While San Francisco summers might not offer the warm weather and vacation vibes that people look forward to during those middle-of-the-year months, the city’s restaurants and bars are finding ways to make up for the lack of sun in the city with some delectable happy hour deals! Transport yourself away from the city’s June gloom and the woes of work, take a load off and indulge in some tasty treats and delicious drinks all summer long. Here are the best summer happy hours in SF.
Feature image by Rohan Ugale, courtesy of Il Parco.
28 Fremont Street, Financial District
415.757.0781
BARcha Bites is Barcha’s aptly named happy hour menu starring snackables like $7 crispy potatoes with harissa sauce and garlic yogurt, $10 chicken and speck ham croquettes and a $14 whipped goat cheese spread drizzled with confit garlic, honey and aleppo. Enjoy these Mediterranean-inspired dishes with some sips of Barcha’s Spanish sangria or Moroccan mint punch. Regular dinner hours are 5:30 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. Monday through Friday, with happy hour from 3:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. Monday through Thursday.
215 Lincoln Blvd, Presidio Tunnel Tops
415.757.0781
Situated on top of Presidio Tunnel Tops, this new Italian-San Franciscan cafe, pizzeria and bar is open seven days a week for breakfast, lunch, dinner and now a special “Golden Hour” happy hour. Enjoy $5 pizza-of-the-day slices with a glass of wine, a spritz or a cocktail. Created eight years ago in Brooklyn, Il Parco’s sourdough starter is the main ingredient in their scrumptious paninis and pizzas. On top of your slice, you can get classic Northern California ingredients like Cowgirl Creamery’s Mt.Tam cheese, cured meats from Fra’ Mani’s in Berkeley and marinara sauce made from Northern California’s Bianco DiNapoli tomatoes.
2016 Fillmore Sreet, Pacific Heights
hi@littleshucker.com
From the team behind fan-favorite Pacific Heights bar the Snug, Little Shucker is the fresh oyster and seafood bar that’s taken the neighborhood by storm since late last summer. Every Monday through Thursday from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m., diners can savor $2 oysters and drink specials for happy hour. Regular hours are Monday and Tuesday from 3 p.m. to 8:30 p.m., Wednesday and Thursday from 11 a.m. to 8:30 p.m., Friday and Saturday from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 8:30 p.m.
2032 Union Street, Cow Hollow
415.749.9959
Located on Union Street in an 1854 dairy farmhouse (Cow Hollow’s namesake) and behind the second oldest palm tree in San Francisco, Palm House is truly San Francisco’s “staycation destination.” With a happy hour menu of “cal-tropic” dishes full of spice and flavor, Palm House is a vacation spot right in your hometown. Relax and kick your feet up with some sesame chicken wings, and wash it all down with a chipotle mango margarita. Hours are Tuesday through Wednesday from noon to 11 p.m.,Thursday from noon to midnight, Friday from noon to 2 a.m., Saturday from 10:30 a.m. to 2 a.m. Happy hour is Tuesday through Friday from 4–6 p.m.
100 Van Ness Ave, Civic Center
415.796.2531
Just steps away from iconic San Francisco cultural institutions like the War Memorial Opera House and Davies Symphony Hall, The Madrigal offers late-night concertgoers and arts patrons dining and drinks from a reduced price happy hour menu. This cocktail-forward restaurant and bar, part of Hi Neighbor Hospitality Group, has a delicious selection of beverages and bites, like $10 artisan cocktails and glasses of wine, $7 beers and $10 cheeseburgers and dip plates — perfect for a post-show treat. Hours are 5 p.m. to midnight, Tuesday through Saturday, with happy hour every day from 9 p.m. onward.
1 Market Street, Financial District
415.777.5577
Who says happy hour can’t be a full day affair? One Market Restaurant says it can be, offering all-day happy hour prices Monday through Friday. Offering unbeatable drink and food prices like $7 beers, $8 glasses of wine, $9 cocktails and an assortment of farm-to-table nibbles, One Market’s views of the Ferry Building and Bay Bridge create the perfect happy hour scene. Try chickpea fries with harissa oil or miso-marinated mushroom tacos as you sip craft beer from local breweries, like Faction Brewing in Alameda. Hours are Monday through Friday from 11:30 a.m. to 8 p.m.. Be sure to sit at the bar, in the lounge or on the patio to access those special happy hour deals!
1100 Market Street, Civic Center
628.895.2039
Situated on the roof of San Francisco’s Proper Hotel, Charmaine’s Rooftop Lounge now offers a special “7@7” happy hour featuring seven sips starting at 7:00 p.m. Have an Aperol spritz or a glass of wine as you overlook the sunset on Market Street (if you can see it through the fog!) and munch on a variety of snacks like spiced almonds, huitlacoche-stuffed potatoes and pork belly skewers. Regular hours are Monday through Thursday from 5–11 p.m., Friday from 5 p.m. to midnight, Saturday from 4 p.m. to midnight and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. The “7@7” happy hour runs from 7 p.m. to close, Monday through Thursday.
4 Embarcadero Ctr, Promenade Level, Financial District
415.362.0645
If you’re clocking out for the day, be sure to stop at Sens for a post-work pick-me-up. Sample dishes inspired by the Mediterranean, like a spread trio of tzatziki, muhammara and hummus, or something more exotic like Sens’ wood-oven roasted octopus. Sip on a selection of seasonal cocktails, or keep it classic with an espresso martini or a pitcher of sangria. Hours are Monday through Friday 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m.; 3:30–10 p.m.
555 California Street, Financial District
415.508.4675
Another of Hi Neighbor Hospitality Group’s restaurants offers a bustling happy hour, and this one is complete with a rotating schedule of live music. The Vault Steakhouse’s Piano Lounge, located in the iconic original Bank of America vault at 555 California St., has a happy hour menu that is so good it deserves to be locked up in a vault! Pair classic cocktails with playful bites of chile-lime popcorn, caramelized onion dip or beer-battered asparagus as you listen to local musicians like Billy Philadelphia perform. Hours are 4–9 p.m., Tuesday through Saturday, with a daily happy hour from 4–6 p.m.
