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Buena Vista Café
It’s become a modern tradition to visit Buena Vista Cafe to order a $10.50 Irish Coffee, said to have been conceived here in 1952 by a local travel writer. This punch-packing quaff…
The Saloon
A true dive, this is supposedly the oldest bar in the city and it certainly looks (and smells) like it. Floors are but worn planks, staff are grizzled and hairy, and the story goes…
The Tonga Room & Hurricane Bar
This sublime, vast, one-of-a-kind bar and restaurant is the pinnacle of classic San Francisco kitsch. In this dim Polynesian-themed fantasia, decorated with rocks and 12-foot tikis,…
Vesuvio
You haven’t fully experienced San Francisco’s literary history without a trip to this famous, trinket-stuffed watering hole. It was opened in 1948, just in time to catch all the…
Nectar Wine Lounge
Few places in the city, or in North America for that matter, have as copious a menu when it comes to wine: 50 are available by the glass (from all around the globe) and a good 800 by…
Perry’s
Made famous by Armistead Maupin’s Tales of the City, this nightspot is not the crazy pick-up scene it was in the book. Still, locals and visitors alike enjoy chilling at the dark…
Press Club
Come here if you can’t get to the wine country this trip but still want a wine-tasting experience. Calling itself an “urban wine-tasting bar,” this huge space features eight separate…
Tipsy Pig
This cozy (and noisy) gastropub is a great starting point for a Chestnut Street bar crawl. The heated back garden patio, leather booths in the front window, and famous Strawberry…
El Rio
Just a few blocks south of the most hopping stretch of Mission-area bars, you’ll come to this gem that bills itself as a neighborhood bar with “heck of a lot to offer.” And it…
Elbo Room
Not sure whether you want a dive, a lounge, or a dance floor? Veteran nightlife hub Elbo Room offers all three in one playful two-story saloon. Cozy up with no-fuss, strong well…
Southern Pacific Brewing Company
In a city of narrow, hole-in-the-wall bars, it’s rare for beer to get such a grand setting. Two floors, a front patio, and 10,000 square feet doesn’t necessarily mean it won’t be…
Zeitgeist
It used to be a rough biker bar, but these days you’ll likely see more fixed-gear bicycles than Harleys locked up in front. Zeitgeist serves more than 20 types of German beer, most of…
Alembic
The highly curated drink menu at this Haight Street bar is divided into two parts: One pays homage to the classic cocktail canon, the other offers inventive, new-school concoctions you…
The Ice Cream Bar
Mixology and nostalgia collide at this 1930s-style soda fountain. Add in locally sourced, organic ingredients and you’ve got a quintessential “new San Francisco” establishment—and…
Madrone Art Bar
San Francisco’s bar scene can be a bit quiet during the work week, but that’s not the case at this favorite in the Lower Haight area, where a rotating crop of DJs and bands draw crowds…
DNA Lounge
After a wild nightclub scene? DNA Lounge, host of the famous mash-up party Bootie SF, is where it’s at. While Bootie is now in several cities around the country, San Francisco is where…
American Conservatory Theater (A.C.T.)
This is, quite simply, one of the best theater companies in the U.S., with peerless acting, design and show-selection. Since its debut in 1967, a number of big names have “trod the…
Berkeley Repertory Theater
Across the bay, this theater was founded in 1968 and has been mopping up awards ever since. It rivals A.C.T. (see above) in the quality of its shows, sometimes skewing a bit more…
The Magic Theatre
Sam Shepard was a longtime artist-in-residence at the Magic, premiering his plays Fool for Love and True West here. That should give you an idea of the high quality of productions by…
Theatre Rhinoceros
Founded in 1977, this was America’s first theater created to address LGBT themes and stories. It’s still going strong. The theater is 1 block east of the 16th Street/Mission BART…
BATS Improv
Born out of the improvisational comedy craze that swept the U.S. in the ‘80s, BATS Improv is the longest-running improv theater in Northern California, and every weekend it serves up…
Beach Blanket Babylon
Note: After nearly five decades, Beach Blanket Babylon gave its final performance at the end of 2019. We're leaving this review up for visitors who might not have heard that news…
Cobb’s Comedy Club
Since 1984, some of the hottest names in comedy—Louis C.K., Sarah Silverman, Dave Chappelle—as well as up-and-coming local comics have been performing at Cobb’s. With cabaret seating…
Martuni’s Piano Bar
Open 7 nights a week, this friendly watering hole is the best place in the city to catch casual cabaret–style performances from talented singers and piano players. Patrons range in age…
Punch Line Comedy Club
As San Francisco’s longest-running comedy club, Punch Line has played host to celebrity comics such as Ellen DeGeneres and Robin Williams, and continues to bring established and…