The best quiet bars in San Francisco

a trendy, vintage-chic Mission wine bar, innovative snacks and small plates

a cozy 24th Street cocktail bar, a warm, celebratory vibe

a great-vibes Mission wine bar, a good wine list

a corner neighborhood brewpub, German-style beers from a 23-year brewmaster

a dated façade hiding a magnificent interior, pro-level cocktails

a friendly 24th Street bar, impeccable margaritas

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

a spacious two-floor natural wine bar, revolving art on concrete walls

attached to Foreign Cinema, DJs and movie screenings

a renovated wooden Mission bar, Prohibition-themed memorabilia

in a former record store on 20th, an extensive wine list and local brews

antique-punk decor, no TVs, but a pool table

wine flights — red, white, orange, French-style pizza

retro-glam Valencia lounge from the Treasury team, a signature frozen slushy cocktail

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

free peanuts on every table, tin ceilings

pinball machines on loan from Pacific Pinball Museum, Polynesian-themed tater tots

rotating tap list of 36 craft beers, laidback

48 wines on tap (most under $14/glass), menu categorized as 'crisp finish' / 'big finish' / 'juicy finish'

candlelight, white tablecloths, Miami Vice-style neon signage, blocks from Dolores Park

experimental synthesizer artists, free jazz / world music mashups

a working Hammond B3 organ in the corner with live organist most nights, tiny, dimly lit, no TVs, no phones-out vibe

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

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

opened mid-2025 in the former Pi Bar space (Valencia & 25th), bike-wheel-sized NY-style pies with bubbly puffy crusts

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

cocktails are famously oversized — you order one, you don't need a second, piñatas hanging from the ceiling year-round

a comfortable SoMa wine bar, wine, beer, and American bar bites

the stylish ground-floor bar at the St. Regis, luxe, hushed hotel-lounge setting

a sleek, cellar-style wine bar, a long list of hard-to-find wines

a slick SoMa bar-lounge, a vast Japanese whisky list

the wine bar from the Saison team, a legendary mulled wine + grilled cheese

vintage-accented modern lounge, a pool table and books on the walls

highbrow tequila and mezcal cocktails, craft beer too

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

a plant-filled tropical hideaway, tiki drinks made with care

a nautical-themed SoMa cocktail bar, a beautiful hand-crafted bar and a piano

dim, sofa-strewn SoMa lounge, an excellent tequila selection

spacious second-floor tavern near Oracle Park, surprisingly fresh bar food

steampunk decor, housemade cocktail ingredients

named after Cheers' Sam Malone, horseshoe bar kept from District, relacquered with brass trim

hidden behind bookcase in The Cavalier, vintage rock'n'roll vibes inspired by Marianne Faithfull

a newer Grant Avenue cocktail bar, turntables and welcoming bartenders

a little slice of France on Broadway, wine flights, beer, cheese & charcuterie

Beat Generation legend since 1948, stained glass windows

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

red booths, opera on the jukebox

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

French-leaning late-night bar with steak frites, tinned fish, and oysters, preview of the forthcoming Lillie Coit's in North Beach

a cheap, friendly Geary Street bar, great inexpensive drinks

a piece of Tenderloin history, a genuine community safe space

a modern lounge in the elegant Hotel Adagio, shareable punch bowls

a hidden speakeasy inside Son & Garden, an opulent flowers-and-velvet room

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

two-level jazz supper club, live jazz most nights

password-entry speakeasy, 90-minute time limit

detective agency theme inside Bourbon & Branch, Scotch flights

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

beautifully lit second-floor hidey-hole, where 'furtive making out is tacitly accepted'

no signage out front, second-smallest bar in SF

recessed below street level — easy to walk past the door entirely, dim, leather, low ceilings — the platonic Tenderloin cocktail-bar setting

a cozy, unpretentious sake & wine bar, Japanese-fusion snacks

wines from around the world, European tapas and French dishes

rustic-modern Castro lounge, a pool table in back

jungle plane crash theme, airplane fuselage seating

WWII-inspired space, long beer list

below-street former speakeasy, indie music venue

a friendly Polk Street wine bar, good easy-drinking wines

a password-required speakeasy, TLC cocktails (and ~$18 prices)

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

Spanish wine, sherry and vermouth, Asturian cider poured from on high

exposed brick and a fireplace, a driftwood bar with Tarantino flair

industrial-chic Polk lounge, a small, inventive cocktail list

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

bi-level with a pool table, a piano upstairs

corner neighborhood bar + kitchen, late-night eats

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

70+ wines by the glass, biodynamic and low-intervention focus

the Hotel Emblem's Beat-themed lobby lounge, a full bar + New American shared plates

a downtown bar boasting 'best bartender in SF', high-craft, creative cocktails

the fourth-floor bar at One65, high-end cocktails + French bistro bites

a sleek, upscale downtown lounge, handcrafted cocktails + New American small plates

a cute, cozy cat-themed bar, low-key, post-show-friendly

glamorous lounge in the Beacon Grand, all-vinyl DJ sets

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

entrance through a framed photo door downstairs, neon red lights, big yellow booths

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

the legendary OWL theme — there are literal owls everywhere, owl mosaic on the wall outside, dark wood, red carpet, black leather booths

tucked down a Union Square alley, intimate dim digs designed in the Japanese kissa tradition

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

a posh FiDi cocktail lounge, a dramatic interior

live jazz in an art-deco room, a gold-and-blue color scheme at night

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

Embarcadero Center pub with founding-fathers decor, a good beer list and great wings

packed FiDi after-work pub, loads of beers on tap

exposed brick + big-screen TVs, late-night eats

tucked into its own alley, secluded alley patio

a narrow Outer Sunset Woods taproom, fresh Woods beer by the pint or to-go can

surfer-cool Outer Sunset cocktail bar, craft cocktails, beer, and slushies

arguably SF's best fish & chips, homemade sausage rolls and honey mustard

since 1941, fireplace

near Ocean Beach, opens early for day drinking

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

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

a family-owned Richmond neighborhood bar, comfy booths + a pool table and jukebox

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

15 drafts including German beers, 8-ball pool

by two ex-Michelin sommeliers (Ame, French Laundry, Benu, Bar Tartine), 40+ wines by the glass spanning Napa to Croatia

SF's first Mexican wine bar (yes, that's a thing — Baja Valle de Guadalupe is producing serious wine), exclusively Mexican wine list

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

Haight brewpub with a long house-beer list, organic bar food and smashburgers

SF's best neighborhood jazz bar since 1989, blondewood 1950s look

Haight's serious cocktail bar — opened 2006, helped reset Upper Haight's reputation, long copper bar, tin ceiling

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

opened 2024 in the former Milk Bar comedy space, live music, comedy, and trivia seven nights a week

a little bar near City Hall, perfect for pre-gaming Bill Graham shows

wines on tap and craft cocktails, snazzy light fixtures

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

nightly live jazz, Prohibition-style cocktails

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

charming back patio, great snacks

tucked down Rose alley off Market — easy to miss entirely, not a hotel — just shares the name with the Paris hotel where Rilke lived

church-themed decor and religiously-named cocktails, a thoughtful tap list and glassware

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

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

specializes in unique Italian varietals you won't see elsewhere, by-the-glass program is the centerpiece

an intimate live-music bar, live performances with no cover

a tiny Lower Nob Hill dive, a great dirty martini

a 1930s art-deco room, vintage craft cocktails

a bright, bi-level Lower Nob Hill bar, a retractable roof

cozy British pub, a glowing suit of armor by the bar

unmarked door next to Bus Stop sports bar, velvet chairs

a casual beer-focused pub, a big list of imported beers

an intimate Divisadero lounge, contemporary art on the walls

LGBTQ- and women-owned wine bar on Hayes St, 60–70% of stock made or owned by women

dimly lit, welcoming, and low-key, unusually good spirits selection for a NoPa neighborhood bar

a chill Inner Sunset beer & wine bar, a rotating beer and wine list

a cozy fireplace and overstuffed sofas, an outstanding beer selection

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

renovated spacious pub, gorgeous bar centerpiece

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

opened March 2025 by chefs who met at two-Michelin-star La Grande Maison de Bernard Magrez, sea bream sashimi for two is the signature

a Lower Haight Woods taproom, house beers brewed with yerba mate

a cocktail bar with a serious kitchen, off-the-charts small plates

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

hotel-lounge meets mid-century living room, Japanese-inspired cocktails

Polk Gulch institution — Victorian-meets-fern-bar interior, frozen in 1979, hanging ferns everywhere, red velvet everywhere, brass everywhere

a Chinatown alley lounge, good for events and groups

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

above Mister Jiu's, Bond lair vibes

hidden behind bat-painted door on 2nd floor of China Live, scotch-centric

a wine bar inside a retail wine shop, floor-to-ceiling bottle racks

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

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

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

a small Chinatown-edge bar, a great whiskey selection

restored Victorian saloon, live piano some nights

candle-lit wine bar, fantastic French food

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

basement of the historic Hearst Building, newspaper/journalism theme

original 1909 Maxfield Parrish 'Pied Piper of Hamelin' mural, inside the Palace Hotel

a Dogpatch wine lounge, a blind-flight tasting menu

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

TWO cozy fireplaces, a wood-beam ceiling

functioning wine bar AND a market for wine + Italian groceries, their own award-winning house wines

wood-paneled Fillmore classic, pub grub, games, and the odd dance night

a Portola Drive neighborhood bar, perfectly-made cocktails

clever handcrafted cocktails, late-night pizza

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

old-school wine-hued walls, maps and pressed tin ceiling tiles

wine shop with bar, members skip corkage and get 10% off retail

a husband-and-wife West Portal wine bar, reasonably-priced, well-chosen wines

a downtown tiki cocktail bar, an all-out Christmas takeover each winter

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