I used to love this place: you could pretty much roll in any day of the week, toss your bike up in the rack, get served a vegan sausage and a liter of beer from someone who always seemed to be more drunk than you and proceed to drink until you were ready to have a track stand contest on the pool table. Then Murph sold the business to some bro and opened up shop in Fairfax. Bro then installed some televisions, then a DJ booth, then tossed the bike rack in the dumpster, started having issues keeping sauerkraut in stock, the employees sobered up, the bathroom stopped being covered in piss and cum, and the scene left for Bender’s.
The only redeeming value of the ‘new’ Gestalt Haus was you could still order a liter of beer and bet money if there would be any food in stock. Well, a tipster tells us that they’ve taking up refusing to serve some beer in liter glasses: “I offered to pay the guy $20 dollars to pour a Leffe in a liter glass and he flat out refused saying it was now against bar policy.”
RIP Gestalt.
If the issue here is serving “some” beer in liter glasses, I’m pretty sure that’s always been policy – they refused to give me a liter of Double Daddy something like two years ago.
but all this other stuff is valid. did the ownership really change before the TVs? that was a mighty long time ago.
No I do not remember that because the best bars in the Mission all serve actual booze and have places to sit down once in a while.
The sausages are neat and all, but I’ve never been a fan of this place. Maybe I’ve always gone there at the wrong times, but I’ve always left more annoyed than when I came in.
I’m with Clint- on paper, Gestalt is/was awesome, but it always seemed to missing a je ne sais quoi (and seats). The place is okay, but with Kilowatt and Elixir within throwing distance (not to mention Monk’s Kettle) I just don’t really bother with Gestalt.
I too used to be a fan of this bar. I went in last week and found that the prices on their beers had gone up dramatically–some were $6 a pint!
Yes, RIP Gestalt
This was once my favorite bar in the mission. Lots of bike kids, but not too crowded, even on a weekend. The TVs and the dj booth blow. Two factual things with your story: 1) I’m not sure Murphy was ever the owner and 2) the last bartender I had there a few weeks ago was pretty far from sober – falling asleep on his stool, burning sausages, forgetting to charge folks, mixing up beer sausage orders. Wasted.
sounds like heroin more so than alcohol..
This place sucked, currently sucks and will suck for all eternity.
Not a huge fan of the place, but its way better than it used to be. Full of tards and nowhere to sit thanks to the stupid bike rack. Place still isnt that great but at least when my tard-friends want to get a drink there I can actually sit down.
Friendly bar tenders, back yard board games and the indoor bike parking were key. But the fairfax location is not bad, works for the area and the clientele they cater to which is bikers.
1) Murphy was never an owner at Gestalt — he just told people he was, to impress them …
2) The “bro” who bought the bar has never owned or run a business before, and is a drug addict (currently in rehab), and couldn’t manage to keep the bar stocked even when he was sober …
(He was also probably the wasted bartender described above …)
3) Leffe used to cost $5 for a 25ml glass, so $20 for a liter would have been the same price — apparently the new bartenders aren’t sober enough to do basic math …
in its heyday Gestalt was the place to be. laid back and friendly! loved rolling in there and throwing my bike on the rack. in fact, murphy was part owner. he was one of the original three guys who opened the place and was the visionary behind the bike-in concept. too bad “bro” didn’t keep that going. true that the only redeeming quality of the current incarnation is the less than disgusting bathroom! check out the new gestalt faifax when out that way – agree with ryan that it totally works…
I don’t know, dude. Doesn’t seem like the bathroom has changed all that much. Theirs is good and high up on my “three-beer minimum before I’ll be tipsy enough to consent to peeing here” list.
I can only opt not to imagine what it was like before.
srsly, dude, we know you are vegan. you can stop reminding us.
You can get a refund at the front desk.
that place always sucked.