13 Best Nightlife in Chinatown and North Beach, San Francisco

If you're hitting only one bar in North Beach, it should be this one. The low-ceilinged second floor of this raucous boho saloon hangout, little altered since its 1960s heyday (when Jack Kerouac frequented the place), is a fine vantage point for watching the colorful Broadway and Columbus Avenue intersection. Another part of Vesuvio's appeal is its diverse clientele, from older neighborhood regulars and young couples to bacchanalian posses.

Easy to miss on an alley and overshadowed by neighboring adult-entertainment venues that are parallel along the Columbus strip, this craft cocktail den with a Basque theme serves up tipples of sherry, a few thoughtful wine picks, and creative cocktails. Pair your drink with tasty, Spanish-driven bistro snacks, such as pressed tuna baguette sandos, house-made pickles, pintxos (Basque tapas with bread), and croquetas (a fried snack). With a non-Internet jukebox and a photo booth, this place oozes vintage hipster vibes but with old-world sensibilities.

The plush main room and adjacent lounge of this club retain a retro vibe perfect for the "Cocktail Nation" programming that keeps the crowds entertained. For a taste of the original San Francisco nightclub scene, you can't beat it. Indie low-fi and pop bands such as Mustache Harbor and Tainted Love have played here.

For a glass (or a bottle) of natural wine served with delicious, fresh small plates from burrata and radish salads to flavorful sweet potato tacos, head to this popular neighborhood wine bar. The rotating selection of artisanal wines from small producers, mainly in France, Italy, and California, pairs well with the eclectic, casual atmosphere. The weekend breakfast burritos are legendary.

At this quirky, inclusive, divey karaoke bar, you can get your kicks performing in front of a sometimes rowdy but nearly always supportive audience of hip young things and Asian businessmen.

Well-known stand-up comics have appeared here, though there's more emphasis on up-and-comers. You might also see local sketch comedy and comic singer-songwriters. No one under 18 is admitted, and there is a minimum drink purchase in addition to the entrance fee.

This funny house ranks right up there with Bimbo's and the Fillmore on the list of San Francisco's most famous clubs, and people seem to love it or hate it. Regardless, the Onion is a historic, quintessential San Francisco institution that provided an early platform for both folk-music troubadours such as the Kingston Trio and comedic acts like Robin Williams. In addition to stand-up, you can catch sketch comedy, open mike, and improv shows.

If you're into bohemian dive bars, you can groove on this hidden hangout for artists, poets, and heavy-drinking old-timers. Specs' bar is a women-owned and  -run institution and a beloved fixture. It's one of the few remaining old-fashioned watering holes in North Beach that still smack of the Beat years and the 1960s. Though it's just off a busy street, Specs' is strangely immune to the hustle and bustle outside.

If you've been looking for a bar where you can watch football and get a decent martini, this is it. Not your typical sports pub, this small lounge has as many female patrons as male, and it's not super loud and raucous. Due to its size, the Boardroom has only four plasma-screen TVs, which are just as likely to be broadcasting snowboarding as the usual baseball-football-basketball trifecta. The food is better than your average pub grub.

Hard-drinkin' in-the-know locals favor this raucous spot, renowned for great blues. Built in the 1860s, the onetime bordello is purported to be the oldest bar in the city. This is not the place to order anything mixed besides maybe a gin and tonic. Get a bottle or can of beer, enjoy the scene, and chat with anyone next to you. Just keep quiet when the music is jamming.

For a dive bar with old San Francisco soul, go no further for a nightcap involving an old-fashioned, martini, or Negroni after a night of pizza crushing.