At this Inner Sunset gathering spot, the team brews its own beer and has a well-curated selection of guest taps, but Social Kitchen isn’t just a beer bar. The high-ceilinged neighborhood restaurant also offers cocktails and wine, as well as burgers, entrees, and snacks like truffle mac & cheese and blistered shishitos. Sit at the long, curved bar to be part of the action, or grab a seat on the balcony for a little more privacy. And if things are going well, Social Kitchen’s proximity to other bars like The Little Shamrock make it an ideal home base for bar-hopping.

It’s not just that we’ll take any excuse to come here and eat their fabulous, oozy breakfast sandwiches. It’s also that this bakery on Noriega has a parklet outside where you can perch, people-watch, and get to know another human over Bicycle coffee and baked goods like beignets and kale-parmesan scones. And if the parklet is busy (or even if it isn’t), the beach and its romantic walk potential is a mere three blocks away.

Here’s where you can gauge the adventurous spirit of your date: with a meal in the converted garage of this Outer Sunset staple. Toyose is a popular late-night stop, but it’s also open for dinner every day, and the tucked-away feel and semi-private booths foster a feeling of intimacy. Since this is Korean bar food, anything fried is a good bet — chicken wings, kimchi fried rice, and seafood pancake are favorites — but there’s also a lengthy menu of noodles, hot pot, grilled proteins, and soju drinks.

Beach Chalet, on the second floor of the Golden Gate Park Visitor’s Center on the Great Highway, is member of a very small club of SF restaurants where you can eat dinner while watching the sun set over the Pacific Ocean. Make reservations accordingly. You can splurge on classics like raw oysters, Maine lobster, or New York steak, or stick to basics like burgers and fish and chips. Wash it all down with one of the restaurant’s house brews or a selection from the full bar.

There are perennial crowds waiting outside Outerlands for a seat at brunch and dinner, but we like to sneak in during the off-hours, which is why we recommend playing hooky from work and dropping in for a weekday breakfast or lunch date. Mornings bring pastry chef Brooke Mosley’s famous toast and other variations of eggs on bready things (a venerable category), while lunch offers a gooey grilled cheese, brisket sandwich and a few soups and salads; either way, you feel like you’re getting away with something. Walk it off after at Ocean Beach, just a few blocks away.

Yancy’s is a big, lively Irish bar. Which means that any sort of scene can be absorbed, because there’s always enough going on to distract from whatever’s happening at your table. The bar also has many beers on tap, several TV screens to fix your attention on if things get too awkward, and a few dart boards in back in case either of you need to take out some aggression.