Lush Lounge

Recommends

Lauren Hannah

Joined 3 years ago

Best Blueberry Martini ever. This is another one of my favorite bars on Polk St.

it's very cozy, but still very fun. They have a nice warm fire going at night and it's a good place to grab some drinks with friends (and actually be able to carry on a conversation with them).

Their Blueberry Martinis are to DIE for. They're delicious. And they also serve a Mel Gibson: A Tecate, a shot of Well Whiskey, and a racial slur.

Great bar.

CASH ONLY

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MelSF

Joined 3 years ago

Lush Lovin'. This is my new favorite spot in SF. Yummy drinks, good crowd, and I always manage to find a place to sit down. The bartenders are nice and don't take to long to serve you a drink. It's a bar that isn't too fancy, isn't too divey. Plus, who doesn't love a fireplace? The one weird part is the sort of co-ed bathroom. In my option they should just make both stalls co-ed, but I guess it prevents the girls restroom from being covered in streams of drunk guys' pee.

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Patrick Heig

Joined 5 years ago

Citysearch Editorial Review. After a greedy landlord forced Lush out of its original location, this bar--perhaps known best for its goofy cocktails (key lime martini, anyone?) and view of the trannies outside the sordid Divas strip club--scored a plush space at the epicenter of the Polk Street scene. Lofty ceilings hung with slow-spinning fans, rough wood beams and huge leafy plants give the space a swampy Southern ambiance, although the random tchotchkes, like religious statues, a framed quote from RuPaul, a bicycle nailed to the wall, keep it kooky. All in all, it should now be a solid stop on the local bar crawl circuit: R Bar, Hemlock, McTeagues, Blur et al. And, through the huge floor-to-ceiling windows, which'll be open on warm nights, there's sure to be some Polk Street depravity to entertain you as you slurp down that raspberry truffle cocktail.

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Kathleen Sweeney

Joined 4 years ago

Citysearch Editorial Review. Slow-spinning fans, rough wood beams and leafy green plants give Lush Lounge's new digs a sleepy, Key West vibe, though abundant tchochke, a Buddha statue and a rusty bicycle nailed to the wall endow it with a Polk Street-appropriate eccentricity. Lush's many faithful patrons will be pleased to find the same staff, and many of the same goofy cocktails, but this new location at the epicenter of the Polk Street scene should bring in a whole new crowd of lushes. Huge street-facing windows (that open), a fireplace and a sweet set of bathrooms are other improvements, though at heart this place should remain the same: a gay/drag queen-friendly neighborhood bar with a dedicated following.

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cityguide72

Joined 5 years ago

A Jewel in the Tenderloin. I feel so sorry for the owner of the Lush Lounge. I know exactly who the dirt bag who identifies himself as "Tribaldelic" is in his review. This dude is something out of "Silence of the Lambs". His Straffforshire Terrier is actually a pitbull, that he allows to travel the neighborhood without a leash. Imagine sitting in a cool martini bar and having both of these animals walk in, both unleashed. It's a near death experience! The classy bartenders and the owner have been battling this element of trash on this corner for 8 years. Kudos to the staff of Lush Lounge for providing an oasis, serving incredible drinks, being featured on the Food Channel Network, being Zagat rated and keeping dirt bags likeTribaldelic out.

Doesn't Recommend

tribaldelic

Joined 6 years ago

Avoid Owner. I live on same block as this bar. Owner has on several occasions, usually in early AM, accosted me about my corrosive teeth and gums (as a result of terminal condition), teases me in the presence of others about my way of dress (near poverty - fixed income on State Disability) and has physically confronted me with the threat of force (intimidation), claiming that I do not have the right to look into his bar through the window while it was closed. This all happened over the course of appx 2 months after I was asked to leave while in the bar having a drink, because I brought my dog into the bar. My dog, "BABE" is registered Staffordshire Terrier; Companion and Service Animal. Business owners can disallow service animals for the disabled for any reason. He claimed that it was a health hazard, however, as I have to take my service animal with me to keep my balance (motor functions are an agility issue also related to disabling condition), in the early AM hours, the owners Scottish Terrier can be seen throughout the bar. However, if you can afford $13 dollar Cactus Berry Martini's, there is a female bartender who generally works on slow nights sporting a fantastic smile and a professional air about serving the public that is attracted to the bar, whom I see every night and are very freindly - it makes me happy to see so many with smiles instead of frowns when drinking. The clientele must come from afar because its nearly always packed. People that live in this area are generally in the same boat as I: on fixed income's and or disabled.

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jojo_the_monkey

Joined 6 years ago

Its Great Now that Previous Reviewer is Gone!!. Man!...Gonwk is probably just bitter because her "boyfriend" left her azz for a tranny across the street...seriously, her drink was too bitter?...what kind of drink was she ordering that it could be bitter...an Old Fashioned?....what the hell....I'm sure she's much happier in some pretentious, sterile place in the Marina... and an SF chick complaining that her bartender had a gay smile?...geez, what a hater!...must be from Fresno or something....well I hope those trannies showed you how to walk when you stormed your whiny azz outa there Miss. Gonwk!

Lush is like an old friend -- truly one of the last great real neighborhood dive bars, and if they still have "LIVE at the Lush Lounge" (which used to be its best kept secret years ago) that is an AMAZING time!!!...the only thing similar, I've ever experienced was at a great lil' dive bar in the Theatre District in NY. Truly great!

Doesn't Recommend

gonwk

Joined 6 years ago

Worst Bar & Bartender & Owner. I decided to try out this Bar since few of the Reviews said it is a decent bar. I even went early on Thursday night so I can really gauge the Bar and the Drinks in a non-rushed hours ...

The Owner of the bar howers around and makes sure that if you are not chuggling down your Martini in 15 minutes flat ... he will encourage you ...

The Bartender that waited on us had an Attitude ... like you would not believe it ... after all the attitude and gayish smiles ... he screwed all of our 6 drinks ... either too sweet or too bitter ... and when we told him so ... he shrugged us off as though we have no clue what we are ordering.

The Bar itself ... the one bathroom there I guess is uni-sex ... because when I tried using it someone had pee'd all over the seat cover and toilet paper all over the floor. My boyfriend tried using the urinal ... and he said it seemed that they just took a 2x2 closet and slapped a urinal in it with no paper or anything.

As far as the other reviewers saying how wonderful this place is ... I suppose they haven't been to anything better ... and the $5 drink specials are all full of "Crushed Ice" ... so go figure if it is a good deal or you are being taken ...

In summary the place, the drinks, the bartender and the Owner make this palce a Lousy place to unwind.

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muppditt

Joined 7 years ago

Fun, laid-back no-attitude bar, even if you are straight. Never had probs here simply because I am straight, as other reviewers have mentioned...? This is the bar I always end up at after racking my brain trying to think of a new bar to try...simply because I think it is good to try new places. Well, I guess with an old standby like the Lush Lounge I don't have to try the newest or hippest places. This place is kind of a throwback, a mish-mash of eras in one space. The cocktails are froofy and fun, so who cares if they are not super sophisticated? They always seem to have a drink special. Last time I was there there were Lemon Drops all night for $5. BONUS: You can watch the 'ladies' working the street in front of Divas tranny club across Post. A goldmine of observation.

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embarcaderobride

Joined 6 years ago

Always a unique time. Lush Lounge is our favorite bar in the area. The bartenders throw down fantastic martinis, the retro atmosphere is fun, and I always have interesting and friendly conversations with strangers.