This North Beach hangout is a choose-your-own-adventure mashup featuring both an Irish bar and an Indian restaurant, serving everything from chaat to biryanis and curries (a huge plus: it’s very vegetarian-friendly). At the pub, play pool or foosball, grab a pint of Guinness, and watch the game.

Named after San Francisco fire chief Dennis Sullivan, who served during the 1906 earthquake and fires, Chief Sullivan’s (aka Sully’s) is on the newer, handsomer side of the bar spectrum. From the team behind the now-closed Eddie Rickenbacker’s and Marina spot Campus, Chief Sullivan’s is also warm and welcoming, with dark wood and stained glass. The kitchen boasts a menu of Irish food like corned beef and soda bread, and beers on tap range from the requisite Guinness to more local ales.

Come for the pints, stay for the Irish nachos (potato wedges sub in for tortilla chips) and the lively bar scene. There’s outdoor seating for when the weather’s nice, or when the St. Patrick’s Day melee spills onto the street.

If there’s one thing this world needs, it’s more piano bars. Johnny Foley’s is the Irish pub with the answer to that need, offering the standard Jameson-swilling crowd upstairs, and a downstairs bar with live piano. Wednesday through Sunday stop by for dueling pianos late into the night, complete with covers of Lady Gaga, Elton John, and more.

Since 1975, this laid-back Clement Street staple has been serving perfect pours of Guinness to locals of all backgrounds. Celtic musicians often play here as well, making it a beacon for Irish ex-pats in the neighborhood.

The lively atmosphere and occasional live band are part of the draw this SoMa bar. Lunch and dinner menus include tacos, nachos, and even a plant-based burger, but the best bet is its Irish fare like the classic Irish breakfast of fried eggs, sausage, rashers, black and white pudding, grilled tomato, baked beans, chips, and soda bread.

Built in 1893, this is the oldest bar in the Sunset and one of the oldest in the city. With its collection of board games, darts, backgammon tables, mystery novels, couches, and Tiffany lamps, the Shamrock is a particularly good bar for whiling away a foggy afternoon with friends, and its abundance of TV screens make it a popular spot to watch the game.

No food is served at this Inner Sunset bar, but they do have a barrel-aged cocktail program, and a large selection of whiskies. Like any good Irish bar, there’s plenty of entertainment, from trivia to karaoke and DJ nights.

If you’re looking for a place with a more modern Irish bar vibe, Casements in the Mission is where to find it. Rather than decor that’s dripping in shamrocks, its Ireland-ness comes through in other ways — Casements pours a large selection of Ireland-based whiskeys and gins, for instance, and the cocktail menu mixes both Irish and local (or woman-led) brands into its drinks; the food menu is also not something to pass up, from the Spice Bag, Casements own style of spicy fries, to heartier items like the beef and Guinness stew, made with Niman Ranch beef.

An excellent place to create a hangover, or cure it the next day with brunch, Napper Tandy has a proper selection of Irish delicacies like corned beef quesadillas, Guinness beef stew, and shepherd’s pie.

Residents of Noe Valley, a small village within the larger city of San Francisco, have gathered at the Dubliner for more than 25 years, and it shows. Afternoons are for regulars, who all seem to know one another, but bartenders are friendly to all comers.

It’s not straight-up Irish, but Parkside Tavern occupies a historically Irish corner of San Francisco and does it proud with some of the city’s best prepared bangers and mash, cottage pie, and well-poured Guinness. Chef/owner Larry Doyle did write a book on Irish pub cooking, after all: Don’t miss his desserts like banana-soda bread and butter pudding with Bailey’s Irish Cream sauce.