Beer
Magnolia Brewing Company
Is in the heart of the haight, and operates a second restaurant down the street, the alembic.
Thirsty Bear
In soma caters mostly to the happy hour crowd.
21st Amendment
Also in soma, is three blocks away from the giants' home at at&t park.
Social Kitchen & Brewery
Is the newest brewpub, in the sunset district, a block from golden gate park.
San Francisco, despite being much smaller than New York City, sports more microbreweries. Anchor Brewing Company makers of Anchor Steam, found throughout the US is brewed on Potrero Hill, though it is generally not open to the public tours are available Friday afternoons by reservation. Similarly, Speakeasy Ales & Lagers opens its doors on Friday evenings and Saturday afternoons, though its location in Hunter's Point makes it a long Muni ride if you're traveling without a car. The other microbreweries are housed in brewpubs:
Beach Chalet
& park chalet are at the pacific end of golden gate park, where you can enjoy a view of the ocean or sit in the lawn area.
Pizza Orgasmica
In the richmond district specializes in california-style pizza.
Other destinations for beer drinkers include the Gordon Biersch alehouse on the Embarcadero in SoMa, the City Beer Store and Tasting Bar on Folsom St in SoMa your best bet for beer to go, the Mission's Monk's Kettle, and the famous Toronado Pub on lower Haight Street, which specializes in Belgian ales.
The surrounding Alameda, San Mateo, and Marin Counties also host many microbreweries worth trying. Many of these are accessible by BART. And although Santa Rosa is 45 minutes north of San Francisco, no beer lovers should skip the renowned Russian River Brewing Company in downtown Santa Rosa.
The best way to find a good bar or club is to ask the advice of a local; but barring that a copy of The SF Bay Guardian or the SF Weekly will help you find something suited to your personal taste.
San Francisco is very much of a "scene" town. Head to the Marina for mid-20s to mid-30s professionals and those visiting from Los Angeles. Haight-Ashbury, famous for the "Summer of Love" and hippies, is still a place for alternative lifestyle and now has many neo-punks and hipsters in the mix. South of Market SoMa and the Mission District have left-over dot-commers and hipsters hanging out on every corner. The Castro primarily serves San Francisco's gay men, with The Lexington, Wild Side West, and Stray Bar in the Mission serving as lesbian bars. With a large Irish population, San Francisco has a number of very good Irish pubs extending out into the Sunset neighborhood. North Beach is home to several dance clubs and strip clubs.
If you like soccer football and all things English, you should stop into the Kezar Pub, at the edge of the Haight-Ashbury District, or Lower Haight's Mad Dog In the Fog. The pub quiz and bar food are good. Swill some pints and stay in the dark. Good for an entire day's worth of drinking.