San Francisco - Alison Bing [143]
Psst…can you keep a secret? Speakeasies, those Prohibition-era underground gin joints, still exist in SF. We’re not telling how, but once you’ve found the phone number or website for Bourbon & Branch, you can make a reservation to get the location (an unmarked door in the Tenderloin) and password for entry. Inside, studded leather banquettes, mirrored oak tables, and red velvet walls evoke the roaring 1920s, and the original speakeasy basement – complete with bullet holes and secret escape routes – and room hidden behind the fake bookcase are perfect for private parties. Don’t tell anyone.
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RUSSIAN & NOB HILLS
BIGFOOT LODGE Map Bar
415-440-2355; www.bigfootlodge.com; 1750 Polk St; 3pm-2am; 1, 19; California
Log-cabin walls, antler chandeliers, taxidermy animals everywhere you look – you’d swear you were at a state-park visitors center, but for all the giggly-drunk 20-somethings. If you’re looking for your gay boyfriend, he’s wandered across the street to the Cinch.
TONGA ROOM Map Bar
415-772-5278; www.fairmont.com; lower level, Fairmont Hotel, 950 Mason St; 6-11:45pm Sun-Thu, to 12:45am Fri & Sat; 1, 27; California
Tonight’s San Francisco weather: 100% chance of tropical rainstorms every 20 minutes, but only around the top-40 band playing on the island in the middle of the indoor pool – you’re safe in your grass hut. For a more powerful hurricane, order one in a plastic coconut. Note: at this writing, the future of the city’s most famous tiki bar was uncertain; call ahead.
TOP OF THE MARK Map Bar
415-616-6916; www.topofthemark.com; 999 California St; cover $5-10; 5pm-midnight Sun-Thu, 4pm-1am Fri & Sat; California
So what if it’s touristy? Nothing beats twirling in the clouds to a full jazz orchestra in your best cocktail dress on the city’s highest dance floor. Check the online calendar to ensure a band is playing the night you’re coming. Expect $15 drinks.
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JAPANTOWN & PACIFIC HEIGHTS
BUTTERFLY BAR Map Bar
415-441-1280; www.cafemajesticsf.com; 1500 Sutter St; 5-11pm, sometimes later weekends; 2, 3, 4
The Hotel Majestic’s intimate 20-seat lounge resembles an elegant library bar in an English manor house, with a gorgeous collection of rare butterflies adorning the walls. Great martinis. Bring a date.
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top picks
DATE NIGHT
Top of the Mark (opposite)
Hôtel Biron
Lush Lounge
Butterfly Bar (opposite)
Dosa (below)
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DOSA Map Bar
415-441-3672; http://dosasf.com; 1700 Fillmore St; 5:30pm-midnight; 2, 3, 4, 22, 38
Baubled glittering chandeliers hang from high ceilings at Dosa, an otherwise overpriced Indian restaurant with a happening bar scene of sexy, non-snooty locals. It’s a good spot for snazzy cocktails, but if you’re wearing dumpy clothes, you’ll feel out of place.
HARRY’S BAR Map Bar
415-921-1000; 2020 Fillmore St; 11:30am-2am Mon-Fri, 10am-2am Sat & Sun; 1, 2
Cap off your upper Fillmore St shopping raid at Harry’s mahogany bar with kick-ass Bloody Marys (made properly with horseradish) or freshly muddled mojitos. A Pac-Heights mainstay, Harry’s appeals largely to aging debutantes who love getting politely hammered.
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THE MARINA & THE PRESIDIO
BUS STOP Map Bar
415-567-6905; 1901 Union St; 10am-2am; 45
Bus Stop has 18 flickering TV screens and a manly crowd that roars when their team scores. If your girlfriend wants to shop, but you must watch the game, wait here as she trawls through surrounding Union St boutiques.
CALIFORNIA WINE MERCHANT Map Bar
415-567-0646; www.californiawinemerchant.com; 2113 Chestnut St; 10am-midnight Mon-Wed, 10am-1:30am Thu-Sat, 11am-11pm Sun; 30
Part wine store, part wine bar, this little shop on busy Chestnut St caters to grey-at-the-temples professionals and neighborhood wine aficionados, and serves half-glasses as well as flights. Arrive early to score a table, or stand and gab with the locals.
MATRIXFILLMORE Map Bar
415-563-4180; www.matrixfillmore.com; 3138 Fillmore St; 6pm-2am; 22, 45
The neighborhood’s most notorious up-market