Celtic Venues in San Francisco, CA

An authentic Irish pub in the Richmond that features live music several nights a week. It's a great spot for folk, rock, and traditional Irish bands to play for a loyal and appreciative neighborhood crowd.

Maggie McGarry's sits on one of the most legendary blocks in San Francisco, a Grant Avenue address in the heart of North Beach that has housed some of the city's most storied live music institutions going back decades. Before it was Maggie's it was the Coffee Gallery, the Lost and Found, and Mrs. Smith's Tearoom, and the walls of the building have heard Janis Joplin, The Doors, Robert Plant, Grace Slick, and The Chieftains perform. Rumor holds that the Sex Pistols were once turned away at the door, which is the kind of detail that tells you everything you need to know about the room. Irish natives Mick Graham and Mairead McGarry opened the current iteration in August 2006 with the intent of creating an authentic Irish pub experience rooted in community, warmth, and live music, and they have delivered on that promise consistently for nearly two decades. The stage is one of the best bar stages in San Francisco, and some of the city's finest local and national party bands play here every weekend, with the entertainment almost always free. The bar program is anchored by Guinness pulled by real Irish bartenders, Mairead's famous hot whiskeys, and a full selection of draft beers and spirits served in a room that is genuinely cozy, unpretentious, and built for staying a while. No food is served but outside food is welcome, and the parklet extends the gathering space to the street. For music listeners who want an authentic live music pub experience with genuine Irish soul and a stage that has earned its history, Maggie McGarry's is the real thing.

A classic North Beach Irish pub with a warm, traditional atmosphere. It provides an inviting space for live acoustic music, folk performers, and traditional Irish sessions in the heart of the neighborhood.

The Plough and Stars is the most authentic and deeply rooted Irish pub in San Francisco, a world-famous Clement Street institution that has been serving the Inner Richmond community since 1975 and has earned a reputation as the definitive home of traditional Irish music in the Bay Area. The pub is everything a great Irish bar should be and almost nothing else: no food service, no pretension, no distractions from the Guinness and the music. Bartenders pull what regulars and visiting Irish consistently describe as the perfect pint, with the slow, patient pour that proper Guinness demands, alongside Irish coffees and a full bar. The room is spacious, warmly lit, and genuinely Irish in character, with a wooden dance floor that comes alive on Thursday nights when traditional Irish set dancing takes over and anyone is welcome to join in. Live music runs six nights a week spanning traditional Irish seisiuns, honky tonk, bluegrass, Americana, classic country, and roots rock, making it one of the most musically diverse neighborhood pubs in the city. Sunday through Thursday shows are free, while Friday and Saturday shows carry a modest cover. Outside food is welcome and encouraged, with plenty of great options from the restaurants and shops along Clement Street just steps away. Séan Heaney handles music booking and has maintained a calendar that draws some of the biggest names in Celtic music alongside beloved Bay Area Americana and roots acts.