San Francisco Night Out

Bars open Late Night

	Beauty Bar The Beauty Bar really lives up to its name and is a real find. Cleverly, the bar combines two favourite past-times: sip cocktails to die for as you have your nails or hair done. Simply sublime. This is the only Happy Hour in town where you'll look better on the way out than on the way in, darling.
	Bix Voted one of the best bars in America by Playboy and who are we to argue? Hidden down hard-to-find Gold Street its vast ceilings and ornate decor give it a smoky sophistication that's part Great Gatsby, part Cotton Club. A sultry jazz singer in evening gown continues the Charleston-era theme, while food is supper club spectacular. You've been transported into a Scott Fitzgerald short story and martinis are naturally your drink of choice.
	Bliss Happening and, yes, blissful spot in the hitherto social desert of Noe Valley. Regulars are an ultra-stylish mix of locals and interlopers, yet surprisingly unpretentious, perhaps because the eye candy waiters and waitresses insist on bringing their cocktails to the tables rather than make them stand in the crush at the bar. And what fine cocktails! Cosmopolitans are a hit, usually infused with flavoured vodkas, although you might want to look out for their Cucumber Martini made with Hendrick's Scottish Gin, a whisper of dry vermouth, and served chilled with a cucumber garnish. Out of this world! Quirk-wise you will like the DJ who literally spins in the front window, and the little fact that martinis and watermelon Cosmos are $3 until 7pm! (We hope that's still the case when you pop in!)
	Bourbon and Branch Housed in a former speakeasy, San Francisco's Bourbon and Branch successfully replicates the sophisticated ambience of the 1920s without feeling like a theme bar. The name stems from the nostalgic term for bourbon and water, not that you'd ever order anything so basic, not when the range of libations on offer include several top quality hand-numbered bourbons. The bar has no signage and a password (check their website for details) has to be given at the door to gain entry. House rules - no mobile phones, no name dropping and "don't even think of asking for a Cosmo" -" keep things running in a smooth speakeasy style and the book-lined library bar is very much in keeping with the Prohibition era aesthetic
	Bubble Lounge Die and enter champagne heaven as you try to choose from over 300 different labels, some 30 by the glass alone. The sumptuous VIP room - the Krug Room - is an intimate setting where indulgence is accompanied by fine delicacies like oysters and caviar. A light-headed sea of bubbles could lead you anywhere from here.
	Loft 11 Multi-floored lounge club and restaurant where the Pacific-fusion dining seems to have taken a back seat to the see-and-be-seen scene. Not that the food isn't tasty and imaginative: you ever had sake-braised pork ribs or lamb lollipops? Just that the small dining space and narrow banquettes are less appealing than the bar, drinks and music. It's a vast industrial space and it seems to come alive pre-dinner and again late at night, when gyrating style slaves in their slinky best dressed come for the hip beats, potent cocktails and pricey and vodka and champagne bottle service. The VIP room upstairs is not as busy as the length of the VIP list at the door would imply, but it would pay your to get your name on the list for the regular swanky theme parties.
	Fluid Ultra Lounge A computer-controlled neon-lit walkway marks the entrance to Fluid and hi-tech design and décor dominate the rest of the space too. The under-lit main bar changes colour as the night goes on and you half imagine some geek in a hidden glass console pushing buttons to keep the whole thing alight. Thankfully the cocktails are man-made not computer generated and all the better for it. Their Pink Cadillac made from amate tequila, fresh lime juice, grand marnier and cranberry glows brightly under the lights, and the equally-colourful Fluid Martini - a ketel citroen vodka, fresh lemon juice and layered blue curacoa mix - is up with the best and as blue as the eyes of that babe by the bar. Give her a sip.
	Matrix In what was once the Pierce Street Annex this bar has already built up quite a fan club. Quite a large bar it fills quickly and is very swish and well behaved, but if you're going there for the first time don't look for the name - it follows the fashion of having no exterior hints! There's a wonderful fire to get lost in over a long drink, felt walls, well spaced tables and booths and a very good and competently made range of delicious cocktails. A bar for players? Maybe, but maybe more wannabe players too! There's music, but you're not encouraged to get up a head of steam - it's nicer to linger here on an unconventional Sunday night though.
	Suite one8one From the large sunken outdoor patio with its powerful heating lamps and hidden speakers, to the sexy and sultry interior with its fresh flowers, billowing fabric curtains and moody candlelight, this Miami-flavoured spot for the local style set is already the hottest night in town. Bright and colourful wall décor combines well with sleek touches such as leather sofas and Ottomans, and add a sophisticated grown-up feel to the place. The flirty crowd of toned and tanned 30-somethings meanwhile are straight out of central casting. Music played downstairs is mostly hip hop, but 80s pop is spun too - by loyal resident DJs as opposed to guest deck hands. The velvet rope is hard to get past on weekends but that shouldn't stop suite lookers like you.
	The Redwood Room Legendary San Francisco nightclub in the Clift Hotel established back in 1934 but recently undergone a $US50 million makeover from the Ian Schrager-Philippe Starck hotel collaboration. The Rooms have retained their original structure but the old world grandeur has been replaced by Starck's typically high concept modernism: the eye-popping interior is part hunting lodge part hospital operating theatre. Doormen keep the riff raff out while celebrities and socialites sip sweet powerful drinks brought to them by waiflike waitresses in the skimpiest of skimpy outfits. The drinks choice: lychee and lavender martinis are a hit; the Key Lime Tartini with vanilla vodka, butterscotch schnapps and lime is a liquid dessert; and the Honeysuckle made with orange honey and cointreau is a sweet tooth's fantasy. If you need some top nosh to soak it all up, the Asia de Cuba restaurant is in the hotel. Expect to pay for the privileges.
	XYZ Bar Glam cocktail bar for an upscale crowd of Silicon Valley suits, local lawyers and those who love the last letters of the alphabet. Located in the ultra swish W Hotel, it's the second of the hotel's two bars, but with a smarter, more refined crowd than the lobby lounge. Guests enter past a metal-bead curtain and find themselves in a small, dark, carpeted space illuminated by the glow-light bar along the main wall. It shifts between shimmering shades of red, blue and green - a colour we most liked since it perfectly matched the exquisite colour of the great apple martinis we ordered. Seating is in high backed booths or on soft, clam-shaped couches but since the room is small and the place is popular, there's not much chance of you putting your legs up. Downstairs and easily visible is the equally hip XYZ restaurant, but why not make the most of the upstairs crush by introducing yourself to the babe in the black, squeezed close next to you. Just one of the ABCs of XYZ we tell you for free.
	Top of the Mark If you're looking for an excuse to dress up and enjoy an evening on the town in style, then this is the place for you. Top of the Mark is more than just a stylish cocktail lounge. It's a landmark, a San Francisco institution. Soak up an evening of swing or cha-cha-cha whilst sipping exotic cocktails like the Earthquake or the Golden Gate as you watch the sunset and take in the best views in the city.
	Tosca Cafe Treat yourself to a little class in this authentic 40's style cocktail bar with high ceilings and red vinyl booths. As you rub shoulders with a frequently star-studded crowd in one of the city's oldest bars, potent martinis and cosmopolitans are the order of the day. Often doubling as a film set, you may find yourself on the casting couch before the night is through.
	Martuni's The name is a distortion of martini and if you taste a few of their straight-up specials you'll be doing quite a bit of distorting yourself. A popular after-work spot situated between the Castro and Downtown, you enter a large main bar complete with long wood counter where various wise-cracking regulars bounce the banter with the bar staff. The place to be though is through a curtained divider at the back which opens up to reveal a rollicking piano bar space. Broadway tunes and scat specials are tinkled by talented local artists and after a few of their Pineapple-tinis and Dirty Martinis you'll feel no shame in singing along with them. Barman, make mine a martuni!

	Medjool This sprawling bar and restaurant occupies a large two storey building in San Francisco's Mission District. Inside Medjool, is a visual feast, decked out in rich jewel tones, reds, ambers and deep purples. The café side of the operation serves coffees and snacks all day but at night the place really comes into its own. A DJ plays smooth sounds to a room packed with chic urban types sipping cocktails at the cosy bar tables and lounging on the cushion-dotted sofas (or revelling in the superb views from the Sky Terrace). There's a more formal dining area, serving accomplished Mediterranean food, if you fancy something more substantial – but Medjool's atmospheric bar is a destination in its own right.
	Bix Voted one of the best bars in America by Playboy and who are we to argue? Hidden down hard-to-find Gold Street its vast ceilings and ornate decor give it a smoky sophistication that's part Great Gatsby, part Cotton Club. A sultry jazz singer in evening gown continues the Charleston-era theme, while food is supper club spectacular. You've been transported into a Scott Fitzgerald short story and martinis are naturally your drink of choice.
	Bubble Lounge Die and enter champagne heaven as you try to choose from over 300 different labels, some 30 by the glass alone. The sumptuous VIP room - the Krug Room - is an intimate setting where indulgence is accompanied by fine delicacies like oysters and caviar. A light-headed sea of bubbles could lead you anywhere from here.
	Loft 11 Multi-floored lounge club and restaurant where the Pacific-fusion dining seems to have taken a back seat to the see-and-be-seen scene. Not that the food isn't tasty and imaginative: you ever had sake-braised pork ribs or lamb lollipops? Just that the small dining space and narrow banquettes are less appealing than the bar, drinks and music. It's a vast industrial space and it seems to come alive pre-dinner and again late at night, when gyrating style slaves in their slinky best dressed come for the hip beats, potent cocktails and pricey and vodka and champagne bottle service. The VIP room upstairs is not as busy as the length of the VIP list at the door would imply, but it would pay your to get your name on the list for the regular swanky theme parties.
	Top of the Mark If you're looking for an excuse to dress up and enjoy an evening on the town in style, then this is the place for you. Top of the Mark is more than just a stylish cocktail lounge. It's a landmark, a San Francisco institution. Soak up an evening of swing or cha-cha-cha whilst sipping exotic cocktails like the Earthquake or the Golden Gate as you watch the sunset and take in the best views in the city.
	Tosca Cafe Treat yourself to a little class in this authentic 40's style cocktail bar with high ceilings and red vinyl booths. As you rub shoulders with a frequently star-studded crowd in one of the city's oldest bars, potent martinis and cosmopolitans are the order of the day. Often doubling as a film set, you may find yourself on the casting couch before the night is through.
	Ozumo Lounge Sleek, Tokyo-style dining and drinking comes to downtown San Fran with this multi-faceted 6000ft space from Tokyo designers Super Potato Co. Guests walk down a narrow corridor through to a gorgeous restaurant done in a modern Japanese tea garden style, using wood, paper, metal and stone. Diners have space to place their feet under the Japanese tables which should suit our western comforts, while our eastern taste buds can first be tested in the glass-enclosed sake tasting room where up to 30 sakes are available. A 24-seat sushi counter at the back has great views of the San Francisco Bay, but our personal favourite is the Sumo Lounge, where cocktails are perfectly poured by beautiful bar staff and DJs spin chill out tunes until late night. Sushi apart, the food highlight is the Robata grill, an open charcoal fire country grill on which you can select everything from fish to duck to beef for cooking.
	Trader Vic's Trader Vic's, the granddaddy of Tiki bars, first opened in San Francisco the 1950s. It returns to the Bay after a long absence, during which time it appears they called in the decorators. One side of the room is done on a Captain's Table theme; the other has a wall covered with wild orchids. Overseeing everything from the centre of the room is a wooden Tiki standing sturdy as a totem. Tiki drinks are an art form and although Vic's can be pricey, their Mai Tai is always superb, and they do claim to have invented it. Other concoctions from Pina Coladas to Stingers are also not to be missed. To soak up all the rum, you might want to snack on Crab Rangoon or the pork ribs the kitchen prepares.
	Wish Optimistically-named lounge bar on Folsom with more than a touch of San Francisco colour in its clientele. The plush up-market lounge area is lit in a deep red glow and has fine leather couches to recline on that suggest a certain patrician class rather then posiness. Yet the clientele cannot be boxed in either way: a happy mix of suits, gays, straights, clubbers, trendies and down home regulars, who come for the reasonably-priced beers and fine cocktails because service is friendly and spot on. Staff will carry large drinks to your tables and add a little extra shot of rum in your Caiparinha if you tip them well. Happy hour is really happy three hours (5-8pm) and the crowd are as friendly and laid back as the staff. We Wish more bars were like this.
	XYZ Bar Glam cocktail bar for an upscale crowd of Silicon Valley suits, local lawyers and those who love the last letters of the alphabet. Located in the ultra swish W Hotel, it's the second of the hotel's two bars, but with a smarter, more refined crowd than the lobby lounge. Guests enter past a metal-bead curtain and find themselves in a small, dark, carpeted space illuminated by the glow-light bar along the main wall. It shifts between shimmering shades of red, blue and green - a colour we most liked since it perfectly matched the exquisite colour of the great apple martinis we ordered. Seating is in high backed booths or on soft, clam-shaped couches but since the room is small and the place is popular, there's not much chance of you putting your legs up. Downstairs and easily visible is the equally hip XYZ restaurant, but why not make the most of the upstairs crush by introducing yourself to the babe in the black, squeezed close next to you. Just one of the ABCs of XYZ we tell you for free.

	Bubble Lounge Die and enter champagne heaven as you try to choose from over 300 different labels, some 30 by the glass alone. The sumptuous VIP room - the Krug Room - is an intimate setting where indulgence is accompanied by fine delicacies like oysters and caviar. A light-headed sea of bubbles could lead you anywhere from here.
	Fluid Ultra Lounge A computer-controlled neon-lit walkway marks the entrance to Fluid and hi-tech design and décor dominate the rest of the space too. The under-lit main bar changes colour as the night goes on and you half imagine some geek in a hidden glass console pushing buttons to keep the whole thing alight. Thankfully the cocktails are man-made not computer generated and all the better for it. Their Pink Cadillac made from amate tequila, fresh lime juice, grand marnier and cranberry glows brightly under the lights, and the equally-colourful Fluid Martini - a ketel citroen vodka, fresh lemon juice and layered blue curacoa mix - is up with the best and as blue as the eyes of that babe by the bar. Give her a sip.
	Suite one8one From the large sunken outdoor patio with its powerful heating lamps and hidden speakers, to the sexy and sultry interior with its fresh flowers, billowing fabric curtains and moody candlelight, this Miami-flavoured spot for the local style set is already the hottest night in town. Bright and colourful wall décor combines well with sleek touches such as leather sofas and Ottomans, and add a sophisticated grown-up feel to the place. The flirty crowd of toned and tanned 30-somethings meanwhile are straight out of central casting. Music played downstairs is mostly hip hop, but 80s pop is spun too - by loyal resident DJs as opposed to guest deck hands. The velvet rope is hard to get past on weekends but that shouldn't stop suite lookers like you.
	The Redwood Room Legendary San Francisco nightclub in the Clift Hotel established back in 1934 but recently undergone a $US50 million makeover from the Ian Schrager-Philippe Starck hotel collaboration. The Rooms have retained their original structure but the old world grandeur has been replaced by Starck's typically high concept modernism: the eye-popping interior is part hunting lodge part hospital operating theatre. Doormen keep the riff raff out while celebrities and socialites sip sweet powerful drinks brought to them by waiflike waitresses in the skimpiest of skimpy outfits. The drinks choice: lychee and lavender martinis are a hit; the Key Lime Tartini with vanilla vodka, butterscotch schnapps and lime is a liquid dessert; and the Honeysuckle made with orange honey and cointreau is a sweet tooth's fantasy. If you need some top nosh to soak it all up, the Asia de Cuba restaurant is in the hotel. Expect to pay for the privileges.
	XYZ Bar Glam cocktail bar for an upscale crowd of Silicon Valley suits, local lawyers and those who love the last letters of the alphabet. Located in the ultra swish W Hotel, it's the second of the hotel's two bars, but with a smarter, more refined crowd than the lobby lounge. Guests enter past a metal-bead curtain and find themselves in a small, dark, carpeted space illuminated by the glow-light bar along the main wall. It shifts between shimmering shades of red, blue and green - a colour we most liked since it perfectly matched the exquisite colour of the great apple martinis we ordered. Seating is in high backed booths or on soft, clam-shaped couches but since the room is small and the place is popular, there's not much chance of you putting your legs up. Downstairs and easily visible is the equally hip XYZ restaurant, but why not make the most of the upstairs crush by introducing yourself to the babe in the black, squeezed close next to you. Just one of the ABCs of XYZ we tell you for free.
	Anu Strange mish-mash of a spot, part Mexican restaurant, part Irish pub, but just as big on infused vodkas and classic twist cocktails as they are on Guinness and tacos. It's small and cosy, with walls decorated in Mexican art, red lanterns hanging from low ceilings and twinkling lights glittering off beaded curtains. Drinks-wise there's the Guinness, beer and various whisky, but they also do great martinis and twists on classics like Peach Sidecars and of course the ever-present Apple martini and those vodka infusions made with freshly squeezed fruit behind the bar. Drink up!
	Bambuddha This is West coast USA, not exotic South East Asia, but even the Buddha would be blown away by Bambuddha. An extraordinary lounge, restaurant and bar space - complete with swimming pool - it's like finding a private beach on a Thai island that's been built by a team from Wallpaper magazine. Accessed via the courtyard of the Phoenix Hotel, patrons walk past bamboo trees and statues of giant Buddhas into a soft-lit lounge cocktail lounge. Behind a circular wood-bar, staff mix up magnificent concoctions like Guavapolitans and Lychee-tinis and awestruck babes and their boys knock them back like soda pop. The courtyard swimming pool has an outdoor fireplace and private cabanas and the bamboo trees and trickling water fountains add to the image of paradise. The moody, low-lit restaurant meanwhile (separated from the bar area by a genuine patch of live growing grass) offers up such delights as Thai noodles and five-spice duck, all served at dark cherry-wood tables. Eat, up, drink up, and keep a look out for the Buddha on a table near you. He's in here somewhere.

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