A Local's Guide to the Best Cocktails in SF

San Francisco has always been a drinking city. From the Barbary Coast saloons of the 1850s to the craft cocktail renaissance of the 2010s, this city takes its spirits seriously. But with hundreds of bars competing for your attention, finding the truly great ones requires a local's eye. Here's where we drink when we're off the clock.

Whitechapel — The Underground Temple

Descend below the Tenderloin into what feels like a Victorian-era London gin palace. Whitechapel's menu features over 400 gins — yes, four hundred — and their cocktails are elaborate, theatrical, and impeccably balanced. The space itself is worth the visit: soaring brick arches, moody gaslight-style fixtures, and an atmosphere that makes you forget you're underground. Order the Corpse Reviver No. 2 and let the bartender surprise you with a second round.

True Laurel — The Artist's Bar

Nicolas Torres's Mission District gem is where cocktail culture meets fine dining sensibility. The menu changes seasonally, and every drink reads like a poem — yuzu kosho, black sesame, clarified milk punch with Earl Grey. The room is sleek and minimal, the music is perfect, and every seat at the bar feels like front row. If you're bringing a date, this is where you go to impress without trying too hard.

Trick Dog — The Innovator

Trick Dog has reinvented the cocktail menu more times than most bars have changed their light bulbs. Each new menu is a concept piece — designed as a Pantone color chart, a horoscope, a map of the neighborhood. The drinks are consistently excellent, the vibe is buzzy without being obnoxious, and the upstairs loft is one of the best semi-secret spaces in the Mission. Their take on an Old Fashioned is always worth ordering, no matter what theme it's dressed in.

Pacific Cocktail Haven (PCH) — The Quiet Genius

Tucked into a narrow space on Sutter Street, PCH is the bar where bartenders go on their nights off. Kevin Diedrich's Asian-inspired cocktails are inventive without being gimmicky — think shiso, lychee, and togarashi integrated with classical technique. The room is small, the pours are generous, and the vibe is refreshingly unpretentious. If you can only visit one bar on this list, make it this one.

Smuggler's Cove — The Tiki Cathedral

Martin Cate's three-story tiki temple on Gough Street is not just a bar — it's a pilgrimage site. With over 550 rums and a cocktail menu that spans the entire history of exotic drinks, Smuggler's Cove is equal parts museum, library, and party. The space is packed with shipwreck décor, the drinks arrive in vessels that double as art, and the Zombie is strong enough to justify the two-per-person limit. Skip the craft cocktail snobbery and let yourself have fun.

ABV — The Neighborhood Classic

On the corner of 16th and Guerrero, ABV has been a Mission District anchor since 2014. The cocktails are well-executed without being overwrought, the food menu is surprisingly excellent, and the back patio is one of the best al fresco drinking spots in the city. Their whiskey selection is deep, the staff actually remembers your name, and it's the kind of place where you go for one drink and stay for four.

The Interval at Long Now — The Thinker's Bar

Located inside the Long Now Foundation at Fort Mason, The Interval is unlike any bar in America. A towering mechanical prototype of the 10,000-Year Clock occupies one wall. The bookshelves are curated like a private library. The cocktails are precise, the crowd is fascinating, and the view of the Marina is stunning. Come for the drinks, stay for the conversation about deep time and civilization-scale thinking. It's San Francisco at its most intellectually ambitious.

Before or After the Show

If you're attending a performance at San Francisco Magic Theater, you're already in one of the city's best neighborhoods for drinks. Our Moroccan-themed lounge serves craft cocktails and local wines before and after every show, making it easy to turn an evening of wonder into a full night out. Pair it with dinner at one of Union Square's excellent restaurants and you've got a complete San Francisco evening — no Uber required.