32 Best Nightlife in San Francisco, California

The cocktails are well crafted and affordable at the city's second-oldest saloon location—various watering holes have operated on this site since 1858. It's San Francisco's best example of a vintage neighborhood favorite with the finest elements of a modern, ingredient-focused cocktail bar. Cocktail geeks and sports fans mingle in the same room. Don't miss the holiday cocktails in December.

The Palace Hotel's clubby, wood-paneled watering hole takes its name from the 1909 Maxfield Parrish mural The Pied Piper of Hamelin, which covers most of the wall behind the bar. The Pied Piper lures an upscale clientele for two-olive martinis, Manhattans, and other trad libations.

You come to one of the city's most popular dive bars for one thing and one thing only: the reasonably priced beers, about four dozen of them on tap. The Toronado opens in the late morning and has a good-size crowd by early afternoon, so show up early to sit at one of the highly coveted tables. Just make sure to bring cash, as they don't accept credit cards.

At San Francisco's most talked about (and arguably most innovative) craft cocktail bar, every drink has at least one "huh?" ingredient. But no worries, you're in the hands of some of the most capable bartenders that you'll ever have the honor of enjoying a drink from. It gets very crowded, both for the drinks and for the outstanding hot dog–shaped burger and beloved kale salad.

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.

One of the city's top cocktail bars offers elevated small plates (the burger has a devoted following) late into the night to pair with the excellent cocktail menu, which includes such favorites as a Mumbai Mule with saffron vodka. A knowledgeable and friendly staff serves a diverse, energetic crowd in a smart modern setting.

Here you'll spy young (thirtysomething) and upwardly mobile former frat boys and sorority girls sipping on powerful espresso martinis and munching on tasty burgers served sandwich-style on a baguette—considered by some to be the best in town. Classic cocktails are proper and stiff, bartenders always have something witty to say, and the wine list is one of the neighborhood's best.

The almost 360-degree views of San Francisco and the bay are dazzling at this hip rooftop bar on the LUMA Hotel. Fire pits, hand warmers, and strategic wind barriers make this one of the warmer outdoor SF drinking destinations. But the real stars are the intricate cocktails inspired by Central and South American cultures and ingredients.

A dive bar in the best sense, El Rio has a calendar chock-full of events, from free bands and films to Salsa Sunday (every fourth Sunday), all of which keep Mission kids coming back. No matter what day you attend, expect to find a diverse gay and straight crowd enjoying local beers and margaritas. When the weather's warm, the large patio out back is especially popular, and the midday dance parties are the place to be.

For a city with so much waterfront mileage, it's shocking how few waterfront bars San Francisco has. This very welcoming, somewhat retro, kind of divey bar almost directly underneath the Bay Bridge is the perfect place for a local IPA or a margarita on the patio on a sunny day. 

Slowly but surely San Francisco is developing a reputation for great rooftop restaurant-bars high above the city. Among the best is on the 12th floor of the Hyatt Place near Oracle Park, where the setting looks like a tropical rain forest in the middle of urban sprawl, and the food and drink focuses on Nikkei cuisine (Japanese-Peruvian) like at its sibling in Cow Hollow. Reservations are recommended, and make sure to bundle up.

The sibling to Union Square bar stalwart P.C.H. is just as compelling for locals and travelers alike looking for some of the city's greatest cocktails. With colorful lighting and wall decor made of comic book and karate film prints, the space is a feast for the eyes. But it's really all about the outstanding cocktails inspired by street markets on different continents.

Outrageous and full of sexual energy, this tiny space with an even tinier dance floor may be the heterosexual equivalent of San Francisco's gay-bar scene. It may all be on the racy side, but it's never creepy or uncomfortable.

In a sea of hip craft cocktail bars, this slightly off-the-beaten-path neighborhood icon (you can't miss the namesake palm tree outside) is a refreshing throwback. There is no cocktail menu; this is a place for martinis, Negronis, and other classic cocktails. This is the rare locals' joint that feels both divey and strangely refined—tables have white tablecloths and the soundtrack tends to be cheery '80's pop.

This watering hole is popular with bikers, bears, and the men who love them. The inside bar has an old tavern feel, with a pool table and a long wooden bar you half expect the bartender to sling a beer down. Weekend "Beer Busts" unfold on the great outdoor patio bar. The action can get steamy during events like Gay Pride or the Folsom Street Fair.

This quintessential neighborhood watering hole outfitted with a pool table and pinball machines has TV screens playing pop videos and music. A giant fish tank sits over the bar, giving shy types a place to rest their gaze while taking a shot of liquid courage. Casually dressed couples and guys with nothing to prove frequent this place, but there's pickup potential, too. Like many smaller dive bars, it's cash only.

This stylish restaurant and trendy bar has an outdoor patio perfect for sunny days with pizzas, burgers, and beers. But, this fan favorite is really all about its proximity to Oracle Park—it's the ballpark area's unofficial gathering place before and after games.

A cross between a Tim Burton film and an Oingo Boingo album, this funky, cavelike bar makes every day Halloween. Noc Noc's bartenders serve up about 20 or so beers on tap, sake (even unfiltered), and unique twists on traditional drinks, like the Snake Bite, a blend of lager and cider. The house DJ plays acid jazz, industrial, and ambient music.

Giving the Tonga Room a run for its money as the most kitschy tiki bar in town, Pagan Idol features a secret back room complete with erupting volcano, giant tikis, and a starry night sky. The folks from Bourbon & Branch are behind this faux pirate ship, so even if the cocktails are served in goofy tiki glasses with paper umbrellas, rest assured they're on the money.

One of San Francisco's oldest singles bars still packs 'em in, but it's also a favorite restaurant for all ages. You can dine on great hamburgers (and a stellar Reuben) as well as more substantial fare to pair with local beers and simple cocktails, while gabbing about the 49ers with the well-scrubbed, khaki-clad, baseball-cap-wearing patrons.

Casual and comfortable—yet still hip and cruise-y—this is the type of neighborhood joint you quickly claim as your own. Kick back with a pint on the fantastic year-round patio and enjoy eye candy of the thirtysomething variety (ranging from conservative yuppie guys to Mission emo boys). The Pilsner is technically a sports bar, which means it has a pool table and TVs tuned to local games.

An after-work FiDi crowd fills this brick-walled and dimly lit, speakeasy-ish drinking spot, revered for its extensive whiskey menu and curated list of seasonal cocktails.

This spacious indoor-outdoor leather bar is a holdover from the days before SoMa's gentrification. The Sunday afternoon "Beer Busts" remain a high point of the leather set's week, Mondays are for karaoke, and there are DJs and live music generally Thursday and Friday. This remains a welcoming place for people from all walks of life.

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.

Barely seven stools fit in San Francisco’s smallest bar. There are just as many bottled beers (served from a bathtub!) as seats, and be sure to bring some cash since credit cards aren't accepted. It's as bare-bones as it gets, but there's sports on TV, a fun dice game, and most important, a neighborhood camaraderie that is increasingly hard to find.

This Wild West–motif neighborhood gay bar has pinball machines, pool tables, a smoking patio, and several theme nights and drag shows on the schedule. The Cinch is not the least bit trendy, which is part of the charm for regulars of this landmark 1970s bar.

History and great cocktails collide at one of the city's most legendary bars. There are rumors that President Warren G. Harding met his final fate here, but other accounts say that happened across the street at the Palace Hotel. Today, it's a favorite watering hole for the Financial District happy hour set, then a quieter, casual date spot later on. The cocktails are prepared with the same care and quality as at its flashier, newer peers.

With a striking, almost elegant interior, this is a prime happy hour spot in the afternoon, then a citywide cocktail destination afterward. You can't go wrong with any of the cocktails, but the bar has a particular affinity for sherry.