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Aunt Charlies Lounge

13 Most-Loved Dive Bars Across San Francisco

Dives are that special egalitarian breed of bar for anyone and everyone

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Every city has its own dive bars — its own flavor of go-to neighborhood joints — but San Francisco has a history of having some of the best. It’s not just about the “grime factor” (“dirty” doesn’t necessarily make it “divey”) or how strong the drinks are (otherwise every bar in the Castro would be categorized as a dive bar). It’s a beloved local spot to get cheap, unfussy drinks that has no interest in being hip or trendy, and, instead, maintains its own unapologetically distinctive vibe.

There are plenty of things that “regular bars” can do to flag as a dive bar. Pool tables and perennial Christmas lights are a good start. Being cash-only will get you close. But real dive bars have something others lack, and it’s not just a dust-free bottle of Fernet behind the counter. It’s an energy and a group of bartenders who probably know your name.

It’s possible you won’t find your favorite on the list, but don’t worry —a real dive bar wouldn’t care if it made its way onto a list or not. Honorable mentions, however, go to The Sycamore (Mission), Specs (North Beach), Zeitgeist (Mission), Li Po Lounge (North Beach) Phone Booth (Mission), Pop’s Bar (Mission), Hockey Haven (Outer Richmond), Kozy Kar (Polk), and Moby Dick’s (Castro). If yours isn’t here, just be thankful your watering hole will be safe from neighboring visitors looking to migrate to a different well.

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Aunt Charlies Lounge

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This is a beautifully bedraggled, dive-y drag bar in the Tenderloin where experienced, mostly queer drinkers gather for the kind of shows that repel bachelorette parties. Aunt Charlies, established 1987, is a downright institution, and one of San Francisco’s few LGBT joints outside of the Castro. Celebrate it in all its gritty glory.

Garrett Schlichte

Happy Lounge

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A hole-in-the-wall gem in the Inner Richmond, this bar serves up three things: booze, billiards, and darts. Despite only having one pool table, you’ll find locals vying for the “title” in weekly tournaments, taking breaks to belly up at the bar for shots and pitchers of beer. (And if you’re lucky, the owner may pull out the hot plate and whip up some frozen potstickers, too.) 

Club Waziema

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Sure, you can sit and order the Ethiopian dishes that are served at all hours of the day, but expect some sideways glances as the night wears on because, for decades, this has been known as the go-to spot on Divisadero for strong, yet cheap drinks, stellar wallpaper choices, shooting pool, and sitting in dimly lit corners to cackle — without having to muscle your way through a crowd of sweaty 20-somethings. Plus, recently dubbed a San Francisco historical landmark, this neighborhood dive in NOPA is (thankfully) here to stay. 

Club Waziema

Molotov's

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While the exterior’s red paint may have gotten a touch-up, and the owners have added succulent-filled planters to flank the Dutch door, don’t let that fool you: this cash-only bar is still one of the truest dives in the city. On any given night, you’ll still be able to find it full of punks waiting to play pinball and Lower Haight locals sipping on PBRs with their dogs in tow.

Noc Noc

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Come early to secure yourself one of the creepy-cozy nooks that make Noc Noc one of the best bars in the Bay Area to pass an hour or nine in. There’s no liquor here, but the excellent beer and sake selection, plus the otherworldly decor, are enough of a trip on their own. 

Zam Zam

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A martini is always a good idea. A martini at a dive bar? Maybe not so much. But Zam Zam, a Haight Street staple with one of the most distinctive bars around (both in the bars actual shape and it’s distincty Haight Street vibe), is an exception to that rule. Once deemed “the Holy Shrine of the Dry Martini,” it very much still lives up to that moniker today. Just make sure you’ve got cash on hand. 

Thee Parkside

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Does the neighborhood make the dive bar, or does the dive bar make the neighborhood? We may never know, but one this is for sure — Thee Parkside feels like a distinctly Portero Hill bar, and that’s a good thing. Go for the tater tots, stay for the live music. 

Thee Parkside

Kilowatt Bar

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If you were to look up a dive bar in the dictionary, Kilowatt might very well be pictured. Though it opened as a punk music venue, it’s since replaced its stage with darts and pool tables. However! Music’s been making its way back under new ownership. See? You can teach old bars new tricks (that they already knew once). 

Kilowatt Bar

The pool table, the jukebox, and the bar are all cash-only, so prepare for a trip to this local queer bar like you would a drag show — bring lots of ones and get ready to have one hell of a time. At nearly forty years old, Uptown is proof that really good things can last forever (we hope). 

The 500 Club

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What else can be said about 500 Club’s inclusion on this list other than: obviously. Not many dive bars are known for their freshly squeezed juice or bloody marys, but then again, not many dive bars are the 500 Club. 

Horsies Saloon

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Most people walk right past this tiny bar on 19th Street without knowing it’s even there. But if you’re lucky enough to snag one of the few spots at the bar, you’re in for a treat. The drinks are simple enough — wine, beer, and vermouth cocktails — but the horse-themed decor is scattered everywhere throughout the bar, from tiny trinkets on shelves to wall art to make you feel like you’re at your imaginary grandmother’s house. 

Lone Palm

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People who say that dives have to be dirty, sticky, and covered in ironic stickers clearly have never been to Lone Palm. At this neighborhood favorite, small votive candles sit atop the white tablecloths in this 1970s-esque Miami-meets-art-deco space. Come for a beer, a martini or a Jello-O shot — they do it all.   

The Royal Cuckoo

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Not to be mistaken with Royal Cuckoo Market in the Mission, this is “church” for dive bar-heads in Bernal Heights. Find a spot one of the many church pews in this dimly lit (read: very, very dark) space. While your eyes adjust, sip on boozy drinks and mid-tier beers and listen to the vinyl that’s always spinning in the corner — or just admire the taxidermy-adorned walls. 

Garrett Schlichte

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Aunt Charlies Lounge

This is a beautifully bedraggled, dive-y drag bar in the Tenderloin where experienced, mostly queer drinkers gather for the kind of shows that repel bachelorette parties. Aunt Charlies, established 1987, is a downright institution, and one of San Francisco’s few LGBT joints outside of the Castro. Celebrate it in all its gritty glory.

Garrett Schlichte

Happy Lounge

A hole-in-the-wall gem in the Inner Richmond, this bar serves up three things: booze, billiards, and darts. Despite only having one pool table, you’ll find locals vying for the “title” in weekly tournaments, taking breaks to belly up at the bar for shots and pitchers of beer. (And if you’re lucky, the owner may pull out the hot plate and whip up some frozen potstickers, too.) 

Club Waziema

Sure, you can sit and order the Ethiopian dishes that are served at all hours of the day, but expect some sideways glances as the night wears on because, for decades, this has been known as the go-to spot on Divisadero for strong, yet cheap drinks, stellar wallpaper choices, shooting pool, and sitting in dimly lit corners to cackle — without having to muscle your way through a crowd of sweaty 20-somethings. Plus, recently dubbed a San Francisco historical landmark, this neighborhood dive in NOPA is (thankfully) here to stay. 

Club Waziema

Molotov's

While the exterior’s red paint may have gotten a touch-up, and the owners have added succulent-filled planters to flank the Dutch door, don’t let that fool you: this cash-only bar is still one of the truest dives in the city. On any given night, you’ll still be able to find it full of punks waiting to play pinball and Lower Haight locals sipping on PBRs with their dogs in tow.

Noc Noc

Come early to secure yourself one of the creepy-cozy nooks that make Noc Noc one of the best bars in the Bay Area to pass an hour or nine in. There’s no liquor here, but the excellent beer and sake selection, plus the otherworldly decor, are enough of a trip on their own. 

Zam Zam

A martini is always a good idea. A martini at a dive bar? Maybe not so much. But Zam Zam, a Haight Street staple with one of the most distinctive bars around (both in the bars actual shape and it’s distincty Haight Street vibe), is an exception to that rule. Once deemed “the Holy Shrine of the Dry Martini,” it very much still lives up to that moniker today. Just make sure you’ve got cash on hand. 

Thee Parkside

Does the neighborhood make the dive bar, or does the dive bar make the neighborhood? We may never know, but one this is for sure — Thee Parkside feels like a distinctly Portero Hill bar, and that’s a good thing. Go for the tater tots, stay for the live music. 

Thee Parkside

Kilowatt Bar

If you were to look up a dive bar in the dictionary, Kilowatt might very well be pictured. Though it opened as a punk music venue, it’s since replaced its stage with darts and pool tables. However! Music’s been making its way back under new ownership. See? You can teach old bars new tricks (that they already knew once). 

Kilowatt Bar

Uptown

The pool table, the jukebox, and the bar are all cash-only, so prepare for a trip to this local queer bar like you would a drag show — bring lots of ones and get ready to have one hell of a time. At nearly forty years old, Uptown is proof that really good things can last forever (we hope). 

The 500 Club

What else can be said about 500 Club’s inclusion on this list other than: obviously. Not many dive bars are known for their freshly squeezed juice or bloody marys, but then again, not many dive bars are the 500 Club. 

Horsies Saloon

Most people walk right past this tiny bar on 19th Street without knowing it’s even there. But if you’re lucky enough to snag one of the few spots at the bar, you’re in for a treat. The drinks are simple enough — wine, beer, and vermouth cocktails — but the horse-themed decor is scattered everywhere throughout the bar, from tiny trinkets on shelves to wall art to make you feel like you’re at your imaginary grandmother’s house. 

Lone Palm

People who say that dives have to be dirty, sticky, and covered in ironic stickers clearly have never been to Lone Palm. At this neighborhood favorite, small votive candles sit atop the white tablecloths in this 1970s-esque Miami-meets-art-deco space. Come for a beer, a martini or a Jello-O shot — they do it all.   

The Royal Cuckoo

Not to be mistaken with Royal Cuckoo Market in the Mission, this is “church” for dive bar-heads in Bernal Heights. Find a spot one of the many church pews in this dimly lit (read: very, very dark) space. While your eyes adjust, sip on boozy drinks and mid-tier beers and listen to the vinyl that’s always spinning in the corner — or just admire the taxidermy-adorned walls. 

Garrett Schlichte

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