Choose your location
Fri / Jan 22
A diverse crowd flocks to North Beach throughout the week, whether for San Francisco’s official Little Italy or for the historic bars, famed independent shops, and the high concentration of strip joints.
Though most venues in the area trend on the pricier side, City Lights bookstore is much as it was during the 50s Beat era when Jack Kerouac and Allen Ginsberg roamed the aisles, and continues to be the epicenter of leftist publishing to this day.
Following a bit of literature, hungry visitors craving authentic Italian fare head north on Columbus Avenue, where rows of densely packed tables line the sidewalk and most of the hosts could pass for extras in The Godfather.
After a meal, a wealth of options awaits to sate one’s nighttime appetite. Mellower types stop in for an after-dinner drink at Saloon, one of the oldest bars in town, while gritty Italian locals share a pint with casual young professionals at old-school dives, and newly launched mixology hotspots draw the hipster contingent with money to burn.
East on Broadway Street, nearly a dozen gentlemen’s clubs catering to a range of tastes and pocketbooks line the surrounding blocks, and giant signs peddling porn or other puerile interests light up the sidewalks.
Libidinous shoppers mingle awkwardly with dapper patrons making their way to the high-end lounges and trendy restaurants that also do brisk business here, while newly legal college kids can always be found over-indulging on massive Scorpion Bowls at Bamboo Hut.
Further north, Washington Square Park provides relief from the bustle of North Beach’s core, as does the famed Coit Tower in Pioneer Park a few blocks east, donated in 1929 by a cross-dressing volunteer firefighter to beautify the city skyline.
Whether for the rich history, the rich food and drink, or the women who get naked for money, North Beach has a little something for everyone.
20s and up / 30s / 40s / Bikers / Dive
Party Earth Review North Beach is notorious for overpriced tourist traps and equally overpriced booby bars, but The Saloon – SF’s oldest bar – falls into neither category, instead ... more
1232 Grant Avenue
San Francisco, CA 94133
All Ages / Anything goes / Cafés
Party Earth Review Located in the city’s official Little Italy – and often called “North Beach’s Living Room” – the block-wide Washington Square is a popular oasis for everyone from artists, pet owners ... more
Between Stockton to Powell Streets
and Filbert to Union Streets
San Francisco, CA 94133
20s / 30s / 40s / ATM / Anything goes
Party Earth Review Part community center, part museum, and part hangout for the old-line Giants faithful, Gino and Carlo Sports Bar has been a Telegraph Hill institution since the 1940s, and continues ... more
548 Green Street
San Francisco, CA 94133
Affluent / Ambient / Bar / Club / DJ
Party Earth Review The remnants of old Hollywood live on at Monroe, an upscale lounge that infuses a little classic celebrity glamour into the hard-partying North Beach scene. With ubiquitous dark wood ... more
473 Broadway Street
San Francisco, CA 94133
After Work / Anything goes / EDM
Party Earth Review Located right on the border between Downtown and North Beach's seedy heart – an area that’s catered to sexual indiscretion since the 1800s – Bamboo Hut is a tropical refuge from the ... more
479 Broadway Street
San Francisco, CA 94133
30s / 40s / Anything goes / Folk
Party Earth Review Frozen in a state of perpetual disorder, Specs’ 12 Adler Museum Café is a chaotically-themed little dive where North Beach’s historic Beat vibe lives on. With its ramshackle furniture ... more
12 William Saroyan Place
San Francisco, CA 94133
All Ages / All Types / Artsy / Bars
Party Earth Review North Beach has been San Francisco’s official Little Italy for over a century, but its history extends back to the days of the Barbary Coast, when hustlers and gold miners trekked in ... more
Primarily the area east along Broadway Street and north along Columbus Avenue at the Broadway/Columbus intersection
San Francisco, CA 94133
30s / 40s / Alternative / Bar / Beer
Party Earth Review Only halfway up a small alley but worlds away from the neighboring North Beach strip clubs, 15 Romolo – inside the extended-stay Basque Hotel – is a hard-to-find bar that entices crowds ... more
Basque Hotel
15 Romolo Place
San Francisco, CA 94133