El Amigo Bar

One of the younger members of our group asked what fernet was and was almost ridiculed out of the bar by the past his «use-​by-​date» hipster bartender but other than that, it was ok. I’m imagining in days past it was a cool Latin place that’s now been gentrified to within an inch of its life.

Badly organized. The plantains and guac were great but the rest of the food was expensive and not good. The ceviche was fishy and old, it just wasn’t good, it was expensive, and the service wasn’t good. Lots of great places with blocks that have it together. This resturant isn’t one of them.

I love this place, very trendy, 20 something crowd. They did not toss me out for lack or tattoos or youth. The two bartenders were quite charming, even though they were hopping. Coy asked if I was hungry, handed me their food menu, and said that their menu is not huge, but everything on it is awesome. I ordered the Guacamole and chips. HUGE portion diced not pulverized avocados. He’s right, it was awesome. They were having a bit of a problem with the taps, they handled it well. I prefer tap beer so if I return and they have not gotten this glitch taken care of they may lose a star. I did appreciate the huge chalkboards with the types, brands and cost of booze they offer, as well as ingredients for their special drinks.

Friendly staff — great food– nice environment and great music. Drinks! El Amigo Bar and Restaurant. This place used to be Emmy’s Spaghetti Shack & El Amigo Bar. I came in for drinks at El Amigo and saw the new menu. It’s so fresh and we ended up staying here for drinks and eating too. I tried the Ceviche, the Crudo (Alaskan halibut), the platanos (soooo good!), and the fresh guacamole. All were delicious and FRESH!
It’s a great bar ;and now a restaurant.
I’m looking forward to trying the $ 7 hot dog w/​jalapeños crema, sweet peppers, grilled onions and cilantro. The person next to us had it and it’s looks and smells amazing.
I’ll be back!
Thanks Guys.

Greeted by In The Flat Field by Bauhaus just starting on the turntable. One beer on tap? At least it’s Racer 5, which is what I had.

My first time here. Not bad!
Cute place to have a Private Party!
Very quaint and friendly bartenders

Where do I start?! One of the many things they have for Happy hour is a shot and tecate amongst other things! Great bartenders! Love my girl Rochelle she’s awesome! It’s a tequila bar so array of tequilas is at your reach… best part they are right next door to Emmys! Love this place!!!

Margaritas. Get the margaritas. Just a plain ol’ margarita, nothing fancy, some salt on the rim, on the rocks, you know. Margaritas. Did you get that?
The bartenders are lovely and adorable, the drinks are tasty, and service is great.
Stop over while waiting for your table at Emmy’s. Or stop over just because. I like to do both, but mainly the latter since every other establishment in the city’s stuffed with louts.

Went there on a Tuesday night, not as packed. Bar tender is pretty nice, attentive. They have lots of tequila mixed drinks.

The Friend, eh? My girlfriend and I came to this bar with a couple that we were double dating with because there was a long wait for Emmy’s next door ’round the corner. The service here wasn’t phenomenal, but in no way was it bad, just, «meh.», The bartender mixed our drinks, and they tasted so-​so. My girlfriend ordered a lemon drop, and I had a Jameson & Ginger Ale, which are basic drink L’s and extremely hard to mess up. Overall feel of the place is very divey: sticky floors, old & worn bar stools, and a bathroom where you just don’t want to touch anything. I’d come back here again if I was waiting to get into Emmy’s, but I wouldn’t come back to to go.

Not a bad place to stay warm and park your butt at the bar waiting for Emmy’s next door where the wait is from 30 mins to 2 hours on average. We waited 50 minutes last night even though we got there right at 6pm. The 4 of us shared some drinks, they don’t make anything fancy here, just your typical bar drinks. Prices are decent, about $ 6 – 8 for basic cocktails.
Our bartender was nice and didn’t pressure us for more drinks after our initial one was finished and we were just sitting around chatting. Very small and crowded inside though so I was happy we got to sit down. My lemon drop was decent but a little too sour.

My Latino friends call this place El Gringo.
Another Mexican bar gentrified out of existence. I read through the reviews and was dismayed to see how many people on here, back when it was actually a Latin bar, complained that the people working the bar didn’t speak English! Hmmmm a Latin bar in the Mission that primarily served Mexican clients would hire Mexican bartenders who spoke mostly Spanish… there is a shocker.
Anyway, I guess it was inevitable this spot would be turned over to the hipster crowd. But, adding insult to injury, did they have to keep the name and Mexican décor?! Isn’t a bunch of white folks gentrifying the bar enough? No, you need to appropriate Mexican culture to appeal to the «ironic» sensibilities of your hipster clientele. Well sorry… the closure of yet another Mission district Mexican bar isn’t funny… but maybe a bunch of white people drinking $ 9 margaritas in a place called «el amigo» is bizarrely ironic…
I love Emmy’s but this bar is a symbol of the death of what was the Mission.

Three words: Cool. Dive. Bar.
Great for a beer while waiting for Emmy’s to open up.
Very much a local joint with friendly patrons. I’m a fan!

Russian summer.
Soundtrack:
Drink: Moscow Mule. Featuring vodka, ginger beer and lime this would be the perfect drink for a warm summer day. Or while waiting for a table at Emmy’s.
Reasonable $ 15 for this and a gimlet. Service was friendly and attentive. Not many places to sit but the unpretentious crowd happily made room.
Would have no problem passing time here again. Dinner or no dinner.

The margaritas are fresh and heavy usually. Tastes great. I approve.

Intimate little place with strong drinks where they have dj’s off in the corner that I’ve heard spinning some cool soul music. James Brown FTW.

Ever the avid Emmy’s fan (YES ALLITERATION!) I was celebrating a colleagues going away with a bunch of ladies from work and we went next door to wait for our table. As a constant SF native I’m cautious of hipster bars… or bars I presume to be hipster bars. But really aren’t all bars in the mission hipster or ranchero bars anyway???
Great drinks, simple décor. Cucumber Basil Gimlet special?! Yes. Please. Simple set up– which made me wonder if they were still figuring things out even though they’ve been there a while, or if they’d recently gotten a coat of paint. No matter. It was just fine. Though, the large wooden chairs, I really didn’t know what to do with them or how to squeeze in and talk with my friends.

Hmmm, I’m surprised this place only gets 3 ½. It could be because there isn’t much of a variety on the brews.
Either way, I’m a fan. I think it’s genius to be attached to a restaurant, Emmy’s to boot. And during the day, this place gets plenty of light. I like a sun-​lit bar — makes me feel less a beer-​goggle candidate ’cause I look good in the light.

Reservations at Emmy’s stretching into the multi-​hour zone, but feel like waiting it out alongside a couple of tasty adult libations in the process? Look no further than their hip lil’ neighbor to the west, El Amigo.
They share an inner door with Emmy’s, and unless you’re one of the rare few who gets seated upon entry to the no frills Italian dive, you’re likely going to have to burn some time waiting for a table or booth to pop up here. When this happens elsewhere, you’re likely resigned to sipping a glass of wine awkwardly in a foyer as newcomers bump into you every 7.4 seconds. At El Amigo, on the other hand, you can sit down, enjoy an array of tequila-​soaked elixirs, chug some local beer from Speakeasy, or scan a long list of expertly-​made cocktails that rival some of the better watering holes in town.
Personally, I’m a fan of alcohol-​forward drinks (Manhattans, Martinis, Sazeracs, etc…), and when their Mexico City vittle caught my eye, I knew it was the drink for me. It featured Espolon tequila, vermouth, and orange bitters. Basically a Manhattan with tequila… and it was fantastic. At $ 10, it was right up there with the industry standard… but it is what it is.
Next time I’m looking for a great drink, but don’t feel like being asses to elbows at the likes of Bourbon and Branch or Rickhouse, I’ll gladly saunter into Bernal Heights for a hang at The Friend.

Have you ever contemplated how many bad margaritas there are in this world? Thousands. Millions. Possibly billions. All swimming in sour mix, or too much triple sec, or some sort of acai habanero blackberry fantasy that may be tasty but really no longer constitutes margarita-​ness.
Thank heavens for El Amigo, which has restored my faith in the margarita. I was this close to giving up on margaritas forever until I stopped in while waiting for dinner at Emmy’s. Their margarita is simple and balanced — tequila, agave syrup, fresh lime, and a salt rim. And, at $ 5 a pop, a ridiculously good deal.