The 13 Best Drinking Neighborhoods in San Francisco, Ranked

With apology to many fine SF neighborhood I ’ve excluded ( Lower Pac Heights , I ’m sorry ) , here are the 13 best neighborhoods for boozing and riot in all of San Francisco . Factors I consider in creating this leaning included : timbre and quantity of bars , bar / eating house , brewpub , and saloon - well-disposed euphony venues , and eight long time of personal biases . Oh , and consider I name upwards of 70 places to drink around the metropolis in this report , feel free to use this as a personal bucket list , or at least just a bookmarked page to glance at and get angry at my cellular inclusion of Dogpatch :

13. SoMa

Essential taproom : Bloodhound , Bar Agricole

I am not a SoMa fan , mostly because it feels like the only part of the metropolis that could be uprooted and put in any other new , construction - roar metropolis , and you could n’t recite the deviation . With that said , if you stringently fuddle at Bloodhound , and the streak at Marlowe , Bar Agricole , and Zero Zero , and separate me to check being such a judgmental jerky , it ’ll all be fine .

12. Lower Haight

Essential bars : Maven , Toronado , The Page

The only thing keeping the Lower Haight from really striving into the top 10 is its lack of serious numbers in the bar panorama . They ’ve got a great cocktail place in Maven , one of the legendary beer spots in the land in Toronado , a classical dive bar in The Page , a solid Irish pub in Mad Dog in the Fog , and a handful of other introductory joints . More than enough military action to keep someone well-chosen in the hood , but not quite enough to make it a classic drinking destination .

11. Dogpatch

Essential stripe : Third Rail , The Sea Star , Smokestack , Āina

On the other side of Potrero Hill and split up by the 280 , Dogpatch is so far - seeming from all the other standard bearing SF hood as to almost feel like a dissimilar world , minus Dwayne Wayne . And yet it has become its own affair , a scene within a scene worth control out for a modest but worthwhile contingent of parallel bars like Third Rail ( eat their homemade jerky ) and Sea Star , the gorgeous brewpub Smokestack , and Triple Voodoo Brewery ’s taste way . And , as of this calendar week , Āina , the Hawaiian pop - up brunch dearie , now has a lasting home in the vicinity . Shaved ice for everyone !

10. The Fillmore

Essential bars : Fat Angel , Smuggler ’s Cove , The Social Study

If this was strictly factoring in hot music scenes rather than drink , the Fillmore area would be high up on this list , though , to be fair , it ’s not like live music legend The Fillmore prohibits you from drinking at its shows . Either way , though there are n’t a ton of spots , there are some enceinte spot to pay heed , including Fat Angel for a rare and unequalled beer listing , Smuggler ’s Cove for fabled tiki , The Progress ’s bar for innovative cocktails with your shudderingly good food , and my preferent place to pass an entire twenty-four hours drinking and talking about Prince show and Cindy Crawford workout videos , The Social Study .

9. North of the Panhandle

Essential bar : Nopa , Madrone Art Bar , Garage Bar

The sort of made up NOPA expanse is a imposing place to drink . you could drop your solar day on Divisadero between Golden Gate and Fell from morning to 2 am , and you ’ll be able-bodied to hit a dozen decent spots , and a half dozen great ace . The fable OG Nopa itself anchors the hood , and give you the best cocktail , but you may tope mezcal and play dominoes in La Urbana ’s El Garaje bar , eat oysters and sip swallow at Bar Crudo , sip beers alfresco at Bean Bag , or go down to Madrone for tardy Nox and be sketchy . After all , you ’ve been on this damn street for the entire 24-hour interval .

8. Russian Hill

all-important bars : Leopold’s , Greens Sports Bar

I am now getting to be an old person and so I will say that the scene on Polk St can be too much , honestly . Lots of very modal bar and people into the city for a night on the town . But Russian Hill ca n’t be ignored in the boozing category . There ’s just too much . Leopold ’s for boots of beer and brats , the classic SF sports bar Greens to watch sportswoman / other people , beer geek haven Stones Throw , tat - cho legend Bullitt for , um , tat - chos , Union Larder and Bacchus for wine-coloured . Just tell the kids to keep it down .

7. Jackson Square

Essential bars : Comstock Saloon , Bix , Tosca Cafe

Jackson Square is one of those neighborhoods that people be given to dominate , mainly because it cross over with so many others in the Chinatown , North Beach , Financial District area . And yet , in such a humble and unnoted hood , there is so much great material . Old school SF legends like Bix and Tosca are bedrocks of the aspect here , as is Comstock , one of the easiest bars to lessen in love with in the metropolis . But on top of that , new schooling military action like Doc Ricketts ( Doc ’s laboratory has the live music ) and The Devil ’s Akka from the Bourbon & Branch crew will make you mystify around , and sitting at the bar at Cotogna sipping a cocktail right before you eat something wood - burn is one of life ’s underrated pleasures .

6. The Castro

Essential bars : Churchill , Cafe Du Nord , Blackbird

Surrounded by the Lower Haight and the Mission , the Castro would be a unspoiled location to drink base on proximity alone . But proximity be imprecate ! Aside from countless queer bars , the Castro has some serious persuasion neutral imbibing holes , most prominently Cafe Du Nord , with its Bon Vivant back drink list ( get the Martini du Nord – I do n’t even like martini and I ’m imploring you do this ) and Thomas McNaughton grocery , the ever true Churchill , which has been downgraded slightly in my book ever since they took out the only jukebox in the city with a Camp Lo CD in the admixture , Blackbird for classical cocktails , and Brewcade , in case you ’ve always yearned to drink good beers and playRampageas Lizzie the Lizard .

5. The Marina

Essential bar : The Interval , Final Final , Belga , CC’sThe most polarizing of all neighborhood . Just mentioning that you ’re going to spend sentence in the Marina can create a series of heart roll and human knee - jolt reactions , almost to the point of parody . To be fair , that is also because the ' hood itself can seem like said parody of tank car - wear bros and the noblewoman in Lulu who bonk them , a weird outstation of LA combined with a small New England liberal art ’s school ’s sodality scene mixed with a perpetual outdoor exercise course of instruction . But once you get past all of those Basic warnings , there is some fun to be had . The Interval is hands down one of the best cocktail bars in the land , and is an unvarnished precious stone sitting correctly there in Fort Mason for anyone to live . Reed & Greenough , The Tipsy Pig , and Belga all make a good cocktail as well , and there is a passably underrated dive bar scene , with classics like Final Final , my personal preferred CC ’s , and Horseshoe Tavern . But if you ’re looking for the true Marina boozing experience , you have no choice but to hit Monaghan ’s around brunch time during football season . You ’ve been warned .

4. The Tenderloin

Essential bar : Mikkeller Bar , Rye , Bourbon & Branch

Ahh , the Tenderloin . 225 acres filled with people display nervously unpredictable behavior and leaning to make any plaza an unrehearsed restroom . Oh , and also some damn in force stripe . Of of course you know about the cocktail ginmill that start it all Bourbon & Branch , and their comrade streak Tradition correctly down the street . rye whisky is an right-down classic as well , and one of my favorite low fundamental cocktail joint in the city . And Mikkeller is easy in the top two beer legal community in the city , so they really come out strong . But once you get past those , it tends to trail off . Jasper ’s used to be a majuscule cocktail legal profession , but has operate through many changes since cocktail master Kevin Diedrich left ( though he ’s now at Cantina , which sit around mighty technically out of the Tenderloin ‘ cowl … but you should still go there and drink his drink ) . Bartlett Hall is utterly serviceable , and Kin Khao may be a eating place , but they ’ve got the Bon Vivants behind their cocktail list . Or you could just go to the Redwood Room in the Clift , and get weird in a somewhat fancy and plausibly too expensive way .

3. North Beach

all important bars:15 Romolo , Park Tavern , Church Key , La Trappe

Any glance at a function will say you that North Beach takes up a huge swath of territorial dominion in betwixt Russian Hill , Fisherman ’s Wharf , Jackson Square , and the Embarcadero . And any glance at the normal commixture of tourists and other JV merrymaker who pack in on the weekends will tell you the cause why this classic ' hood wo n’t get high than three . That say , SF ’s bronze drinking ' cowl has a treasure treasure trove of great bars if you know where to depend , from one of the sometime - school day standbys in the urban center ’s cocktail scene ( 15 Romolo ) , to three beer - soaked gems ( La Trappe , Church Key , and Rogue ) , to two very unspoilt restaurant / bar scenes at Original Joe ’s and Park Tavern . Savoy Tivoli is a neighbourhood caption for weekend jazz since before the Great War , and I have n’t even identify likely half a dozen other bars with live medicine , comme il faut beers , and somewhat of a scene . Though unless you actively seek out mayhem , it ’s usually better to hit North Beach during the week .

2. Hayes Valley

crucial bars : Absinthe , Biergarten , Suppenküche

Hayes is easily one of the more compact neighborhood on this list , and that is part of its absolute appeal . No matter where you are in Hayes , you are only a pulley or two from a Murderers ' Row of crapulence establishments : Absinthe for classical cocktails , Brass Tacks for updated classic cocktails , Biergarten if its sunny and you need beer , Suppenküche if its turbid and you require beer , Arlequin if its cheery and you still require to pretend you ’re at the office , but still want that beer , Two Sisters if you ’re on a date , Noir Lounge if that date is still going well later , Dobbs Ferry if you ’re take in sports , The Boxing Room for pretending like you ’re in NOLA , and Rich Table and Monsieur Benjamin for serious nutrient to match with serious enough dranks . And that ’s not even everything .

1. The Mission

all-important bars : Trick Dog , Hideout at Dalva , ABV , Monk ’s Kettle , The 500 Club

How does any neighborhood really vie with the alcohol-dependent firepower within the Mission ? I was going to hear and make some sort of dare call , and pick one of the other neighborhood for the top smear , but then I broke it down and it became impossible . Three of the best cocktail bar in the urban center ( Trick Dog , The Hideout at Dalva , and ABV ) are all right there . Still want more proficient cocktail ? make up Laszlo or Beretta or Elixir or even Mission Bowling Club and you ’re going to be felicitous . You want beer ? Southern Pacific Brewing and my preferred beer bar in SF ( Monk ’s Kettle ) are in this ' bonnet . You ’d rather just hit a nosedive ? The 500 Club is unbelievable , Doc ’s Clock is a classic , as is Bruno ’s , and the Romance American Club has the strong drinks I ’ve ever encounter . 20 Spot is a fantastic lieu to just have a beer or a glass of wine-coloured and public lecture shit about your friends . pricy Mom might be the most various of all these spots . And this is before we ’ve even really get into the cocktail scene within the restaurant . essentially , it was the Mission in a landslip , Quaker , and it was n’t even that close .

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The Interval san francisco

The Interval | Flickr/Christopher Michel

Kevin Alexanderis Thrillist ’s National Writer - at - Large and is decently alarmed by how many bars he ’s been to in the city . Do n’t be him@KAlexander03as it will just make him nervous .