The Plough and the Stars

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.