The loudest, highest-energy bars in San Francisco

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

Valencia Street patio, DJs plus a Wednesday salsa band

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

massive beer garden since 1977, 64 beers on tap

open till 2am, tater tots

karaoke seven nights a week, regulars who can actually sing

former 1994 firehouse music venue, 21 beers on tap

cavernous natural wine bar, disco ball

Spanish taberna, porrón pouring direct to mouth

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

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

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

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

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

90s & 2000s dance floor, upstairs lounge

a dive bar's dive bar, pool table

dozens of ping-pong tables, DJ nights

original bear bar (since 1989), huge back patio

queer institution since 1966, reopened 2024

leather/biker bar, Folsom Street Fair HQ

two-story SoMa hub, pool and foosball, darts, small arcade

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

leather and bear bar, dark room

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

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

a lounge with a tiny dance floor, a fireplace

8,000-sqft rooftop, fairy lights and palms

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

gay sports bar, wall of TVs

energetic Castro spot, bustling outdoor patio overlooking Market

Latin Night Wednesdays, Big Top Sunday drag

musical theater fan bar, Musical Mondays

vintage Pac-Man, Donkey Kong, Space Invaders, Tetris, Killer Queen 10-player game

FIRST new lesbian/women's bar in the Castro in decades, named for pioneer SF bar owner Rikki Streicher

free karaoke upstairs, a copper-topped bar and TVs

waterbed booths, porn loops on TVs

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

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

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

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)

serious agave program (mezcal and tequila across the spectrum), frozen margaritas

darts and pool tables, shepherd's pie on the menu

indie music venue, balcony seating

queer institution since 1978, massive dog-friendly back patio with lemon tree

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

natural wine sections named 'Thicc Boys' and 'Here To Party', duck liver mousse french toast

historic Harding Theater (1926), 50+ arcade games

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

intimate Divisadero venue, GA only (no seating)

insane craft beer selection, famously surly bartenders

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

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

Union Street's most trafficked wine bar, red bathroom tiles, blue laser projections

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

John Lee Hooker's bar (purchased it 1997), live blues and funk

massive barcade, Super Smash Bros tournaments Mondays on giant projector

pool tables, cheap drinks