Conversation-friendly. Easy to leave. Drinks under $20. Ten bars our editors keep recommending when readers ask where to take a first date.
First dates are the highest-stakes hospitality test in the city. The room has to be quiet enough to hear each other but full enough that a long silence does not feel cavernous. The drink list has to give a reader who does not drink a graceful out. The exit has to be easy. Our editors have spent the past year vetting San Francisco's cocktail rooms specifically for this question — where do you take someone you might not see again, but might see for the next twenty years?
Where the editors take a first date in San Francisco
The first six picks below are the editors' default — the rooms we send a friend to first when they ask. Each is followed by a recommendation we have ordered ourselves at least three times. Click any bar name to read the full review, signature drink notes, neighbourhood guide and how to book.
In North Beach, Spec's Twelve Adler the spec's pour arrives in a coupe and the bar staff move at the right pace. Conversation here travels well. The acoustics are tuned for two people leaning in, not eight people leaning out, which is exactly what a first date needs. Editors' rating in our database: 4.6 of 5.
In Haight-Ashbury, Zam Zam the door is unmarked enough to feel discovered and known enough to be reliable. Pick a corner two-top and order across the menu — the staff are unfussed, the room is dim enough that you can read each other but bright enough that you can read the menu. Editors' rating in our database: 4.6 of 5.
Trick Dog sits in Mission and the door is unmarked enough to feel discovered and known enough to be reliable. Conversation here travels well. The acoustics are tuned for two people leaning in, not eight people leaning out, which is exactly what a first date needs. Editors' rating in our database: 4.8 of 5.
In FiDi, Tunnel Top the door is unmarked enough to feel discovered and known enough to be reliable. Easy to leave gracefully if it is not working. Easy to extend if it is. The exit has a quiet street, not a queue. Editors' rating in our database: 4.5 of 5.
ABV sits in Mission and the abv house manhattan is on the menu year-round for a reason and the bartenders pour with intent. Conversation here travels well. The acoustics are tuned for two people leaning in, not eight people leaning out, which is exactly what a first date needs. Editors' rating in our database: 4.7 of 5.
At Smuggler's Cove in Hayes Valley, the hawaii five-o arrives in a coupe and the bar staff move at the right pace. Easy to leave gracefully if it is not working. Easy to extend if it is. The exit has a quiet street, not a queue. Editors' rating in our database: 4.7 of 5.
Order: Hawaii Five-O
The full San Francisco guideEvery bar category, every neighbourhood. Our complete San Francisco guide covers cocktail bars, rooftops, hidden gems and more across the city.
These last four are the editors' deeper-cut picks. Smaller rooms, more specific energy. If the first six feel obvious to you — meaning you have already been — start here.
In North Beach, 15 Romolo the romolo sour arrives in a coupe and the bar staff move at the right pace. Easy to leave gracefully if it is not working. Easy to extend if it is. The exit has a quiet street, not a queue. Editors' rating in our database: 4.7 of 5.
In Tenderloin, Bourbon & Branch the speakeasy manhattan is on the menu year-round for a reason and the bartenders pour with intent. Conversation here travels well. The acoustics are tuned for two people leaning in, not eight people leaning out, which is exactly what a first date needs. Editors' rating in our database: 4.7 of 5.
Pacific Cocktail Haven sits in Tenderloin and the door is unmarked enough to feel discovered and known enough to be reliable. Conversation here travels well. The acoustics are tuned for two people leaning in, not eight people leaning out, which is exactly what a first date needs. Editors' rating in our database: 4.7 of 5.
True Laurel, in Mission, the laurel spritz arrives in a coupe and the bar staff move at the right pace. Pick a corner two-top and order across the menu — the staff are unfussed, the room is dim enough that you can read each other but bright enough that you can read the menu. Editors' rating in our database: 4.7 of 5.
Order: Laurel Spritz
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More Cocktail Bars in San FranciscoThe full editor-curated list of Cocktail Bars in San Francisco, with neighbourhood notes and signature-drink picks.
If you are reading this article, you are probably between the booking confirmation and the actual date. Three rules. Book the table — walking in with a reservation says you put thought in. Pick the bar nearest to public transport, not the one with the best view. And keep dinner reservations elsewhere; if the conversation works, you are going to want a second venue.
If you are between stages: our companion San Francisco guidesFrom first-date picks to anniversary rooms - every occasion in San Francisco our editors cover, cross-linked.
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