Cocktails, wine bars and dives: drinking in San Francisco for grown-ups.
Cocktail bars, wine bars, dive bars and gastropubs: drinking in San Francisco for grown-ups.
Trick Dog in San Francisco is Bon Vivants' Mission cocktail bar with a twice-yearly themed menu (Pantone chips, IKEA catalogue, mural maps) and a long bar.
DrinkTheme-menu cocktails (changes twice a year)
FoodAmerican snack menu, burgers
TipWalk in before 19:00 or after 22:30; bar seats are first-come and turn over fast.
ABV in San Francisco is Todd Smith and Erik Reichborn-Kjennerud's Mission cocktail bar with a Bywater on the menu since 2014 and the city's best bar burger.
DrinkBywater (rye, falernum, chartreuse, allspice)
FoodBar snacks, burger, daily specials
TipSit at the bar back-bar to watch the build; the upstairs Over Proof tasting room is by appointment.
True Laurel in San Francisco is Lazy Bear's sister cocktail bar in the Mission, with Nick Roush's spec sheets and a regular World's 50 Best Bars nomination.
DrinkHoneydew daiquiri
FoodSnack menu from Lazy Bear kitchen
TipThe honeydew daiquiri only runs in melon season (July to September); ask the bar whether it is pouring tonight.
Smuggler's Cove in San Francisco is Martin Cate's three-floor tiki bar in Hayes Valley, with 500-plus rums and the most-cited tiki cocktail list.
DrinkThree-dot rum punch
FoodNone (rum bar)
TipThe lower floor is the quietest of the three; ask the bar for the rum tasting trio.
Bourbon & Branch in San Francisco is the Tenderloin Prohibition-style speakeasy, with a password door, a 200-page bourbon menu and a Sazerac.
DrinkSazerac
FoodNone
TipReserve a slot and ask for the password by email; the walk-in bar in the back room is easier than the front.
Vesuvio in San Francisco is the North Beach Beat-era cocktail and dive bar across the alley from City Lights bookshop, open since 1948 with the original wood.
DrinkJack Kerouac (rum, tequila, lime, cranberry)
FoodNone
TipUpstairs is quieter than the ground floor; the Jack Kerouac drink is the punchline order.
Tosca Cafe in San Francisco is the North Beach Italian American room since 1919, reopened by April Bloomfield in 2013 with a Roman chicken and the house.
DrinkHouse cappuccino (brandy and chocolate)
FoodItalian American kitchen, full menu
TipSit at the bar for the espresso machine theatre; the roast chicken takes 40 minutes, order it first.
Hi Tops in San Francisco is the Castro's gay sports bar with a long Sunday brunch and the city's most-cited pickle-back, opened in 2012. Booking recommended.
DrinkPickle-back shot
FoodBar food, daily specials
TipGame days run a kitchen-set menu; pre-order at the bar to skip the queue.
The Treasury in San Francisco is the Financial District after-work bar in a 1925 vault, with a long Old Fashioned list and a snack menu that holds up.
DrinkOld Fashioned with house bitters
FoodSnack menu
TipFriday from 17:00 fills the bar fast; book a side booth via the website for groups of four-plus.
Rye in San Francisco is the Tenderloin's whiskey-leaning cocktail bar since 2007, with a long rye list, a back patio and a Boulevardier spec the regulars.
DrinkBoulevardier on rye
FoodNone (drink-only)
TipOpen until 02:00; the bar has the city's most reliable late post-show Boulevardier.
Comstock Saloon in San Francisco is the North Beach saloon reopened to a 19th-century template, with the Pisco Punch made to the long-lost Bank Exchange.
DrinkPisco Punch
FoodBar snacks, full dinner menu
TipOrder the Pisco Punch and a plate of Welsh rarebit at the bar; the back dining room takes reservations.
The Snug in San Francisco is Hi Lo's Pacific Heights cocktail bar on the Fillmore corner, with a Negroni board, a long American whiskey list and a strong.
DrinkSnug Negroni
FoodSnack menu
TipBar seats fill from 18:00; come at 17:30 on a weeknight for a guaranteed perch.
Specs' in San Francisco is the North Beach dive in an alley off Columbus, with maritime memorabilia, an Anchor Steam draw and 60 years of regulars holding.
DrinkAnchor Steam beer
FoodNone
TipCash only; bring a small bill, talk to whoever is at the bar, do not photograph the wall.
Pacific Cocktail Haven (PCH) in San Francisco is Kevin Diedrich's Union Square cocktail room, with a Southeast Asian flavour palette and a kaffir lime gimlet.
DrinkKaffir lime gimlet
FoodSnack menu
TipSit at the bar for Kevin's spec sheets; the room takes walk-ins after 22:00 reliably.
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