Pier 23 Cafe Cafe. Easy to find, strong drinks, tasty menu, friendly staff, indoor and outdoor seating, views of the bay, live music, dancing biker types etc. Mostly though, it's within walking distance from Pier 39 and all the touristy stuff, so they out-of-towners can come here for a reprieve from sightseeing ;) For the quintessential seedy SF experience, I send 'em over to
Zeitgeist or
Shotwell's. Out-of-towners also seem to get a kick outta
Nick's Crispy Tacos on a Tuesday night for dinner and crawling up and down Polk Street (and I can't really blame them!)