Cocktail Bars in San Francisco

Rye

Cocktail Bar / Lounge

Party Earth Review Tucked near the border of affluent Nob Hill and the decidedly non-affluent Tenderloin, Rye is a cozy cocktail lounge with a name alluding to whiskey but a menu far more generous to gin. Once inside, well-dressed mixology geeks order gimlets crafted with great care, and newbies learn fast that the small sunken bar is not ... more

688 Geary Street
San Francisco, CA 94102

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Mosto

Tequila Bar

Party Earth Review It’s all about the blue agave at Mosto, a Mission haunt that gained instant notoriety for its 300+ tequilas, as well as its proximity to hip Mexican restaurant Tacolicious – run by the same folks – right next door. The entire ceiling is adorned with Mason jars, some of which hold random keepsakes like notes and other tokens ... more

741 Valencia Street
San Francisco, CA 94110

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Smuggler's Cove

Bar / Rum Bar

Party Earth Review Yo-ho-ho and holy crap, there’s a lot of bottles of rum at Smuggler’s Cove! More than two hundred rums and seventy-plus rum-infused cocktails to be exact, from slow-sipping varieties to flower-laden frou-frou drinks strong enough to take down a thoroughbred. Dubbed one of the world’s best bars by Drinks International in ... more

650 Gough Street
San Francisco, California 94102

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Rickhouse

Cocktail Bar / Lounge

Party Earth Review Smack-dab in the middle of a neighborhood better known for its high-end shopping and big-name corporations, Rickhouse is an artisanal cocktail lounge that caters to both demanding mixology nerds and overworked financial types. Business people find after-work solace in the extensive drinks menu, either with regular favorites ... more

246 Kearny Street
San Francisco, CA 94108

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The Hideout at Dalva

Cocktail Bar / Speakeasy

Party Earth Review A covert bar inside another bar, The Hideout is a classy alternative to the neighboring dives that dominate 16th Street, including Dalva, the very one it’s hidden behind. Small groups of young professionals plow through the long room that makes up Dalva, past the horse painting and projection screen showing silent films ... more

Dalva
3121 16th Street
San Francisco CA 94110

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Wilson and Wilson Private Detective Agency

Cocktail Bar / Lounge

Reviewed by Jaclyn W.

"Usually detectives are the individuals you call upon for missing persons. In this case, it's the detective agency that is missing. Attached to a sis ..." more

505 Jones Street
San Francisco, CA 94102

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Bourbon & Branch

Bar / Speakeasy

Party Earth Review The word “speakeasy” may be bantered about a lot, but Bourbon & Branch has the distinction of operating in a location that actually was one – in the form of JJ Russell's Cigar Shop – from 1921 to 1933. Much like in its heyday, the venue still sports an unmarked door, requires a password ... more

501 Jones Street
San Francisco, CA 94102

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SF is not short on bars in pretty much every variety, and this certainly holds true for San Francisco cocktail bars. There are plenty of spots in this town where a drink is a lot more than just a drink; where bartenders consider themselves artists and everything is hand-pressed and sprinkled with fairy dust and love.

Obviously you can expect to pay big money at some of the trendier cocktail bars in San Francisco, and you should also expect to wait for your order. This certainly holds true at Bourbon & Branch, a chic and incredibly popular speakeasy in the Tenderloin that actually has the house rule “be patient” considering most of its drinks take several minutes to make.

The Mission is a great place to find an SF cocktail bar, including The Hideout at Dalva, a covert bar inside another bar that hides a tiny cocktailer’s paradise. Of course, those looking for less-refined cocktail bars in SF will have no trouble either, whether they’re in the mood for sugar-packed bowls of deadly drinks at big party spots like Bamboo Hut in North Beach or Trad’r Sam in The Richmond, or the seventy-plus rum-infused cocktails strong enough to take down a thoroughbred at Smuggler’s Cove in the Western Addition.

All over this great little town, from SoMa to The Sunset and back again, there are lots of stellar SF cocktail bars to choose from.