The Sycamore sits on Mission Street between 17th and 18th, a Mission District beer bar that pairs a deep rotating draft list with a back patio, board games and a weekend brunch. It has been a neighbourhood fixture for more than a decade.
The address is 2140 Mission Street, mid-block on the busy retail stretch a short walk from the 16th Street BART station. The room is narrow and dark at the front, opening to a covered back patio that is the seat to ask for. Board games stacked by the bar set the tone: this is a place built for a long afternoon, not a quick stop.
What to order is whatever is fresh on draft. The Sycamore keeps a rotating beer list that runs to local and regional craft, and the kitchen turns out elevated pub plates to go with it. At weekends the draw shifts to brunch, where bottomless mimosas pull a crowd from 10am. Pints sit in the single digits and the daily happy hour runs 4pm to 7pm.
The Infatuation, in its Mission guide, frames The Sycamore as a neighbourhood bar with a serious draft selection and one of the better patios in the area. That patio is the editorial fact that separates it from the rest of the block: covered, heated and large enough that it stays usable through the city's grey afternoons.
The best time to go is a weekend afternoon, when the patio carries brunch into a slow drinking session, or a weekday happy hour before the after-work crowd arrives. The bar opens at 3pm on weekdays and 10am at weekends, with last call at 1am early in the week and 2am Thursday through Saturday.
The crowd is a Mission mix of locals, beer drinkers and brunch tables, drawn by the draft list and the patio rather than a scene. It suits an unhurried afternoon over board games, a casual catch-up or a weekend brunch, and it is a poor fit for anyone after a quiet, polished cocktail room.
The appeal is a Mission beer bar that rewards staying put: good draft, a real patio and no rush. For more of the city, see the best bars in San Francisco and the roundup of craft beer in San Francisco, or browse the wider craft beer pillar.
