The Best Bars in Nob Hill and Russian Hill, San Francisco

Named for the four robber barons who built Nob Hill in the 1870s, the Big 4 has one of the finest bar rooms in San Francisco — dark wood panelling, antique photographs of the railroad era, and leather banquettes that have seated everyone from city politicians to visiting heads of state. The martini here is served cold and serious, and the bartenders have been here long enough to have opinions worth asking for. A proper pre-dinner or late-evening drink destination.

Order: Gibson martini with house-pickled cocktail onion — better than anywhere else in the city

The bar off the lobby of the Mark Hopkins is a quieter and more considered alternative to the famous Top of the Mark above it. The room has been immaculately maintained without losing any of its mid-century character — the curved bar, the oil paintings, the kind of low lighting that makes every conversation feel significant. The cocktail list is traditional and executed with care. Go here first; take the elevator to the Top of the Mark for the view afterward.

Order: Classic Negroni — they make it correctly, and the bar is the right room for it

The 360-degree view from the 19th floor of the Mark Hopkins takes in the Bay, the bridges, Alcatraz, and the city's geography in a way that no other bar in San Francisco can match. The drinks are hotel-bar priced and occasionally hotel-bar quality, but the setting earns the ticket. The bar has operated continuously since 1939 — WWII servicemen drank here before shipping out, and the room's ghost is worth sitting with. Go at dusk for the light on the Bay.

Order: A California sparkling wine — the view deserves a glass held up to the light

A San Francisco institution modelled on the caves à vin of Paris — low ceilings, exposed stone, candle-lit tables, and a wine list that reads like someone with a genuine point of view selected every bottle. The staff here are knowledgeable without being performative about it. The cheese and charcuterie menu makes it easy to spend three hours. Our pick for the best date bar in the neighbourhood by a significant margin.

Order: A glass of whatever natural Burgundy they are pouring by the glass — ask what arrived most recently

The bar at Nob Hill Café functions as the neighbourhood's living room — locals come here alone with a book, couples come for the Italian wine list, and groups come for the pasta and stay for the grappa. The bar counter seats six and the bartenders are old enough to have a perspective on the neighbourhood that spans decades. A quiet, reliable room in the best possible way.

Order: A glass of Barolo or Barbaresco — the Italian wine list here is one of the more thoughtful in SF

A long-running Spanish restaurant with a tapas bar at the front that earns its own entry. The sherry selection here is the most serious in San Francisco — Manzanilla, Amontillado, Palo Cortado, and several Olorosos that reward attention. The bar staff know their sherry in the way that most American bartenders do not, and they will guide you through the list without making it feel like an education. Order croquetas alongside and stay longer than planned.

Order: A glass of Manzanilla with croquetas — the correct introduction to this bar's philosophy

The back bar at Nick's has nothing to do with the tacos in the front and everything to do with why Russian Hill locals stay in the neighbourhood on a Friday night. The drag shows on weekends are a San Francisco institution, the drinks are cheap and cold, and the crowd is the most mixed on either hill. A late-night destination that delivers exactly what it promises and nothing it does not.

Order: A frozen margarita and whatever shot the drag host recommends from the stage

A French-Vietnamese restaurant with a lounge bar upstairs that does serious cocktail work under the cover of an upscale dining room. The cocktail menu here incorporates Southeast Asian flavours — lemongrass-infused spirits, tamarind shrubs, house-made galangal tinctures — with a precision that most fusion-adjacent bars miss. The colonial-era plantation aesthetic is heavy, but the drinks justify navigating the room. Reserve the lounge in advance on weekends.

Order: The lemongrass gin sour — house-infused gin, citrus, egg white, lemongrass foam

A tiki bar inside the Fairmont Hotel that has operated since 1945 in a converted indoor swimming pool, with a floating stage that hosts live musicians and a simulated tropical rainstorm every thirty minutes. The cocktails are genuinely good — the tiki tradition is taken seriously here rather than being treated as a prop. The room is one of the most extraordinary bar environments in the country, and the Nob Hill hotel setting makes the contrast even more effective.

Order: The Barrel-Aged Mai Tai — rum, orange curaçao, orgeat, lime, aged in-house for 60 days

The cocktail bar Russian Hill needed and now fully owns. The program here is seasonal and local in the way that San Francisco food culture is — ingredients sourced from the Bay Area, spirits chosen for provenance rather than brand recognition, and a menu that changes often enough to reward regular visits. The room is intimate and the service is the kind that makes you feel expected even on your first visit. Our pick for the best hidden gem on either hill.

Order: Whatever the bartender's current project is — always ask about the seasonal special before ordering from the menu