San Francisco has always been a drinking city. These bars are where the craft is taken seriously - each with a distinct identity, from a Barbary Coast-era lounge to a 12-seat speakeasy hidden inside another restaurant.
Financial District · 714 Montgomery St, San Francisco, CA 94111, USA
A Jackson Square cocktail lounge in a building from the Barbary Coast era, the seasonal menu names every drink after a criminal, madam, or dance hall girl from the 1800s, and the signature Grog anchors the theme. Expose…
Mission · 3174 16th St, San Francisco, CA 94103, USA
A long, serious bar on 16th Street that stays open until 2am every night, which is the first signal that this isn't a place built for a quick round. The cocktail menu is organized by spirit (classic to inventive) and th…
Hayes Valley · 398 Hayes St, San Francisco, CA 94102, USA
A French brasserie at the corner of Hayes and Gough since 1998, Absinthe has outlasted trends by staying exactly what it is: warm Belle Époque room, serious cocktails, and a menu of classics (French onion soup gratinée,…
Russian Hill · 2310 Polk St, San Francisco, CA 94109, USA
Craft cocktails built on Japanese ingredients (yuzu, ume, shiso, rare imported spirits) in a low-lit lounge tucked next to a Michelin-starred kitchen on Polk Street. The menu rotates every season, but the crispy smoked …
SoMa · 1148 Mission St, San Francisco, CA 94103, USA
Every drink at this 12-seat hideaway inside Merchant Roots contains at least eight ingredients, the house Fernet-and-Coke riff uses nocino from a staff member's backyard walnut tree, foraged spruce tips, and a spritz of…
North Beach · 644 Broadway, San Francisco, CA 94133, USA
A Shanghai-inspired cocktail bar on the second floor above China Live on Broadway (follow the bats to the gold door) with an intimate room and a cocktail list that takes Scotch as seriously as it takes house originals. …
Castro · 2344 Market St, San Francisco, CA 94114, USA
Craft cocktail lounge by day, full dance club by night. Beaux takes up a corner on Market Street with themed entertainment running every night of the week. Drag brunch runs two shows on Saturdays and Sundays, and BOGO c…