Get FREE email communications from Fodor's Travel, covering must-see travel destinations, expert trip planning advice, and travel inspiration to fuel your passion.
How we use your email
Fodor's may use your email address to send you relevant information on site updates, account changes, and offers. For more information about your privacy and protection, please review our full Privacy Policy.
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
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 d
After hours, the city’s business folk and workers give way to costume-clad partygoers, hippies and hipsters, downtown di
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.
Bourbon & Branch reeks of Prohibition-era speakeasy cool. It's not exclusive, though: everyone is granted a password. The place has sex...Read More
Sure, it's the site of many high-school prom dates, and you could argue that the food and drinks are overpriced, but this is our pick if you...Read More
The claim to fame here is Beach Blanket Babylon, an ever-changing wacky musical send-up of San Francisco moods and mores that has been going...Read More
A dive bar in the best sense, El Rio has a calendar chock-full of events, from free bands and films to Salsa Sunday (seasonal), all of which...Read More
With the decor of a pirate ship and a slew of rum-based cocktails, you half expect Captain Jack Sparrow to sidle up next to you at this offbeat...Read More
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...Read More
If you're hitting only one bar in North Beach, it should be this one. The low-ceilinged second floor of this raucous boho hangout, little altered...Read More
A stone's throw from the bay, the city's greenest wine bar serves up sustainable, organic, and biodynamic wines from around the world. Small...Read More
Gallery and coffee shop by day, bar–dance club by night, this warehouse space on a small side street just south of Mission Street is usually...Read More
Easy to miss on an alley and overshadowed by the neighboring girlie shows, this watering hole serves up artisanal drinks—including riffs off...Read More
This popular brewery is known for its range of beer types, with multiple taps going at all times. In the spring, the Hell or High Watermelon...Read More
One of the city's top cocktail bars offers elevated small plates—think pork belly with peanut mole, burgers, and meat and cheese boards—until...Read More
A slice of modern French life, this cozy and romantic wine bar is an ideal spot for European oenophiles. Vintage-theater seating is available...Read More
Saucy, sexy, and fun, this is one of the best places in town for a drag-show virgin. The entertainment, as well as the gracious food service...Read More
Shirts off! If a sweaty muscle sandwich sounds like your idea of a good time, head to Badlands, where serious party boys come to grind to throbbing...Read More
Here you'll spy young (thirtysomething) and upwardly mobile former frat boys and sorority girls munching on tasty burgers served sandwich-style...Read More
In addition to teaching workshops in improvisation, this renovated warehouse stages performances such as "Improvised Shakespeare" and "Spontaneous...Read More
This restaurant-microbrewery, on the second floor of a historic building filled with 1930s Works Project Administration murals, has a stunning...Read More
Dark-wood paneling and green leather banquettes lend a masculine feel to the bar at the recently remodeled Scarlet Huntington Hotel, where the...Read More
Please try a broader search, or expore these popular suggestions:
There are no results for {{ strDestName }} Nightlife in the searched map area with the above filters. Please try a different area on the map, or broaden your search with these popular suggestions:
Neighborhoods Some neighborhood filters have sub-neighborhoods that can be selected individually in a dropdown by clicking on the icon to the right of the name.
Bernal Heights
(1)
Dogpatch
(2)
Potrero Hill
(1)
Nob Hill
(4)
Polk Gulch
(3)
Embarcadero
(3)
Financial District
(5)
Fisherman's Wh...
(1)
Pacific Heights
(2)
Western Addition
(9)
Civic Center
(1)
Hayes Valley
(6)
SoMa
(18)
Tenderloin
(4)
Castro
(8)
Haight
(5)
Cow Hollow
(5)
Marina
(6)
Chinatown
(1)
Union Square
(7)
Sunset District
(1)
The Richmond
(2)
Distance from:
Try increasing the mile radius or searching near one of these popular suggestions:
Presidio
Golden Gate Bridge
San Francisco Museum of Modern Art
California Academy of Sciences
Enter a sight, restaurant, hotel, or other place to find nightlife nearby.
I want emails from Fodor's Travel with travel information and promotions. I can unsubscribe any time using the unsubscribe link at the end of all emails.
Thank you for your interest!
Look out for our newsletters with travel tips and special offers.
Sign up for Travel Tips & News
Thank you for your interest!
Look out for our newsletters with travel tips and special offers.
