The best cocktail bars in San Francisco, by neighborhood

Where to drink

The Mission has the most bars on our list. North Beach and the Financial District keep the Barbary Coast saloons, and the tiki bars run from Nob Hill to the Outer Richmond.

12 of the 30

Mission 3

1. T

   Trick Dog

   MissionCocktail bar$$$

   Every few months the whole menu is rebuilt around a new conceit — a Pantone chart, a horoscope, a zine — and the drinks always live up to the gag.

   Book on SevenRoomsMap
2. A

   ABV

   MissionCocktail bar$$

   The bar the city's bartenders drink at after their own shifts — exact classics, a very good burger, and zero attitude about either.

   Map
3. E

   Elixir

   MissionHistoric saloon$$

   A saloon has stood on this corner since 1858, making it the second-oldest bar address in the city — and it still feels like a neighborhood joint.

   Map

North Beach 2

1. C

   Comstock Saloon

   North BeachHistoric saloon$$

   A 1907 saloon restored down to the trough beneath the bar rail, pouring Pisco Punch the way the Barbary Coast actually drank it.

   Map
2. T

   Tosca Cafe

   North BeachCocktail bar$$$

   Red leather booths, opera on the jukebox, and the House Cappuccino — brandy, chocolate, steamed milk and no coffee whatsoever — since 1919.

   Map

Duboce Triangle 1

1. L

   Last Rites

   Duboce Triangle$$

   Built as the fuselage of a crashed plane on a jungle mountainside, down to the roots pushing through the ceiling. The most committed room in town.

   Map

Hayes Valley 1

1. S

   Smuggler's Cove

   Hayes Valley$$$

   Three levels of shipwreck timber and more than 500 rums. The Rum Club Passport is for anyone planning to work through a meaningful share of them.

   Map

Mid-Market 1

1. C

   Charmaine's

   Mid-Market$$$

   Fire pits and skyline on three sides, on the roof of the Proper Hotel. Aim for an hour before sunset if you want to sit down.

   Book on OpenTableMap

Nob Hill 1

1. T

   Tonga Room & Hurricane Bar

   Nob Hill$$$

   A 1945 tiki room in the Fairmont's old swimming pool, with a band on a floating barge and an indoor rainstorm every half hour. Gloriously unserious.

   Map

Outer Richmond 1

1. T

   Trad'r Sam

   Outer Richmond$

   Pouring out of scorpion bowls since 1937, decades before tiki became a revival. Cash, rattan booths named for islands, no irony.

   Map

Tenderloin 1

1. B

   Bourbon & Branch

   Tenderloin$$$

   A genuine Prohibition address with a password, house rules and a library hidden behind a bookcase.

   Book on OpenTableMap

Union Square 1

1. P

   Pacific Cocktail Haven

   Union Square$$$

   Kevin Diedrich rebuilt PCH after a fire and it came back sharper. Tropical and technical at the same time, which almost nobody pulls off.

   Map

The other 18

The 30 are spread across 16 neighborhoods. Mission (7), Financial District (4), North Beach (3), Hayes Valley (2), SoMa (2) and Tenderloin (2) have the most; Dogpatch, Duboce Triangle, Jackson Square, Marina, Mid-Market, Nob Hill, NoPa, Outer Richmond, Russian Hill and Union Square have one each.

Hungry first? See the best burritos and Mexican food in San Francisco.

All 30, on your own map

This page is 12 of them. The San Francisco Cocktail Bars pack in Whosly has all 30 — add it and every one drops onto your map, ready to save, rate and turn into a plan your friends RSVP to from a text, no app needed to answer. The pack is included with Planner Pro.

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