(Bars often have very different vibes depending on the day of the week - so this is for a busy Saturday night.) The best part of Madrone was the bouncer! I bet that's something you've never heard about a bar -- but I'm serious. We waited in line for about 30 minutes to get in, and the bouncer at the door was quite friendly and made sure our group all got in together. He let one of our friends join us in line and that friend offed him cash (bribe?) and the bouncer respectfully declined. Very classy! Cover was $10. They take Venmo, which was nice. But that's about $1 for each minute we stayed. It was so crowded inside, we could barely make our way to the one bar. We left after 10 minutes. VIBE: Divey bar that wants to be a nightclub. Way too crowded on a Saturday night with limited ventilation. Not really much art to speak of, despite the name. A few people were trying to dance, but too crowded. MUSIC: Varies by DJ, but usually something fairly basic / throwback. AUDIO/ACOUSTICS: College frat house level audio quality. DRINKS: Beer, wine, generic mixed drinks. Cocktail menu did not impress. About $12 each for mixed drinks. FOOD: None. COVER: $10 on Sat nights.

What a fun spot! They have a great atmosphere, exceptional cocktails, and a super friendly staff. Plus live music almost every night. A must visit if you’re in SF!

Good place to get strong drinks. Madrone has a row a paintings on one wall and various sculptures from the ceiling. The effect is somewhat ruined by the four televisions they have about the bar, but it's understandable that they want to cater to the sports crowd. I tried my wife's cocktail and ordered a beer for myself. Her cocktail was quite strong which could be a theme for this bar. The music was fairly loud as well, but that's not surprising for this type of bar. Overall, I think this bar is an interesting visit and would subsequently recommend it.

Words can’t describe the groovy vibes this neighborhood bar brings. Between the local talent that performs to the rotating art instillation this spot is unmatched in bringing the community together for a good time. You just have to come on Motown Mondays and see for yourself. Guaranteed not to disappoint

My only beef with this creative bar is that Motown Monday is actually just live disco DJ samples of soul tunes. They don't play original 7 inch vinyl or even the original songs at all. Thus it should really be called Disco Monday. Still fun. Still good drinks. Definitely not Motown.

Monday Night review only - we went out on a Monday to say we did it and went to a bar out in North Beach which was supposed to be popular. They maybe had 15 people in total. We come back towards Hayes valley and try out Madrones for their Motown Monday. 5$ cover and it’s packed to the brim - we’re squeezing by people at 11pm on a Monday. What? In that sense, 5 stars if you’re looking for a packed spot on a Monday playing fun music. That said, the music was not Motown. Maybe it was earlier in the night, but if that’s what you want, you’ll be disappointed past 10pm. The demographic was also >75% thirsty men and we had a lot of annoying interactions. You’re warned. The MC also kept warning that someone was stealing wallets/phones and picking pockets. Thanks for the tip, but of course I’d prefer if that wasn’t the scenario to start with. 2/5 atmosphere 5/5 for being packed on a Monday

Keeping places like this open is the best thing for San Francisco to experience a total dose of live music. From jazz, blues, rock, soul or swing, to DJ's spinning & mixing your favorites from back in the day. Go to Madrone Art bar to have a stellar time indeed!

5 stars for Madrone Art Bar! Awesome vibe and super friendly staff. My wife and I went to the open mic on Sunday and were treated with a variety of acts from comedy to hip hop - that may or may not have been me 😅 Perfect place to soak up some local flavour and culture. Highly recommended!!

Great bartender. As an out-of- towner that was only there to see Dead and Company, I loved San Francisco and I think the locals were all excellent. From the old- lady barfly, to the old stoner that shared his joint, to the 21yo that was there for Motown Monday, I was beyond delighted with the conversation I shared with each of them. And ohhhh, Lord... I wish my fight had been later, because that Motown was sure off the chain. This place was poppin' for a Monday night. Great crowd, of all different types of folks and all ages across the board. Would totally go to this bar if it was in Minneapolis. Music and art with a variety of characters around? You can't go wrong. Thank you for the hospitality!

Very interesting bar with bold art and statements with super friendly and talkative bartender. We kind of stumble upon this place by accident, but was pleasantly surprised by the quality of their cocktails.

The bar staff are cool. Billy was a gentleman and he bought me a beer. Not many bar staff do that! The band played a sick jazz groove drawing people out to make shapes on the floor.

UPDATE: 2 years later and this has not changed. MOM is such a wonderful experience. It's a Bay Area MUST! Went for Motown Monday. It was amazing. DJ Gordo Cabeza was amazing and the bartenders were helpful, fast and all smiles.

Great open social space with arcade games and awesome bartenders. It's all decked out for Halloween now. I used to play the bumble bee arcade game here with my friends when I lived in the area.

Great music and the atmosphere in general, but 20$ entry fee is a bit too steep.

I loved going there! The place was super cool with awesome art and drawings on the walls! The bar is pretty small though so it can get very crowded later at night. There is live music or a DJ almost every night though which is so awesome!

Love drinking the menu! Live music and art top notch. High Karate, Herbie Hancock, Squirt Gun, Luchador, Crazy Larry and the new Strange Bedfellow are MUST try.

No respect for customers, poor service, dirty everywhere, toilets are never cleaned, puke club. Never agen.

Guy got mad cause I didn't know I couldn't bring in outside alcohol during an open mic. I do it at all the other open mics. And instead of being like sorry can you finish that outside, that's not allowed he gets angry and tries confiscate my bottle and ban me from the place. so I finished it and handed it to him. I think he was upset cause he saw me, a woman, engineering my music for performance tracks. Haters. 0 stars.

Ran into a Robyn-themed indie music party on a Saturday night and it’s incredibly fun! Everything about the bar is just sooo cool - the honk chandelier, bomb disco ball, posters on the wall. The playlist of Robyn, Passion Pit, etc is INSANELY DOPE!! The cocktail is a bit disappointing so stick with beer

stumbled upon live jazz sunday, groovin vibes, no cover. so cool seeing neighborhood musicians all file in to jam with the band

Nice venue for live music. Fun lighting inside and tvs with random stuff on it. Loved the outdoor seating for drinking and smoking 🚬 Plenty of food options close by.

Bang on one of the best bars in San Francisco for the past decade plus!! From Mowtown Mondays to their offbeat music theme nights and an amazing low key dance floor, Madrone is it! Get there before 9:30 because the line gets long and it's a fairly small bar.

Good atmosphere. Music on an early Thursday night is quiet enough to hear other people without shouting. By 10:30-11 dance floor starts up.

great drinks and barpersons... too bad the 3 big screen tvs playing baseball games ruined the ambience.. is this an 'art bar" or a sports bar... ... . the wedding soundtrack music completely sucked as well.. bad disco that they called motown.. would have been nice to see some obscure vids on the screens and hear something more lively like Norwegian death metal... was bored after about five minutes. come on, give me some "arsty music' at least to go with the theme..

Had several delicious drinks made by Chris. I had the Beat Guess, Steve McQueen and Sam Spade in that order. We arrived when it opened so it was empty and I was able to check out all the various items throughout the bar. Super kitsch; loved it. We weren't there long enough for any live music but I think the vibe is probably great for an open mic or small acoustic set.

such a cool spot! a bar i’m constantly thinking about. definitely recommend the herbie hancock. genuinely the best cocktail i’ve ever had. the new wave haircut is super good too. they had trainspotting playing on the wall until a super good jazz band started playing. they also have all gender bathrooms. best art bar ever <3

Went there for Monday dance night... I don't remember if it was this fun pre pandemic or if it's the hope that everything is returning to normal (ish). The music was incredible, the vibes were out the roof, and the DJ, the DJ uncover dance moves i had not seen in a while... The only recommendation i have is DO NOT order the squirt gun drink, as a Mexican i tell you, you will look like a fool. The burro drink was my go-to alternative