bartenders with 5 minute prep time drinks with crushed fruits, shaken and never stirred girlie combos, mortar and pestle veggies, and a dab of bitters.
Lush Lounge is part of the Polk Street corridor of nightlife spots, where on weekends, particularly after 11 PM, the streets fill up with young revelers looking for a good party time. After 11pm here, the vibe changes from comfy and friendly to young hotties, single ready to mingle, and a line forms almost exactly at the strike of 11.
It isn't like the dance clubs in the TenderNob, since there is no dance floor here, and you can easily talk over the music, unlike most clubs, or even some bars like Rickhouse on Kearny. If you don't like the vibe (or change in vibe) here, you can just walk down the street to another spot on the Polk corridor.
Decades ago, Polk Street used to be famously Gay, before it was castrated by the Castro. You'll still see the occasional cross dresser and trannies in the lower Polk, which is an area that used to also have male prostitutes. But up here on the upper Polk area, it is Hetero, with the young Marina crowd migrating up as the evening wears on, and they tire of Buffy and Bif (or should I say Mitt?) named lawyers in the Marina spots.
During fleet week, there were groups of the Few, the Proud, the first in battle, roaming the bars in uniform, prowling for friend, not enemy. We applauded them and befriended them, thanking them for their service. I think they were looking for girls, but since the repeal of don't ask, don't tell, anything is game on Polk Street. I didn't ask, and they didn't tell.
Awesome bar! They had a decent selection of mixed/made up drinks and the crowd was mixed. We got decently fast service at the bar, and my friends already claimed a table. It had just the right amount of people, which was nice, esp if you're just going to hang out with friends.
Bathrooms are decently clean. There are two bathrooms and each has a frosted glass, which means you can kind of see through where the person is in the bathroom. That's awkward.
Awesome place to go if you dont wanna get tied down to one spot (aka clubbin in the city). Came here recently on a Friday night for a friend's good-bye night out and it was a nice chill environment.
They spin a nice variety of top 40 music to whatever you listen to off 99.7. Dranks? They have a huge variety with very good prices that won't break ya pockets. almost ALL their drinks taste really good, well ... GIRLY good. We all know the ladies love those tasty drinks but you can always order the regular redbull vodka / jack and coke. Not gonna deny it though, their mix drinks like the sweet tea is poppin. i can drink 5 of those and not taste the alcohol in there but it'll creep on you.
Bouncers at the door seem chill.
-1 for cash only though ... some people NEVER carry cash. aka me
Chris, one of the owners of LL, is a thrill to work with.
I needed a space with a mezzanine to rent out for the night for ~30-35 people. Not only does LL have an upstairs mez. available for events, there's no rental fee. Say what? No rental fee. We had a bar minimum for our private bartender upstairs, but it was within reason.
We partied on a Friday night and the bar was packed by 10ish. It definitley was awesome having the upstairs to ourselves while it filled up downstairs. #feellikeaceleb. The crowd was diverse, more men than women uh duh (we're in SF, no?). Drinks were stiff, affordable and tasty. I'm coming back for their sweet tea lemonade and their friendly bartenders. I'm booking the mez here! Thank you, Chris!
Parking: two words: Polk street. Just walk it/ bus it;. Or cab/Uber/Lyft/sidecar... or take all simultaneously heh:)
Whaaaatt?! I didn't know Zachary Quinto is a bartender here on Sunday nights! I kid, but the nice gentleman that served our liquor looked like the aforementioned actor, and I couldn't help but bring it up with him - though I'm sure this wasn't the first time nor will it be the last time he'll hear of it. 5 stars to him for being awesomely light about it.
The door to this joint is huge, resembling the entrance to an old church, but the decor inside channeled almost a speakeasy slash retro feel with their pictures posted up of Cary Grant and insanely attractive old Hollywood actors. There's a random bicycle nailed to the wall, and this awesome double fan circling above the bartender's area. I felt like I was in a speakeasy where it requires a password to get in. The ginormous barrels in the middle doubled as a makeshift table for three. The lovely part in all this is there's enough room to move around and not feel so claustrophobic.
How can someone not fall in love with this lounge?
Listed below are Lush lounge's happy hour times and drinks:
Sunday noon-2am
Monday 3pm-2am
Tuesday-Saturday 3pm-7pm
-$3 Bud Light draft beer, glass of wine (Chardonnay,Pinot Grigio, Merlot,Cabernet)
-$4 glass of Champagne, Shot of Cuervo Silver Tradicional (100% Agave Tequila)
-$5 Blueberry martini, Blackberry Bubbles **(I recommend ordering both of these)**
-$6 Don Q Mojito, Margarita, Skyy Cucumber Ginger Gimlet
I've also tried their Dark and Stormy (which my friend described it looking as "San Mateo beach water" when mixed), Strawberry bourbon , sangria, and blood orange/raspberry infused vodka shots ($3 a shot!). I recommend all of these, b/c I don't torture myself with less-than-amazing tasting drinks that get you buzzed fast. Then again, I'm a 5'1 Asian woman, any alcohol will get me there.
A+++++ fast service, great drinks, will come back again! **CA$H ONLY*
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