San Francisco

The Toronado - 547 Haight, San Francisco.
Maybe the best beer bar on Earth, definitely one of the best. Fantastic beer selection, great crowd, comfortable place, semi-friendly bar staff, great Juke box Cool owner. Food next door on either side. Keep an eye out for their special Beer events.
www.toronado.com
The Lush Lounge - 1092 Post, San Francisco.
Someone told me it was a gay bar, I don't know if that's true but everybody seemed very happy. Great drinks, good beer selection and outstanding people watching (the flow of people on the street is better than any TV show esp. at night). www.thelushlounge.com
Benders -South Van Ness, San Francisco.
Good all around bar/Dive. Good music, friendly bar staff, stiff drinks, good beer selection, pretty good food, great place to see a band. www.bendersbar.com
The Zeitgeist - 199 Valencia St. SF. My favorite biker bar on this (or any other) planet. Really nice beer selection, best outdoor beer garden in the city, great BBQ, a good crowd (mix of pedal & motor bikers), a cool bar staff, and a mean stiff drink. www.zeitgeist.citysearch.com
Tonga Room - 950 Mason St. S.F. One of the best done Tiki bar anywhere (with indoor thuder storms and a floating island), well worth a visit. www.fairmont.com
Tommy's Mexican Restaurant - 5929 Geary Blvd. Nice family owned place. Good Mexican food, Fantastic Tequila Selection. The bar is small and packed (most are waiting for dinner). Julio (Tommy’s son) is the tequila Ambassador to the world, he knows everyone in the bizz (and on lucky nights you’ll find him mixing it up behind the bar). www.tommystequila.com
If it is too packed to get to Tommy's bar, get a reservation and check out Trad'r Sam - 6150 Geary Blvd - across the street on the corner (fun, old school Tiki bar– not many like it left)
The Saloon - 1235 Grant. SF's oldest bar, good beers, great Blues music, small bathrooms. Just a really great old Tavern style. Opened by the great grandfather of Brock Adams - the owner of Saint Arnold Brewing Co. (Texas) www.sfblues.net/Saloon.html
Li Po - 916 Grant Avenue. It is a bit famous now, but it is also a great dive bar in SF's Chinatown. Weird entrance into a dark realm. Local Asian men can often be found playing loud dice games at the bar. Check out the basemant if it is open (occasional live music). There is also a good dive across the street on the corner.