The Best Patios in San Francisco to Drink Beer
There’s no better way to explore San Francisco than to literally drink it in. This Beer Passport is amazing! Each one contains 37 coupons to buy one beer, get a second beer FREE at 37 of our favorite locally-owned bars, breweries, dives, diners and restaurants in SF. And the best part? It’s only $35!
GET YOUR SF BEER PASSPORT RIGHT HERE
The Best Beer Drinking Patios in San Francisco
You’re finishing work, it’s been gorgeous outside all day, and you want to go drink great beers in the sun with your friends. Well, you’re in luck because here’s a list of great patios in SF that have an excellent beer selection, good crowds, good service, and pleasant outdoor seating. We have compiled this list based on decades of drinking on patios, in San Francisco.
North Beach
Vesuvio Cafe
One of the most quintessential San Francisco experiences is buying a book at City Lights, going next door to Vesuvio, finding a spot upstairs in the window, and reading it while you have drink. There’s something romantic about the notion of that isn’t there? And that’s exactly what makes Vesuvio important. In a city that is currently trying to decide whether to hide from its past or run from its future, Vesuvio reminds us that the previously mentioned art, writing, culture, and madness, are more important to San Francisco’s identity than any tech boom will ever be. – Broke-Ass Stuart
Vesuvio now has tables outside, all up and down Jack Kerouac Alley, where you can sip crisp drafts, gaze up at historic murals and drink in the bustle of Columbus Avenue.
255 Columbus Ave btw Broadway & Kearny St.
(Yes! This patio in the 2022 Beer Passport!)
The Belle Cora
The Belle Cora is a neighborhood beer and wine bar that serves an eclectic menu consisting mostly of small plates. The large outdoor beer garden sits beneath three beautiful weeping willow trees, with heaters along the building and fire tables on the lawn. They host trivia night every Monday (at 7pm), and feature live outdoor music every other night (at 6).
565 Green St. btw Columbus & Grant Aves.
(Yes! This patio in the 2022 Beer Passport!)
The Mission
Benders Bar & Grill
Where loud rock n roll is king and old SF business signs live forever. Bender’s has been holding it down with affordable drinks and bomb food for nearly two decades. Along with their back patio, they added a parklet out front now too. They got a great little kitchen with amazing burgers there too.
806 S Van Ness Ave. @ 19th St.
(Yes! This patio in the 2022 Beer Passport!)
Zeitgeist
You already know. Zeitgeist has a near endless draft list, and tons of picnic tables on a legendary gravel lot, under a freeway. What you might not know if you haven’t been there in a long time, is that the bartenders are friendly now (weird), they have a functioning bathroom instead of a porto, they went ‘digital’ with their menu, and you can order a cheeseburger with up to 7 patties on it. I know, shit has changed, it’s not nearly as scary as it used to be (unfortunately), even the death metal has been turned down. But it’s still one of the finest places to drink and meet new people, or run into old friends in San Franciscans.
199 Valencia St.
Bernal Heights
Wild Side West
SHHHHH! Wild Side West has a “secret” garden, for drinking. Full of little pockets of tables, surrounded by greenery and statues from haunted estate sales, and potted artifacts of yore. This hidden little gem in Bernal is an excellent outdoor place to drink and meet the neighborhood, it’s a beer garden, quite literally.
424 Cortland Ave
El Rio
Your Dive is a queer community space / venue with one of the best patios on planet earth. Palm trees? They got em. Lemon tree? Check. Fig tree? Roger that. Oh, and great prices too! Stop by for amazing DJs, food pop-ups most nights and a dedicated and caring crew there to make you feel at home. Your Dive, Our Dive – back and forth forever.
3158 Mission St. @ Precita Ave.
(Yes! This patio in the 2022 Beer Passport!)
SOMA
21st Amendment
Sitting just a few blocks from Giant’s stadium, 21st Amendment is SF’s favorite Giants pre-game brewpub. Not only do they have a wide variety of beer, and a great and friendly staff, but they’re also SF’s oldest independent packaging brewery. Next to the pub, they have a big ol parklet and the entire alley to stretch your legs in, we even had our famous 21ST AMENDMENT AND BAS CORNHOLE TOURNAMENT OF CHAMPIONS there this year.
563 2nd St. btw Bryant & Brannon Sts.
(Yes! This patio in the 2022 Beer Passport!)
Embarcadero
pier23cafe.com
Pier 23 Cafe Restaurant & Bar
Pier 23 Cafe Restaurant & Bar is located right on the bay. It’s family-owned and operated for the last 35 years. They deliver an authentic SF experience with fresh seafood, crafted cocktails, local beers, and live music. They got a spacious heated bayside patio with plenty of outdoor seating, views of the east bay, Treasure Island, and if you’re lucky you might spot a few seals too!
23 The Embarcadero btw Battery & Union Sts.
(Yes! This patio in the 2022 Beer Passport!)
Fort Point Ferry Building
Are you thirsty from the farmer’s market? Are you waiting for your partner to buy their 5th wedge of organic goat cheese? There is no better people watching patio at the Ferry building than this little watering hole, with tourists from every corner of the earth wandering by. Pair glasses of fresh draft beer with a snappy all-beef hot dog and a toasted pretzel. On the way out, take your favorite beer home with a 64 oz. growler fill.
1 Ferry Building Ste 54
(Yes! This patio in the 2022 Beer Passport!)
The Castro
WILLKOMMEN BY BLACK HAMMER BREWING
Black Hammer Brewing collaborated with Rosamunde Sausage Grill to create a Biergarten that offers small batch craft beer paired with a full menu of German Fare, Salads, Burger, Beet Rueben, and Ice Cream Sandwich. Black Hammer’s brews offer craft beverage enthusiasts a deep variety of options for the gluten-averse, carb-conscious, hop-heads, and sober-curious. The Biergarten’s outdoor heated tables welcome groups, kids and is dog friendly. The best goddamn sausages in the city, we recommend the cheddar brat which is smoked pork and Wisconsin White Cheddar, inside the dog.
2198 Market St @ Sanchez St.
(Yes! This patio in the 2022 Beer Passport!)
Tenderloin
Emperor Norton’s BoozeLand
Named after our patron saint of the weird and wonderful, Emperor Norton’s BoozeLand is the crown jewel of Tenderloin dive bars.
They have a purple pool table, and a rare walled-off outdoor patio in the Tenderloin. It’s the perfect spot to drink outdoors in the loin and meet like-minded booze hounds.
510 Larkin St. @ Turk St.
(Yes! This patio in the 2022 Beer Passport!)
Inner Richmond
PIG AND WHISTLE
Famous for its Fish and Chips, Shepherd’s Pie, and Curry, this classic little pub has been serving regulars and newcomers alike since 1991. They have a great selection of draft beers, as well as wine and spirits with tables up and down the sidewalk. Great spot to watch footy too, (especially if you support Crystal Palace).
2801 Geary St. at Wood St.
(Yes! This patio in the 2022 Beer Passport!)
Outer Richmond
Hockey Haven
If you find yourself wandering the outer Sunset, there is no better dive to stumble into than Hockey Haven. Although the bar has absolutely nothing to do with hockey anymore, it has been a haven for neighborhood boozers since 1949, and hasn’t changed much since. If the fog breaks, there is a cutty drinking patio outback usually with plenty of seats and cheap drinks.
3625 Balboa St
Outer Sunset
Sunset Reservoir Brewing Co.
Great spot to stumble to on your way in or out of Golden Gate Park. I had brunch there once and was pleasantly surprised that they had great locally brewed beers, good breakfast food, and even a drag show. Well worth the visit for SF beer fans, this is a super friendly Sunset spot.
1735 Noriega Street
THE BAYVIEW
LAUGHING MONK
Community-centric dog-friendly taproom with ample street parking. Rotating selection of new, delicious beers released weekly, best known for their Hazy IPAs and Belgian style ales. Close to SFO with better beer and prices than an airport bar.
1439 Egbert Ave #A btwn 3rd & Jennings
(Yes! This patio in the 2022 Beer Passport!)
UPPER HAIGHT
Magnolia
Beginning with Magnolia’s first brew of Blue Bell Bitter in 1997, the beer lineup at this Haight street pub has always been great. The past twenty-five years have seen a lot of change in the craft brewing movement, but one thing has always remained the same, magnolia makes beers of flavor which respect the efforts of the craftspeople who grow, produce and process what goes into them. Sit back and drink in the upper Haight chaos and sip solid west coast brews, or grab some cans to-go and chill on one of the best natural drinking patios in the city, the Panhandle.
1398 Haight St. @ Masonic
(Yes! This patio in the 2022 Beer Passport!)
Noe Valley
Valley Tavern
You can’t beat this joint for sportsball watching. Nearly every table has a dedicated screen, inside and outside, hell they even have a dedicated smoking patio up front (fucking old school). The wait staff here are pros, the beer list is top shelf, and you can sit outside in the shade of trees and watch grown men throw or kick balls all day long. God Bless America. The downside is that it’s no secret in the neighborhood, so if you want to see a big game you gotta get there hella early to lock down a table.
4054 24th Street
If it’s too crowded, the pro-tip is go to ‘The Peaks‘ just around the corner. It’s older and divier, but with good screens and a decent bar too. They have a pool table and little back patio with couches and a tv too.
1316 Castro St
The great majority of these fantastic beer-drinking patios are in the 2022 SF Beer Passport, and passport holders get two beers for the price of one! If we missed your favorite drinking patio…too bad, I’m tired of writing, and I’ve got drinking to do!
GET YOUR 2022 SF BEER PASSPORT RIGHT HERE
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