Night life
The best bars, live music and dance floors in the city — plus the places that keep going after 2 AM.
Bars we love
Yes, San Francisco goes out. You just need to know the doors.
Li Po Lounge
Step through the lantern-lit grotto entrance into a Chinatown dive that hasn’t changed since 1937 — and order the legendary Chinese Mai Tai. Cash only.
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Madrone Art Bar
Part art gallery, part sweaty throwback dance party. Don’t miss Motown Mondays.
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The Cat Club
Two dance floors, every genre — ’80s and goth one night, hip-hop and dubstep the next.
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Cigar Bar & Grill
Cigars, cocktails and pool tables — low on pretense, high on relaxation.
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Trick Dog
Some of the sharpest cocktail slingers in the country — the menu reinvents itself every six months.
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Zeitgeist
A legendary beer garden. You can’t do better than a Bloody Mary at a Zeitgeist picnic table.
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Shanghai Kelly’s
A classic neighborhood pub — perfect for a Sunday afternoon of game-watching.
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Bar None
Beer pong, skeeball and arcade games. A frat-party time machine, in the best way.
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Hideout
An intimate back room with low tables and mixologists who take their craft seriously.
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El Rio
“Your dive” since 1978 — a huge, sunny backyard patio, cheap drinks, live music and one of the friendliest, most inclusive crowds in the city. Don’t miss Salsa Sunday on the patio (4th Sunday of the month).
Open map →Still going after 2 AM
Most bars close at 2 — these keep the music on.
Public Works
Art shows, DJ nights and live music — look for the Banksy stencil by the entrance.
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Temple
Three rooms of dance music downtown. Dress up — no sneakers, hats or athletic wear.
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DNA Lounge
Casual, dive-bar-esque and unpretentious — DJs, live bands, burlesque and drag.
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The End Up
An SF institution since 1973 — Fever Fridays and the legendary Sunday T-Dance.
Open map →Had fun on the tour?
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