50 Best Cocktail Bars in San Francisco

“Went for the peach themed menu and was also my first time at the restaurant, enjoyed mostly everything but the restaurant feels a little too packed. I recommend:
- fig toast: very refreshing taste
- chawanmushi: tastes very sour, which I liked, but could potentially be too sour if you’re not into sour
- blue fin toro toast: a must! So good and aesthetically pleasing
- chicken liver mousse: very rich taste, personally feel like it goes better with bread with less taste, the ones that come with it tastes a little too sweet
Didn’t like the other ones as much.

We were sitting at the bar, and when we were finishing dessert, we found that people started to stand in the narrow alleyway behind us, holding drinks and some even food! This not only made us free crowded, but was also very loud. It seems like they were the next round of res and waiting for table to open up, but not too sure and definitely not a good experience.

We totaled to just a bit more than $100 pp post tax and tip.“

“Biggest yummiest kale salad and fries of anywhere. Surprisingly the best value of a pile of veggies anywhere in the city, so five stars for that!

Very loud indoors and not very conducive for deeper conversations.

Hip clientele, people be looking young fresh and peak of health.“

“Great environment, lively, and tasty food!“

“Amazing food!! Great service !! Old fashioned Portuguese food. The owner is such a classic as he treats all his guests like family!!“

“This place has been a city favorite for so long and I'm so excited that it survived through the chaos to still be here! Returned recently with some friends. I really appreciated the laid back atmosphere where we didn't ever feel rushed and the staff was so attentive. The home baked bread that you can actually buy and take home is still worth the trip alone. Loved the burrata that comes with flamed grapes and more yummy bread. The halibut was very exciting! I need to come back here more often.“

“Brilliant flavor combinations and beautiful presentation. The gaeng bumbai aubergine has the the right amount of heat without being overpowering.“

“This bar feels like it’s in the middle of no where yet everyone wants to be there. Not easy to sit inside you HAVE TO make a reservation. This has to be some artistic but like in a weird way bar because their online menu is 116% low effort yet 1117% iconic. The food is good you have to try their mushroom dish one it was amazing. The waitress who hosted us was so lovely and I asked for her name but I can’t remember I’m so sorry. But anyway I think is like a bar you bring a date that you don’t really care if it works out or not but end up marrying the guy. Cheers!“

“Aye aye, mateys! The Progress is quite the culinary treasure chest! From the moment I walked in, I felt like I was stepping into a gourmet wonderland—shiny, modern, and just fancy enough to make a sponge feel special! The whole place has that perfect blend of swanky and cozy, like a kelp garden under a full moon!

Now, let’s talk about the grub! The dishes are served family-style, which is perfect for sharing with your best buddies (or a starfish who just can’t make up his mind). The grilled octopus was tender and tasty—like a hug from a jellyfish, but in a good way! And that roasted duck? Quack-tastic! Full of flavor and crispy in all the right places!

The service was as friendly as a sea cucumber at a conga line—super helpful and full of great suggestions. The drinks? Well, let’s just say they’d make even Squidward smile!

Only giving four stars because a few dishes could’ve used a bit more zing, and the portions were a bit smaller than a sea squirrel's acorn stash. But overall, The Progress is definitely worth diving into for a fin-tastic night out! I’ll be back for sure, and I’ll bring Patrick next time!

Anchors aweigh, foodies!“

“I have never been inside for a drink , but I absolutely love their choice of music which is piped into the parklet ; they play songs by Natural Milk Hotel, and The Sundays; and for this I thank them. I shall visit soon.I am also impressed with murals on their parklet.“

“Awesome neighborhood bar. Sam and Nathan are wonderful hosts and bartenders drinks are excellent and well balanced. Came here for the first time during their Christmas themed tiki drinks. Really glad I returned during regular operations. It has a mellow vibe, bartenders are easy to talk to and have great recommendations. Hard to say Dubai and Plum Highballs are my fav.“

“One of the best tasting pizza I’ve tasted I highly recommend this place.“

“Amazing food and wine, great view“

“Been eyeing this spot for a while and it was beyond worth it- a perfect spot for date night. Drinks & food definitely hit the mark. You can't go wrong with whatever you order- everythng is authentic. Made it in time for their happy hour oysters, a MUST. Be back soon with an even bigger appetite.
**Highly recommend making a reservation in advance and alotting time for parking, very busy street.“

“Came here for dinner to celebrate my friend's birthday and mine also. I had not been here since they had remodeled the restaurant years ago. We had an amazing meal! Ordered several starters, based on the recommendations of our server. We started with the delicious Little Gem Salad, then mostly chose from the “Smaller” items on the menu. We ordered the eggplant,mussels,kefta, broccolini, and the amazing cornbread with harissa butter. My friend and I thought this was the best cornbread we've ever had! We were so full and couldn't even order dessert, but they brought out candles and two just baked chocolate chip cookies. Only could eat one and took the other one home. We are definitely coming back to try the main entrees. Highly recommend this place!!!“

“Tiki Bar with a definite 50’s vibe. Love the rum selection!“

“Really good pizzas! Loved the crusts and the sauce.“

“I have been twice and so far everything has been delicious. I need to go back a few more times to try everything on the menu. Don't forget to save room for dessert. The cocktails are fantastic.“

“Highly recommended. Vibrant atmosphere, knowledgeable service, well executed dishes, and inventive cocktails. The pork chop and the stracciatella starter were mind blowing. Pro tip: the mains are large so consider sharing between two. Great for a date or a good dinner with friends. It’s noisy so probably no first dates. Attire smart casual. Get a cab as it’s hard to park nearby.“

“In the space that used to be the Slow Club, which I remember fondly and nostalgically. This is a worthy successor.

Great Chartreuse menu, and novel cocktails. A creative menu of carefully made fresh dishes. The lamb sausage was so flavorful. The turnips with anchovy butter reminded me of another long-gone restaurant, Locanda, though they put their own twist on it.

The buckwheat donuts with crème anglaise are a necessary step for dinner.

Nice outdoor patio, too.

And the restrooms have this over-the-top relaxing music playing plus a projection of somebody driving through a pastoral Northern California landscape, maybe in the 1980s.“

“Food was absolutely amazing. First time in San Francisco and this was a great place to eat for the first time! Our server, Wes, was great as well and the food was served at the most perfect times.“

“Excellent espresso coffee, friendly service and a lovely brunch menu. I look forward to returning sometime for dinner. The chef’s were prepping a range of fresh looking ingredients and the smells emanating from the kitchen were beautiful!“

“Cocktails plus nibbles (oysters, onion rings)“

“Lavay Smith sings there on Sunday evenings“

“I came by when i saw they have raw shrimp (& crab) and got to try it! I was expecting to not feel great after but I am suprised at how well the shrimps were seasoned with the sauce and it's texture !! Definitely a try if you're up for something new ! The atmosphere of the place was great too and lively! There was a dj corner playing some nice songs! And the service was very nice, offering complimentary rice and seaweed aside to the dish I ordered !“

“We applaud all those who help PCH become Miracle @ PCH, it’s amazing!“

“Love Casements and Gillian is great to work with. We held our merchant mixer on the back patio. There was some chill live music playing and staff was attentive and fast. They have a good selection of mocktails and bites. Thank you!

Vegetarian options: They had a great veg pot pie too.“

“Both bartenders in Friday night were extremely excellent. Matt was great with patron interactions and I unfortunately forget the name of the other bartender on shift, but he made an excellent drink reccomendation that was an instant favourite.“

“What a fun find! My husband and I were overnighting in the Fisherman's Wharf area during a recent vacation, and came across this gem.

We were unfamiliar with many of the drinks and food items, but we were ready to be adventurous. Calvin and Helen took amazing care of us, gave excellent recommendations, and provided wonderful service. Don't miss the opportunity to spend some time @ Bar Iris.“

“Absolutely living up to it’s name and it’s claims. As a tourist from Europe, mostly familiar with Scotch and Irish whiskey, I asked for something special from the US and I wasn’t disappointed. Thanks guys! Nice ambience and tasteful timeless interior design too.“

“I can't speak on the food because I haven't tried but they have fantastic and creative cocktails. I think I've tried about 3 different ones and they all have been phenomenal. Went here on a busy Friday night and I was surprised how good the table service was for the crowd.“

“Great views, great staff, great food, and great drinks. Loved the decor and atmosphere. Would recommend and will return. Enjoyed the DJ, my favorite drinks were the Love Cats and Mr. Jinks. We shared several plates and the pork belly skewers, the pretzels (the mustard and pimento stuff was delish) and the asparagus salad were all amazing.“

“Why wouldn’t you kick it here????“

“Delicious drinks with amazing service. Michael was able to create a fantastic cocktail for my spouse. Between Michael and the cocktails, there is no reason to go anywhere else.“

“Nice bar and really like the roof fan“

“A must stop when in the area. Nothing fancy, dive bar feel, but always a good time.“

“This place is amazing!
The staff was very polite and helpful and the food was incredible.
The desserts were the highlight for us.

Vegetarian options: The menu has many good and delicious vegetarian options“

“Delicious martinins, funa nd creative bartenders (with a great recommendation for a hatch green chile martini), and a great vibe. Loved the built-in jukebox in the wall!

Kid-friendliness: Do not bring kids here. This is a bar.“

“Every drink is handled with care.“

“Love this restaurant! Their “pozole” (Mexican chicken soup with corn) is SO GOOD! I also definitely recommend the tacos dorados, though they can be a little dry, but that’s where the sauce, beans or mole comes into play.

Definitely go for the posole soup if you’re into rich flavor and something a little spicy!“

“Brunch was fantastic. Parking was difficult but sitting outside was fun. We started with the smoked salmon toast and had the omelette with truffles as a main dish. Ended with the peach pop tart which was good but I'm not sure I'd order again. I'd definitely go back.“

“Best stop on our SFO trip so far.

We were lucky enough to snag bar seating in the lower bar and had front row seats to watch Bartender Timmy work his magic! Christopher suggested my new favorite drink (Undead gentlemen) and both Timmy and Chris added fun banter to our evening.

The menu is extensive and no worries if you're not a rum drinker, they do have options, but try a rum one anyway.

Seating is limited but we didn't wait long to get a spot.

They are a bar only - no food unless you count the pineapple in one of the drinks. Many good options on Hayes though.“

“Very authentic and reasonably priced. Tasty too!“

“I visited Aphotic for an anniversary celebration. I learned about it because it won a special Michelin award for cocktails. The drinks did not disappoint and are among the best I’ve had. In particular, Aphotic will make you a custom cocktail based on your tastes, and the one they made me with house-made plum blossom botanicals was fantastic.

As for food, Aphotic is primarily a seafood restaurant. My partner loves seafood, but I am a vegetarian, so I came in with lower expectations. They don’t have a vegetarian tasting menu, but their bar menu does have a few vegetable dishes, so that is where we sat. I had the seaweed salad starter, fried potato middle, and maitake mushroom entree, which were all very good, surpassing expectations.

The service at Aphotic is next-level. The bartenders went into great detail explaining the drinks, even showing me the bottles they used. Because it was our anniversary, they gave us complimentary pours of amaro with our dessert. I think the bartender also overheard us mention that the house-made marshmallows they brought with the check probably contain gelatin and therefore are not vegetarian, and had the waitress bring me a fruit candy from the kitchen!

We stayed for nearly three hours. Maybe don’t come if you’re in a hurry, though I saw people at the bar come after us and leave before us.

The only slightly disappointing thing was to see the 5% “SF Mandate” surcharge, which I find mildly deceptive (print $20 as the price but it’s actually $21) and petty (blaming the government). It’s not uncommon nowadays, but I’d have preferred if the menu prices were just a bit higher instead (it’s not like I checked them in advance, I expected to splurge here). There is also an automatic 20% gratuity, even for small parties at the bar. I get why (with their quality and volume, a stingy customer could really hurt their take-home), but I missed the feeling of giving the tip myself, which was absolutely deserved.

Overall, if you like cocktails, Aphotic is a must-try, and you can get a nice dinner even if you are a vegetarian (if you eat seafood, I’m sure you are especially in for a treat).

Vegetarian options: Aphotic has a few vegetable dishes on their bar menu: seaweed salad, cheese, potatoes, and maitake mushrooms.“

“Amazing staff. Lovely owners out of this work drinks and mock tails and the plants !!!!“

“Very nice portions and very friendly! Enjoyed the people and the food!“

“Lark has some of the BEST food in San Francisco hands down!!! Chef Coskun is absolutely brilliant at what he does, and on top of it, is an EXTREMELY nice guy!! If you have a chance to eat at Lark, I highly recommend the meatballs and for dessert, the salted caramel gelato! Off the charts!

Parking: Great parking all around the Castro neighborhood.

Wheelchair accessibility: 100% wheelchair accessible!“

“Cold beer on a warm night, absolutely buzzing.“

“We went here for dinner yesterday, the food and service was absolutely incredible! I can’t believe how each dish had so many great flavors. We ordered several dishes ranging from vegetarian to meats, all were spectacular! Thank you for introducing Burma food to us!“

“We always love going to our local Fiorella especially as a family. It's fun for us to try new rotational and seasonal menu items. My husband always gets his Negroni. Our toddler loves the arancinis, Cacio e Pepe pasta & burrata with heirloom tomatoes. The ambiance is fun and casual but slightly dressed. Good for families, large groups, intimate dates (which we don't get) with a toddler and newborn. Our local spot!“

“Wow La Societe is a culinary gem! My friends and I had a fantastic dinner here. Our server was warm and attentive and the food was excellent! We shared oysters, the Tarte Flambee (don't miss this!) and a selection of deviled eggs. For our entrees, we all shared a steak + frites, lamb shoulder, risotto, and salmon. For dessert don't miss the housemade Basque Cheesecake with a zesty huckleberry coulis. They also had a new spring Rhubarb Tart which was also divine. Can not recommend enough!“