Are you tired of your going out routine? Happy hours on Thursdays with your co-workers at the same old bar in the same old corner right next to your office? Spending tons of money on the same old cocktails? Switch it up a little with our list of the wackiest bars in San Francisco. Whether you’re in the mood for a psychedelic-themed bar, killer happy hours, or drinks topped with flaming marshmallows, we’ve got you covered. Check out these crazy SF spots and spice up your going out routine.
Kozy Kar
So we don’t know if any bar can really be considered SFW (safe for work), but this bar is absolutely NSFW. Kozy Kar is a 1970s and 80s-themed bar, celebrating the decades we either miss or wish we had been a part of. The bar is decorated with custom 70s/80s vans, a disco ball, and – yes – a waterbed. Where does the NSFW part come in? Kozy Kar is covered in vintage Playboy magazine pages and displays TVs playing pornographic material.
Smuggler’s Cove
What’s more unusual than being a pirate for the night? Smuggler’s Cove is known for its pirate-themed drinks and decor that will get you in a festive mood. Get the Millionaire Cocktail No. 1, a dangerously tasty combination of rum, sloe gin, fresh lime, house-made grenadine, and apricot liqueur. Try the Port Light, an exotic cocktail made with bourbon, fresh lemon, honey, passionfruit, and egg whites, and come during happy hour (everyday from 5pm-6pm) when you’ll get $2 off any cocktail.
Butter
Butter is known for its not-so-granola-San Francisco menu, covered in greasy, cheesy delicious items along with its eclectic bar menu with drinks you can’t find anywhere else. Butter claims to have invented the Vodka Redbull, and it’s Latch-Key Tea is one of its most popular drinks on the menu. If you’re looking to order an off-the-menu drink, try a Donkey Punch – a drink consisting mostly of potent rum with a 151 rum floater. You’ll often come and find a DJ spinning catchy tunes from 80s and early 2000s, and the bar hosts karaoke nights on Sundays. If you’re looking for some real grub food you probably won’t find at Whole Foods, order the cheesy bacon tater tots and or deep fried Twinkies.
Noc Noc Lounge
This psychedelic beer bar is filled with some of the coolest, most interesting people you will ever meet. The bar is colorful and lit with a blacklight to provide you with all the hallucinatory feelings you’d want to feel in a hip Lower Haight bar. Noc Noc Lounge is probably the first place you’d want to hit if you’re in that relaxed, unpretentious mood, and of course if you want to bring your dog out with you on a Friday night. The bar serves beer, wine and sake.
Li Po
Li Po is one of the oldest bars in San Francisco and can be found in the depths of Chinatown. It’s known for its Chinese Mai Tais, friendly bartenders and unpretentious atmosphere. The decor will make you feel like you’re in a Quentin Tarantino film – seriously, it’s one of those places where you feel like you’d probably find Uma Thurman hanging around in a wig smoking a cigarette. And if it’s anymore of an incentive to go, Anthony Bourdain was there in 2012 and liked it.
Radio Habana Social Club
If you’re into social clubs, then Radio Habana is where it’s at. The decor at Radio Habana is outrageous – you can find items like mannequin heads, old posters, Barbie doll body parts, tapestries, portraits and paintings embellishing the walls and ceilings of this Cuban restaurant and bar. If you make a trip to Radio Habana, be sure to order their sangria; a pitcher of it will serve 2-3. This eclectic and wacky bar will definitely not disappoint!
Pagan Idol
Step through Pagan Idol’s front door and you might think you just entered the tropics. This tiki-themed bar in the heart of SF’s Financial District draws an after work crowd ready to be swept away by the tasty concoctions served up in festive glasses topped with edible flowers, flaming marshmallows, and plantain chips. The inside is filled with nautical-themed relics, two tiki huts that can be reserved for parties, and a volcano that erupts every so often with smoke and lights. The atmosphere here is like no other place in the city, which is why it rounds out our list of wackiest bars in San Francisco.
New to the City by the Bay or getting ready to move there? Make sure to check out our apartments for rent in San Francisco. You might even find a place around the corner from one of these wacky bars
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