The best dive bars in San Francisco

a genuine Latino Mission dive, ice-cold cheap beers, fast service

a cash-only corner Irish bar, good beer on tap + a pool table

a horseshoe-shaped bar, a clean pool table + free snacks

a renovated wooden Mission bar, Prohibition-themed memorabilia

free peanuts on every table, tin ceilings

massive beer garden since 1977, 64 beers on tap

open till 2am, tater tots

former 1994 firehouse music venue, 21 beers on tap

cheap drinks, charmingly weird ambiance

Irish-owned and operated, dive-bar atmosphere

open on Mission Street since 1951 — Mission institution, neon 'It's about time' clock sign out front is iconic

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

SF's second-oldest saloon location (1858 — only Old Ship Saloon is older), officially plaqued by E. Clampus Vitus (the wacky historical/drinking club)

naughty velvet paintings of nude women lining the walls (the namesake), horseshoe bar and vintage pendant lights

Mission metal/punk-leaning dive at 19th & S Van Ness, tater tots are the menu's reason to exist (the 'tot dog' is local legend)

Mission corner dive at 17th & Guerrero with the iconic neon martini sign, huge red 'COCKTAILS' sign — landmark in every Mission photo

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

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

a low-key sports bar near Oracle Park, cheap pool ($2 a game)

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

a dive bar's dive bar, pool table

operating since 1908, open mic Mondays for 30+ years

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

North Beach soccer pub (home of the SF Blues / Man City), Guinness and walls of screens

walls covered in decades of oddities and memorabilia, down a tiny alley

oldest bar in SF (1861), nightly live blues

opened 1942 — North Beach's old-Italian-guys bar par excellence, Beat-era regulars (Ferlinghetti, Saroyan) drank here when it was already old

large selection of flavored whiskeys, pinball machines and darts

open since 1922 — Joe DiMaggio's old haunt, frequented by local mobsters in the 40s–50s, $8 Irish Coffee that's a genuine steal

bar, pool hall, and rotating art gallery in one, free pool always

a quirky Larkin Street bar, kung-fu movies as ambiance

a cheap, friendly Geary Street bar, great inexpensive drinks

a piece of Tenderloin history, a genuine community safe space

a friendly Geary Street neighborhood bar, a pool table and the game on TV

a chill, dimly-lit TL hangout, beer, wine, and cocktails with top-shelf pours

legendary Hot Boxxx Girls drag cabaret, last classic gay dive in the TL

named after wrestler Hank and boxer Ralph (1947), original phone booth

Art Deco building, Emperor Norton SF history theme

no signage out front, second-smallest bar in SF

consistently makes Yelp's top Tenderloin dive bar list, Ellis Street corner that hasn't been gentrified

small queer-friendly TL dive, karaoke regularly

a longtime, community-oriented gay bar, pool, pinball, and video games

a friendly Castro gay bar, a back patio and pool table

heated back patio, pool tables

a warm neighborhood dive (cash only), a well-stocked bar + a jukebox

a spacious no-frills dive by the Regency Ballroom, pinball, pool, and a jukebox

a dark Polk-area sports dive, shots of Fernet, naturally

vintage arcade games, cheap highballs and 90s music

a big neighborhood saloon, walls of TVs, pool table and old-school arcade games

waterbed booths, porn loops on TVs

daily happy hour deals, beer-and-a-shot place

Polk Street gay bar from the pre-Castro era, gay-themed art on the walls

converted railroad dining car welded onto a Polk Street facade — actual streetcar interior, open until 4am — one of SF's most reliable late-night options

a true downtown locals' dive, cheap beer, open late

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

a longtime FiDi dive, cheap drink specials and pub grub

low-key downtown sports bar, a 49ers crowd

an old-school Irish pub near Ocean Beach, opens early for darts and a daytime pint

an old-school, windowless dive, opens early; no hangover-inducing sunlight

a friendly Noriega neighborhood bar, two coin-op games

the Chug Tower — a 3-liter tower of beer, weekly beer specials

since 1941, fireplace

near Ocean Beach, opens early for day drinking

two-drink max on the Hurricane rum cocktail, pool tables and pinball

equal parts sports bar, dive bar, and tiki bar — fake torches, bamboo, and towering tiki masks, Wiki Waki Woo and Jageritas are the signature drinks

a family-vibe Richmond pool bar, reputedly the best pool table in the city

a Geary Street dive with two pool tables, friendly, memorable bartenders

a dark, cash-only Richmond pub, pool tables and a jukebox

a gritty Inner Richmond Irish pub, an extensive whiskey selection

15 drafts including German beers, 8-ball pool

Clement Street neighborhood dive that locals are quietly protective of, low-key, no-pretense

a melting-pot Haight bar (gay, straight, everyone), cheap ~$5 pints

Persian-styled bar, cash only

open since 1926 (current location since 1978) — every hour is happy hour, CD jukebox (not internet) — no filler, no easy listening, no Madonna

rock and roll dive with a great record-collection vibe, reasonable prices and good pours

rum-themed dive, affordable in expensive Hayes Valley

pool, pinball, and a jukebox, red banquettes and a chill vibe

dive-bar warmth meets cocktail-bar craft, the kind of place where regulars introduce themselves

opened 2011 in a space that's been a bar since at least The Cherokee era — preceded by Alfonso's (1987-90) and Skip's Tavern (1990-2011), big horseshoe-shaped bar in the middle that points everyone at each other

a tiny Lower Nob Hill dive, a great dirty martini

a New York expat bar (Yankees games on), red walls and a jukebox

Monday trivia, service industry crowd

second-oldest bar in SF, lowest prices in the city

sports-bar décor, pool table in back

dart boards, big-screen TVs everywhere

named after Johnny Cash's 'I'm A Drifter' and Taoism's concept of the sage, opened 2021 by three Hockey Haven veterans

insane craft beer selection, famously surly bartenders

punk-rock dive, two pinball machines, $1 games

Lower Haight British pub — opened 1990, opens early for Premier League and Champions League — the EPL bar in SF

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

18 uncommon draft taps — no domestic lagers, most unusual bar aesthetic in Lower Haight

a no-frills Polk Street sports bar, flat-screens everywhere + a big beer list

a pirate-themed Polk Street bar, a pool table + flat-screens

formerly the New Amsterdam — setting of the Counting Crows song 'Mr. Jones', $3 drafts and wells 4–8pm daily

Chinatown's oldest bar (since before WWII), glowing Coors Light + Tsingtao neon

legendary trademarked Chinese mai tai ($12), cavernous red interior

red lanterns and icicle lights year-round, wall-spanning Buddha mural

open since 1967 — San Francisco Legacy Business, originally owned by Henry 'Mr. Bing' Grant until 2017, now Irish-owned

karaoke every night with a brand-new machine, cheap drinks and dice games at the bar

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

a family-owned dive since 1939, pool, a jukebox, and pop-a-shot

multiple pool tables, fernet specialty

smallest bar in SF — fits maybe 25 people, beer only — keg in a bathtub of ice, no cocktails, no taps

Cow Hollow / Marina edge — opened 1956, cash only

1900 Union Street's corner sports dive since 1900 — yes, since 1900, the bar's been continuous on this corner for 125+ years

century-old Richmond institution, virtual golf simulator (the surprise)

a tiny, cute Outer Richmond dive, a sweet bartender who'll hand you a puzzle

tiki dive since 1937, scorpion bowls

established 1949 — 12 blocks from the Pacific Ocean, hockey-themed dive — pennants and memorabilia covering the walls ('a hockey fanatic's dream basement')

a revamped historic Dogpatch bar, pool tables and a jukebox

on Pier 28, Bay views

a Sunnyside/Ingleside neighborhood bar, a pool table and a friendly crowd

Japantown dive with public karaoke, reasonably priced drinks

a big sunny back patio, ping-pong, pool, and video games

an honest Excelsior corner pub, burgers that cure hangovers

an honest Outer Mission dive, cold cheap beer, no pretense

a textbook West Portal Irish pub, Irish beers on tap + the game on TV

SF's version of Cheers, 22 beers on tap

hofbrau-style cafeteria attached to a full bar — opened 1947, exterior covered in folk-art murals; you cannot miss it

pool tables, cheap drinks

est. 1926 — neighborhood institution, regulars call it 'GPS'