Bow Bow Cocktail Lounge
Chinatown
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.
3 Best Nightlife in San Francisco, California
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After hours, the city’s business folk and workers give way to costume-clad partygoers, hippies and hipsters, downtown divas, frat boys, and those who prefer something a little more clothing-optional. Downtown and the Financial District remain pretty serious even after dark, and Nob Hill is staid, though you can't beat views from penthouse lounges, the most famous being the Top of the Mark (Hopkins). Nearby North Beach is an even better starting point for an evening out.
Always lively, North Beach's options include family-friendly dining spots, historic bars from the city's bohemian past (among them Jack Kerouac's old haunts), and even comedy clubs where stars such as Robin Williams and Jay Leno cut their teeth. In SoMa there are plenty of places to catch a drink before a Giants game and brewpubs to celebrate in afterward. SoMa also hosts some of the hottest dance clubs, along with some saucy gay bars. While Union Square can be a bit trendy, even the swanky establishments have loosened things up in recent years.
Heading west to Hayes Valley, a more sophisticated crowd dabbles in the burgeoning "culinary cocktail movement." Up-and-coming singles gravitate north of here to Cow Hollow and the Marina. Polk Street was the gay mecca before the Castro and still hosts some wild bars, but things get downright outlandish in the Castro district. Indie hipsters of all persuasions populate the Mission and Haight districts by night. Keep in mind, though, that some of the best times San Francisco has to offer are off the beaten path. And a good party can still be found in even the sleepiest of neighborhoods, such as Bernal Heights and Dogpatch.
Cold Drinks Bar
Chinatown
China Live's stylish upstairs, vintage Shanghai–inspired bar focuses on scotch and intricate cocktails with no shortage of creativity. The renowned AvroKO firm's sharp-as-a-tuxedo design, with dramatic lighting and a black-and-gold motif, is as glamorous a setting for drinking as any in this city.
Moongate Lounge
Chinatown
The upstairs, slightly more casual and hip bar/lounge companion to Mister Jiu's is a destination in its own right. Lunar themes are everywhere, from the drinks' names and colors to the mystical lighting and design accents in a suave space that previously was a banquet room. Smaller bites have the same seasonal and technique-driven Chinese-Californian bent as the more upscale food downstairs.
