Few San Francisco bars are as quirky as the tiny, pink, eccentric Beauty Bar, and in fact, maybe quirky is not extreme enough, for this Mission District favourite with a drag queen tinge. Often it’s too crowded to dance or even wedge your way inside, which makes for a festive, if claustrophobic, scene. If you like the chaotic energy of a crowded night spot, you’re in business. Beauty Bar takes the kitschy ’60s-era beauty salon motif pretty seriously, with hairdryer chairs and free Urban Decay manicures when you buy a cocktail Wednesday-Friday from 6 to 10pm. While there are better places to talk and dance, there are few better for meeting fellow hipsters over a stiff drink and hard-to-resist music.

Photo: Flickr/torbakhopper