The Sage & Drifter

delicious cocktails, really friendly bartender. shout out max!

You can always tell when the owners and staff of a bar really care about serving their neighborhood to the best of their ability, and that is certainly the case at The Sage & Drifter. If you’re a long-time resident of the Avenues, you will remember this space as the wretched hive of scum and villainy once known as Terry’s Lodge. Those days are very much in the past though, as what you’ll find here now is a welcoming bar serving up great cocktails, a well-curated selection of spirits, and craft beers on tap that will appease any palate. Their trivia night on Wednesdays is one of the best in town, and if you live in the neighborhood, it’s almost impossible to stop in without running into someone you know. It may not look like the most inviting space from the outside, but if you’re in the neighborhood and haven’t given them a try yet you’re definitely missing out.

Best neighborhood bar in SF! Welcoming, unpretentious, thoughtful ambiance with elevated cocktails, amazing bartenders, a friendly crowd, free pool, and some of the coolest and most caring owners I've ever met at a bar. Cannot miss!

Best cocktails - especially if mezcal and whiskey are your thing. So nice to be able to hang in a neighborhood bar that’s a smudge upscale without feeling pretentious. 10/10 - looking forward to coming back!

Swung by this bar on a whim to watch a Notre Dame basketball game. I loved it. I'm a huge fan of divey bars and this one's a great standard. They have free pool and that's a big win in my book. Their service is also great! They happily changed the channel to the basketball game for us. Their drinks are well priced and they have a good selection of alcohol as well and small bites. This would totally be my neighborhood haunt if I didn't live in the Richmond district!

Kevin and Glen run a great bar here. Excellent cocktails and even better wiskey recommendations.

Great revamp of our local bar. Cocktails are outstanding and selection of Mezcal is top top in city. Also have solid local beers on tap, great/friendly staff and sports on!

The quality of cocktails is amazing. The mezcal selection is one of the best in sf. The gentleman that opened this place up clearly put in great effort and love into making this the great bar it is.

Ash

delicious cocktails, really friendly bartender. shout out max!

Connor Colling

Kevin and Glen run a great bar here. Excellent cocktails and even better wiskey recommendations.

Jacques Jay

Best neighborhood bar in SF! Welcoming, unpretentious, thoughtful ambiance with elevated cocktails, amazing bartenders, a friendly crowd, free pool, and some of the coolest and most caring owners I've ever met at a bar. Cannot miss!

Joshua Willis

You can always tell when the owners and staff of a bar really care about serving their neighborhood to the best of their ability, and that is certainly the case at The Sage & Drifter. If you’re a long-time resident of the Avenues, you will remember this space as the wretched hive of scum and villainy once known as Terry’s Lodge. Those days are very much in the past though, as what you’ll find here now is a welcoming bar serving up great cocktails, a well-curated selection of spirits, and craft beers on tap that will appease any palate. Their trivia night on Wednesdays is one of the best in town, and if you live in the neighborhood, it’s almost impossible to stop in without running into someone you know. It may not look like the most inviting space from the outside, but if you’re in the neighborhood and haven’t given them a try yet you’re definitely missing out.

David Anderson

Great revamp of our local bar. Cocktails are outstanding and selection of Mezcal is top top in city. Also have solid local beers on tap, great/friendly staff and sports on!

M L

Best cocktails - especially if mezcal and whiskey are your thing. So nice to be able to hang in a neighborhood bar that’s a smudge upscale without feeling pretentious. 10/10 - looking forward to coming back!

Louis Navarro

Breathing new life to the Inner Sunset and revitalizing Irving Street after a long pandemic. Great drinks and even better service. Glad to see the place back in business.

Richard Payan

The quality of cocktails is amazing. The mezcal selection is one of the best in sf. The gentleman that opened this place up clearly put in great effort and love into making this the great bar it is.

Matthew Beytien

These 3 gentlemen have poured their heart and soul into creating The Sage and Drifter. This is a warm, stylish, clean space where everyone is welcome. From your go-to IPA all the way to 1-of-a-kind signature drinks, they have what you want, trust me! I’m excited about the new life they are bringing to the corner of Irving and 15th. I’ll see you there...

Victoria Lewis

Hands down best neighborhood bar in the city. Great to hangout after work, play some pool and visit with friends! Bartenders are amazing!

Aaron Incasa

Ok I left a review a year ago for the last bar and now I’m updating my review for the “sage and drifter.” This place is the place to be. The service is hot standing and the mixology is on point! Don’t spend your money else where. Kevin, will and Seth will take care of you. Guaranteed.

Jenn W

Swung by this bar on a whim to watch a Notre Dame basketball game. I loved it. I'm a huge fan of divey bars and this one's a great standard. They have free pool and that's a big win in my book. Their service is also great! They happily changed the channel to the basketball game for us. Their drinks are well priced and they have a good selection of alcohol as well and small bites. This would totally be my neighborhood haunt if I didn't live in the Richmond district!

New owners renovated the interior after taking this place over. Very clean inside with many TVs and usually not too crowded. Great spot for catching a game and playing some pool. They also have surprisingly decent food, typical bar bite fare, don't expect any frills. Friendly owners and bartenders. The crowd is always quite mixed which makes for an interesting scene.

Before it was The Corner Spot it was something else in 2006 ago. It's picked up a lot more better and a lot of relax cool people working and going there. It looks better than what it was years back. I strongly recommended it. FYI and also they were very cool with me trying to put and fit my scooter inside their bar.

Chris Grant

Before it was The Corner Spot it was something else in 2006 ago. It's picked up a lot more better and a lot of relax cool people working and going there. It looks better than what it was years back. I strongly recommended it. FYI and also they were very cool with me trying to put and fit my scooter inside their bar.

Danny R

New owners renovated the interior after taking this place over. Very clean inside with many TVs and usually not too crowded. Great spot for catching a game and playing some pool. They also have surprisingly decent food, typical bar bite fare, don't expect any frills. Friendly owners and bartenders. The crowd is always quite mixed which makes for an interesting scene.

I’ve been in here a handful of times and most of them there’s no bartender behind the bar and it’s taken at least 5 minutes for anyone to show up. It’s usually quite empty too. Go to Shamrock or Yancy’s instead for beer/games, or Fiorella for cocktails. Much better cocktails too.

Zach Klippenstein

I’ve been in here a handful of times and most of them there’s no bartender behind the bar and it’s taken at least 5 minutes for anyone to show up. It’s usually quite empty too. Go to Shamrock or Yancy’s instead for beer/games, or Fiorella for cocktails. Much better cocktails too.

Asked for diet coke, but suspected I received full sugar. When my husband asked if I wanted another, I told him to put an emphasis diet. The bartender said they don't carry diet sodas and told my husband he could just get full sugar because I wouldn't be able to tell the difference anyway. Sucks for diabetics, I guess.

Douchebag central. I see a lot of reviews on here that are obvious shills. This is NOT a locals spot. Douchebags come here from down the peninsula and the outer SS. Drug deals are done on the street corner outside. Bartenders are clueless - cute girls who don't know how to make a drink. This isn't a bar, it's a toilet.

Abigail Wong

Asked for diet coke, but suspected I received full sugar. When my husband asked if I wanted another, I told him to put an emphasis diet. The bartender said they don't carry diet sodas and told my husband he could just get full sugar because I wouldn't be able to tell the difference anyway. Sucks for diabetics, I guess.

Sean Burke

Douchebag central. I see a lot of reviews on here that are obvious shills. This is NOT a locals spot. Douchebags come here from down the peninsula and the outer SS. Drug deals are done on the street corner outside. Bartenders are clueless - cute girls who don't know how to make a drink. This isn't a bar, it's a toilet.