Emperor Norton's Boozeland

I hate drinking but all my friends go here and I hang out and the people here are generally mad cool

Wildly spacious, dark dive bar vibes elevated with art deco. Black and silver wallpaper. Multi levels, with a smoking 420 approved outdoor. Owner chatted with us and is super dope.

Needed a place to cool down and refresh since I got to sf a bit early for a concert, and upon seeing this place literally cross the street and quickly checking the reviews, I decided to pop in. It was pretty early in the day so it was just some regulars and the bar tender around when I sat down for a beer to rehydrate- as much as you can with alcohol- and pregrame my concert a lil. The bar tender was prompt and friendly, and the locals were awesome- immediately struck up a conversation and made me feel like another member of the regular crowd. The vibes of the place are amazing, and I'm definitely planning on coming back whenever I'm in the area and need somewhere to cool my heels and throat.

One of the BEST bars in the Tenderloin. Excellent staff, go alone and you’ll definitely make a friend. If you’re in the area and don’t swing by, you’re doing it wrong. I’d like to add that I’ve see a couple negative reviews. Here’s a heads up to have a good time: 1) be 21+ 2) don’t hide alcohol in your bag to save on cost 3) spend time chatting with the staff - they are really cool and you’re guaranteed to find something in common.

I got kicked out immediately. I'm usually a very calm and friendly person but I got into an argument with the bartender right away. He threw my ID in the garbage by accident, but helped me find it afterward. He was pretty mean, but ultimately I know I deserved it. I'm leaving this review in the hopes that that bartender sees it and forgives me. He seems like a good guy.

The bar is just as insane as emperor Norton was and the bartenders will get you hammered. In a good way. Back patio is awesome and the pool table is solid. 10/10 dive

Really great space with games and outdoor area. Drinks and bartender are great as well! Will definitely be back soon.

Neighborhood gem!!! Friendly, low key, dive bar with awesome staff and set in a beautiful art deco building. A gorgeous piece of SF history. You wanna find a chill spot in the TL this is the one. Has pool. Outdoor seating and smoking patio in the back

Me and my buddy went here because he had to use the restroom. He got a beer. I didn't get one. It was grimey. Which I like. But it's in the tenderloin, so it's hard not to be

The women's restroom is great. Partner said that the men's was just normal. Patio in the back. There is a lot on tap

William Ovando

Great bar. Great location. Loved it since Jezebel's.

svperuzer

Me and my buddy went here because he had to use the restroom. He got a beer. I didn't get one. It was grimey. Which I like. But it's in the tenderloin, so it's hard not to be

Isa Stefan

I hate drinking but all my friends go here and I hang out and the people here are generally mad cool

Michael Sassano

The bar is just as insane as emperor Norton was and the bartenders will get you hammered. In a good way. Back patio is awesome and the pool table is solid. 10/10 dive

Holly Harris

The women's restroom is great. Partner said that the men's was just normal. Patio in the back. There is a lot on tap

Kyle Clark

This place is great. Cheap drinks, not bougie.

Kerra Jessen

Neighborhood gem!!! Friendly, low key, dive bar with awesome staff and set in a beautiful art deco building. A gorgeous piece of SF history. You wanna find a chill spot in the TL this is the one. Has pool. Outdoor seating and smoking patio in the back

Jonathan Ayres

Wildly spacious, dark dive bar vibes elevated with art deco. Black and silver wallpaper. Multi levels, with a smoking 420 approved outdoor. Owner chatted with us and is super dope.

Kyra S

I've been there twice only. And both times, it was exactly what I needed: on a weekday mid-afternoon, it was quiet, with single patrons scattered at the bar, chatting with the bartender and each other. On a Friday early evening, people gathered in groups for happy hour drinks before starting their weekends. Some professionals, drinking the stress of the week away, some neighborhood regulars, greeting and cheersing each other. Everyone seemed relaxed, happy, unpretentious, and open to mingling.

Annabelle Littlejohn-Bailey

I’ve heard that the beer is more popular here, but I got a Negroni and Blackberry lemon drop. Both drinks were great — bartender was skilled and helpful. The atmosphere was very nice and eccentric, but the music was still at a moderate level that allowed for conversation without yelling. Great overall! Will definitely be back.

Erin Mallette

Needed a place to cool down and refresh since I got to sf a bit early for a concert, and upon seeing this place literally cross the street and quickly checking the reviews, I decided to pop in. It was pretty early in the day so it was just some regulars and the bar tender around when I sat down for a beer to rehydrate- as much as you can with alcohol- and pregrame my concert a lil. The bar tender was prompt and friendly, and the locals were awesome- immediately struck up a conversation and made me feel like another member of the regular crowd. The vibes of the place are amazing, and I'm definitely planning on coming back whenever I'm in the area and need somewhere to cool my heels and throat.

Kelly Vance

One of the BEST bars in the Tenderloin. Excellent staff, go alone and you’ll definitely make a friend. If you’re in the area and don’t swing by, you’re doing it wrong. I’d like to add that I’ve see a couple negative reviews. Here’s a heads up to have a good time: 1) be 21+ 2) don’t hide alcohol in your bag to save on cost 3) spend time chatting with the staff - they are really cool and you’re guaranteed to find something in common.

Justin Zilla (ju3t1nz)

Nestled in the tenderloin-adjacent weirdlands of SF like a glitter-dusted fever dream, Emperor Norton’s Boozeland is not just a bar—it’s a historical hallucination with whiskey specials. Named after San Francisco’s most beloved lunatic-turned-sovereign, this dive is your royal portal to dollar bills on the ceiling, red velvet kitsch, and a bathroom that might double as a time machine if you stare too long at the graffiti. Vibe: Imagine the Emperor himself threw a party, but only invited anarchists, bartenders, and one time-traveling showgirl. The jukebox is haunted. The patrons are friendly in a “don’t ask how I got this scar” way. Neon glows like it has secrets. No TVs screaming sports at you. Just conversation, weird art, and the low thrum of impending debauchery. The Drinks: Cheap. Honest. Strong. This is the land of well whiskey that doesn’t ask questions and beer that tastes better when someone else buys it. Specials rotate like the emperor’s mood. They mix a solid cocktail if you’re brave enough to say “surprise me” and accept the results like a man of the republic. The Crowd: Queer punks. Off-shift cooks. Tenderloin philosophers. Theater kids who aged into alcoholics. Gen X ghosts who never left. If you wear a tie, someone will ask if you’re lost. But they’ll still offer you a smoke. Ambience: Bar stools that creak with stories. Red velvet banquettes that remember your sins. There’s usually a little funk in the air—beer, sweat, incense, and whatever spirit still clings to Norton’s crown. Oh, and the patio? Heaven. If your version of heaven has cigarette burns, string lights, and sudden declarations of love. Bathrooms: Equal parts punk rock altar and post-apocalyptic bathroom at CBGB. Don’t look too hard at the walls. They’re watching you back. Special Events: Sometimes there’s a DJ, sometimes a drag show, sometimes just the slow unraveling of someone's night. The place doesn’t advertise. It just happens. Final Thought: Emperor Norton’s isn’t trying to be anything but itself—flawed, fabulous, half-drunk, and fully alive. It’s a love letter to the parts of San Francisco that refuse to be priced out or paved over. You don’t “go” to Boozeland. You enter it, like a royal decree from the city’s favorite madman.

Fun venue with games and patio. I wouldn’t call it a cocktail place though— best to stick to beer and drinks with a few ingredients. Of course that depends on who the bartender is ☺️

Jolee Evans

Fun venue with games and patio. I wouldn’t call it a cocktail place though— best to stick to beer and drinks with a few ingredients. Of course that depends on who the bartender is ☺️

Place is cute cant do much in terms of cocktails. But i like the layout of the place. Bartender was nice enough. Definately a calm neighborhood bar feel. Has pool table and shuffleboard.

Trillè Galli

Place is cute cant do much in terms of cocktails. But i like the layout of the place. Bartender was nice enough. Definately a calm neighborhood bar feel. Has pool table and shuffleboard.

Really disappointed in how we were treated. We were minding out own business when a staff or regular suddenly came up to us and saw my partner had a brown bagged drink that she couldn’t get rid of from another place and suddenly took it and threw it in the trash. I understand that we shouldn’t have brought it in but the bartender and bouncer didn’t really mind it so we thought it was fine. We bought drinks here anyway and she wasnt drinking her drink. Everything seemed fine but that person just gave us a really bad impression of the place now. We probably don’t feel welcome to come back to this place.

If you don’t like people controlling the music maybe turn your touchtunes off. Nasty vibes there’s so many better bars within a block radius

R B

If you don’t like people controlling the music maybe turn your touchtunes off. Nasty vibes there’s so many better bars within a block radius