Bar Crawl: San Francisco
View 150 Best Bars in America in a larger map
Sometimes it's fun to spend an evening out touring through the best bars that a neighborhood has to offer, other times it's great to hop from 'hood to 'hood. This particular crawl celebrates the latter. Enjoy a boozy stroll through some of the nation's most notable bars, beginning with Specs' Twelve Adler Museum Cafe and finishing the night at Bourbon & Branch.
For Drinking Al Fresco
Where: Specs' Twelve Adler Museum Cafe, 12 Saroyan Place, (415) 421 – 4122
Ease into the evening by knocking back a few beers while enjoying the delightful outdoor patio. Inside, the vibe is old school with dark wood furnishings and a nautical motif.
For Jamming Out to Jukebox Tunes
Where: Tosca Café, 242 Columbus Avenue, (415) 986 – 9651
Don't forget to bring along a stack of quarters for playing your favorite tunes at this jukebox hot spot. Tosca Café is filled with the kind of warm atmosphere and friendly clientele that defines a truly great community bar.
For Sharing Enormous Tiki Drinks
Where: Tonga Room, 950 Mason Street, (415) 772 – 5278
Since 1945, San Franciscans dreaming of the tropics and visitors to the city alike have been escaping to the South Pacific via this appropriately decorated restaurant and tiki bar located in San Francisco's Fairmont Hotel, for mai-tais and more — for instance, the sounds of tropical rainstorms and a Hawaiian band floating on a barge in a pool in the middle of the room.
For Upscale Cocktails
Where: The Redwood Room, 495 Geary Street, (415) 775 – 4700
Located in Ian Schrager's Clift Hotel, this historic red-walled bar has been reinvented as a sophisticated, modern drinking spot — one of the most popular places to dance, see, and be seen in San Francisco.
For Speakeasy Drinks
Where: Bourbon & Branch, 501 Jones Street, (415) 931 – 7929
Bourbon & Branch harkens back to the prohibition era of the 1920s, when only those select few "in the know" could drink the night away in secret. In keeping with the hush-hush nature speakeasies, the owners ask that patrons follow a set of house rules (which includes a strict no cell phone policy).
Click here to view the rest of Bar Crawls: Best Bars in America