The Buena Vista

I finally did it.

I was born in the Bay Area and have lived here my entire life (53 years at this point) and I had never made it to The Buena Vista until recently. Somewhat silly I know, but hey I've never been to the Winchester Mystery House either and I lived down the street for years so... shrug.

The Irish Coffee goes down easy... it's a good thing I don't live closer to the city. That's a tasty treat. Spendy though.

Fun vibe and people watching. Our waiter was awesome. Nice to take a little walk by the water as well.

Really great bar here SF! The famous Irish whiskey is a must and it's fun watching the bartender make them. During base ball games this bar gets really busy and they have food here as well! Also the Guinness is really smooth! The bartenders here are really friendly

Sooooooooo, this is my kinda place! My good friend brought us here while visiting SF and I was very happy with our experience. We just happened to luck up and get a table for 5 just walking in the door of the street on a Sunday afternoon. This place was pretty packed, so happening to get a table was great. It was super lively and we came just to try their famous Irish coffee! I tried the "Nutty Irishman coffee" with Frangelico and Baileys. YUMMY! Oh so good. My boyfriend tried the original Irish coffee and it was amazing too, just less sweet. So, it depends on your preference or mood for the day lol.

I could do either option. I wish I was hungry so I could've had some food too, but it seemed like traditional pub type bar food. This place just felt like a fun time and I'd love to go back if I'm ever in SF again. It was fun to watch them make the drinks too. They kind of make like 10 at a time and do it in a line on the bar. Very interesting to see lol. So glad I got to check out this well known spot!!!

Came here for breakfast we were a group of 7
Unfortunately we were not able to sit together because they seat customers as seats at tables are available

So if 2 seats are available at one table 2 people from your party can sit at that table While the other people wait for single seats at different tables to become available

Aside from that the service here is fast Waiters and servers attend to you quickly and food comes out rather quick as well

Food is good Prices are reasonable

You have to come here at least once and have an Irish coffee

Definitely a must try

If you are a lover of Irish coffee, you must go the to Buena Vista. Walking my multiple times during our visit there was frequently a line. We headed for a an early weekday brunch and found one of the last tables, although the happily encourage sharing the tables if you are a smaller group.
We ordered French toast, eggs Benedict and Belgian waffle that came with chocolate covered bacon! All was delicious. But, you know you're here for the Irish coffee. We got two regulars and then ventured a bit and ordered a Mexican and a Keoke version. All were good but the classic is the way to go, hands down. We even stooped by later in the trip to get two to go (coffee with a mini bottle that you have to open off site).
Service was great, building and ambiance was top notch, food and drinks were delicious. Overall a great experience and worth the potential wait on busier days.

Awesome service and friendly staff
Will make time to try out the rest of the menu on my next visit

Great place! Beautiful day in San Francisco! Place was packed and we sat at the bar. The bartenders were working their magic with making the famous IRISH COFFEES! My fiance has the Irish coffee and I had a hot chocolate! Very fun environment and would definitely go back!

This place is iconic. Small, Irish restaurant with the original Irish whiskey coffee. It's not what you think. Not like a regular one you have ever had. It was delicious and is a must try if you come here. The food was good. The views are amazing from any place you sit. Service was great!

The Irish coffee is actually amazing and as good as advertised, holy moly. It's so warm and toasty but also has that strong coffee flavor tempered by sweet cream. I've been here a couple of times now, and that's what we always get.

Parking is not super hard to find in the area and you get your drinks quick. The place itself is not the cleanest but the drinks make up for it!

It was a very crowded early Sunday afternoon when we stopped in to grab a quick bite and so I could try the "world famous" Buena Vista Irish Coffee. When we asked the guy at the door about seats, he said that if we only wanted drinks we could sit at the bar. But since we wanted something to eat, he said to find a couple available chairs at a table and "make new friends." So we did!

We were going to have dinner somewhere else in just a couple hours but I wanted to try their clam chowder so my husband and I decided to share one of their sourdough bread bowls. We both agreed it was delicious! He had an IPA to wash it down but I had their Irish Coffee - and it was strong and tasty!

Our server was fabulous - super friendly and efficient. And she was completely ok with us just sharing the soup and having drinks. She agreed the bread bowl is filling! The breakfast items that our table mates had all looked really good, too! We'd love to come back for brunch someday.

When we were done, I talked to the guy at the door some more. He said he likes their Irish Coffee so much he comes in sometimes on his day off to have it. I asked him if he gets a discount and he said no because of the alcohol. But he did get one free drink when he started working there so that he could describe the taste to customers. Makes sense!

I am so glad my husband and I finally made it here. With the beautiful views in a historic building to go along with our meal, it definitely lived up to the hype!