Guidebook for San Francisco
Drinks & Nightlife
This tiny hut is family-owned and operated, and it looks like they’ve been adding decorations to the walls every day for the last 60 years.
The Blood and Sand. They have this little 10-inch-long battery-operated bull. They put it on the bar, turn it on, and as the bartender is making the drink, he's screaming, “Toro! Toro!”
123 locals recommend
Tiki Ti
4427 Sunset BlvdThis tiny hut is family-owned and operated, and it looks like they’ve been adding decorations to the walls every day for the last 60 years.
The Blood and Sand. They have this little 10-inch-long battery-operated bull. They put it on the bar, turn it on, and as the bartender is making the drink, he's screaming, “Toro! Toro!”
This is the kind of place where you can be whoever you want. You just go and have a good time. And the cocktails in the back R&D bar are serious. Every bartender develops four to five new cocktails each week, making their own syrups and tinctures and shrubs—whatever they’re inspired by.
They feature live bands Monday-Thursday with retro tunes spun nightly by a resident DJ. On Sundays they have honky-tonk night, where "Country Music Superstar Johnny Travis Jr." performs amazing country covers. He's a hoot; he climbs on the bar, slides down the fire pole, and heckles the crowd.
180 locals recommend
Harvard and Stone
5221 Hollywood BlvdThis is the kind of place where you can be whoever you want. You just go and have a good time. And the cocktails in the back R&D bar are serious. Every bartender develops four to five new cocktails each week, making their own syrups and tinctures and shrubs—whatever they’re inspired by.
They feature live bands Monday-Thursday with retro tunes spun nightly by a resident DJ. On Sundays they have honky-tonk night, where "Country Music Superstar Johnny Travis Jr." performs amazing country covers. He's a hoot; he climbs on the bar, slides down the fire pole, and heckles the crowd.
There are karaoke rooms and a bar, and it's just a cultivator of fun. You’ll be screaming '80s music at the top of your lungs. I promise you'll make memories.
I designed their cocktail menu, and it’s a mood-ring scratch & sniff menu. All the drinks effectively mess with your senses.
94 locals recommend
Break Room 86
630 S Ardmore AveThere are karaoke rooms and a bar, and it's just a cultivator of fun. You’ll be screaming '80s music at the top of your lungs. I promise you'll make memories.
I designed their cocktail menu, and it’s a mood-ring scratch & sniff menu. All the drinks effectively mess with your senses.
This is a tiny mom-and-pop strip club but the dancers don’t get nude. The girls who dance there are mostly professional dancers, contortion artists or jazz dancers, and they're incredibly talented. It's just the most fun you could have at a bikini bar.
Don’t worry about where you sit. It's so small that no matter where you are it's awesome.
56 locals recommend
Jumbo's Clown Room
5153 Hollywood BlvdThis is a tiny mom-and-pop strip club but the dancers don’t get nude. The girls who dance there are mostly professional dancers, contortion artists or jazz dancers, and they're incredibly talented. It's just the most fun you could have at a bikini bar.
Don’t worry about where you sit. It's so small that no matter where you are it's awesome.
This is a bar close by Dodger Stadium that’s great for dancing and drinking after a game. On Sundays they have Super Soul nights which are super fun.
Any refreshing drink that you can sip down between songs or manage to not spill while you are on the dance floor. I love craft cocktails but when it's time to dance, I drink vodka/sodas.
152 locals recommend
Short Stop
1455 Sunset BlvdThis is a bar close by Dodger Stadium that’s great for dancing and drinking after a game. On Sundays they have Super Soul nights which are super fun.
Any refreshing drink that you can sip down between songs or manage to not spill while you are on the dance floor. I love craft cocktails but when it's time to dance, I drink vodka/sodas.
This is one of my favorite places for cocktails on the West side. It has a really good neighborhood vibe, the hospitality is great. It’s the kind of place where you feel like the bartender is your friend the minute you walk in.
The Taco Truck. It's a negroni variation with mezcal, an agave spirit. The bartender takes the campari and infuses it with cinnamon and pineapple. I will dream of this cocktail for the rest of my life.
75 locals recommend
The Corner Door
12477 Washington BlvdThis is one of my favorite places for cocktails on the West side. It has a really good neighborhood vibe, the hospitality is great. It’s the kind of place where you feel like the bartender is your friend the minute you walk in.
The Taco Truck. It's a negroni variation with mezcal, an agave spirit. The bartender takes the campari and infuses it with cinnamon and pineapple. I will dream of this cocktail for the rest of my life.
This is my favorite neighborhood place. They have a really magical, positive energy in addition to great cocktails. The entire front half of the bar has this beautiful light that shines in at the right angle and it just glows during the day. In the evening dim light and candles warm the room, as live string bands play modern & classic songs in the background.
They open at 9am and have an amazing coffee program too. During the day, a bunch of us in the cocktail industry have our meetings here. If you're hungry, you can order one of Eric Greenspan's amazing grilled cheese sandwiches from next door.
88 locals recommend
Melrose Umbrella Co.
7465 Melrose AveThis is my favorite neighborhood place. They have a really magical, positive energy in addition to great cocktails. The entire front half of the bar has this beautiful light that shines in at the right angle and it just glows during the day. In the evening dim light and candles warm the room, as live string bands play modern & classic songs in the background.
They open at 9am and have an amazing coffee program too. During the day, a bunch of us in the cocktail industry have our meetings here. If you're hungry, you can order one of Eric Greenspan's amazing grilled cheese sandwiches from next door.
Food Scene
It's an Italian restaurant and bar; you go in and you're kind of transported. There are no windows, it's completely dark. It feels like it's been there for several decades. There’s something so rad about being in a bar where so many memories have been made.
Whenever I'm at a bar that's been around for 20+ years, I feel obligated to order a classic martini. You should also be sure to order the off-menu pizza with sliced meatballs and jalapeños.
181 locals recommend
Jones Hollywood
7205 Santa Monica BlvdIt's an Italian restaurant and bar; you go in and you're kind of transported. There are no windows, it's completely dark. It feels like it's been there for several decades. There’s something so rad about being in a bar where so many memories have been made.
Whenever I'm at a bar that's been around for 20+ years, I feel obligated to order a classic martini. You should also be sure to order the off-menu pizza with sliced meatballs and jalapeños.
All the way down at the end of Malibu pier, there's this tiny farm-to-fork restaurant that probably seats 10 to 15 people. You can sit on the roof and just look out to the ocean and feel the breeze.
Get a carafe of the red wine strawberry basil sangria and a fresh salad and take it straight to one of the picnic tables on the upper deck.
284 locals recommend
Malibu Farm Pier Cafe
23000 Pacific Coast HwyAll the way down at the end of Malibu pier, there's this tiny farm-to-fork restaurant that probably seats 10 to 15 people. You can sit on the roof and just look out to the ocean and feel the breeze.
Get a carafe of the red wine strawberry basil sangria and a fresh salad and take it straight to one of the picnic tables on the upper deck.
It's enormous and has the kind of vibe where the waiters are all wearing red suit jackets. And a lot of them have been bartending there for 40, 50 years. You're submerged in this culture that's been there for almost a century.
The martini, which they shake. They give you a sidecar, which is the remainder of the martini still in the shaker, on a bed of ice. So you get extra martini with your martini.
198 locals recommend
Musso & Frank Grill
6667 Hollywood BlvdIt's enormous and has the kind of vibe where the waiters are all wearing red suit jackets. And a lot of them have been bartending there for 40, 50 years. You're submerged in this culture that's been there for almost a century.
The martini, which they shake. They give you a sidecar, which is the remainder of the martini still in the shaker, on a bed of ice. So you get extra martini with your martini.