The top-rated bars in San Francisco

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

opened 2025 — owner-operated by Susie and Kash who work the floor, famous Kash Smash Burger (American wagyu)

speakeasy + escape room hybrid, Middle Earth-inspired

the Long Now Foundation's bar/cafe — house of the 10,000-Year Clock project, Stewart Brand's curated library shelves the walls (3,500 books for the long-term thinker)

60+ pinball machines, working silk screen print shop attached

a cute, accommodating Mission bar, creative cocktails (try the Mezcalifornia)

since 1933 (Playland at the Beach roots), 300+ coin-operated machines

Bill Graham's 1966 legendary venue, the place where Grateful Dead/Jefferson Airplane took off

intimate Divisadero venue, GA only (no seating)

1911 two-story Edwardian, outdoor patio

a converted Mission chapel, a 40-foot arched ceiling with great acoustics

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

bright Ingleside neighborhood pub, a deep local craft-beer list

8-seat Horsies bar inside Royal Cuckoo Market, Western aesthetics with contemporary art

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

Irish pub with reclaimed-parking-lot patio (AstroTurf, plants, murals), staggering single-malt whiskey list

a 1930s art-deco room, vintage craft cocktails

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

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

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

a revamped historic Dogpatch bar, pool tables and a jukebox

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

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

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

a bohemian, plant-filled space, a patio

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

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

Spanish taberna, porrón pouring direct to mouth

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

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

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

Beat Generation legend since 1948, stained glass windows

James Beard Award winner, 1,000-selection wine list

piano bar with show tunes, encyclopedic-knowledge pianist takes requests

oldest bar in SF (1861), nightly live blues

North America's 50 Best Bars list, Asian-influenced cocktails

rotating tap list of 36 craft beers, laidback

open till 2am, tater tots

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)

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

warehouse brewery, shuffleboard and pinball

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

a 1931-era supper-club music venue, red velvet and chandeliers

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

disguised as pawn shop, pick up gold phone outside to negotiate with 'pawn master'

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

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

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

since 1941, fireplace

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

nautical-themed patio, oysters and surf'n'turf mac'n'cheese

charming back patio, great snacks

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

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

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

original bear bar (since 1989), huge back patio

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

a tiny Lower Nob Hill dive, a great dirty martini

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

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

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

Dominique Crenn's hi-fi reinvention next door to the three-Michelin Atelier Crenn, interior overhaul by production designer Ethan Tobman (also designed The Menu)

Belgian-style focus with consistent IPAs, Filipino food menu

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

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

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

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

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

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

Korean sool jib (traditional third place for drinks and tapas), makgeolli poured from teapots into handled metal bowls

basement of the historic Hearst Building, newspaper/journalism theme

46th-floor rooftop at the Hilton, 360-degree panoramic views

a dive bar's dive bar, pool table

password-entry speakeasy, 90-minute time limit

dozens of ping-pong tables, DJ nights

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

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

massive barcade, Super Smash Bros tournaments Mondays on giant projector

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

serious cocktails with serious food, open kitchen

restored Victorian saloon, live piano some nights

corner neighborhood bar + kitchen, late-night eats

family-run since 1965, Julio Bermejo's 100% agave focus

Italian restaurant with serious wine program by Samuel Bogue, indoor/outdoor courtyard

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

sister bar to Lazy Bear, ambitious NA cocktail program (Spice and Everything Nice)

indie music venue, balcony seating

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

20+ rotating beers on tap, $150 Mug Club: free Tuesday beer, perpetual happy-hour pricing

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

Irish-owned and operated, dive-bar atmosphere

rustic-modern Castro lounge, a pool table in back

jungle plane crash theme, airplane fuselage seating

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

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

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

large selection of flavored whiskeys, pinball machines and darts

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

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

Art Deco building, Emperor Norton SF history theme

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

continuously open since 1908, no clocks or TVs allowed

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

European soccer fan HQ, opens 7am for big matches

Cow Hollow / Marina edge — opened 1956, cash only

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

leather/biker bar, Folsom Street Fair HQ

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

wine country comfort in the Financial District, bocce ball court on premises

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

renovated spacious pub, gorgeous bar centerpiece

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

a British-pub-feeling Clement St brewpub, shuffleboard and games

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

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

clever handcrafted cocktails, late-night pizza

Argentine brewery — beers brewed with yerba mate, sweet and savory empanadas

wines from around the world, European tapas and French dishes

a renovated wooden Mission bar, Prohibition-themed memorabilia

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

vintage arcade games, cheap highballs and 90s music

art-deco styling, cocktails and a dance floor

candle-lit wine bar, fantastic French food

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

big 'wet your lips' neon sign and burrata on every table, wines organized as 'Rich & Thicc', 'Flirtatious', and 'We Get It Susan, You Like Dry Rosé'

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

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

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

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

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

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

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 beloved lesbian/queer bar + restaurant, pool, dancing, and shows

an intimate Divisadero lounge, contemporary art on the walls

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

TWO cozy fireplaces, a wood-beam ceiling

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

small queer-friendly TL dive, karaoke regularly

max capacity ~15 — genuine speakeasy scale, not a gimmick, cocktail program by Patrick — ask for his off-menu favorite

NoPa's requisite first date bar — snug cabin feel and a Riesling obsession, sits on what is reportedly the world's first parklet

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

live traditional Irish, bluegrass, and country music almost every night, 9pm start, considered the best Guinness pour in town

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

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

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

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

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

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

detective agency theme inside Bourbon & Branch, Scotch flights

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

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