Jazz Venues in San Francisco, CA

Historic cinema in the Richmond District that has evolved into a multi-use arts space, hosting live music, film, and community events. It offers a unique stage for acoustic and curated performances in a charming, vintage setting.

Live music, craft cocktails, and an unforgettable atmosphere. Enjoy live jazz and cover bands Friday and Saturday nights.

A sophisticated Jackson Square supper club with a 1930s speakeasy vibe. It features live jazz nightly, offering professional jazz musicians a refined and consistent gigging environment with a touch of elegance.

Glamorous North Beach supper club with mid-century elegance operating since 1931. It features a large stage and plush seating, hosting a mix of rock, jazz, and variety shows, providing a prestigious platform for established bands.

A beloved Glen Park bookstore that doubles as a dedicated jazz and poetry venue. It fosters a deep connection between the artist and the local community in a quiet, attentive, and intellectually stimulating setting.

A multi-level jazz club and lounge in the Tenderloin. It combines a gritty-meets-glam aesthetic with a focus on cutting-edge jazz and soul, providing a hip stage for modern improvisational artists.

Blondie's Bar has been holding it down on Valencia Street in San Francisco's Mission District since April 1991, long before the neighborhood became the hottest destination in the city, and it has never lost the unpretentious, welcoming, genuinely diverse energy that made it special in the first place. The bar is narrow and long with a dark interior, booths along the wall, a pool table, outdoor window seating for people-watching, and a second bar called Blondie's Wetspot in the back that opens on Friday and Saturday nights and is available for private rentals for up to 20 people. The cocktail program is the stuff of legend: XXL 16-ounce martinis in dozens of variations, celebrated by the Bay Guardian in the 1990s as the best place in the Bay to get your date drunk off of one drink, and still living up to that reputation more than three decades later. The entertainment calendar is one of the most varied of any bar its size in the city, rotating live music into the mix on Sundays through Wednesdays and keeping the energy going all week. Sunday features national touring acts, Mondays run DJ nights with 70s and 80s classics, Tuesdays alternate between Jump Jazz, Honky Tonk, Blues, Swing, and Lindy Hop nights, Wednesdays bring live salsa with Calito Franco and the Tumbao Anejo All Stars, and Thursdays deliver Global Beats with rotating international DJs. Friday and Saturday nights go full dance party with DJs spinning pop, hip-hop, and dance hits. Almost all of it is free. Blondie's is cash only, diverse, loud enough to feel alive, and quiet enough on the right night to actually have a conversation.

The BooM BooM RooM...with it's velvety smooth flavor and uncompromising style... The live music has not stopped shaking the walls of this powerhouse music venue since it opened the doors to the public in 1997. With the vision of bringing real-deal live roots music shows back to the Fillmore District and San Francisco, the Boom Boom Room has continuously offered a full evening of sensational entertainment six nights a week. JOHN LEE HOOKER partnered with his friend Zander to open this iconic music club and his passion for original, innovative and authentic music performances thrives here. This darkly-lit, down-home, sultry juke joint is reminiscent of the old Fillmore clubs of the 1950's, and features live soul inspired Roots Music (Boogie, Blues, Soul, New Orleans Groove, Soul-Jazz, Rock & Funk), cocktails and a get-down, "raise the roof" dance driven vibe six nights a week. The Boom Boom Room provides a true "home" to Roots Funky, bumpin' live music in the Bay area.

A historic North Beach space that hosts concerts, private events, and parties. Its large capacity and versatile layout make it suitable for bigger local showcases and touring bands seeking a classic SF feel.

Subterranean Swedish-American hall turned intimate music venue

An upscale Jackson Square venue with a spacious outdoor courtyard. It features live Latin jazz and salsa, offering a vibrant and dance-heavy atmosphere for bands that can get a crowd moving.

Steeped in history, the Dawn Club is a gorgeous Downtown San Francisco gathering place where guests can experience delightful cocktails, the finest of whiskies & spirits, lively, boisterous, invigorating music, and a superior level of service.

Cocktails & Music Harlan Records is built around the idea to "listen more", inspired by our personal connection with music, local heritage, Japanese listening bars and the intangible effect of good spirits and great company. Uniquely located near San Francisco's Jazz and Blues music scene of the 50's and 60's where Union Square was the epicenter. Coalesced by vintage high fidelity to achieve the truest sound of the time resonates through a vintage Thorens TD124 powered by a McIntosh 2210 amp and JBL L100 and Sony SS-7300 speakers to fill the space. Drawing locals and tourists alike, Harlan Records features full-sides of long play vinyl records in a comfortable urban environment and a cocktail program inspired by classic recipes.

A newer addition to North Beach, inspired by the legendary jazz clubs of the past. It offers a dedicated 'jazz sanctuary' with professional sound and a focus on both local legends and emerging jazz talent.

A revived Chinatown lounge that pays homage to the neighborhood's 'Golden Age' of nightlife. It features a sleek stage for jazz, soul, and R&B, offering a sophisticated and historic gigging opportunity.

A Divisadero street favorite that blends art gallery vibes with a high-energy dance floor. It hosts diverse live acts, from jazz and soul to 'Motown Mondays,' offering a busy stage for funky and eclectic performers.

Make-Out Room in the Mission is a quirky, tinsel-covered venue that hosts everything from soul and jazz to punk and DJs. It's a beloved spot for artists who appreciate an eclectic, retro, and community-focused vibe.

A sleek, modern jazz club in the Civic Center area. It offers nightly live jazz, a focused cocktail program, and a professional stage for musicians looking for a consistent, upscale, and attentive gig.

A small, artist-run record store and gallery in the Richmond. It hosts intimate jazz and experimental shows, providing a grassroots platform for musicians in a creatively charged and supportive environment.

A grand, historic landmark that hosts high-profile concerts and theatrical productions. It offers artists one of the most prestigious and visually stunning stages in the city for large-scale performances.

Located right on the Embarcadero with stunning bay views. It's a classic spot for live jazz, blues, and reggae, offering artists a breezy, high-traffic stage with an iconic San Francisco backdrop.

There are very few places left in San Francisco where you can sit on the actual waterfront, eat a whole Dungeness crab, and watch a live band play with the bay stretched out behind them. Pier 23 Cafe is one of them, and it has been for over 35 years. This family-owned institution sits right on the Embarcadero between Fisherman's Wharf and the Ferry Building and has earned its place as one of the city's most beloved legacy venues for exactly the reasons you would hope: great food, genuine character, and a deep and consistent commitment to live music. The room draws a diverse and lively crowd that spills from the indoor bar out through multiple patio spaces and onto the waterside deck, where views of the bay and Telegraph Hill provide a backdrop that most venues can only dream about. Live music runs Thursday through Sunday and covers a broad and eclectic range, from jazz and blues to salsa, reggae, R&B, and acoustic acts, all delivered in a setting where the dancing tends to be shoulder to shoulder and the mood stays warm no matter what the weather is doing outside. Guy Fieri featured it on Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives, but the regulars who have been coming here for decades don't need the endorsement. They already know.

A world-class facility in Hayes Valley dedicated specifically to jazz. It offers multiple stages, including the state-of-the-art Miner Auditorium, representing the pinnacle of jazz performance and education in the city.

The university hosts a wide range of live music, from student recitals to professional series at McKenna Theatre, offering a diverse array of performance spaces for both students and visiting artists.

A historic North Beach gem with a large, partially outdoor seating area. It's a classic spot for live jazz and blues, offering a quintessential SF neighborhood vibe for performers and locals alike.

A dynamic community hub in Lower Haight that blends art, music, and local culture. It offers a flexible space for experimental performances, hip-hop, jazz, and community-driven events focused on discovery.

SF's oldest nightclub, featuring ornate balconies and frescoes. It is a legendary stage that has hosted everyone from Duke Ellington to modern indie stars, offering artists a truly historic performance experience.

The Saloon is the oldest bar in San Francisco, established on October 8, 1861 as Wagner's Beer Hall at what was then 308 Dupont Street in North Beach, later renamed Grant Avenue when the city reworked its street grid. More than 160 years of continuous operation later, The Saloon is still exactly what it has always been: a no-frills, cash-only, gritty, and completely unapologetic dive bar where the old San Francisco spirit remains untouchable and eight hours of live music happen every single day of the week without exception. The room is small, historically funky, and completely alive from the moment the first band hits the stage at 4pm until the last note at 1:30am, with two bands per night running back to back seven nights a week. The programming is rooted in electric blues, soulful R&B, and raw rock and roll, and the names that have played this stage constitute a significant chapter of Bay Area blues history: Johnny Nitro, Tommy Castro, Ron Hacker and the Hacksaws, Daniel Castro, Curtis Lawson, Dave Workman, the Powell Street Blues Band, and many others who built their reputations in this room. The dance floor is small, crowded, and absolutely active from the first downbeat. Drinks are strong, cheap, and poured without ceremony. Cash only, one drink minimum on some nights, occasional $5 cover on weekends. For music listeners who want the real thing rather than a version of it, The Saloon is not just a bar, it is a living piece of American musical history that smells like 165 years of good times and has no plans to change.