Zam Zam - Cocktail bar in San Francisco - 1633 Haight St, USA

ZamZam. Good old ZamZam. Strong pours of classic drinks. My go to is the Manhattan. Lots of people drinking shots with a beer back as well as those having gin and vodka martinis. Place has a beautiful mural behind the bar that’s been there mostly forever. Pretty sure the place would look seedier were the low lighting ever turned up. Still, old school bar on upper Haight. Drop in for strong drinks, mellow vibe of locals and tourists, consistently attentive bar tenders that know their customers and craft.

A classic, little dive bar with some great history and beautiful Deco-Persian design. We stopped in for a drink while on vacation and were not disappointed! The bartender went out of his way to find us the ingredients he needed for the drinks we asked for. Great drinks, service and a fun atmosphere! BTW, it's cash only but they do have an ATM located inside.

Love the ambiance and the martinis as extra strong!!! The mural is of Khosro and Shireen

Zam Zam is legendary for any number of reasons but mostly I am here to tell you to get a martini and hopefully to not have anything else you need to get done later and probably even the next day Also it’s objectively a pretty and uncommon (these days at least) semi-circle bar. Just go enjoy the ambiance!

Having stumbled upon this bar by walking down Haight Street, we decided to go in and see what it was like. We were in for a great treat. We sat at the bar and were immediately greeted by a male bartender who said he had recently joined the staff there. He was extremely friendly and told us about the bar's history. It used to only serve Gin Martinis. In fact, he told us a story about how the owner of the bar (1940's, I believe) would only serve Gin Martinis, and if you asked for anything else, he would kick you out of the bar. Of course that isn't still the case, you can order any drink you desire, but it made for an awesome story to listen to while we were there. There are even pictures of the old owner hung on the walls. There are some from a new years celebration & a few others. I ended up ordering a martini (vodka), just for the nostalgia of it. Before you say anything, yes, I know it wasn't Gin, but I'm not a Gin drinker, so Vodka was my selection. The martini was delicious, the setting was very interesting & learning about the history of the bar made the whole experience that much more memorable. The bar is very ornate, for being so old, but is a very casual place to relax and have a drink. I would recommend stopping by and checking it out. You'll be glad that you did.

The bartender with the long black hair was SO rude. They didn’t have a menu and when asked for a cocktail idea because my friend wanted to try something new, he interjected “just tell me what you want, man”. Taken aback, I was thinking of what to get the friend and he snapped “don’t overthink it”. Terrible service for just-fine cocktails

Really good cocktails at great prices and quick service!

This place is extremely memorable. The bartender working on Saturday, August 20, 2022 was excellent. Evidently a true craftsman and very friendly. He made my first Old Fashioned ever before my eyes, and it was pretty artisanal stuff. The Old Fashioned is now my favourite cocktail, but I doubt I'll have one as good as the one (well, two) I had here anywhere else. My friends and I stared at the mural for quite some time.