Dalva & The Hideout

Words by Simon Difford on 29-Oct-2014

Address: 3121 16th Street, (nr Guerrero btwn Albon & Valencia Sts), San Francisco, California, 94103, United States
Tel: +1 415-252 7740
Website: view Dalva & The Hideout’s website

Door: Open door/walk-ins
Style: Neighbourhood bar
Established: 2009

Dalva is a large buzzing beer swilling dive bar but a room outback houses The Hideout, a far more refined cocktail bar.

An eclectic banging soundtrack competes with the drone of chattering drinkers in Dalva's large rectangular high ceilinged room. Impressive oversized artwork dot the high walls with old movies such as Get Carter projected onto the back wall. You'll find a dozen beers on draught and a lively atmosphere but there's nothing standout or special about Dalva. Apart that is from 'The Hideout'.

Portrayed as something of a speakeasy bar within a bar, even on a Saturday night there's nothing hidden or hard to access about The Hideout. Look for the red illuminated 'Hideout' sign in the back right corner of Dalva. Under this, beyond a short passage lies a small backroom with a second bar and small seating area upstairs. The space is hardly plush but the cocktails are reliably good.

Each month they pick a different classic cocktail, and this, along with a few rifts on the theme, heads the menu for that month. Below this follows a selection of 'regular' concoctions as the Last Resort (Fernet, lemon juice, honey and dry cider shaken and served long).