Live Music Bar | SFGuide

Amnesia

Live-music bar on Valencia Street. About 100 capacity. Bands and DJs most nights, cover under $15.

Sheba Piano Lounge on Fillmore Street is a vintage space where the piano anchors the room and the lighting is soft enough to let voices carry. The programming focuses on jazz and R&B, with performers who understand how to work an intimate crowd. The wood bar and dim corners create the kind of atmosphere where … Read more

Rickshaw Stop

Rickshaw Stop near the Panhandle is a concert venue where you can actually see and hear the performer from anywhere in the room. The converted garage space has been fitted with professional sound and lighting, and the booking is thoughtful about bringing in artists who fit the room. The energy here is focused on the … Read more

Old Skool Cafe

Bayview nonprofit supper club where formerly incarcerated youth run the kitchen and floor. Live jazz Fridays and Saturdays.

O’Reilly’s Pub

O’Reilly’s Pub on Haight Street is a neighborhood bar where live music is secondary to the bar experience but when it happens, it matters. The crowd is genuinely local, the drinks are honest pours, and the stage area is small enough that musicians feel the room’s attention. It’s the kind of place where a good … Read more

Neck of the Woods

Two-stage live music bar on Clement Street in the Inner Richmond. About 200 capacity upstairs. Indie, country, soul, comedy.

Mr. Tipple’s Jazz Club

Mr. Tipple’s Jazz Club near Civic Center is an old school jazz joint with dark wood, low lighting, and a bartender who’s been pouring drinks for decades. The stage is small but the sound quality is tight, and the crowd knows what they’re listening for. It’s the kind of place where you sit down, order … Read more

Make-Out Room

Make-Out Room in the Mission is a small bar where the stage sits literally in the middle of the room and the audience surrounds the musicians. The intimacy forces a connection between band and crowd that bigger venues can’t replicate, and the vibe shifts from cozy to chaotic depending on who’s playing. It’s the room … Read more

Madrone Art Bar

Divisadero and Fell art bar with DJs most nights. About 100 capacity. The Prince Tribute first Saturdays is the long-running draw.

The Lucky Horseshoe

The Lucky Horseshoe on Cortland Avenue is a dive bar where the jukebox actually gets played and live music happens almost by accident in the best way. The crowd is neighborhood locals, the bartenders know everyone’s name, and the energy shifts from quiet to packed depending on what’s happening on stage. It’s authentically Bernal Heights.