The Best Wine Bars in San Francisco

This page brings together 12 wine bars in San Francisco, including 20 Spot, Bar Maritime and Fool's Errand. The list covers bars listed by Star Wine List or pouring from deep wine lists in the En Primeur Club guide. Star Wine List recognizes many of these venues. We choose venues by weighing recognition from independent critics, guides and awards.

Browse the entries in alphabetical order. Each shows the venue's town or city, a short description and awards from independent sources, with a link to its full guide page.

How this list is chosen: Every bar here is listed by Star Wine List or pours from a deep wine list. En Primeur Club chooses among them by weighing recognition from independent critics, guides and awards. Entries appear in alphabetical order.

20 Spot
San Francisco, United States
A former record shop on 20th Street in the Mission, 20 Spot has held its corner as one of San Francisco's most low-key and carefully considered wine bars. Vinyl still lines the walls, the original neon sign anchors the exterior, and the list leans toward natural and European producers that reward sequential ordering rather than single-glass sampling.
Also recognized by Star Wine List
Bar Maritime
San Francisco, United States
Bar Maritime occupies a Stockton Street address in San Francisco's Union Square corridor, positioning itself within a city bar scene that has increasingly turned toward ethical sourcing and ingredient transparency. The name signals an orientation toward coastal and oceanic themes, placing it in conversation with San Francisco's deep relationship to the Pacific. A considered stop for those tracking where sustainability meets serious bar craft.
Also recognized by San Francisco Travel
Big Finish Wine Tavern
San Francisco, United States
Big Finish Wine Tavern sits within San Francisco’s serious drinking culture, where wine bars, cocktail rooms, and restaurant cellars often overlap.
Cantina Los Mayas
San Francisco, United States
Cantina Los Mayas anchors the Inner Richmond's Mexican drinking and dining scene from its address on Balboa Street, a corridor that rewards pedestrian exploration over destination hunting. The cantina format places drinks and food on equal footing, making it a reference point for the neighbourhood's more relaxed, local-facing hospitality character rather than the higher-volume Downtown options.
Fool's Errand
San Francisco, United States
A rustic wood-lined wine and beer bar on NoPa's Divisadero corridor, Fool's Errand draws a loyal evening crowd with a curated drinks program that leans into depth over spectacle. Industry professionals count it among their preferred stops in the city, a signal that carries more weight than most awards in a market this competitive.
Also recognized by Star Wine List
Golden Sardine
San Francisco, United States
Golden Sardine occupies a compact, convivial room on Columbus Avenue in North Beach, where the legacy of San Francisco's literary and Italian immigrant communities still shapes the block. Founded by wine-community veteran Andrew Nelson, the bar channels the neighbourhood's unhurried, intellectually curious character into an evening out that rewards those who slow down.
Also recognized by Star Wine List
Heirloom Cafe
San Francisco, United States
A Mission District neighborhood bistro that has built a loyal following around seasonal northern Californian produce and an à la carte format that resists the tasting-menu orthodoxy common at pricier SF addresses. The kitchen's commitment to local sourcing pairs with a thoughtful drinks list, making Heirloom a reliable anchor on Folsom Street for both food and wine-led evenings.
Also recognized by Star Wine List
High Treason
San Francisco, United States
High Treason brought something the Outer Richmond had long lacked: a serious wine bar on Clement Street with the range and rigor to match the neighborhood's ambitious food scene. Where the district once defaulted to dive bars and casual neighborhood spots, High Treason operates at a different register — one where the list is curated with purpose and the room rewards a longer stay.
Also recognized by Star Wine List
Leo's Oyster Bar
San Francisco, United States
Leo's Oyster Bar on Sacramento Street sits at the heart of San Francisco's Financial District, where a polished, convivial energy draws the after-work crowd and visiting food lovers alike. The room channels the glamour of a mid-century American oyster hall, updated for a modern appetite. It belongs to a tier of SF seafood bars where the bar program is taken as seriously as what arrives on the half shell.
Press Club
San Francisco, United States
Press Club occupies a subterranean space beneath Yerba Buena Lane that rewards the descent: non-descript at street level, it opens into a moody, modern room that consistently earns its place among San Francisco's most serious wine and drinks destinations. The format and atmosphere place it squarely in a tier of bars where credentials, curation, and environment carry more weight than visibility.
Also recognized by Star Wine List
San Francisco Champagne Society
San Francisco, United States
The San Francisco Champagne Society occupies a SoMa address on Howard Street, positioning itself within a neighbourhood that has quietly accumulated a serious drinking culture alongside its warehouses and creative studios. For those who follow sparkling wine seriously, it represents a more focused alternative to the city's broader cocktail bar circuit — a place where Champagne and grower producers take the lead rather than playing second fiddle to spirits.
Ungrafted
San Francisco, United States
A Dogpatch wine bar and retail shop run by two Advanced Sommeliers, Ungrafted operates at the intersection of serious wine credentials and neighborhood accessibility. The dual retail-and-bar format means you can drink a bottle at the communal table or take it home, often at the same price. It sits comfortably outside the polished formality of downtown San Francisco wine culture.
Also recognized by Star Wine List

More lists