Sweetie's Art Bar

A neighborhood bar and art gallery in San Francisco's North Beach, tucked off Columbus Avenue on Francisco Street. Free pool always, a new art show every month, and live jazz on the first Friday. Cozy, relaxed, and built for regulars. Women-owned.

The basics

  • Address: 475 Francisco Street, San Francisco, CA 94133
  • Between Mason and Powell, a few blocks from Fisherman's Wharf and Pier 39
  • Phone: (415) 433-2343
  • Email: sweetiesartbar@gmail.com
  • Website: https://www.sweetiesartbar.com
  • Price: $$ - most drinks $6 to $15, food $6 to $16
  • Google rating: 4.5 stars

Hours

Open seven days a week.

  • Monday: 4:00pm to 10:30pm
  • Tuesday: 4:00pm to 10:30pm
  • Wednesday: 4:00pm to 10:30pm
  • Thursday: 4:00pm to 10:30pm
  • Friday: 4:00pm to 11:00pm
  • Saturday: 4:00pm to 11:00pm
  • Sunday: 4:00pm to 10:30pm

There is no happy hour. Some listings still say there is. There isn't.

What Sweetie's is good for

Free pool. One old-fashioned pool table, free play, every day we're open. Not a pool hall, just a bar with a table you don't have to pay for. It's one of the most common reasons people come back.

Live jazz, first Friday of the month. The Vince Lateano Trio plays three sets on Francisco Street outside the bar, 6:00pm to 9:00pm. No cover, no ticket, no minimum. Guest horn players and vocalists sit in.

Monthly art openings. A new artist goes up on the wall every month in the Black + White Gallery. Openings are usually the first Friday, 6:00pm to 8:00pm, as part of the North Beach First Fridays art walk. Free and open to anyone.

A group hangout that isn't loud. Room to stand, room to talk, outdoor seating, and nobody rushing the table. Good for after work, birthdays, and catching up.

A local's bar near a tourist area. Sweetie's is walkable from Fisherman's Wharf and Pier 39 but is not a wharf bar. Regulars, real bartenders, fair prices.

Food

Real bar food, not just chips.

  • Thin crust pizza, $16 - any combo of sausage, mushroom, onion
  • Shepherd's pie, $14 - ground beef topped with basil mashed potatoes
  • Mac and cheese, $12
  • Toasted pretzel, $6, with brown spicy mustard
  • Castelvetrano olives, $6
  • House roasted nuts, $6 - paprika almonds, ajwain cashews, spicy walnuts, or a herb mix

Drinks

House cocktails $11 to $15. Sweetie's Kiss (green chili vodka, lemon, basil, agave), Spicy Paloma, Basil Daiquiri, Sweetie's Sling, The Brooklyn.

Beer on tap $8: Fort Point KSA, Trumer Pils, Deschutes Fresh Squeeze, Lagunitas IPA, Drakes Amber. Bottles and cans $7 to $9. Wine by the glass $9 to $11.

Non-alcoholic, always stocked: BrewDog Hazy AF, Hopwater, Fever Tree ginger beer, Red Bull, and Fre alcohol-removed white and red wine, both $9. If you are not drinking, there is something here for you.

Who runs it

Flicka McGurrin opened Sweetie's Art Bar over 20 years ago with one hope: to bring neighbors together. A San Francisco native, she named the bar after her father, Howard McGurrin, nicknamed Sweetie. The walls hold a living history of loved ones and creatives, and the art changes every month.

Full story: https://www.sweetiesartbar.com/our-story

Good to know

  • The pool table is free. One table, no charge, no quarters, first come first served.
  • There is no cover for the jazz or the art openings.
  • There is outdoor seating on Francisco Street. The jazz plays outside, so dress for it.
  • LGBTQ+ friendly. Women-owned.

Pages

Elsewhere

Last updated: 2026-07-28