San Francisco

Bars in San Francisco: nights out in the city by the bay

Breezy, picturesque and romantic, San Francisco has plenty to offer in terms of nightlife. The city by the bay has it all, from the wild and adventurous to the cute and quirky. A good place to start is over in North Beach, a coastal area with a strong Italian heritage and an electric atmosphere come sundown. Stop by 15 Romolo, a saloon-style cocktail bar offering both classic drinks and innovative concoctions. Slightly more unusual is the Remedie Room, under Devil’s Acre, with its apothecary-inspired drinks menu.

If you want a taste of San Fran’s colourful past, head further inland and visit the Bourbon & Branch – a speakeasy-themed bar with its own library and cigar room. There’s even a secret bar-within-a-bar that you can sniff out: Wilson & Wilson, a detective agency-themed watering hole with its own password. Heading towards China Town and the Financial District, over on Kearny Street, Rickhouse embodies the San Francisco cocktail bar ideal, with its elegant wooden interior and encyclopaedic drink selection. If you have kids in tow or you just want a bit of unconventional fun, try The Ice Cream Bar up in Ashbury Heights, a charming, family-oriented Victorian sector. This bar does what it says on the tin, serving up fantasy confections of ice cream and soda alongside more adult beverages. Then, over in the Mission District, you can enjoy the fine weather in the beer garden at Zeitgeist: the drinks are plain and simple, pitchers of beer rather than cutting-edge mixology, but the atmosphere is lively and fun.