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Sat / Apr 17
Arcade Games / Artsy / Barbeque
Party Earth Review The bartenders may pour lots of creamy Guinness like at any Irish bar, but Blackthorn Tavern is more than just another quaint pub to snag a pint. And though more than a dozen flat-screen TVs dedicated to football, baseball, basketball, soccer, UFC fights, and boxing make the place a top-notch sports bar, it isn’t just another ... more
834 Irving Street
San Francisco, CA 94122
20s / 30s / 40s / Anything goes / TVs
Party Earth Review Just on the southern edge of the busy Mission drinking scene, corner pub The Napper Tandy is authentically Irish from the name out front to the brogues of its waitresses to the all-you-can-eat fish and chips on Mondays. From the outside, little sets the place apart from the slew of nearby bars save for the large front ... more
3200 24th Street
San Francisco, CA 94110
20s / 30s / 40s / Bar Food / Beer / DJ / Pub
Party Earth Review Located several blocks down from the patchouli-scented paradise of the Upper Haight, where it shares a block packed with everything from punk dives to casual wine bars, Mad Dog In The Fog is a lively neighborhood pub with tons of beer, a diehard devotion to soccer, and regular trivia nights that are the stuff of legend ... more
530 Haight Street
San Francisco, CA 94117
30s / All Ages / Anything goes
Reviewed by Lucie D.
"The first time I hit Magnolia was for brunch- and oh would I hit it again. Good food, not insanely outstanding but not disappointing at all. A fairly ..." more
1398 Haight Street
San Francisco, CA 94117
30s / 40s / Bar / Beer / Beer Lovers
Party Earth Review Though it’s named in honor of Trappist monks who brew some of the finest craft beers in the world, The Monk’s Kettle is far too busy to pass for a monastery. The cozy gastropub’s carved hardwood bar, Beaux-Arts booths, and vintage lighting give it more of a classy European café vibe, setting it apart from the dives that ... more
3141 16th Street
San Francisco, CA 94103
20s / 30s / 40s / All Ages / Breakfast
Party Earth Review Located a block from the shopping, hotel, and theater district that surrounds Union Square, Lefty O’Doul’s is a lively, old-fashioned pub/cafeteria that straddles the line between relaxed watering hole and gaudy tourist bait. An archway divides the long space into two separate areas, the first of which drips with classic ... more
333 Geary Street
San Francisco, CA 94102
20s / 30s / 40s / 60s Music / Beer / DJ
Party Earth Review Quiz nights, DJs, and lots of fish and chips are on the plate at Edinburgh Castle Pub, a longstanding SF institution that’s a palace of unpretentious fun. An understated façade makes it easy to mistake this place for just another cramped dive. But once inside, visitors discover a high-ceilinged room replete with Scottish ... more
950 Geary Street
San Francisco, CA 94109
30s / 40s / After Work / Balcony / Pop
Party Earth Review With a menu of traditional grub, a tap list stocked with Irish favorites, and a staff that isn’t faking their accents, Kate O’Brien’s is an authentic little clover-kissed sports bar with an atmosphere about as far from pretentious as San Francisco is from Dublin. Popular with the Downtown crowd ... more
579 Howard Street
San Francisco, CA 94105
20s / ATM / Bar Food / Beer / Burgers
Party Earth Review A wee bit of clover in an area of town known more for dollar signs and day-trading than Gaelic watering holes, Kells Irish Restaurant & Pub provides a mellow retreat to sip some Guinness during the week, and a raging – and distinctly non-Irish – dance scene on weekends. Lured in by the deep blue façade and traditional Celtic ... more
530 Jackson Street
San Francisco, CA 94133
30s / 40s / Beer / Blue Collar / Blues
Party Earth Review The Mission area may not be a sports bar lover’s paradise, but the lack of competition isn’t the only reason The Phoenix Irish Bar is so popular. True, patrons will find the game they’re looking for – from the Stanley Cup to the World Cup – on the flat-screen TVs, but they’ll also encounter a solid menu of Celtic grub and ... more
811 Valencia Street
San Francisco, CA 94110
30s / 40s / All Ages / Casual / Jeans
Party Earth Review There may be a full bar at The Buena Vista, but the endless procession of tourists who pack into this long-standing Fisherman’s Wharf institution usually stick to Irish coffee. The trend began back in the 1950s, when owner Jack Koeppler returned from a vacation to Ireland determined to develop his own version of the stuff ... more
2765 Hyde Street
San Francisco, CA 94109
20s / 30s / 40s / Ambient / Blazers / Bar
Party Earth Review Equal parts cocktail bar, European-inspired café, and book exchange, Two Sisters Bar and Books caters to thirsty gullets, hungry stomachs, and literary minds. Retro details like cream and red toile wallpaper and a vintage cash machine set the stage for the narrow space and its handful of candlelit dark-wood tables, where ... more
579 Hayes Street
San Francisco, CA 94102
The Irish eyes have been smiling on SF since the early days, and it would be difficult to go very far without stumbling into a few Irish pubs in San Francisco.
As in most cities, San Francisco pubs see their busiest crowds on Saint Patrick’s Day – a holiday most Americans probably think has more to do with Guinness than commemorating the most commonly recognized Irish saint (and the arrival of Christianity) in Ireland. Whatever yah big heretic, you don’t need an excuse to drop in on a pub in SF, just a desire for a chill evening and some good beer.
Napa Valley may promise a lifetime of snooty wine bars, but SF pubs zap any potential pretension right out of the city’s drinking scene. The Mission is known for its great gastropubs, as well as a whole slew of dank pubs that keeps the hipster regulars happy, while the Castro welcomes everyone into its pubs with the requisite rainbow flags out front.
Even though the hippy heydays have long since burned off The Haight, it’s still a great place to find cheap beer and an unpretentious pub or two, and even though the preppy Marina is a veritable meat-market on the weekends, that doesn’t mean you can’t find a relatively budget-friendly little pub within spitting distance of the ocean to tuck into for a few hours during a mellow weekday.
From The outer Sunset to the inner Richmond, pubs in SF have a pint waiting for you.