Best Neighborhoods in San Francisco for a Pub Crawl
San Francisco is a very unique city. It is a fun city for nightlife, but the type of nightlife is a little different than a lot of other major cities. When I visit Los Angeles, New York, Miami, Las Vegas or event Chicago, you can find a lot more of the high energy, large nightclub nightlife. San Francisco has some great clubs, but it has become much more of a bar scene. Between the large number of bars and the unique personalities of each different neighborhood in SF, it may just be the best city in the nation to do a pub crawl. Especially during Halloween.
As I mentioned, every neighborhood in San Francisco really does have a different personality and different groups of people going to the bars. If you are looking for a great place to set up a bar crawl throughout the year, here are a few of my favorite pub crawl neighborhoods and some of my favorite bars in each area.
San Francisco Pub Crawl Neighborhoods
Polk Gulch and Russian Hill (Polk Street)
Polk Street is one of San Francisco’s easiest places to organize a pub crawl. You can mix sports bars, dance floors, wine bars and cocktail spots while keeping most of the walking on one street. Start around Bush and Sutter for a compact route, or continue north into Russian Hill for a longer evening with a different feel at each stop. This is the main location for San Francisco's popular pub crawl company, CrawlSF, to host their big events throughout the year.
1233 Polk Street
San Francisco, CA 94109
1237 Polk Street
San Francisco, CA 94109
1327 Polk Street
San Francisco, CA 94109
Shanghai Kellys
2064 Polk Street
San Francisco, CA 94109
The Marina and Cow Hollow
The Marina and neighboring Cow Hollow are good picks for a social, party-focused crawl. Union Street provides a useful starting point, with sports bars and tropical cocktails close together, while nearby Lombard Street adds country music and dancing at Westwood. This area suits birthday groups, weekend afternoons that turn into nights out, and anyone who wants a mix of food and drinks along the way. This area is one of the new San Francisco Entertainment Zones, so make sure to keep up to date as it is only activated on specific days. When activated, you can purchase drinks in to go cups and enjoy some cocktails as you cruise through the neighborhood.
If you are looking for the perfect time to do a pub crawl in the Marina, The Fourth of July is highly recommended. You can crawl through the neighborhood and then it is just a short walk to see the San Francisco fireworks.
1979 Union Street
San Francisco, CA 94123
2032 Union Street
San Francisco, CA 94123
2036 Lombard Street
San Francisco, CA 94123
The Castro
The Castro is a great choice for an LGBTQ+ nightlife crawl or anyone who wants to experience a beautiful and historic neighborhood in SF. There are neighborhood taverns, sports bars, drag performances and dancing within a compact area. Market and Castro streets provide an easy route between stops, so you can spend more time inside the bars and less time getting around. Start at Twin Peaks Tavern, then move toward Hi Tops and Beaux as the evening picks up.
401 Castro Street
San Francisco, CA 94114
2247 Market Street
San Francisco, CA 94114
2344 Market Street
San Francisco, CA 94114
Lower Haight
Lower Haight is one of the best choices for a compact, casual pub crawl. Several worthwhile stops sit along just a few blocks of Haight Street, including Toronado for beer, Noc Noc, Danny Coyle’s for sports and Woods Lowside for beer and natural wine. The short distances make it easy to keep a group together without planning a complicated route.
547 Haight Street
San Francisco, CA 94117
557 Haight Street
San Francisco, CA 94117
668 Haight Street
San Francisco, CA 94117
530 Haight Street
San Francisco, CA 94117
Haight-Ashbury (Upper Haight)
Upper Haight is a good fit for a relaxed crawl that combines neighborhood pubs, cocktails and a meal. You can follow Haight Street from Magnolia at Masonic Avenue toward The Alembic, stopping at Mad Dog in the Fog along the way. The Alembic isn't what you normally might consider as a "pub crawl bar", but if you like amazing cocktails, this is one of the best places in SF. It is especially appealing for an afternoon start, with shops and restaurants giving the group plenty to do between stops.
1398 Haight Street
San Francisco, CA 94117
Mad Dog in the Fog
1568 Haight Street
San Francisco, CA 94117
1725 Haight Street
San Francisco, CA 94117
Divisadero (Around Alamo Square and NoPa)
Divisadero is a good choice for a smaller group that wants neighborhood bars, cocktails and music. The stretch around Page, Fell and Hayes streets lets you combine a casual stop at The Page with drinks and food at Horsefeather, followed by music or dancing at Madrone. These bars offer enough variety to make a full evening without needing to travel across the city. It is also where one of my favorite music venues is located, so you could do a crawl and then go to the Independent for a show.
298 Divisadero Street
San Francisco, CA 94117
500 Divisadero Street
San Francisco, CA 94117
528 Divisadero Street
San Francisco, CA 94117
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