bars · San Francisco
The best nights in San Francisco start at these addresses — award-winning cocktail rooms, beloved locals' haunts and views worth ordering a second round for. All rated 4.5 stars or higher.
Mission District · $$
A two-story Mission cocktail bar whose menu reinvents itself on a new theme every six months — past editions arrived as zodiac wheels, paint chips, and a mural map. It's a fixture on World's 50 Best Bars lists.
Insider tip: Go early on a weeknight, grab the upstairs mezzanine for table service, and order the bar food — it's better than it needs to be.
Hayes Valley · $
A three-level tiki grotto with waterfalls and 550-plus rums from Martin Cate, author of the definitive modern tiki book. It's regularly named among the best bars in the world.
Insider tip: It's small and fills fast — arrive right at opening, and join the free Rumbustion Society to taste through the rum list on return visits.
Fisherman's Wharf · $
The bar that introduced Irish coffee to America in 1952 now pours up to 2,000 a day, building them a dozen at a time down a row of glass goblets. The recipe — frothed cream floated over hot whiskey-laced coffee — hasn't changed.
Insider tip: Skip the table wait and stand at the bar to watch the assembly line; mornings before 11 a.m. are calmest on weekends.
North Beach · $
The 1948 Beat landmark where Kerouac drank across the alley from City Lights bookstore, its stained glass and cluttered mezzanine essentially unchanged. Jack Kerouac Alley connects the two shrines.
Insider tip: Claim the tiny mezzanine table overlooking Columbus Avenue and pair your drink with a browse at City Lights next door.
Nob Hill · $$
The 19th-floor sky lounge atop the InterContinental Mark Hopkins has poured 360-degree views since 1939; WWII sailors toasted farewells here before shipping out, leaving 'squadron bottles' behind the bar. The martini list runs to 100 variations.
Insider tip: Arrive 45 minutes before sunset on a clear day for a window table, and expect a cover charge when live music starts.
North Beach · $
A 1907 Barbary Coast-era saloon restored with its original mahogany bar and trough footrail, pouring pre-Prohibition classics like the Martinez and Pisco Punch. Live jazz drifts from the mezzanine on many nights.
Insider tip: Order the Pisco Punch — the cocktail San Francisco invented — and aim for a night with the live trio playing.
April–May & September–October
US Dollar (USD)
English
How this list is made: we only feature places rated 4.5 stars or higher with 1,000+ reviews from real travelers. Ratings and review counts are approximate and move over time — always check current numbers before booking. Photos are sourced from Wikimedia Commons under free licenses (credits in each gallery).
Same city, more lists
Good to know
Three full days covers the icons — Golden Gate Bridge and Park, Alcatraz, cable cars, Chinatown, and the Mission — at a comfortable pace. Add a fourth for a Muir Woods or Wine Country day trip.