Top of the Mark crowns the InterContinental Mark Hopkins on Nob Hill in San Francisco with a 19th-floor sky lounge and a 100-martini list it has poured since 1939.
Tip: Friday and Saturday evenings carry a music charge after 20:00. The northwest window seats hold the Golden Gate sightline at sunset.
Address: 999 California Street, San Francisco, CA 94108
The View Lounge sits on the 39th floor of the Marriott Marquis with floor-to-ceiling windows that frame the SoMa skyline and the bay. Walk-in seating most nights.
Tip: The northwest windows look out over Yerba Buena and the Bay Bridge at twilight. Cocktail menu is conservative; pay for the room, not the recipe.
Kaiyo Rooftop sits on the 12th floor of the Hyatt Place in SF's SoMa, pairing Nikkei small plates with pisco cocktails and a deck looking over Oracle Park.
Tip: Ballpark nights book up fast; reserve the deck side rather than the indoor lounge. The Nikkei menu pairs better with cocktails than wine.
Cavana crowns the LUMA Hotel on the 17th floor of Mission Bay with bay views, agave-led cocktails and Latin American small plates from a deck above the Chase Center.
Tip: Sunset tables along the east edge catch the bay light. Warriors game nights run a different cocktail menu and shorten the kitchen.
Bourbon and Branch in the Tenderloin holds court behind an unmarked door on Jones Street, the speakeasy that restarted San Francisco's craft cocktail era in 2006.
Tip: Main room needs a reservation and a daily password; the Library room takes walk-ins from 18:00. Phone policy is strict.
Wilson and Wilson is the SF speakeasy-within-a-speakeasy behind a bookshelf inside Bourbon and Branch, themed as a 1920s detective agency with set cocktail flights.
Tip: Reserve a week ahead; the three-cocktail prix fixe is the only way to order. Entry is through the Bourbon and Branch door, then the back room.
Local Edition runs out of the SF Hearst Building basement on Market Street, fitted with vintage printing presses, low light and a long cocktail list under FiDi.
Tip: Walk down the staircase off Market; the entrance is unmarked. Weeknight live music after 21:00 packs the back bar fast.
The View Lounge sits on the 39th floor of the Marriott Marquis with floor-to-ceiling windows that frame the SoMa skyline and the bay. Walk-in seating most nights.
Tip: The northwest windows look out over Yerba Buena and the Bay Bridge at twilight. Cocktail menu is conservative; pay for the room, not the recipe.
Kaiyo Rooftop sits on the 12th floor of the Hyatt Place in SF's SoMa, pairing Nikkei small plates with pisco cocktails and a deck looking over Oracle Park.
Tip: Ballpark nights book up fast; reserve the deck side rather than the indoor lounge. The Nikkei menu pairs better with cocktails than wine.
Cavana crowns the LUMA Hotel on the 17th floor of Mission Bay with bay views, agave-led cocktails and Latin American small plates from a deck above the Chase Center.
Tip: Sunset tables along the east edge catch the bay light. Warriors game nights run a different cocktail menu and shorten the kitchen.
Bourbon and Branch in the Tenderloin holds court behind an unmarked door on Jones Street, the speakeasy that restarted San Francisco's craft cocktail era in 2006.
Tip: Main room needs a reservation and a daily password; the Library room takes walk-ins from 18:00. Phone policy is strict.
Wilson and Wilson is the SF speakeasy-within-a-speakeasy behind a bookshelf inside Bourbon and Branch, themed as a 1920s detective agency with set cocktail flights.
Tip: Reserve a week ahead; the three-cocktail prix fixe is the only way to order. Entry is through the Bourbon and Branch door, then the back room.
Local Edition runs out of the SF Hearst Building basement on Market Street, fitted with vintage printing presses, low light and a long cocktail list under FiDi.
Tip: Walk down the staircase off Market; the entrance is unmarked. Weeknight live music after 21:00 packs the back bar fast.