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 to a Friday rush.
Food program: Snack menu
Tip: Friday from 17:00 fills the bar fast; book a side booth via the website for groups of four-plus.
Address: 200 Bush Street, Suite 101, San Francisco, CA 94104
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 order.
Signature drink: Boulevardier on rye
Food: None (drink-only)
Tip: Open 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 recipe.
Signature drink: Pisco Punch
Food: Bar snacks, full dinner menu
Tip: Order 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 bar-snack kitchen.
Signature drink: Snug Negroni
Food: Snack menu
Tip: Bar 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 the booths.
Signature drink: Anchor Steam beer
Food: None
Tip: Cash 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 on the menu since 2016.
Signature drink: Kaffir lime gimlet
Food: Snack menu
Tip: Sit at the bar for Kevin's spec sheets; the room takes walk-ins after 22:00 reliably.
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 list.
Signature drink: Theme-menu cocktails (changes twice a year)
Food: American snack menu, burgers
Tip: Walk in before 19:00 or after 22:30; bar seats are first-come and turn over fast.
