6 late-night dives in San Francisco, editor-picked by TableJourney. All San Francisco nightlife.
Specs' Twelve Adler Museum Cafe ★ 4.5
north-beach · 12 William Saroyan Place, San Francisco, CA 94133
Specs' Twelve Adler Museum Cafe sits down an unmarked alley off Columbus in North Beach, a sailors' and poets' bar since 1968 with maritime relics and cheap beer.
Tip: Knock on the yellow door at 250 Columbus to find it. Cash bar runs faster; the back booths are the local seats, not the bar.
Vesuvio Cafe ★ 4.5
north-beach · 255 Columbus Avenue, San Francisco, CA 94133
Vesuvio Cafe on Columbus in SF, across Jack Kerouac Alley from City Lights, has been the Beat-generation bar since Henri Lenoir opened it in 1948 with two floors.
Tip: Upstairs balcony has the best people-watching over Columbus. The bartender will pour a Jack Kerouac cocktail to anyone who asks.
The 500 Club ★ 4.3
the-mission · 500 Guerrero Street, San Francisco, CA 94110
The 500 Club sits at Guerrero and 17th in SF's Mission, a corner dive with a neon martini sign over the door, cheap drinks and a back room of regulars at night.
Tip: Bloody Mary at 06:00 on weekends is a Mission tradition. The room runs cash; the back room is the locals' corner, not the front bar.
Zeitgeist ★ 4.5
the-mission · 199 Valencia Street, San Francisco, CA 94103
Zeitgeist on Valencia in SF is a German beer garden and Mission dive with a backyard the size of a city lot, 60 taps and a kitchen turning out cheeseburgers late.
Tip: Cash bar only; the patio sets at picnic tables. The kitchen runs Bloody Marys all weekend and shuts the grill by 23:30 most nights.
The Saloon ★ 4.4
north-beach · 1232 Grant Avenue, San Francisco, CA 94133
The Saloon on Grant Avenue first poured in 1861 and survived the 1906 fire, making it the oldest operating bar in San Francisco with blues bands every night.
Tip: Live blues every night with a small cover most weekends. Cash bar; the original 1860s wood bar is the photo opportunity.
Tunnel Top ★ 4.2
soma · 601 Bush Street, San Francisco, CA 94108
Tunnel Top sits over the Stockton Street tunnel in San Francisco's FiDi, a two-level corner bar with built-in cushion seating upstairs and a divey downstairs.
Tip: Upstairs lounge has bar-rail views over the tunnel mouth. Ten beers on draft and a short cocktail list; cash bar moves faster on busy nights.