For most of the year, the climate is San Francisco is relatively cool. This means that there aren’t very many outdoor bars. This also means that when it is sunny and warm—as it was earlier this week!—the few outdoor bars that exist are jam-packed, which can make for a super festive afternoon. Although the fog has rolled back into town, the next time the temp rises above 70°F, you’ll find us imbibing at one of the following places.
Haute Top 5: Outdoor Bars in San Francisco 2017
1 Americano
A location on the corner of Mission and the Embarcadero makes Americano, at the Hotel Vitale, a great happy hour choice to many professionals in the financial district and SOMA. On hot days, it’s happening! It can be a bit meat market-ish, but in the best kind of way—the people watching is fantastic. The food and drinks aren’t bad either. The communal tables and lounge area make it an ideal spot for a group. Just be sure to come early to scope out a prime spot.
2 Dirty Habit
The outdoor patio at Dirty Habit is one of the sexiest spaces in the city. It’s an enclosed patio, so it’s not windy and there are couches, low tables, and fire elements. The drinks list is extensive and features everything from boilermakers (shot and beer pairings) to punch bowls to barrel-aged stirred drinks to seasonal cocktails. With four different types of rose by the glass and four or eight ounce pours, the wine list is good, too. Hungry? There are plenty of sharable upscale bites to choose from: blistered shishito peppers, house made charcuterie, chicken wings, crab dumplings, and more.
3 El Techo
El Techo is one of San Francisco’s only rooftop bars making it one of the hottest places in the city when the weather is nice. It’s located on top of Lolinda in the Mission and has a lovely view of the city. The cuisine is Latin American street food—think beef empanadas, pork quesadillas, and chorizo skewers. The cocktails mimic this theme with an assortment of tequila and rum offerings like margaritas, palomas, and piña coladas. There’s also sangria and pitchers of margs. Happy hour is Monday through Friday from 4 to 6 p.m. and involves $4 beers, a $13 blanco tequila flight, and $18 sangria pitchers.
4 Biergarten
Biergarten is an informal Bavarian-style beer garden in Hayes Valley. On sunny weekends, the line to get beer can be long, but if you don’t have to be anywhere and you’ve scored a picnic table, it’s worth the wait. The beer selection changes often and the pours are from some of the oldest and most respected breweries in the world. There is a food menu of hearty snacks that pair perfectly with beer. Enjoy pretzels, pickles, sausages, sliders, and potato salad. Note that Biergarten only offers one white and red wine, so if you’re in the mood for vino, you should probably go someplace else.
5 Anina
Anina is a new Hayes Valley hot spot from the team behind the beloved bar Brass Tacks. While the other places on this list serve food, Anina is drinks only. There are cocktails, punch bowls, aperitvos, spritzes, and interesting beer and wine lists. The indoor space at the bar is small, but the back patio is large and filled with wooden picnic tables. Edison bulb lights and a turquoise wall provide an eclectic atmosphere.
