The bar at the Clift Hotel (2008) San Francisco's got a lot of bars, mostly located in the Haight, Mission, Tenderloin and North Beach neighborhoods. Some places skate a fine line between bar and cafe or laundromat, among other things.

Many of them serve local beer and wine. Liquor licenses are obtained from the California Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control.

California law prohibits indoor smoking in most establishments (but some bars have found their way around it).

As a gay mecca, there are many gay bars in San Francisco.