The Best Bars for a Date in San Francisco

Arcana is a wine bar inside an urban greenhouse on Mission Street, where plants climb the walls and sunlight pours in well into the afternoon. By evening, the tables are candlelit, making it an elegant setting for a date. The kitchen serves Persian-inspired small plates alongside a list of natural wines. Fridays and Saturdays often bring in a DJ, with dancing picking up past 8 pm.

On a warm night, grab a sidewalk table at Fool’s Errand on Divisadero and settle in for a low-key date. The wine list leans heavily toward Riesling, alongside a selection of beers, sours, and ciders. Happy hour comes with a bowl of popcorn, while tinned fish and other small bites give you something to snack on between glasses.

Chef Bahman Safari opened Bar Bibi last year in Russian Hill, turning a two-story corner space into a cozy neighborhood wine bar. For a date, the pillow-lined nooks tucked against the windows make for an intimate spot to settle in over a bottle. There’s a full kitchen, with dishes like halibut crudo with pickled shallot and chili oil, eggplant toast topped with a sunny-side egg, and spaghetti vongole. The wine list focuses on small producers, with glasses starting around $13.

Verjus, from the couple behind Quince and Cotogna, is tucked into Jackson Square, with cherry-red walls lit by candlelight. The cellar runs deep, with hundreds of small-production, organically farmed bottles, and the kitchen keeps things French: pâté en croûte, boudin blanc, a plate of oysters, an omelette if you're in that kind of mood. Reserve ahead, or take your chances at the bar or window counter when the walk-in list opens at 4.

This two-story wine bar in North Beach is a great first stop in the night for wine and tinned fish. Order downstairs then carry your glass upstairs and find a seat amongst the books lining the walls.

Buddy is a bright, natural wine bar in the Mission, with a curved bar on one side and vinyl playing low enough to still hear your date. Stay for one glass before dinner elsewhere, or order the mortadella sandwich and the baby turnips in smoked-oyster ranch and let it become the whole night.

From the sidewalk, Café Meuse looks like just another quiet Russian Hill corner. Inside, it's cozy and warm, glistening with strung twinkly lights, and low-key enough that you can actually hear each other, which makes it a solid pick for a second or third date. If the fog allows, take your wine outside, where the cable car rolls right over the hill.

Bar Gemini is a low-lit room in the Mission with slate-green walls and a house playlist kept just below conversation level. Snacks come from Ernest next door—olives, nuts, bread and butter - just enough to keep you at the counter working your way through a few of the eleven wines by the glass.

VinoRosso sits at the top of Cortland Avenue in Bernal Heights, with windows open to the street and a parklet out front for when it’s sunny out. The list is entirely Italian and changes often. Order a plate of cheese and salumi, take a seat outside, and watch the neighborhood go by for a lovely low-key date.

Birba is an intimate wine bar on Grove Street with a covered, string-lit garden out back, making it a quieter spot to get to know your date. The wine list mixes old-world classics with natural bottles you can pull straight from the shelf. Split the charcuterie and whipped pistachio dip, and go early: Birba closes at nine, making it an easy first stop before the Symphony or SFJazz just up the street.

The Interval provides its own conversation starters: towering bookshelves, a drawing robot and exhibits about thinking on a very long timescale. The Fort Mason space is both a café and cocktail bar, so it works whether your date calls for coffee or something stronger. There’s indoor and outdoor seating, and ordinary visits are walk-in only. Check for private-event hours before setting off, then leave time for the waterfront.

Brazen Head is a useful answer when an evening drink turns into wanting dinner. The Buchanan Street restaurant and public house serves comforting classics, from French onion soup to pepper steak, with a bar that stays open later than the kitchen. Start with something small and see where the evening goes. It doesn’t take reservations, so keep the plan flexible rather than promising a particular table.