Cocktail barSports bar$$$
Hi Tops in San Francisco is the Castro's gay sports bar with a long Sunday brunch and the city's most-cited pickle-back, opened in 2012. Booking recommended.
Signature drink: Pickle-back shot
Food: Bar food, daily specials
Tip: Game days run a kitchen-set menu; pre-order at the bar to skip the queue.
Cocktail barCocktail bar$$$Mon-Fri 12:00-22:00
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.
Signature drink: Old Fashioned with house bitters
Food: Snack menu
Tip: Friday from 17:00 fills the bar fast; book a side booth via the website for groups of four-plus.
Cocktail barCocktail bar$$$
Rye in San Francisco is the Tenderloin's whiskey-leaning cocktail bar since 2007, with a long rye list, a back patio and a Boulevardier spec the regulars.
Signature drink: Boulevardier on rye
Food: None (drink-only)
Tip: Open until 02:00; the bar has the city's most reliable late post-show Boulevardier.
Cocktail barHistoric saloon$$$
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.
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.
Cocktail barCocktail bar$$$
The Snug in San Francisco is Hi Lo's Pacific Heights cocktail bar on the Fillmore corner, with a Negroni board, a long American whiskey list and a strong.
Signature drink: Snug Negroni
Food: Snack menu
Tip: Bar seats fill from 18:00; come at 17:30 on a weeknight for a guaranteed perch.
Cocktail barDive bar$$$
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.
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.