Twin Peaks Tavern: The Best Spot for Drinks and People-Watching in Castro

It's one of the CASH ONLY bars in the city and yes they have an ATM upstairs if you need to get some. It's mainly the older crowd with a few twinks scattered about. The bartenders are handsome and the drinks are perfect. If they have never heard of the drink, just tell them what's in it and they will fix it. I highly recommend it for the 40 and up crowd. Twinks are always looking. They places location give you a view of the Bart station and Market Street and all the people who are coming and going.

Our favorite bar in The Castro. The vibe there is really relaxed. Shoutout to Steven for making great drinks and being really nice. We’ll definitely go back on our next visit to San Francisco.

My wife and I stopped in on a Saturday. I had an old fashioned (tasty but they didn't have a big ice cube). She had an Irish coffee. It's the kind of place that SF yuppies might bring their relatives visiting from a less excitiing 'Burb. Tastefully, appropriately cozy. And definitely SF Castro, but mature.

Great bar in the Castro, good prices and service. It is located between Castro and Market St. They have big windows to watch people. Sometimes they have tables outside. It usually gets busy in the afternoon with locals and tourists. I have been going there for years and love it.

The Twin Peaks Tavern is the first LGBTQ bar in the world to have oversized windows making its patrons visible from the street outside. This happened in 1972 when two local lesbians purchased what had been an Irish Pub since 1935. Historically, gay bars had no windows, to protect the anonymity of the patrons and for safety and security, as gay bars could be a target of vandalism or other violence. It's saloon days go back to the gay nineties, i.e., the 1890s. It is a designated SF historic landmark at the corner of Castro and 17th street. One of the best people watching spots in the Castro. You never know what you'll see on Castro Street in front of the bar. It nearly closed during the Covid Pandemic, but a Gofundme campaign raised over $100,000 to keep it open. There's a documentary short film, "Through the Windows," about the historic and beautiful bar.

Loved the bartenders. Felt safe here as a trans person. Albiet I was surrounded by bears with no other trans gals in sight. Really fun customers, cheap (but strong drinks) and an extra floor of seating. Will be coming back here.

We were there on a Sunday night in November. The bar is a beautiful vintage bar that was salvaged from an old hotel in San Francisco after the big earthquake. They do not serve food. They had 2 TVs on and we were able to watch football. Aaron was the bartender. He made great Irish coffees! We talked for about an hour about life and traveling. He was so nice and attentive. He made our night a great experience. We hope to return to hear about his travel experiences in Vermont and beyond!

Been going to San Francisco for years and never walked in to this bar . This week past i finally got to experience this amazing happy and welcoming establishment. Felt very welcome and the drinks were absolutely amazing . The staff welcoming and engaging as well. I had champagne and a Espresso martini yummy and made with love . Thanks for being a great part of the community and I’ll definitely be back next month . Also one more note the collection of Nut crackers is absolutely Impressive it’s add such unique atmosphere to this already amazing bar