Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Nightlife
A to Z
Bars
Balboa Café
COW HOLLOW Filled
with affluent 30- and 40-somethings
from the neighborhood, this preppie
bar with an old-time flair is an SF
institution.
3199 Fillmore St. (at
Greenwich St.)
y
415/921-3944.
www.plumpjack.com. Bus: 22, 30.
Map p 119.
★
Blur
TENDERLOIN Hidden away
amongst the grittier Tenderloin bars
is this sleek candlelit lounge serving
up excellent cocktails and yummy
sushi rolls.
1121 Polk St.(between
Post & Sutter sts.)
y
415/567-1918.
Bus: 2, 3, 4, 19. Map p 119.
★
The Buena Vista Café
COW HOLLOW Despite popular
belief, the Buena Vista didn't
invent Irish coffee, but it has served
more of them than any other bar
in the world. It's an SF tradition.
2765
Hyde St. (at Beach St.)
y
415/474-
5044. www.thebuenavista.com. Bus:
10, 30. Cable car: Powell-Hyde. Map
p 119.
500 Club
MISSION
(p 128 for
review). Map p 128.
★
Hemlock
TENDERLOIN Tat-
tooed bartenders and a laid-back
vibe, plus local and national bands
playing every night in the back room
(a separate, small cover charge
applies), make for a popular place on
weekend evenings.
1131 Polk St. (at
Hemlock St., between Post & Sutter
sts.)
y
415/923-0923. Bus: 2, 3, 4,
19. Map p 119.
★★
Laszlo
MISSION This indus-
trial-chic bar next to the hip Foreign
Cinema restaurant (p 105) serves up
funky cocktails like the “Heat Seeker”:
Absolut Peppar, Cointreau, and lime
juice.
2534 Mission St. (between 21st
& 22nd sts.)
y
415/648-7600. Bus:
14, 49. BART to 24th St. Map p 120.
★
Martuni's
MISSION This styl-
ish piano bar attracts a cool over-30
crowd and makes a mean martini,
including inventive concoctions like a
chocolate martini with Godiva choco-
late liqueur and vodka
. 4 Valencia St.
(at Market St.) 415/241-0205.
martunis.citysearch.com. Bus: 26.
Map p 120.
Perry's
COW HOLLOW Immortal-
ized in Armistead Maupin's
Tales of
the City,
this bar/restaurant serving
classic American fare was once the
hot bar for singles from the surround-
ing posh neighborhoods. It's got
a mellower, old-time feel about it
these days.
1944 Union St. (between
Buchanan & Laguna sts.)
y
415/
922-9022. Bus: 45. Map p 119.
★
Red Room
UNION SQUARE
This crimson hot spot—sultry, sleek,
and very red—serves a mean Cos-
mopolitan.
In the Commodore Hotel.
827 Sutter St. (between Leavenworth
& Jones sts.)
y
415/346-7666. Bus:
2, 3, 4, 27. Map p 119.
The Red Room reflects no other color but
ruby red.
