San Francisco Gay Bars

San Francisco has a reputation for being a gay destination. Whether you are coming from near or far, regardless of your interests and inclinations, there is likely to be a gay bar in San Francisco for you. Probably you'll find more than one gay bar in San Francisco where you'll feel comfortable, where you'll want to hang out and meet some local San Franciscans. The following list is meant as a brief introduction to the gay bars in San Francisco and the neighborhoods where they reside.

Castro

Not surprisingly, the Castro has the largest concentration of gay bars in San Francisco, making it a perfect opportunity for bar hopping. The wide variety, from video to dance to neighborhood bars, make the Castro a perfect place to explore San Francisco gay nightlife.

440 Castro

440 Castro St (at 18th St.), San Francisco, CA; www.daddysbar.com.
Formerly Daddy's, the renaming to 440 Castro hasn't changed the clientele. Mostly men in their 30s and 40s pack this Castro neighborhood favorite located across the street from the historic Castro Theatre.

Badlands

4121 18th St. (at Castro), San Francisco, CA; www.badlands-sf.com.
Arguably the Castro's best dance bar, you'll often find a line on weekends, but dancing every night. Mostly men in their 20s and 30s come here to dance, enjoy the videos, and do what gay boys do best.

Bar (on Castro)

456 Castro St (at 18th), San Francisco, CA; www.thebarsf.com.
This Castro lounge/dance bar has a cramped dance floor and often gets too crowded to really dance, but the crowd is usually in their 20s often accompanied by their female friends. A small front patio offers a good location to have a cigarette and watch the boys stroll down Castro Street.

The Cafe

2367 Market St (at Castro), San Francisco, CA; www.cafesf.com.
A great dance bar that attracts a young (20s and 30s) very mixed crowd (boys and girls), the Cafe has a large dance floor and is packed on weekends.

Edge

4149 18th St. (at Castro), San Francisco, CA; www.edgesf.com
This leather bar is a community favorite with a mostly 40s crowd.

Harvey's

500 Castro St. (at 18th St.), San Francisco, CA; www.harveyssf.com
Harvey's is a bar/restaurant that is a perfect place to meet your friends and enjoy a burger. Harvey's hosts drag shows every second and fourth Saturdays and a variety of other performances, including comedy and jazz on some week nights.

Jet

2348 Market St. (at Castro), San Francisco, CA
This small bar with a black leather interior has a hip-hop vibe and has a 20s something crowd.

Look Out Bar

3600 16th St. (at Market/Noe), San Francisco CA
In the space formerly occupied by Metro City Bar (which relocated down Market Street), the Look Out is a great spot to perch on the balcony on a nice day and watch people on Market Street below.

Lime

2247 Market St. (at Noe), San Francisco, CA; www.lime-sf.com
Lime is a Trendy bar/restaurant that looks as if it stepped out of an Austin Power's movie. The front lounge area is a fun place to hang, and the restaurant, which features small plates, is packed during for weekend brunch.

Martuni's

4 Valencia St. (at Market), San Francisco CA; martunis.ypguides.net
Martuni's is the sophisticated piano bar in San Francisco. It features fun and fabulous Martini-style cocktails and a grand piano in the back room attracts local vocalists with show-tunes flair.

Men's Room

3988 18th St. (at Noe), San Francisco, CA
A truly neighborhood gay bar in San Francisco, the Men's Room has a small, but regular clientele and friendly bar tenders.

Metro City Bar

2124 Market St. (at Church), San Francisco, CA
Metro City Bar recently moved to its current location. It has a low key crowd of mostly men in their 30s and 40s.

Midnight Sun

4067 18th St. (at Castro), San Francisco, CA; www.midnightsunsf.com
Best known for its funny, camp, kitsch, and music videos, Midnight Sun is a small space often crammed with its 30s male crowd. Monday nights is two for one drink night.

Mint

1942 Market (at Duboce), San Francisco CA; www.themint.net
The Mint (named for the San Francisco Mint dominating the hill behind the bar) is the only place in San Francisco for gay Karaoke. The crowd is fun and mixed (boys and girls).

Mix

4086 18th St. (at Castro), San Francisco, CA; www.sfmixbar.com
A dark front bar with a pool table opens up to a fab patio area in the back, which makes this bar a popular spot for smokers.

Moby Dick

4049 18th St. (at Hartford), San Francisco, CA; www.mobydicksf.com
A very friendly bar with mostly men in their 30s crowd, Moby's has been enjoying a resurgence in popularity, making it quite crowded and fun on the weekends.

Pilsner Inn

225 Church St (at Market), San Francisco CA; www.pilsnerinn.com
The Pilsner has a pub-like atmosphere with a pool table, darts, pin ball machines, a large selection of beers, and a great patio area. The crowd is low key, mostly men in their 30s.

The Transfer

198 Church St. (at 14th St.), San Francisco, CA
Best known for its Saturday Frisco Disco night, this bar can be a little sketchy, so it's not for the feint of heart.

Twin Peaks

401 Castro Street (at Market), San Francisco CA; www.twinpeakstavern.com
The long-established Twin Peaks is an icon in San Francisco gay bar history. It bartenders and crowd may regale you with bar tales stretching back to the 1970s. Crowd is usually 50s and older, but a fun bar in which to be introduced to the history of the Castro.

South of Market (SOMA)

South of Market is the San Francisco neighborhood for several gay leather and cruise bars. The EndUp is an after hours destination for those who want to continue dancing after other bars are closed.

Eagle Tavern

398 12th St. (at Harrison), San Francisco CA; www.sfeagle.com
A leather classic, the Eagle is packed on Sunday afternoon's for beer bust. It has a large patio area with an outdoor bar. If you attend Folsom Street fair, quench your afternoon thirst with a beer at the Eagle.

EndUp

401 6th St. (at Harrison), San Francisco CA; www.theendup.com
As its name suggests, the Endup is often the last stop for gay clubbing in San Francisco. Fridays are the best night of the week for dancing gay boys and partiers.

Hole in the Wall

289 8th St., San Francisco, CA; www.holeinthewallsaloon.com
A leather/biker bar with a rougher crowd for cruising, the Hole is true to its name with mostly men in their 30s and 40s.

Lone Star Saloon

1354 Harrison St., San Francisco, CA; www.lonestarsaloon.com
Billing itself as the world's first bear bar, the Lone Star has a patio area that attracts a leather daddy crowd.

Powerhouse

1357 Folsom St., San Francisco, CA; www.powerhouse-sf.com
A very cruisy leather bar with a back room and a patio, the Powerhouse is a leather bar for those looking for some action.

The Stud

399 Ninth St. (at Harrison), San Francisco CA; www.studsf.com
The Stud is a fun queer bar with theme nights that include Trannyshack Tuesdays and Planet Big (for big men and their admirers) on the Second and Fourth Fridays.

Polk Street

Once the center of gay nightlife in San Francisco, Polk Street's gayness has been waning in recent years. But, it still retains some unique gay bars, including San Francisco's only western gay bar and an bar with Asian go-go boys.

The Cinch

1723 Polk St. (at Clay), San Francisco, CA; www.thecinch.com
This western bar is complete with saloon doors. Also, don't miss the refrigerator door entrance to the men's room, hilarious. The Cinch is frequented by a friendly 30s something mixed crowd.

Deco Lounge

510 Larkin St. (at Turk), San Francisco, CA; www.decosf.com
Deco Lounge features a variety of theme nights.

Diva's

1081 Post St., San Francisco, CA
Diva's drag, dance bar and nightclub is transgender friendly. It has a $10 cover, which is kind of steep for the neighborhood.

Gangway

841 Larkin St (at Geary), San Francisco, CA
This sketchy dive bar offers cheap drinks and enables one to connect with the seedy neighborhood.

Kimo's

1351 Polk (at Pine), San Francisco, CA
Another dirty dive bar with older clientele and a reputation for being a gay hustler bar.

N'Touch

1548 Polk (at Sacramento), San Francisco, CA; www.ntouchsf.com
Asian go-go boys and a cover on weekends make this bar a hang out for mostly Asian men (and their admirers).

The Mission

Though the Mission is not a particularly gay neighborhood for San Francisco, it does have a smackling of gay bars to cater to its gay residents, including Esta Noche, a latino gay bar. It is also the neighborhood of the Lexington, a center for lesbian bar life.

Esta Noche

3079 16th St., San Francisco, CA
Latino's meet drag queens at San Francisco's latin gay bar. Esta Noche is located in a sketchy neighborhood so come with friends or go on a Sunday afternoon if it's your first time there.

The Lexington Club

3464 19th St. (at Lexington), San Francisco, CA; www.lexingtonclub.com
A lesbian beer bar on a quiet street in the Mission, the crowd is mostly women in their 20s and 30s.

Truck

1900 Folsom St., San Francisco, CA; www.trucksf.com
Truck is located between SOMA and the Mission. It's a small neighborhood bar with a pool table and not-great bar food (think burgers and garlic fries). Still it has garnered a consistent following since it opened.

Other Neighborhoods

San Francisco has been experience a demise in the "neighborhood" gay bar. There used to be gay bars in most neighborhoods of the city, including Pacific Heights. Many of these bars have been unable to stay open and gay nightlife is mostly concentrated in the Castro, SOMA, and Polk Street. However, the following gay bars are still worth a look. Marlena's is particularly great.

San Francisco Gay Bars List

San Francisco Gay Bars

The Mission