The Page– beer bar
Lower Haight
298 Divisadero @ Page (Google Map)
Official Site | Twitter | BeerAdvocate | Yelp
Open Mon-Thu 5p-2a, Fri-Sun 4p-2a, plus afternoon hours during NFL season
MUNI: N, 6, 7, 21, 24, 37, 71
Part of the Haight Beer Crawl
“Many think playing Journey is clever, but it is not.” Thus reads the Page’s FAQ. It’s a place with some personality. And much like the bartenders there, it’s downright sexy- but never contrived. You’ll never whisper to a friend “seems like they’re trying too hard coughBourbon&Branchcough“. It just is.
It’s laid out like many SF bars- a long bar along the right, with tables & chairs along the windows on the left. A gaudy internet jukebox welcomes you just inside the door. All the red leather seats & barstools are exceptionally big and comfy, and the whole place is carpeted. You may assume there’s a fireplace just from the warmth of the place, but there isn’t. At the end of the bar, there’s a pool table and wee tiny restrooms, and beyond those, a stairway will open up to the back room, which holds another pool table and a bona fide foosball table.
The presence of the back room (mostly) prevents the Page from getting too crowded, though Friday and Saturday nights can of course test that theory, especially along the bar. The crowd varies wildly night to night and hour to hour, much like the rest of the Divisadero corridor. I’ve been here on a Friday night where it looked like Bar None bussed everyone in from a beer pong tournament, and Saturday nights when it was the most comfortable, mellow neighborhood bar imaginable. Thankfully it tends to lean more toward the latter. Afternoons and early evenings hold pretty true to a crowd of neighbors and regulars, and make this one of the best after-work spots in the City. The staff works quickly and… friendily, even when you grump about it being cash-only (cross Divis for an ATM).
The beer list can’t hold a candle to, say, Toronado, but it is especially impressive for a mostly-quiet neighborhood bar. There’s 23 taps, mostly craft brews from all over America (including those from Magnolia), and 16 bottles (and cans), ranging from Duvel to Hamm’s, and an impressive selection of whiskeys. The beer list is not online, though their fairly-new Twitter account seems to be a good place to keep abreast of goings-on.
Events aren’t too common these days, but they’re not unheard of, usually involving a local distillery coming in for a whiskey tasting. There’s no kitchen, but burritos, sandwiches, and (seriously bad) pizza are available on Divisadero without even crossing the street, and you’re welcome to bring it back into the bar.
I debated even including the Page on this site, as it’s not what one would normally call a beer bar (though as mentioned, the selection is nothing to sniff at), and I’m not sure I could honestly call it a “destination” for a beer tourist. So while I wouldn’t recommend a special trip just for the Page, it’s a neighborhood with a lot of character (and a lot of beer), so if you’re around, go ahead and poke your head in. It really is one of those great little bars that every neighborhood wishes they had. You can watch sports, but it’s not a sports bar; you can play foosball without being expected to do a Jaeger shot, or you can just saddle up to the bar in a big comfy chair and have some pretty damn good beer.
