Finding Good Beer by BART, station by station
There’s good beer – real local west coast ales and well-crafted brews – all over the Bay Area, and fortunately there is no paucity of good beer within walking distance of public transit. Get out of your car, get onto Bay Area Rapid Transit and into slow, delicious pints. Oh yeah: BART normally closes (station by station) starting at midnight. Uncivilized, but important to know.
A growing list of great beer places near transit. Also listed Alphabetically in the right column. (One shoe 
is up to one quarter mile walking, one way):
- Rockridge Station, Oakland
- Barclay’s (Bar/restaurant)
- Ben and Nick’s (Bar/restaurant)
- Barclay’s (Bar/restaurant)
- Berkeley Station, Berkeley
- Jupiter (Brewpub)
- Triple Rock (Brewpub)
- Jupiter (Brewpub)
- North Berkeley Station, Berkeley
- The Albatross Pub (Bar)
- Lanesplitter (Bar/pizza restaurant)
- The Albatross Pub (Bar)
- Hayward Station, Hayward
- The Bistro (Bar)
- Buffalo Bill’s (Brewpub)
- The Bistro (Bar)
- San Leandro Station, San Leandro
- The Englander (Bar/restaurant)
- The Englander (Bar/restaurant)
- Concord Station, Concord
- E. J. Phair (Brewpub)
- E. J. Phair (Brewpub)
- Walnut Creek Station, Walnut Creek
- Pyramid (Brewpub)
- Pyramid (Brewpub)
- 12th Street Station, Oakland
- Pacific Coast Brewing Co. (Brewpub)
- The Trappist (Bar)
- Pacific Coast Brewing Co. (Brewpub)
- 19th Street Station, Oakland
- Luka’s Taproom. (Bar/restaurant)
- Luka’s Taproom. (Bar/restaurant)
- MacArthur Station, Oakland
- Lanesplitter (Bar/pizza restaurant)
- Cato’s (Bar/restaurant)
- Lanesplitter (Bar/pizza restaurant)
- Embarcadero Station, S.F
- Ferry Building (Bars/restaurants)
- Gordon Biersch (Brewpub)
- Marin Brewing Company (Brewpub, by ferry)
- Noonan’s (CLOSED as of 3/09)
- Ferry Building (Bars/restaurants)
- Montgomery Station, S.F
- Anchor and Hope (Restaurant/Bar NEW 2009)
- ThirstyBear (Brewpub)
- 21st Amendment (Brewpub)
- S.F. Brewing Co. (CLOSED as of 10/09)
- Rogue Ale Pub (Bar/restaurant)
- La Trappe (Bar/restaurant)
- Anchor and Hope (Restaurant/Bar NEW 2009)
- Civic Center Station, S.F
- City Beer Store (Unique shop and tasting bar)
- Suppenküche (Bar/restaurant)
- Lucky 13 (Bar, bus from BART)
- Toronado (Bar, bus from BART)
- Magnolia (Brewpub, bus from BART)
- Beach Chalet (Brewpub, bus from BART, walk)
- City Beer Store (Unique shop and tasting bar)
- 16th Street Station, S.F.
- The Monk’s Kettle (Bar/Restaurant)
- Zeitgeist (Bar)
- The Monk’s Kettle (Bar/Restaurant)
- 24th Street Station, S.F.
- Amnesia (Bar)
- Pi Bar (Bar/Restaurant NEW 2009)
- Shotwell’s (Bar NEW 2009)
- Amnesia (Bar)
- San Bruno Station
- BJs (Brewpub)
- BJs (Brewpub)
- Millbrae Station (Another list of brewpubs to the south of this BART station, via CalTrain )
New list: Mass transit to local Microbreweries with tours or open houses
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What else belongs here? you tell us! Can you BART, bus and walk it?
Field research performed by local beer appreciators
Steve Shapiro & Gail Ann Williams. Corrections and suggestions welcome.
What’s going on? Tips for keeping up with the San Francisco Bay Area beer scene.
Happy Rails.
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(NOTE: Older comments — with some GREAT additional tips and suggestions — are over here now.)
January 2, 2009 at 6:14 pm
AWESOME ! As a beer lover who is a CAT scan Tech, I’m all 4 drinking & Barting ! THANX
January 24, 2009 at 9:35 pm
Thanks, Julie!
January 26, 2009 at 11:22 am
Hey guys, it was a pleasure meeting you both at the jolly pumpkin tasting. Maybe we will run into one another soon.
January 28, 2009 at 12:25 am
Yeah, that was great, Ray!
February 2, 2009 at 9:40 am
Great website!
I referenced it in my blog post about beer in Oakland and Berkeley. Here’s the link to the post: http://www.norcalblogs.com/transportation/2009/02/destinations_getting_sudsy_in_1.html
February 2, 2009 at 7:47 pm
Greg,
Good post on your blog. Keep breaking into conversations (when appropriate) and spreading the word about good beer. Hope to see you at SF Beer Week.
Steve
March 1, 2009 at 8:50 am
Why is Jack’s Brewing Company in Fremont not part of this list of BART-able locations??
March 1, 2009 at 10:43 pm
Hi Craig,
Thanks for writing. Jack’s seems to be about 1.5 miles from Fremont BART which is beyond the 1 mile guideline we’ve been using for this site. We visited Jack’s several years ago and liked it quite a bit. I would recommend it to anyone who is in the area.
Steve
March 22, 2009 at 1:47 pm
Thanks for your response.
Will anyone be taking over the column Mr. Brand wrote??
I miss his charming articles. What a loss. I hope someone picks up where he left off
March 24, 2009 at 7:27 pm
The publishers are looking for somebody or some people to take it on.
We all need that, I think.
April 18, 2009 at 1:26 pm
Hi Gail and Steve,
Gourmet Haus Stadt, 2615 Broadway, Redwood City, now has a beer bar in the back of the store and a miniature outdoor beer garden. German beers well-served by friendly owner (son of previous owner). The beer garden was warm on Thursday (Redwood City–”Climate Best By Government Test”). It is within stumbling distance of the CalTrain station. Also has huge selection of bottled beers I’ve never seen elsewhere. Do not leave without getting a bottle of Innstadt Dopplebock.
Mike
April 20, 2009 at 10:29 pm
Great seeing you two tonight at the study group. I am really glad I ran into Nicole and that she shared this opportunity with me!! Looking forward to our next class and maybe a post-class beer!! Take care.
April 22, 2009 at 9:54 am
I’m not sure what your criteria is, but you might consider adding Pyramid Brewing in Walnut Creek. You can transfer to the “Free Ride” bus at Walnut Creek station. I think the walk is a little over 1/4 mile.
If you don’t like Pyramid all by itself out there, you might put Casa Orinda and Roundup Saloon (in Lafayette) on the way to Walnut Creek. They are close to the stations and have some character. They aren’t really beer destinations, but they bridge the gap.
May 3, 2009 at 9:41 am
Saw the new reviewers first column a few weeks ago. He seems very knowledgeable. Sorry I forgot the name already. When will more of his column be published??
May 6, 2009 at 7:04 am
Hi Craig! You must be talking about Bottoms Up and the former What’s On Tap, source of daily local beer news.
That’s now “Brooks on Beer.” Jay Brooks is a veteran beer writer and blogger, and a familiar site around the Bay Area beer scene. Jay has also invited guest submissions and was kind enough to run one of mine a week ago.
It’s time to take the old link to William Brand’s Beer Blog off the Blog Role on the left column, though still hard to do. We miss Bill and talk about him all the time. Thanks for mentioning it.
May 8, 2009 at 7:29 am
Glen Park Station is two blocks from Glen Park BART station (duh). Not a huge selection of beer, but there’s plenty of other stuff to drink.
May 8, 2009 at 7:37 am
Your black on blue color scheme makes it impossible to read anything here. Looked like maybe an interesting site, but…
May 8, 2009 at 8:25 am
Too bad BART administrators and union graph won’t allow themselves the extra work of making the system run until 2:30am. There are identical systems in Montreal and DC, and somehow, they don’t have the same lame excuses, but I guess that’s what we “smart Californians” pay quadruple the ticket fare for.
May 8, 2009 at 8:35 am
The Attic 24th and mission- great music and $3 beers…
May 8, 2009 at 10:25 am
I have a bar to suggest:
The Trappist
480 8th St
Oakland, CA 94607
it’s a 3 – 4 block walk from 12th st. Oakland. they have great Belgium beers.
May 8, 2009 at 10:27 am
nevermind…. you have it on your list
May 8, 2009 at 10:36 am
Thanks for the suggestions! (Janelle, if you are seeing black on blue I am thinking you have set your browser for a special color. This is a standard WordPress Theme, and the main text is all black on white, with links and titles in a toasty tan color.)
May 14, 2009 at 10:15 am
Hi,
I met you (Steve and Gail) at a couple of beer functions in San Francisco. You had mentioned an annual trip that you take to San Diego visiting breweries. Can you let me know which hotel you recommend? We will be visiting there over the summer and want to hit a couple of breweries at that time. I believe you said the place you stayed was within walking distance to a couple?
Thanks!
May 24, 2009 at 9:18 pm
Hi Guttersnipe,
Our strategy has changed in the past couple of years, due primarily to the moving and then closing of the Liars Club in Pacific Beach. We used to set up our base at the Best Western Blue Seas in Pacific Beach. It’s a pretty good, if perhaps slightly over priced hotel right on the ocean boardwalk. Nice location, but not near many beer destinations.
This January we decided to move around and stay near to the pub where we wanted to end each nite. We stayed at the Beach Terrace Inn 2775 Ocean Street Carlsbad, CA 92008 which is walking distance from Pizza Port. It’s a very nice hotel and was very affordable.
On the 2nd night we stayed at the Sommerset Suites Hotel – San Diego, 606 Washington Street, San Diego, CA , 800-962-9665. This is in the Hillcrest neighborhood and also nice and affordable. This is not walking distance, but as close as we could find to 30th St. (North and South Park neighborhoods), home to Toronado, Ritual Cafe, The Linkery and Hamilton’s Pub. Can’t really avoid driving or taking cabs to hit all of them.
If you’re interested in Stone, Lost Abbey and Green Flash, a hotel in the Escondido or San Marcos area might work, though we have not done this. Driving will be involved.
S.D. is a great beer destination, but not particularly transit-friendly.
Hope this helps.
Cheers,
Steve and Gail
May 31, 2009 at 4:12 pm
Hi Steve,
Still trucking. Went to this unique brew pub in Pittsburg. Thought you might enjoy knowing about it.
http://www.churchbrew.com/
All the best, John
June 2, 2009 at 9:22 pm
Hi John,
Nice to hear from you. Thanks for the tip in Pittsburgh. Sometime we’ll get there.
Please let us know if you’re truckin’ out here again.
Steve
June 10, 2009 at 7:55 pm
Castro Valley BART: Spanky’s (Baker Rd), Krayon’s (Castro Valley Blvd), Brass Boar (CV Blvd in the Village parking lot), The Waiting Room (Lake Chabot Rd), Doucet’s (off of CV Blvd near Burger King- Rutledge?)
June 11, 2009 at 1:56 pm
Poppy,
Thanks for the tips. Can you tell us a little more about the beer at these pubs?
Steve
June 26, 2009 at 3:39 pm
Here’s one that may be worth reviewing, Benders at 19th and South Van Ness. 15 taps; the next SF Brewers Guild meeting is supposed to be there on 21JUL.
July 3, 2009 at 9:53 am
Hey folks,
Thanks for hosting this month! My humble addition to the flock is here.
July 3, 2009 at 4:01 pm
Excellent! Some are also being posted here:
http://beerbybart.com/2009/06/04/announcing-session-29-will-travel-for-beer/
We’ll be starting to pull the roundup together soon.
July 7, 2009 at 3:51 pm
Near 24th St BART is also Shotwell’s (http://www.shotwellsbar.com/). Nice selection of local and Belgian beers on tap, and I had a great Scottish ale in the bottle last time I went.
July 7, 2009 at 9:19 pm
Hi Alicia,
Thanks so much for tipping us to Shotwell’s. We agree, it’s a great neighborhood bar with a terrific beer selection. We are in the process of writing them up and will have Shotwell’s posted soon. Hope to see you there sometime.
Cheers,
Steve
July 8, 2009 at 12:12 pm
Thanks for the list this is great. I’m going to print it out and leave it in my bag.
One suggestion -
I live in SF and work in Lafayette. I noticed no Lafayette bars. I’d suggest the Round Up. They have a good beer selection and they are about a third to half mile from the Lafayette BART station (just right down Mt. Diablo). Here’s their Yelp info – http://www.yelp.com/biz/the-round-up-lafayette
Thanks again for the list.
July 9, 2009 at 3:34 pm
Hi Avin,
Thanks for contacting us and thanks for the tip. We love hearing that people find our little site useful.
Can you tell us more about the beer list at the Round Up? We would love to fill in the “good beer” gaps in the East Bay.
Cheers,
Steve
August 4, 2009 at 5:00 pm
1/4 mile North of Pleasant Hill station along Oak Road/Buskirk is:
Back Forty Texas BBQ
Roadhouse & Saloon
As of 8/4/2009, on tap they pour:
Guiness
Lagunitas IPA
Fat Tire
Pyramid Curve Ball
Blue Moon
Sierra Nevada
Widmer Hefewiesen
Kona Longboard
Stella Artois
Coor’s Light
Budweiser
Budweiser Light
Back Forty Texas BBQ
Roadhouse & Saloon
Pleasant Hill
100 Coggins Drive
Pleasant Hill, CA 94523
http://www.backforty.us/
Tel: (925) 935-1440
Fax: (925) 935-1343
email: information@backforty.us
map: http://maps.yahoo.com/maps_result?newFL=Use+Address+Below&addr=100+Coggins+Drive&csz=pleasant+hill%2C+ca+94523&.intl=us&name=&lat=&lon=&srchtype=a&qty=&new=1&trf=0&getmap=Get+Map
August 31, 2009 at 11:11 pm
Thanks for the info about Back 40. Sounds like a nice place. It’s not exactly what we’re about with this guide, though, since this is for those who are seeking out elite regional craft beers or unusual imports. There are some perfectly nice beers on the list, along with some commonplace international American-style fizzy lagers, but we’re aiming for a step up from that sort of beer list. Places that perhaps carry Moonlight or other local “cult” beers, or that brew on site, or that have unusual imports will catch our attention. There are many cozy bars worth a visit, but not so many that appeal to the extreme beer geek as well as the beginning beer hunter. Those are the places we really want to list.
September 7, 2009 at 12:35 pm
Right off of Concord bart next to E.J. Phair there is a resturant named Fin’s. They only have one tap, but they are the only place that pours Concord’s newest Brewery, Ale Industries! They pour the Orange Kush, and also batter their fish with it!
September 27, 2009 at 1:03 pm
Tried a few of the places. Both Pacific Coast and the Trappist were very good. Was disappointed in Gordon Biersch. The festival beer was marginal, the hezenweisen only decent, and the food similar. But nice list – wish I had time in Frisco to try more.
September 28, 2009 at 8:29 pm
SAN,
Glad you made it to at least a few of the venues on our list. We’ll do our best field research to keep it up to date so that when you visit again you can explore more good beer. Keep in mind San Francisco Beer Week, February 5-14, 2010. This would be a great time to visit us again.
Cheers,
Steve
November 3, 2009 at 3:58 pm
Anchor & Hope Restaurant on 83 Minna, right near the Embarcadero and Montgomery Bart Stop, has 16 beers on tap and over 80 in the bottle!
November 4, 2009 at 7:45 pm
Hi Colleen,
Anchor and Hope sounds great. We look forward to checking it out. Thanks so much for the tip.
Cheers,
Steve
November 4, 2009 at 7:20 am
Anything good near the Orinda stop?
November 4, 2009 at 10:38 pm
I don’t know if you do beer stores or not (I see City Beer, but they also sell beer on-site,) but if so, one suggestion would be Ledger’s Liquors, a 0.3 mile walk from the North Berkeley station:
http://www.ledgersliquors.com
November 5, 2009 at 3:06 pm
Nathan, Thanks for contacting us. We don’t yet list beer stores. If we did, Healthy Spirits (15th and Castro, S.F.) would be on it, in addition to City Beer. We are discussing adding this list as well as restaurants with good beer lists to our site. Stay tuned.
Cheers,
Steve
November 6, 2009 at 7:50 am
Thank you Nathan. Ledger’s is great and was already mentioned on the page about walking to Lanesplitter’s from North Berkeley Station already. Like Steve says, we’re looking at ways to keep the site simple, yet have more kinds of places.
November 8, 2009 at 3:26 pm
The area around the 24th and mission station is a major bar zone. Two of my favorites are El Rio and Argus Lounge. We are always looking for dog friendly places to go for beanandolly.com so if you ever find a good dog bar please let us know or send us a guest post.