The best dive bars in Chinatown

The 5 best dive bars in Chinatown, hand-picked from barfly.life's Chinatown list. Cheap, dark, and gloriously unbothered. These are the SF rooms where the drinks are strong, the décor is an accident, and nobody's checking your shoes. Stiff pours over small talk.

5 spots in Chinatown.

All bars in Chinatown →Dive Bars across SF →

Red's Place

Chinatown · $★ 4.6 · 212

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

Li Po Cocktail Lounge

Chinatown · $★ 4.4 · 1.1k

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

Buddha Lounge

Chinatown · $★ 4.3 · 480

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

stiff classic cocktails

Mr. Bing's

Chinatown · $$★ 4.5 · 439

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

craft cocktails

Bow Bow Cocktail Lounge

Chinatown · $★ 4.5 · 220

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

Can't pick from 5? That's what the lever is for.

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