San Fran B&M Worth Trying?

Dukeuni · 03-28-2011, 02:17 PM

I will be attending a conference in San Fran next week. I will not have a car with me, and my hotel/conference is in the Fisherman's Warf area.

Are there any B&M's near by worth going to? I would like to find one with a decent Viaje selection since these are hard as heck to get online.

Any thoughts?

Dukeuni · 03-28-2011, 02:19 PM

As a side note, any thoughts on these two near-by smoker friendly places:

The Occidental Cigar Club
471 Pine Street
San Francisco, CA 94104

(850) Cigar Bar and Grill
850 Montgomery Street
San Francisco, CA 94133

Skywalker · 03-28-2011, 02:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dukeuni

As a side note, any thoughts on these two near-by smoker friendly places:

The Occidental Cigar Club
471 Pine Street
San Francisco, CA 94104

(850) Cigar Bar and Grill
850 Montgomery Street
San Francisco, CA 94133

I've only been to the Occidental.

It is a great place to enjoy a cigar, however you will probably not find the difficult to find (or Viaje) cigars there! I suggest you bring your own!

03-28-2011, 02:28 PM

I don't know anything at all about the Cigar Bar and Grill. Perhaps it's the place that shut down, perhaps not.

The Occidental is where the BABOTL usually goes to meet up with other BOTL visiting SF. It's got a very small, expensive selection. The point of going there is that they have a full bar that is smoker friendly. It's definitely worth going to.

When are you in town?

Dukeuni · 03-28-2011, 02:30 PM

I plan on bringing my 5-count Cigar Caddy with me with some great sticks to smoke. Is Occidental a bar/restaurant place? Want to make sure no-one has a problem with me smoking cigars I did not purchase on premises. I have no problem dropping some good money on food and drinks, just prefer to smoke my own cigars.

Skywalker · 03-28-2011, 03:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dukeuni

I plan on bringing my 5-count Cigar Caddy with me with some great sticks to smoke. Is Occidental a bar/restaurant place? Want to make sure no-one has a problem with me smoking cigars I did not purchase on premises. I have no problem dropping some good money on food and drinks, just prefer to smoke my own cigars.

You can buy drinks and smoke your own cigars. There used to be restaurants around the corner but I was told they burned down. It is a very relaxed environment! It reminds me of Cheers!

03-28-2011, 03:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Skywalker

You can buy drinks and smoke your own cigars. There used to be restaurants around the corner but I was told they burned down. It is a very relaxed environment! It reminds me of Cheers!

Dukeuni · 03-28-2011, 02:31 PM

I will be in San Francisco from Saturday April 2 (get in to the airport around 1 p.m.) to Friday April 8 (fly out around 6 p.m.). Would love to see some other asylum BOTL during the trip!

Dukeuni · 03-28-2011, 04:21 PM

Sounds like Occidental is the place to smoke! Probably head over there on Saturday to watch some college basketball. Do they have a nice TV to watch the games?

South Shield · 03-28-2011, 04:42 PM

Cigar bar and grill is NOT a B&M. Its a grill that sells a couple of cheap cigars that you have to smoke outside.

Dukeuni · 03-28-2011, 05:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by South Shield

Cigar bar and grill is NOT a B&M. Its a grill that sells a couple of cheap cigars that you have to smoke outside.

Well, that place is DEFINITELY off the list now.

Any other ideas for worth-while B&M's in the area that may carry some hard to find sticks?

03-28-2011, 05:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dukeuni

Well, that place is DEFINITELY off the list now.

Any other ideas for worth-while B&M's in the area that may carry some hard to find sticks?

Grants Tobacconist.

http://www.grantspipeshop.com/

I've never been there. I hear it has very little room to smoke, but they are supposed to carry some HTF sticks IIRC.

Knicerbocker's is a great shop. But it's in Menlo Park.

03-28-2011, 05:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dukeuni

Well, that place is DEFINITELY off the list now.

Any other ideas for worth-while B&M's in the area that may carry some hard to find sticks?

Cigar Bar & Grill is not a B&M but is a great place to smoke a cigar in the city, I wouldn't scratch it off your list so quickly. The outdoor patio has lots of tables and chairs, as well as heatlamps for when it's colder outside. You can bring your own cigars to smoke. They have great happy hour specials on drinks and food as well as an extensive list of house cocktails, wine/beer, whiskies, scotches, and rums. This is a great place to visit, I was just there on Saturday night.

Occidental is also an awesome spot, the only bar in the city you can smoke indoors. The owners/bartenders are a lot of fun and very friendly. They also have a good scotch/whiskey/rum list and several tv's to watch sports on.

Haven't been to many of the B&M's in the city, I've heard Grant's is good but I mostly go to some of the B&M's south of SF in the peninsula.

toasterhead · 04-01-2011, 09:01 PM

+1 on both places.

I visit SF every Jan. for bidness and have visited both several times. The Cigar Bar and Grill has live music so check the schedule and expect a cash cover charge at the door on music nights. It is a very comfortable place to smoke. Bring your own.

http://www.cigarbarandgrill.com/

The Occidental is small but very cool. I arrived one Sunday around 8 PM and the place was about to shut down. I ordered a drink and after a few texts the place was full of cigar reprobates in town for the convention. I made a new friend of the owner.

http://www.occidentalcigarclub.com/home.html

If you want to go really crazy....

http://www.vendettablu.com/

$$$ but I had a 1954 MC2 in the Fumo Blu Room with a nice rum that was other worldly.

Cheers,

Dave

Tarks · 04-01-2011, 09:31 PM

Sorry for the threadjack but I am also curious. I booked a flight to San Fran for end of July. Was hoping to get a few cigars in at the occidental. I am not familiar with SF, never been. What part of town is the occidental? Would you recommend staying in the area? If so, what hotels would you recommend that are within walking distance to the occidental?

Sorry and thanks!

04-05-2011, 11:20 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tarks

Sorry for the threadjack but I am also curious. I booked a flight to San Fran for end of July. Was hoping to get a few cigars in at the occidental. I am not familiar with SF, never been. What part of town is the occidental? Would you recommend staying in the area? If so, what hotels would you recommend that are within walking distance to the occidental?

Sorry and thanks!

Occidental is in the Financial District of the city, on the border of Chinatown. I actually wouldn't recommend staying in this section of town, it tends to clear out during the weekends at at night after all the business people go home after work.

Most tourists tend to stay in either the Union Square or Embarcadero/Fishermans' Wharf areas. Both these districts can get pretty busy/touristy, but if you want to see the sights then they are pretty centrally located (especially Union Square). My parents have stayed at the Marriott in Union Square, and I've also heard good things about Parc 55. You could probably walk to the Occidental from Union Square but it would be a hike from the Embarcadero.

Nob Hill is also pretty centrally located (just north of Union Square) and is one of the highest hills in the city, with spanning views of the bay in some spots. This is where most of the high-end luxury hotels are located, like the Fairmont, the Ritz, the Intercontinental, etc.

Finally, my favorite neighborhood in the city is the Marina/Cow Hollow district (where I live). We've had family stay at the Cow Hollow Motor Inn and Suites, as well as the Hotel Del Sol. Both places are near Lombard Street, which can be noisy, but if you can get a room off of Lombard the location is excellent and the area is less "touristy" and more "San Francisco". Again, the Marina is a couple miles from the Financial District (and Occidental) but it's an easy Taxi or Bus to get there.

Hope this helps!

Adriftpanda · 04-02-2011, 04:57 AM

Grants Tobacconists is the best shop, if you're gonna be in the city. Good selection of smokes (make sure you ask if they have any of the George A. Rico lanceros). You can smoke there, but they require you to purchase a cigar. There's only 2 chairs and they are in the corner of the shop.

As far as smoking at night or anywhere else, Occidental is the best place in the city. Drinks, cigars, wifi, and lots of strange people.

Maybe I'll come up and have a smoke with you. I gotta check the calendar.

Dukeuni · 04-02-2011, 09:01 PM

Walked to Occidental at 6:30, only to find out they do not open until 7 p.m. I am now at Cathay House on Grant grabbing some food before heading back over to Occidental to watch the last part of the game.
Posted via Mobile Device

04-02-2011, 10:48 PM

Sorry I can't make it up there for a smoke.

Dukeuni · 04-03-2011, 03:02 AM

1:00 a.m.- long night, in a good way.

I went back to Occidental, only to talk to the owner and find out that the place was closed today because of a broken pipe in the basement. I guess there was no water up in the bar area. He recommended I go to 815.

Based on the prior statement that 815 only allows smoking in the outside area, I was not really looking forward too it that much, but I thought I would walk by there since it was only about 8 blocks away.

Let me tell you, 815 is a great place! Not many people at all when I got in. I noticed right away that this is not a "normal" porch. This really seems like a closed in area- some parts covered, lots of heat lamps, just a really nice area. On top of that, there is a side room off the porch that is completely covered, with nice couches to sit and smoke.

Shortly after I arrived another couple came in. I noticed pretty quick that the guy was carrying around a 10 count cigar caddy. We started talking, traded cigars, and ended-up hanging out for a good 4 hours.

The bar started to get filled up soon after we arrived. They had a latin salsa music band playing, and lots of folks dancing (most ladies were dressed-up).

The guy I hanged-out with, Nate, told me that he had been to Occidental each day this past week. He did not know about 815 until the owner also told him (right after I had left Occidental on my way to 815). Nate loved 815, and said if he would have known about it sooner he would have just been there each night with his wife Pam.

It was a great night, and now time for bed. I would have posted pictures, but my cellphone was dead for most of the night.

03-28-2011, 02:17 PM	#1
Dukeuni RIP CS Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: Fields of rolling wheat Posts: 509 Trading: (32)	San Fran B&M Worth Trying? I will be attending a conference in San Fran next week. I will not have a car with me, and my hotel/conference is in the Fisherman's Warf area. Are there any B&M's near by worth going to? I would like to find one with a decent Viaje selection since these are hard as heck to get online. Any thoughts?

03-28-2011, 02:19 PM	#2
Dukeuni RIP CS Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: Fields of rolling wheat Posts: 509 Trading: (32)	Re: San Fran B&M Worth Trying? As a side note, any thoughts on these two near-by smoker friendly places: The Occidental Cigar Club 471 Pine Street San Francisco, CA 94104 (850) Cigar Bar and Grill 850 Montgomery Street San Francisco, CA 94133

03-28-2011, 02:28 PM	#4
mariogolbee Guest Posts: n/a	Re: San Fran B&M Worth Trying? I don't know anything at all about the Cigar Bar and Grill. Perhaps it's the place that shut down, perhaps not. The Occidental is where the BABOTL usually goes to meet up with other BOTL visiting SF. It's got a very small, expensive selection. The point of going there is that they have a full bar that is smoker friendly. It's definitely worth going to. When are you in town?

03-28-2011, 02:30 PM	#5
Dukeuni RIP CS Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: Fields of rolling wheat Posts: 509 Trading: (32)	Re: San Fran B&M Worth Trying? I plan on bringing my 5-count Cigar Caddy with me with some great sticks to smoke. Is Occidental a bar/restaurant place? Want to make sure no-one has a problem with me smoking cigars I did not purchase on premises. I have no problem dropping some good money on food and drinks, just prefer to smoke my own cigars.

03-28-2011, 02:31 PM	#8
Dukeuni RIP CS Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: Fields of rolling wheat Posts: 509 Trading: (32)	Re: San Fran B&M Worth Trying? I will be in San Francisco from Saturday April 2 (get in to the airport around 1 p.m.) to Friday April 8 (fly out around 6 p.m.). Would love to see some other asylum BOTL during the trip!

03-28-2011, 04:21 PM	#9
Dukeuni RIP CS Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: Fields of rolling wheat Posts: 509 Trading: (32)	Re: San Fran B&M Worth Trying? Sounds like Occidental is the place to smoke! Probably head over there on Saturday to watch some college basketball. Do they have a nice TV to watch the games?

03-28-2011, 04:42 PM	#10
South Shield Adjusting to the Life Join Date: Nov 2008 First Name: Travis Location: Martinez, CA Posts: 272 Trading: (0)	Re: San Fran B&M Worth Trying? Cigar bar and grill is NOT a B&M. Its a grill that sells a couple of cheap cigars that you have to smoke outside.

04-01-2011, 09:01 PM	#14
toasterhead Just in from the Storm Join Date: Dec 2010 First Name: Dave Location: Denver, CO Posts: 12 Trading: (6)	Re: San Fran B&M Worth Trying? +1 on both places. I visit SF every Jan. for bidness and have visited both several times. The Cigar Bar and Grill has live music so check the schedule and expect a cash cover charge at the door on music nights. It is a very comfortable place to smoke. Bring your own. http://www.cigarbarandgrill.com/ The Occidental is small but very cool. I arrived one Sunday around 8 PM and the place was about to shut down. I ordered a drink and after a few texts the place was full of cigar reprobates in town for the convention. I made a new friend of the owner. http://www.occidentalcigarclub.com/home.html If you want to go really crazy.... http://www.vendettablu.com/ $$$ but I had a 1954 MC2 in the Fumo Blu Room with a nice rum that was other worldly. Cheers, Dave __________________ www.bluestorch.com

04-01-2011, 09:31 PM	#15
Tarks Need to make a purchase!! Join Date: Jun 2009 First Name: Jeff Location: Winnipeg Posts: 294 Trading: (2)	Re: San Fran B&M Worth Trying? Sorry for the threadjack but I am also curious. I booked a flight to San Fran for end of July. Was hoping to get a few cigars in at the occidental. I am not familiar with SF, never been. What part of town is the occidental? Would you recommend staying in the area? If so, what hotels would you recommend that are within walking distance to the occidental? Sorry and thanks!

04-02-2011, 04:57 AM	#17
Adriftpanda Peter's Daddy Join Date: May 2009 First Name: Huy Location: No one wants me Posts: 10,313 Trading: (74)	Re: San Fran B&M Worth Trying? Grants Tobacconists is the best shop, if you're gonna be in the city. Good selection of smokes (make sure you ask if they have any of the George A. Rico lanceros). You can smoke there, but they require you to purchase a cigar. There's only 2 chairs and they are in the corner of the shop. As far as smoking at night or anywhere else, Occidental is the best place in the city. Drinks, cigars, wifi, and lots of strange people. Maybe I'll come up and have a smoke with you. I gotta check the calendar.

04-02-2011, 09:01 PM	#18
Dukeuni RIP CS Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: Fields of rolling wheat Posts: 509 Trading: (32)	Re: San Fran B&M Worth Trying? Walked to Occidental at 6:30, only to find out they do not open until 7 p.m. I am now at Cathay House on Grant grabbing some food before heading back over to Occidental to watch the last part of the game. Posted via Mobile Device

04-02-2011, 10:48 PM	#19
mariogolbee Guest Posts: n/a	Re: San Fran B&M Worth Trying? Sorry I can't make it up there for a smoke.

04-03-2011, 03:02 AM	#20
Dukeuni RIP CS Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: Fields of rolling wheat Posts: 509 Trading: (32)	Re: San Fran B&M Worth Trying? 1:00 a.m.- long night, in a good way. I went back to Occidental, only to talk to the owner and find out that the place was closed today because of a broken pipe in the basement. I guess there was no water up in the bar area. He recommended I go to 815. Based on the prior statement that 815 only allows smoking in the outside area, I was not really looking forward too it that much, but I thought I would walk by there since it was only about 8 blocks away. Let me tell you, 815 is a great place! Not many people at all when I got in. I noticed right away that this is not a "normal" porch. This really seems like a closed in area- some parts covered, lots of heat lamps, just a really nice area. On top of that, there is a side room off the porch that is completely covered, with nice couches to sit and smoke. Shortly after I arrived another couple came in. I noticed pretty quick that the guy was carrying around a 10 count cigar caddy. We started talking, traded cigars, and ended-up hanging out for a good 4 hours. The bar started to get filled up soon after we arrived. They had a latin salsa music band playing, and lots of folks dancing (most ladies were dressed-up). The guy I hanged-out with, Nate, told me that he had been to Occidental each day this past week. He did not know about 815 until the owner also told him (right after I had left Occidental on my way to 815). Nate loved 815, and said if he would have known about it sooner he would have just been there each night with his wife Pam. It was a great night, and now time for bed. I would have posted pictures, but my cellphone was dead for most of the night.