The European

We couldn’t have started the night better than this: fabulous happy hour cocktails that regularly rotate and great deals on the nibbles. See (or taste) for yourselves.

Great specialty cocktails, the bartender Mike is great. They have a good liquor selection. Had the steak bites, perfect snack to go with a cocktail.

A nice hotel bar to bring visitors, or pregame, or a few drinks before going to dinner. It is modern, trendy, and inviting from the bustle outside that is Union Square bordering the TL. For us locals who can go anytime, their HH ends at 7pm. Make HH as the drink prices are on the high side, higher than at most drinking spots.
Making this place the night’s destination is reaching a bit though. The venue is big but the layout feels cramped because there aren’t that many seats out at the bar. Just bar stools and a couple of small tables by the door. Toward the back is a lounge with chairs and tables.
The cocktails and bar foods (charcuterie plate was pretty good) make up for it; drinks are on the strong side too.

Came here for happy hour today and they said they weren’t doing happy hour because there were business people in town. I said never mind and left and saw the happy hour sign hidden when I exited. I’m a local and was looking to check out a place that I was hesitant to visit because I thought it might be snobby, and I was right.

An underrated and often overlooked spot for happy hour, The European is a great spot to catch up with folks after work over a couple glasses of wine and little bites.
Happy hour till 7pm Monday-​Friday with $ 6 bubbly, wines, and a handful of cocktails. The red wine is pretty legit for happy hour and it’s a decent pour. It also pairs well with some steak bites ($ 9 during happy hour). The steak is tender and a wonderful bite-​sized take on the classic steak and potatoes combination.
I’m sure there were greater ambitions for The European and Aveline but selfishly I’m glad it’s evolved to where it is now. It’s an eclectic space that is refined yet comfortable and service is attentive and friendly. If you’re looking for a quieter spot to grab a drink and relax near Union Square, The European is definitely worth considering.

Great drinks, great service. Spacious venue.
Happy hour from 4−7p with nice variety of $ 6 specialty cocktails (wine, beer options as well).
At $ 6 they might as well be free!
If you like gin, I highly recommend the European Sling and the Zesper.
If you stop in, hopefully you’re lucky enough to get Mike — awesome bartender and he takes great photos of you (if you ask nicely). :)
Thanks for the great find, Unilocal

Good food with amazing sauces! Garlic butter with the fries are amazing, the dark sauce with the steak bites are delicious, and the sauces that Come in the burgers make the ordinary burger superb. The drinks are strong and unique. The menu is more interesting and better than the typical cocktails you get. I highly recommend the crabapple holiday drink.

Great things about The European:
— They have mezcal.
— Open as early as 4pm.
— Food
— Friendly
— Can conversate without shouting.
— Chill vibe
This is the kind of place that I would like to come back. I hope you give this cocktail bar a try. Cheers!

Great happy hour from 4−7pm. Pretty much all the drinks including wine, champagne, and cocktails are $ 6 and High Life «champagne beer» is only $ 3. My favorite cocktail is «San Francisco Sour — bourbon. lemon, lime, pinot noir» and as for food, I ordered braised pork sliders $ 4/​each = BOMB. If you’re hungry I would get 2 – 3. Great bar, great food, and great bartenders.

Happy hour is highly recommended. Decent house wine selection, with great bar bites options. Steak bites were spot on, fries were slightly above average. Ask for the dessert menu, brownie batter was heavenly!!!
I think what wins me over about this place is the cute décor, attentive service, and good vibes for a Friday happy hour with friends :)

Great mixed cocktails from the bartender and it wasn’t too overcrowded on a Saturday. You could come here, converse, drink, and not be overwhelmed with loud music or crowds. This is my type of bar.

This bar used to be a modern meets 1920’s bar with classic European cocktails but unfortunately it has turned into the tenderloins most horrendous nightmare. I used to be a regular here and Shirley the bar manager was amazing. She is no longer there and the people who run it now are not up to par.
The health department may need to take a closer look at what has happened here. I don’t know if it is even safe to eat or drink here anymore. There was literally a hair in my drink the last time I went.
The worst part was the abhorrent women who was behind the bar. I believe she may have been the manager, which makes this even worse. I saw her dipping her fingers in some sort of food behind the bar and licking her fingers, she then proceeded to wipe and pick her nose. She did not wash her hands. She served someone a drink at the bar and was touching her hair and put it behind her ears, she then touched the food again and once again licked it off her fingers. It was absolutely appalling. I asked her for her name and she said it was Sarah.
I don’t mean to come across rude because I loved this place and it is so sad to see it go down hill so fast. I am a saddened disappointed customer. Definitely not worth your time anymore.

I have nothing to say about this place but great things. There are no ‘buts’ here.
Classy, yet chill bar with plenty of space, comfy couches, tables and chairs, cool music and delicious finger food and drinks.
They have a comprehensive list of craft cocktails to satisfy various tastes, some good wines, and simple food that is tasty and fresh… Oh that awesome feeling when you take the risk of going for the «gourmet french fries», and instead of being disappointed with the usual frozen stuff you are surprised with truly home made, finger licking fries! Even something as simple as popcorn was delicious here .
The guys (and girl) behind the bar were also really cool and attentive. However, the best part of it all for us was having it right downstairs from our hotel room, so it was easy to stop by everyday after our SF adventures and have good bites, sips and vibes before venturing into the night…
But even if this is not your case, making a trip to The European will surely pay off…

Some friends were at happy hour last Friday, May 5^th, so I decided to meet them up. Showed up around 6pm. They were seated in a couple of seats at the side of the bar. Luckily it was empty in the small front lounge area, so I was able to grab a small table and seat.
Happy hour: Monday-​Friday, 3pm-​7pm
*Steak bites ($ 11): crisp potatoes, bordelaise, crème fraîche
*Pommes frites ($ 4)
*Popcorn ($ 4)
*Charcuterie plate ($ 11): four chef’s selected meats, crackers, fixin’s
HH seems like a fun way to try a bunch of appetizers. I wasn’t very hungry, so I didn’t try anything, but everyone seemed to enjoy the food. They also ordered a dish from the regular menu: Mushroom fritters — lemon aioli, fried mushrooms ($ 11).
Drinks:
*Gran negroni ($ 13): gin, gran classico, campari vermouth
*The Brooklyn ($ 12): rye, china china, maraschino, dry vermouth
I got the Brooklyn which I enjoyed. I prefer dry vermouth over sweet vermouth, so this has become one of my favorite drinks. I had a sip of the negroni which was pretty tasty as well. Since it was negroni week, they they were donating $ 1 for every negroni to the Shanti project.
Great place to have a drink before having dinner next door at Aveline!

Very nice, more upscale bar. Delicious cocktails and great bartenders.
Love the vibe and décor of this place. Next time I want to stay near the FiDi to meet up for drinks with a date, this will be my spot.

My friend took me to this place for happy hour and said there was $ 2 beer and $ 5 cocktails. I didn’t believe her.
I was wrong. There was actually $ 2 beer, and yes it’s not the best beer, but it’s $ 2! The cocktails on the happy hour was pretty good. They had about for different house cocktails. I recommend the plume. I thought it was the best out of the four.
The European is a beautiful looking bar. The décor has all sorts of interesting things to look at. In addition to traditional bar seating there are sofas and tables located next to the bar where you can kick back and relax after a long work week.
This is a great place to bring a date or have a casual drink with some friends. It’s not to crowded and the staff is friendly and service is quick. It’s not too loud in there so you can actually have conversations. The prices are amazing during happy hour. Oh yeah, the bathrooms are an elevator ride down.
Cheers!

Heeelllooo $ 2 Happy Hour Beers! Goodbye Liver! Quite the gem to escape the hustle and bustle of Union Square!
This bar has a suave and a sophisticated 30’s flair that is casual and non-​intimidating. No need to bust out in your favorite fedora or flapper dress here! The moment you walk in, you’re greeted by a long stretch of bar with loads of seating and in the back, there are a couple of lounge seats where you can get a little intimate with your drinks — or human friends.
The Happy Hour menu offers a good selection of alcoholic necessities — for me, that’s beer and french fries. The beer, being two bucks and all, was just a can of 4% light stuff however they also offer various wines and cocktails I have yet to try. I DID have the Amaro shot to make things interesting and WHOA. It was like downing a sugary, soap-​smelling syrup that burned my insides (totally awesome). I was pretty much singing along to all their Frankie Valli songs and other random 60’s music in between.
If you feel like being EXTRA fancy without burning a hole through your wallet, they even have an $ 11 cheese plate! I HAVE to come back again! I MUST come back again!

Although it’s located a bit too close to the TL, the European is a charming cocktail bar that I hope stays a hidden gem! The ambiance is upscale but not snotty. They have bar seating, sofas, and tables… plenty of space for you and your friends!
HAPPY HOUR is during Monday-​Friday from 3pm-​7pm
— Glass of Cava ($ 5)
— Sparkling Cocktails ($ 5): nouveau, flume, odori, and golden alpes were all delicious. Hey, they were only $ 5 each, so I had to try them all…
— Bubbly Cocktails ($ 6)
— Happy Hour Beer ($ 2): TWO DOLLARS! Where can you find $ 2 beer anywhere?! Granted, it’s not fancy schmancy beer… it was still drinkable!
— Food items range from $ 4-​$ 11.
— Cheese or Charcuterie Plate ($ 11): very creative plating and delicious!
4 cocktails, 2 beers, and 1 cheese plate came out to be around $ 40 with tip. Happy hours here definitely won’t break your bank! ;)
I’m usually a beer kind of gal, but I may become a cocktail kind of gal if I frequent The European often!

Charming, quaint atmosphere that caters to a more upscale clientele so not the ideal spot to be rowdy with your friends. However, if you are in search of a place to unwind over well made craft cocktails then The European might be the place for you.
There is enough drink variety to suit whatever you fancy that night but I don’t know if they have a wide beer/​wine section. I also can’t comment on the food but based just off the drinks I think they are definitely worth a try down the road.
Overall Thoughts
You had me at craft cocktails!

The European is a cool lounge located adjacent to the Warwick Hotel on Geary & Taylor in the «Tendergroin» in SF. It is very European and is befitting of a high-​end chain like the Warwick.
We ordered a couple of signature Europeans (don’t have the ingredients), and a Love Letter (vodka, lemon, hibiscus, ginger & seltzer) at $ 12/​each. Unfortunately, both drinks were too sweet for all our tastes. We switched to real men drinks afterwards: Tequila rocks w/​a squeeze of lime; vodka tonic; and rum & coke: 3 Stars for the cocktails.
The ambiance is very nice and there are several tables to sit at, or push together for a large party. A couple of downsides are if you want to eat, be prepared to drop $ 3/​each for Fanny Bay Oysters, or $ 18 for a burger w/​fries. In addition, if you want to use the restroom, it is down the elevator and around the corner: 3 Stars. On the other hand, the service was very good from our waiter. He was attentive and very polite: 4 Stars.
3.5 Stars overall. The European is a cool place to have drinks after dinner and before a club. But avoid the froo froo drinks because they are way too sweet for a real man — LOL!!!