The best late-night bars in San Francisco

a Mission Latin nightclub, great music and weekend dancing

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

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

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

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

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

free peanuts on every table, tin ceilings

massive beer garden since 1977, 64 beers on tap

open till 2am, tater tots

themed cocktail menu changes twice a year, previous menus: Pantone book, zodiac, conspiracy theories

serious cocktails with serious food, open kitchen

former 1994 firehouse music venue, 21 beers on tap

cavernous natural wine bar, disco ball

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

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

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

Montana-lodge decor — antler chandeliers, lots of wood, craft beer and a strong bar menu

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

12th-floor tropical rooftop, Nikkei (Japanese-Peruvian) small plates

90s & 2000s dance floor, upstairs lounge

a dive bar's dive bar, pool table

original bear bar (since 1989), huge back patio

queer institution since 1966, reopened 2024

literary-themed cocktail bar — color-arranged books line the walls, drinks named after literary characters: Huckleberry Finn, Holden Caulfield, Daisy Buchanan, Jay Gatsby, Sherlock Holmes

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

down a hidden alley off Broadway, former speakeasy and brothel space

opened 1933, the day Prohibition ended — three generations of the Nicco family, tiny North Beach lounge — leather banquettes, mirrored back bar, no TVs

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

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

Future Bars group — apothecary-style bar paying tribute to the Barbary Coast era, cocktails made with extinct and revived ingredients

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

a lounge with a tiny dance floor, a fireplace

password-entry speakeasy, 90-minute time limit

walk-in side of Bourbon & Branch, password is 'books'

immersive tiki paradise — full-room theming with thatched roofs, idols, shrunken heads, homage to mid-century Oakland's Skipper Kent's Zombie Village

small queer-friendly TL dive, karaoke regularly

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

gay sports bar, wall of TVs

jungle plane crash theme, airplane fuselage seating

WWII-inspired space, long beer list

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

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

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

free karaoke upstairs, a copper-topped bar and TVs

art-deco styling, cocktails and a dance floor

18 ciders on draft plus global bottles, a sunny second-floor window perch on Polk

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

waterbed booths, porn loops on TVs

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

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

chandeliers and gold-accented lounge, a serious sound system

private themed karaoke rooms, half-off rooms Monday & Tuesday

old-world English tavern, all brick, cocktails themed on Tales of the City

multi-floored sports bar, Skee-Ball, pinball, shuffleboard, pool

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

a chill FiDi/Chinatown-edge lounge, good drinks and a lively-but-mellow vibe

a longtime FiDi dive, cheap drink specials and pub grub

a proper cigar club on Pine St, cigars by the box or single

volcano erupts with smoke periodically, projections of fake fish in portholes

tucked into its own alley, secluded alley patio

sister bar to Bourbon & Branch, opened by the same team, walls lined floor-to-ceiling with whiskey barrels (it's named after the warehouse where bourbon ages)

former Polynesian-themed space — bamboo and fabric flowers still linger in the nooks, bean bag lounges and orange half-circle booths that seat seven

since 1941, fireplace

SF-themed cocktails (Mission Dolores Margarita, etc.), excellent fried tom yum wings

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

15 drafts including German beers, 8-ball pool

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

Haight-Ashbury neighborhood cocktail bar in the former Hobson's Choice space, Monday trivia + Thursday bingo, 7:30-9:30pm

three-story pirate ship interior, 1,300+ rum varieties (largest in US)

bright open patio, 8 beer garden tables

tucked-away alley location for 24+ years, candlelit intimate wine bar

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

SF's last remaining lesbian bar (founded 1962), named after the 1962 film Walk on the Wild Side starring Barbara Stanwyck

a tiny Lower Nob Hill dive, a great dirty martini

a bohemian, plant-filled space, a patio

a 1930s art-deco room, vintage craft cocktails

unmarked door next to Bus Stop sports bar, velvet chairs

underground basement bar — descend a staircase under a neon Persona sign, inspired by SF's erotic cinema culture of the 1960s–70s: dark textures, metallic accents, neon

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

a cozy fireplace and overstuffed sofas, an outstanding beer selection

concealed behind Fiorella's Inner Sunset rooftop dining room, intimate cocktail bar

sports-bar décor, pool table in back

insane craft beer selection, famously surly bartenders

European soccer fan HQ, opens 7am for big matches

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

a tiny Polk Street Woods tavern, house beers with yerba mate + flights

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

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 newer Clement Street izakaya bar, creative drinks + late-night bites

crimson walls and fresh-squeezed greyhounds (signature drink), large back patio

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

old-school bar, dark wood + high ceilings, house-made cheese sauce on the fries

basement of the historic Hearst Building, newspaper/journalism theme

continuously open since 1908, no clocks or TVs allowed

train-station-inspired decor, house-made beef and mushroom jerky

TWO cozy fireplaces, a wood-beam ceiling

a low-key Japantown karaoke bar, free songs (no per-song fee)

private karaoke rooms in Japantown, deep Japanese songbook

Cole Valley pub across from Kezar Stadium / Golden Gate Park, soccer and rugby focus — Premier League, Six Nations, World Cup

clever handcrafted cocktails, late-night pizza

invented the American Irish coffee in 1952, bartenders line up two dozen glasses at once

a roomy, well-kept pool hall, quality felt and sticks

a proper English pub on Geary, draft beers and soccer on the telly

pool tables, cheap drinks