Best Live Music Bars in San Francisco

San Francisco's oldest bar (1861) and still one of its best live music venues. Blues and R&B nightly. The walls have absorbed 160 years of music. No cover Mon–Wed.

Pre-show bar at the legendary Fillmore venue. Even when there is no show, the memorabilia walls and the history make it worth a visit. Gold Room inside.

Supper club and cocktail bar with live jazz nightly. Art Deco interior, serious cocktail program, food worth ordering. The Thursday jazz trio is the best standing weekly gig in the city.

Swedish American Hall basement venue with strong booking across jazz, indie, and soul. The speakeasy layout makes even quiet shows feel cinematic.

Neighborhood bar at the edge of the city with a wood-burning fireplace and live music Wed–Sun. Surf rock, folk, and bluegrass. The Pliny the Elder on tap is always cold.

Small Mission bar with an eclectic booking policy. Gypsy jazz on Tuesdays, bluegrass on Thursdays. The best free live music in the city. Standing room, cash preferred.

North Beach jazz institution on Columbus. Live music nightly, 7 days a week. The menu has Italian-American standards. The vibe is unchanged from 1990, which is the point.

Three floors with different vibes: cocktail bar downstairs, live music mid-level, rooftop on top. The booking skews indie and electronic with strong local acts.

1908 Victorian building that has hosted everyone from unknown bands to pre-fame Counting Crows. The booking is consistently excellent. Cheap beers, important history.

Recording studio-themed bar with nightly live jazz and R&B. The sound system is genuinely audiophile-grade. One of the few bars in the city where the sound engineer is the most important person in the room.

Mid-size venue (500 capacity) that punches above its weight in booking. The bar inside is excellent. Better for concerts than casual drinks.

Outdoor beer garden with a small stage and rotating acts Thursday through Saturday. Latin music on Fridays, reggae on Saturdays. The cheapest margaritas in the Mission.

Pizza and cocktail bar with live DJ sets on weekends and occasional live music during the week. Not a traditional music bar, but the sound quality and crowd energy match places that are.

Historic jazz institution and blues bars serving since the 1800s. The Saloon and Jazz at Pearl's define the neighborhood's sound.

Free music every night of the week. Amnesia and Lost and Found run the most democratic live music programming in the city.

Venues with serious history and forward-thinking bookings. Hotel Utah, Mr. Tipple's, and The Monarch span from blues to electronic.

Supper clubs and upscale jazz bars. Bix brings Art Deco sophistication and nightly jazz to the Financial District.

Basement venues with strong indie and soul bookings. Cafe Du Nord's speakeasy layout makes every show cinematic.

Neighborhood bar at the city's edge with a fireplace. The Riptide brings folk, bluegrass, and surf rock to the outer neighborhoods.

Get the best new live music venues, concerts, and booking announcements from San Francisco's music scene delivered to your inbox.

The city's finest craft cocktail programs, from Trick Dog to Smuggler's Cove and beyond.

The bars locals guard carefully. Off the radar, authentic, worth discovering.

Where to go when the workday ends. Casual, good drinks, better company.

Join hundreds of bars already featured on barsforKings. Submit your venue, reach global audiences, and connect with music and cocktail enthusiasts.