This North Beach hangout is a choose-your-own-adventure mashup featuring both an Irish bar and an Indian restaurant, serving everything from pani puri to biryanis and curries. Also a huge plus: it’s very vegetarian-friendly. At the pub, play pool, Skee-Ball, or foosball; grab a pint of Guinness; and watch a game on the TV.

Chief Sullivan’s is a local named for San Francisco fire chief Dennis Sullivan, who served during the 1906 earthquake and fires. From the team behind the now-closed Eddie Rickenbacker’s and Marina spot Campus, Chief Sullivan’s is warm and welcoming, with dark wood and stained glass. The kitchen boasts an Irish breakfast for weekend brunch, and beers on tap range from the requisite Guinness and Smithwick’s to more local ales.

Come for the pints, stay for the Irish poutine (french fries with cheddar cheese and Irish curry) and the lively bar scene. There’s outdoor seating for when the weather’s nice, or when the St. Patrick’s Day melee spills onto the street.

If there’s one thing this world needs, it’s more piano bars. Johnny Foley’s is the Irish pub with the answer to that need, offering the standard Jameson-swilling crowd upstairs, and a downstairs bar with live piano. Fridays and Saturdays stop by for dueling pianos until midnight, or drop in any night of the week for a large menu that includes Irish lamb stew, house-baked soda bread and butter, or cottage pie.

Since 1975, this laid-back Clement Street staple has been serving perfect pours of Guinness to locals of all backgrounds. There’s also plenty of live music here with Celtic musicians often gracing the stage, making it a beacon for Irish ex-pats in the neighborhood.

The lively atmosphere and occasional live band are part of the draw of this SoMa bar. Lunch and dinner menus include tacos, nachos, and even a plant-based burger, but the best bet is the Irish fare like the classic Irish breakfast — dubbed the Chieftain Irish Grill here — of fried eggs, sausage, bacon, black and white pudding, grilled tomato, baked beans, and chips.

Built in 1893, this is the oldest bar in the Sunset and one of the oldest in the city. With its collection of board games, darts, backgammon tables, mystery novels, couches, and Tiffany lamps, the Shamrock is a particularly good bar for whiling away a foggy afternoon with friends, and its abundance of TV screens make it a popular spot to watch a game.

No food is served at this Inner Sunset bar, but like any good Irish bar there’s plenty of entertainment, including trivia, DJ nights, pool, and plenty of TVs to watch sports. They also have plenty of local beers and ciders, a large selection of whiskies, and cocktails.

If you’re looking for a place with a more modern Irish bar vibe, Casements in the Mission is where to find it. Rather than decor that’s dripping in shamrocks, its Ireland-ness comes through in other ways: Casements pours a large selection of Irish whiskeys and gins, for instance, and the cocktail menu mixes both Irish and local (or woman-led) brands into its drinks. The food menu is also not something to pass up, from the Spice Bag, Casements own style of spicy fries, to heartier items like the beef and Guinness stew made with Niman Ranch beef. A patio borne in the pandemic extends the good times into the outdoors, with live bands and DJs, plus hot drinks to keep patrons warm (or cold slushies for the rarer hot days).

An excellent place to both create a hangover then cure it the next day with brunch, Napper Tandy has a proper selection of Irish delicacies including Guinness beef stew and shepherd’s pie, plus fun crossover items like the corned beef quesadillas.

Residents of Noe Valley, a small village within the larger city of San Francisco, have gathered at the Dubliner for more than 25 years, and it shows. Afternoons are for regulars, who all seem to know one another, but bartenders are friendly to all newcomers.