The Best Jazz Clubs And Bars In San Francisco

Jazz music began in New Orleans about 100 years ago when African, Caribbean, and European Americans created a sound unique to the U.S. Although jazz music’s roots lie farther east, San Francisco is home to some amazing jazz venues, including SFJAZZ Center: the first performing arts center in the country dedicated solely to the genre. Here is a guide to the best places to listen to live jazz in San Francisco.

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Sheba Piano Lounge

Open for dinner and drinks, Sheba Piano Lounge is an intimate jazz lounge and an Ethiopian restaurant. There is live music every night starting at 8:00 p.m. on Sunday through Thursday and 9:00 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays. The different performances could be anything from Afro-Cuban jazz to violinists. Along with the delicious Ethiopian food like injera, a flat bread, which can be enjoyed before or during the performance, Sheba Piano Lounge also serves specialty cocktails.

Also open for dinner and drinks is Club Deluxe, a pizza joint paired with live jazz music and cocktails. Located on Haight Street, Club Deluxe is known for its delicious wood-fired pizza. The small bar also serves small plates, salads, tacos, desserts, and, of course, drinks. Club Deluxe gives off a vintage New York aura, with live jazz music every night.

Boom Boom Room

The Boom Boom Room is a small, dive-y club in Lower Pac Heights that offers dancing, drinking, and live blues, jazz, funk, or soul music six nights a week. The live bands begin at 9:00 p.m. in this small and intimate venue with a cover charge.

Bix

Serving new and traditional American cuisine in a stunning two-story dining room, Bix is a combination of a speakeasy, a supper club, and a stylish saloon. With a sophisticated atmosphere, Bix has live jazz music every night and is known for their classic drinks and wines.

Comstock Saloon

Also serving new American dishes is Comstock Saloon. On Fridays, from 12:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m., customers can get a free lunch at Comstock Saloon by purchasing two alcoholic drinks. Live jazz music plays regularly, but not every night in this rustic and vintage-style bar. However, the bar and lounge is fairly upscale.

SFJAZZ Center

Starting in 1983, SFJAZZ became a cultural center for jazz music, with over 300 performances each year at the new, 36,000-square-foot SFJAZZ Center built in 2013. Costing $64 million to construct, the new SFJAZZ Center was the first venue dedicated solely to jazz music in the country. Although the venue can accommodate up to 700 people, the performing arts center still provides an intimate atmosphere. Every year, the SFJAZZ Center holds the Jazz Festival, SFJAZZ Summer Sessions, as well as free concerts in the summer at the Stanford Shopping Center and Levi’s Plaza.

Mr. Tipple’s Recording Studio

Mr. Tipple’s Recording Studio is not actually a recording studio run by Mr. Tipple; it’s a unique bar with live music. Mr. Tipple’s is a great location for a drink and live jazz every night. Connected to the restaurant next door, Cadence, the venue is a vintage bar with an old school blues vibe. Mr. Tipple’s offers delicious craft cocktails, beers, a couple of wines, and new American small bites like sandwiches, sundaes, and crispy potatoes.

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