If games and drinks are your idea of a great night out, there is no shortage of spots in San Francisco where you can pair your beers with billiards, cocktails with Candyland, and knotted pretzels with PacMan.
Here's a list of our 14 favorite bars with games in the seven-by-seven. Paddles and putters up, gang!
Coin-Op
This 10,000 square-foot, design-driven arcade bar features vintage games and craft cocktails in SoMa. The space was designed by local Studio Heimat and has loads of fun details—think a Tron-themed speakeasy, Super Mario and Pac-Man wallpaper in the bathrooms, a giant-Lego cocktail table, and Star Wars tiki glassware. // 508 4th St. (SoMa), coinopsf.com
Emporium
Part of a small chain of arcade bars with roots in Chicago, Emporium spans more 12,00 square feet with 50-plus arcade games—think pinball, shuffleboard, and other analog wonderments. You'd be hard-pressed to find a better spot, especially come the weekend, to down a pint and play some good old fashioned Pac-Man. // 616 Divisadero St. (NoPa), emporiumsf.com
BuzzWorks
Unassuming yet brimming with energy, BuzzWorks combines pool and foosball tables, darts, and a small collection of arcade games inside its two-story SoMa hub. Only beers and wines are served onsite, but bar bites include nachos, pretzels, sausages, and pizza. // 365 11th St. (SoMa), sfbuzzworks.com
Outer Orbit
This quaint Bernal Heights watering hole is beloved for its no-frill cocktails, floral beers, and pinball machines, some on loan from The Pacific Pinball Museum. Polynesian-themed morsels such as shaved ice and topping-laden tater-tots mean the place will satiate both your ravenous stomach and your inner child. On Thursdays, go for $1.50 oysters. // 3215 Mission St. (Bernal Heights), outerorbitsf.com
Bear vs. Bull
Inside the Alamo Drafthouse, this cinema bar has a lauded cocktail program, a lofty list of beers, and an array of arcade games with movie themes. Order up Silence is Golden, a mezcal-tequila cocktail. // Alamo Drafthouse, 2550 Mission St. (Mission), bearvsbullbar.com
Gestalt
The iconic local dive bar with 40-plus beers (many of the Germanic variety) available on any given night also accommodates arcade game aficionados. Play some pinball, eat some sausage—what else do you need? // 3159 16th St. (Mission), gestaltsf.com
Detour
Formerly known as Bewcade, this Upper Market spot has been through a redesign and rebranding of late. Detour, an homage to the local mainstay gay bar, has an impressive cocktail program created by bar star Matt Grip, black-lit graffiti art, six pinball machines, and more than two-dozen cabinet games. // 2200 Market St., (Duboce Triangle), detoursf.com
Fifth Arrow
Once home Slide Bar, Fifth Arrow is part of the massive project that is performance hall meets dining experience meets gaming known as August Hall. Go for bowling, arcade games, concerts, dinner, and drinks. // 430 Mason St. (Tenderloin), fiftharrow.com
S&R Lounge
Gracious happy hour specials, a 30-foot Plinko game, and other traditional arcade favorites make S&R Lounge inside Hotel Zetta a hidden gem in the city. When you're all plunked out, there's also an Atari 2600 simulator, pool, shuffleboard, ping-pong, and an assortment of board games. The cocktail menu? Solid. // Hotel Zetta, 55 5th St. (SoMa), viceroyhotelgroup.com
Urban Putt
This fantastical mini-golf course is as much an Instagram darling as it is a bastion for good vibes and affordable drinks. Home to two bars, a full restaurant upstairs, and 14 mechanically enhanced holes, all playfully set in a former Mission mortuary, Urban Putt offers a welcomed, tactile option to the 'hood's more traditional bar-hopping scene. // 1096 S Van Ness Ave. (Mission), urbanputt.com
Golden Gate Taproom
Three glowing skee ball machines hold down a corner at this Union Square bar and game room. The 100-strong beer list helps explain all the netting around the games. During Warrior's season, personal space on game night is scarce.. // 525 Sutter St. #2 (Union Square), ggtaproom.com
Soda Popinski's
This California Street bar serves up Super Nintendo, Soviet-era decor, and oversized boots of Moscow Mules. Just take care not to end up with the boxer's original moniker, Vodka Drunkenski. Test your luck on The Wheel, if you're feeling particularly prosperous that day. // 1548 California St. (Nob Hill), sodapopinskisf.com
Wreck Room
A favorite among Polk Street types, this dive bar sports arcade and traditional bar games such as pool and shuffleboard, darts and Connect Four, to keep patrons entertained while they're nursing their second (or third) round. // 1390 California St. (Nob Hill), thewreckroomsf.com
The Willows
A gastropub worth its weight in tokens, The Willows features a healthy list of craft beers, board and card games (Cards Against Humanity) in a charismatic atmosphere. Expect the space to be populated with both bar regulars and first-timers, no matter the night. // 1582 Folsom St. (SoMa), thewillowssf.com
