Bars

Mission dive on 24th Street with a pool table, jukebox, and photo booth. Heavy pours and a leaning floor.

Castro dive bar on 18th Street with a pool table, smoke patio, and a small dance floor. Cheap drinks, neighborhood crowd.

Mission dive on 22nd Street since the 1940s. Strong margaritas and paper lanterns.

Valencia Street Irish dive with cheap drinks, a pool table, a back patio, and weekend live music. Generous pours, no pretension.

Mission rooftop bar above Lolinda with heat lamps, fire pits, and Latin American street food. Tequila and mezcal forward. Walk-in only.

39th-floor SoMa hotel bar with picture windows over Yerba Buena Gardens and the city skyline. Easier to get into than the famous rooftops.

Mission cocktail dive with palm trees and proper martinis. Casablanca crossed with Twin Peaks.

19th-floor Nob Hill cocktail lounge open since 1939. 100 Martinis menu, live jazz, and 360-degree views from the top of the Mark Hopkins.

Mission dive bar with DJs, live bands, bingo, burlesque, and a photo booth. Punk and garage music programming, cheap drinks, sticky floors.

Lower Haight beer dive since 1987 with 50 taps of rare Belgian, German, and West Coast craft. Cash only. Bartenders don’t suffer indecision.