San Francisco has been the West Coast cocktail reference since Bourbon & Branch opened in 2006 and Erick Castro and others reset what American bars could be. The 10 below span the Mission's neighbourhood-style places to the Tenderloin's serious speakeasies. The compactness of the city — most of these are within a 15-minute Lyft of each other — makes SF a genuinely walkable bar town.
Part of our 50 Best Bars in the World listThis article is one chapter in our larger global guide. See the full pillar with every featured city.
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The 10 best bars in San Francisco
01 · San Francisco
Mission
$$
Themed menus · Loud
Each menu is built around a concept (Pantone swatches, conspiracy theories). Bon Vivants' flagship. Drinks that survive the gimmick.
Order: What's on the current menu
02 · San Francisco
Hayes Valley
$$
Tiki · Three floors
Martin Cate's tiki temple. Three floors, 750+ rums, the most encyclopaedic rum list in the country. Pioneer of the modern tiki revival.
Order: A Mai Tai with their reserve agricole
03 · San Francisco
Tenderloin
$$
Password speakeasy
You text for the password. Five secret rooms behind the main bar — the most hidden is the Library, accessed through a bookcase.
Order: Bourbon-led; that's the brief
04 · San Francisco
Fort Mason
$$
Time-philosophy · Library
At the Long Now Foundation. Bar built around the philosophy of long-term thinking. Cocktails reference historical periods. Genuinely unique.
Order: A drink referencing the Bronze Age
05 · San Francisco
North Beach
$$
1907 · Restored saloon
Restored 1907 saloon with serious cocktail program. The Pisco Punch is the calling card; the room is a working museum.
Order: A Pisco Punch
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06 · San Francisco
NoPa
$$
NoPa cocktail bar
NoPa neighbourhood cocktail bar. Quieter than the Mission scene; the technique is just as serious.
Order: Bartender's choice with their seasonal menu
07 · San Francisco
North Beach
$
Beat-era literary bar · 1948
Operating since 1948. Where Kerouac, Ginsberg and the Beat poets drank. Drinks are simple; the literary history is the reason.
Order: A whiskey, in the upstairs room where Ginsberg sat
08 · San Francisco
NoPa
$$
Restaurant + bar
NOPA the restaurant has one of SF's most respected bar programs. Stays open until 1 AM with the bar menu after kitchen close.
Order: A White Negroni at the bar after midnight
09 · San Francisco
Mission
$$
Speakeasy · Reservations
Mission speakeasy through an unmarked door. Reservations only. Quieter than Trick Dog; equally rigorous.
Order: A spec made with their house-aged spirit
10 · San Francisco
Mission
$$
Lazy Bear's bar
Bar attached to Lazy Bear restaurant. Local-ingredient cocktail program in a polished but relaxed room.
Order: Whatever uses California-grown citrus
More SF bars by categoryCocktail, hidden gem, craft beer — the full SF index.
See the full list
How SF cocktailing exports itself
The bartenders trained in SF rooms have spread to every American cocktail city. Trick Dog and Smuggler's Cove are the world-format-list institutions. The neighbourhood places (Comstock, Vesuvio) bring the warmth. Don't miss The Interval at Long Now — it's the most original cocktail-and-time-philosophy bar in the world.
