You want a mezcal selection deeper than the usual three bottles gathering dust behind a vodka-heavy bar. You want to sit down, not elbow through a standing crowd, and you want the pour to arrive in something other than a rocks glass meant for whiskey. Lolinda at 2518 Mission Street stocks Del Maguey, Rey Campero, and El Jogorio alongside Argentine ribeyes and yuca fries, but understanding what you actually pay for—and what the venue quietly includes—determines whether the evening costs $30 or $130.
Karpo shows you live opening hours for Lolinda, current wait estimates, and a Mission District route that strings together mezcal, empanadas, and late-night tacos without backtracking. You'll also see which rooftop bars nearby stay open past 11 PM.
The Mezcal List and What It Costs
Lolinda pours eleven mezcals ranging from $10 for Yuu Baal to $36 for El Jogorio Barril. Del Maguey Vida sits at $11, Chichicapa at $18, and San Luis Del Rio at $21. Rey Campero Mexicano costs $32, Pierde Almas Joven $22, Siembra Metl Cunreata $18, and Siglo Cero POX $14. The list skips tasting flights, so each pour is a separate line item. Cocktails in the Nuevo and Clasico categories run $16; mocktails in the Sin Licor section cost $9. The venue operates two separate bars, both serving the same Latin American-inspired and classic steakhouse drinks, which means you can order mezcal from either the dining room bar or the second bar without waiting for a table.
The $85 per person estimate cited by sources covers small plates, a 12-ounce ribeye, one beverage, and dessert. If you skip the steak and order yuca fries with rocoto aioli plus a Del Maguey Chichicapa, the check drops closer to $30 before tip. Add a second mezcal or the Cookies and Milk dessert—house-made alfajores with dulce de leche and a vanilla milkshake, optionally spiked with Old Grand-Dad Bourbon—and you land near $50. The wood-fired asador grill produces 100-percent grass-fed ribeyes and family-style platters like the Asado Mixto, but the menu is designed for sharing, so steaks arrive sliced rather than plated individually.
What Comes Free With Your Seat
Lolinda does not charge a cover, a seating fee, or a minimum spend at the bar. You can occupy a stool, order a single $11 Del Maguey Vida, and leave without ordering food. The dining room lighting is dim, punctuated by underlit bull head statues and chandeliers with metal fixtures mimicking wagon wheels, which means the ambiance is included whether you spend $16 or $116. Before your reservation—or if you arrive early without one—you can walk upstairs to El Techo, the rooftop bar above Lolinda, for city views and pre-dinner drinks at no additional entry cost. El Techo operates independently, so you pay only for what you order up there, then descend to Lolinda when your table is ready or when you want to switch from rooftop cocktails to seated mezcal.
The venue opened in 2012 under Executive Chef Juan Torres and Chef Alejandro Morgan. Sources describe it as a destination for group dinners and celebrations, but they do not specify walk-in versus reservation requirements, so showing up without a booking may mean a wait or a bar seat only. The Mission District location at 2518 Mission Street places you within walking distance of other late-night spots, though sources note neighborhood homelessness may make some visitors uncomfortable after dark.
The Hidden Costs Nobody Warns You About
Mezcal bars in San Francisco rarely advertise the cost of sides, desserts, or the second round you order after the first pour disappears faster than expected. Lolinda's yuca fries, pollo skewers with blackened corn and aji amarillo, and wild mushroom sherry sauce for steak all carry separate charges not bundled into the $85-per-person estimate. The Cookies and Milk dessert costs extra, and the bourbon spike adds another line to the bill. If you arrive planning to spend $50 and then decide to try a $32 Rey Campero Mexicano after your $18 Chichicapa, the total climbs to $80 before you account for fries or empanadas.
The two-bar setup means you can move between spaces without losing your spot in line, but it also means you might order a second drink from the other bar and forget you already started a tab at the first. The family-style menu design encourages sharing, which lowers per-person cost if you arrive with three or four people but inflates it if you order a full Asado Mixto for two and end up taking half of it home. The rooftop access is free, but if you start with a $16 cocktail at El Techo and then order another $16 drink downstairs, you've spent $32 on beverages before tasting any mezcal.
How to Keep the Bill Under $60
Order one mezcal in the $10–$14 range—Yuu Baal, Del Maguey Vida, or Siglo Cero POX—and pair it with yuca fries and a pollo skewer. Skip the ribeye, skip the dessert, and resist the rooftop round. That combination lands around $40 before tip. If you want a second pour, choose another mezcal in the same price tier rather than climbing to the $32 or $36 options. The Sin Licor mocktails at $9 let you extend the evening without alcohol costs, and the bar seating requires no reservation, so you avoid the pressure to order a full dinner just to justify the table.
Arrive between 5:00 PM and 6:00 PM on a weekday—Sunday through Thursday, the venue closes at 10:00 PM; Friday and Saturday, it stays open until 11:00 PM—and you'll have first pick of bar seats before the dinner crowd fills the dining room. The dim lighting and bull head statues create the same atmosphere whether you spend $40 or $140, and the two-bar layout means you can shift to whichever side has fewer people. The mezcal list includes entry-level pours that cost less than many cocktails at neighboring bars, so treating Lolinda as a mezcal-focused stop rather than a steakhouse with mezcal keeps the total manageable.
Practical notes
Lolinda sits at 2518 Mission Street in the Mission District. Hours run Sunday through Thursday 5:00 PM to 10:00 PM, Friday and Saturday 5:00 PM to 11:00 PM. Mezcal pours cost $10 to $36, cocktails $16, mocktails $9. The $85-per-person estimate assumes small plates, a ribeye, a beverage, and dessert; ordering only mezcal and sides drops the cost to $30–$50. Sources do not confirm walk-in versus reservation requirements, so calling (415) 550-6970 before arriving clarifies seating availability. The venue has two bars, both serving the full mezcal list, and El Techo rooftop bar upstairs offers pre-dinner drinks at no cover charge. Exact transit lines are not specified in sources, but Mission Street runs multiple bus routes. Sources caution that neighborhood homelessness may make some visitors uncomfortable after dark.
- Address: 2518 Mission St, San Francisco, CA 94110
- Hours: Sun–Thu 5:00 PM–10:00 PM, Fri–Sat 5:00 PM–11:00 PM
- Price: $10–$36 mezcal pours, $16 cocktails, $85/person for full dinner
- Booking: Reservation policy unverified; call (415) 550-6970 to confirm
- Getting there: Mission Street bus routes; walk-in bar seating available
Tags: #MezcalBarNearMe #LolindaSF #MissionDistrict #SanFranciscoMezcal #ArgentineSteakhouse #MissionBars #SFNightlife #AgaveSpirits #MissionStreet #ElTechoRooftop #SFCocktails #HiddenGemsSF #MissionDining #SanFranciscoBars #MezcalList
Sources consulted: lolindasf.com · timeout.com
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Ask Karpo first
Open Karpo before heading to Lolinda to check live opening status, current wait times, and whether El Techo rooftop bar is open for pre-dinner drinks. Ask for a Mission District route that connects mezcal stops, late-night tacos, and other bars still serving after 10:00 PM. Karpo also shows you which nearby venues pour mezcal for less than $15 and which ones require reservations on Friday and Saturday nights.
