The best date-night bars in the Mission
The 26 best date-night bars in the Mission, hand-picked from barfly.life's Mission list. Dim, unhurried, and easy to talk in — the rooms built for a good first date or a long second one. Candlelight over chaos, conversation over a packed dance floor.
26 spots in Mission.
Buddy
a trendy, vintage-chic Mission wine bar, innovative snacks and small plates
Ruth's at Treat Street Cocktails
a cozy 24th Street cocktail bar, a warm, celebratory vibe
Fat Cat & The Mantis
a great-vibes Mission wine bar, a good wine list
Dahlia SF
a dated façade hiding a magnificent interior, pro-level cocktails
Las Margaritas Bar
a friendly 24th Street bar, impeccable margaritas
Arcana
a spacious two-floor natural wine bar, revolving art on concrete walls
Laszlo
attached to Foreign Cinema, DJs and movie screenings
Pop's Bar
a renovated wooden Mission bar, Prohibition-themed memorabilia
20 Spot
in a former record store on 20th, an extensive wine list and local brews
Evil Eye
antique-punk decor, no TVs, but a pool table
Etcetera Wine Bar
wine flights — red, white, orange, French-style pizza
The Beehive
retro-glam Valencia lounge from the Treasury team, a signature frozen slushy cocktail
Asiento
a semi-hidden Mission tapas bar, live jazz and DJ sets
The Homestead
free peanuts on every table, tin ceilings
ABV
serious cocktails with serious food, open kitchen
The Willows
pinball machines on loan from Pacific Pinball Museum, Polynesian-themed tater tots
Big Finish Wine Tavern
48 wines on tap (most under $14/glass), menu categorized as 'crisp finish' / 'big finish' / 'juicy finish'
Lone Palm
candlelight, white tablecloths, Miami Vice-style neon signage, blocks from Dolores Park
The Lab
experimental synthesizer artists, free jazz / world music mashups
Royal Cuckoo Organ Lounge
a working Hammond B3 organ in the corner with live organist most nights, tiny, dimly lit, no TVs, no phones-out vibe
The Hideout (at Dalva)
hidden behind a door in the back of Dalva bar — door is only unlocked Thursday through Saturday, front bar (Dalva) has a desert-inspired aesthetic; the back room is textbook speakeasy
Shotwell's
the corner of Shotwell and 20th has been a bar since 1891 (originally Schlichtmann & Bredhofy Grocery Saloon), current building dates from 1906 — bullet holes from long-forgotten scuffles are still in the walls
Hi Hat
opened mid-2025 in the former Pi Bar space (Valencia & 25th), bike-wheel-sized NY-style pies with bubbly puffy crusts
Casanova Lounge
naughty velvet paintings of nude women lining the walls (the namesake), horseshoe bar and vintage pendant lights
Wildhawk
from the Bon Vivants (Trick Dog) team — Scott Baird and Josh Harris, unassuming exterior, impeccably designed interior
Latin American Club
cocktails are famously oversized — you order one, you don't need a second, piñatas hanging from the ceiling year-round
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