The best bars to dance in San Francisco

a Mission Latin nightclub, great music and weekend dancing

attached to Foreign Cinema, DJs and movie screenings

a beloved lesbian/queer bar + restaurant, pool, dancing, and shows

retro beauty-salon theme (you can get a manicure), DJs and a dance floor

Valencia Street patio, DJs plus a Wednesday salsa band

a semi-hidden Mission tapas bar, live jazz and DJ sets

multilevel electronic-music club, a sound system DJs rave about

cavernous natural wine bar, disco ball

rotating DJs and bands from Afrobeats to Caribbean jazz to Italo, easy to dance even when you can't

Cuban rooftop in former El Techo space, skyline views

occupies the iconic Elbo Room space — 30-year history preserved (closed Dec 2018 as Elbo Room, reopened as Valencia Room), kept the original church-pew booth seating and pinball machines

Mission dive with weekly bingo night (legendarily packed), DJ nights heavy on soul, garage, punk, drag

Mission corner bar at 16th & Florida — easy to walk in straight from BART, DJs Thursday through Saturday — soul, disco, house

a late-night warehouse club, strobes, DJs, and live shows

an upscale, Vegas-style club, state-of-the-art lighting and sound

a hopping gay hangout, a dance floor under a domed ceiling

beautiful setting and visuals, afro-house and indie-dance bookings

three rooms of music, DJs, live acts, bottle service

trailer-park theme — deep-fried Twinkies, beer in paper bags, DJs and a dance floor

vintage cocktail bar upstairs, dance club downstairs, DJs and the occasional trapeze act over the bar

two dance floors, theme nights — All-'80s, goth, Bondage A Go-Go

90s & 2000s dance floor, upstairs lounge

a big heated patio, cheap drink specials

dozens of ping-pong tables, DJ nights

steampunk decor, housemade cocktail ingredients

queer institution since 1966, reopened 2024

country-western dance bar, queer-friendly two-step nights

30+ year SF nightlife institution, two stages, four dance floors, seven bars

SF's longest-running electronic music nightclub, multi-room

opened 1973 — SoMa institution, part of SF's Leather and LGBTQ Cultural District, afterhours club — keeps going after most places close

10,000 sq ft western saloon arcade bar (formerly Thriller Social Club), line dancing lessons Friday and Saturday 8:30pm

a North Beach club from the Paris 75 team, on-point music and a great atmosphere

huge fruity tropical drinks, a tiki-meets-dive vibe

Battle of the Decades Fridays — music starts in the 50s at 5pm, advances a decade each hour, drinks start at $1 and climb hourly with the decades

Future Bars concept that rotates theme every 9 months — currently 'Long Weekend Havana', Cuban-themed cocktails in a 1923 Italian American Bank building (birthplace of the Pisco Punch)

a lounge with a tiny dance floor, a fireplace

a clubby Castro gay bar, a dance floor + DJs and effects

energetic Castro spot, bustling outdoor patio overlooking Market

Latin Night Wednesdays, Big Top Sunday drag

a local bar-meets-club venue, house DJs across all genres

free karaoke upstairs, a copper-topped bar and TVs

art-deco styling, cocktails and a dance floor

in the former Hemlock Tavern space, two levels: open karaoke bar upstairs, DJ dance floor in the basement

a trendy, multilevel downtown club, visiting DJs + late-night dancing

chandeliers and gold-accented lounge, a serious sound system

entrance through a framed photo door downstairs, neon red lights, big yellow booths

literally built atop the Stockton Street tunnel entrance, two-level — upstairs lounge with windows overlooking Bush

arguably SF's best fish & chips, homemade sausage rolls and honey mustard

two-story Richmond music club, live bands, comedy, and trivia nights

indie music venue, balcony seating

an old-school Latin nightspot, cocktails, dancing, live entertainment

art gallery + bar, themed dance nights (Motown Mondays, Emo vs. Pop Punk)

electronic music coffee bar by day, underground dance club by night, smoking patio

a dark, narrow dive-meets-lounge, DJs and a small dance floor

70s-inspired lounge with vinyl records and disco balls, 10 stools, 9 tables — deliberately small and intimate

two bars in one: Rick's (laid-back, Monopoly Deal/Cards Against Humanity/skee ball/darts/Connect Four) and Roxy's (disco balls/checkerboard dance floor/neon), 70s-inspired without being campy

spacious courtyard with live Latin music, cigar lounge upstairs

in one of SF's oldest surviving buildings — served as a jailhouse in the 1800s, survived 1906 earthquake, cocktails named after Barbary Coast criminals, madams, and politicians

40,000-sqft urban canvas, premier underground EDM/house music venue in SF

wood-paneled Fillmore classic, pub grub, games, and the odd dance night