The Old Ship Saloon’s claim to being the oldest bar in San Francisco is disputed, but what’s indisputable is the awesomeness of the Old Ship’s origin story. When a Gold Rush ship named the Arkansas ran aground on Alcatraz in 1849, it was towed to shore. There, it got a second life in 1851, when someone cut a hole in the side of the ship, dropped a gangplank and advertised booze inside. Over time, the “bar” was landlocked by landfill and a building was built atop it.

Claiming to be the second-oldest continually operating bar in San Francisco, this tiny Mission District watering hole has been through several incarnations since opening in 1858. Now known for its whiskey selection, antique decorations and cozy, wood-paneled interior, Elixir stays current on cocktail trends without getting pretentious, while small touches like Sunday Bloody Marys and barbecue have kept it a local’s spot.

A curious number of bars in San Francisco claim to be the city’s oldest, but if the Saloon, allegedly open since 1861, doesn’t qualify as the oldest it certainly comes close. For such a small space, the bar manages to pack in a lot of energy. What The Saloon lacks in polish it makes up for in spirit: smiling bartenders, raucous dancing, sultry blues.

The Sunset is a reservoir of standout dives and neighborhood bars. Silver Spur. Shannon Arms. The Four Deuces. The list goes on. We, regrettably, couldn’t include them all on this particular list, so we thought it best to pay respects to the elder statesman: Little Shamrock, established the same year Grover Cleveland was president and the Ferris wheel was invented.

With a wood-burning stove, peanut shells on the floor and a vast whiskey selection, this cozy, dog-friendly Mission hideout dates to 1902. That means it’s survived earthquakes, fires and Prohibition (when it became a popular “lunch counter” that served booze on the sly). With aesthetic touches like deep red and gold wallpaper, a pressed tin ceiling and some tastefully scandalous paintings of nude ladies, the Homestead has done an admirable job of preserving a laid-back local feel.

Built in 1908, this SoMa saloon is a homey vestige of old San Francisco in a neighborhood that has transformed several times over since the tech boom(s). In the 1930s, it was a hangout for gamblers, longshoremen and ladies of the night; by the ’50s, the ornate wooden barback, imported from Belgium, served as the setting for customers like Joe DiMaggio and Marilyn Monroe. In the ’70s, owner Paul Gaer installed a stage and promptly ushered in a new age of live music and comedy.

Bars are windows into different eras across time, and a stop at Double Play is a throwback to the midcentury era of baseball on 16th Street, when San Francisco Seals and Mission Reds played across the street at Seals Stadium. It doesn’t seem like Double Play’s trappings have changed much over the decades. These days, it’s home to a contingent of regulars, $4 beers and a full food menu, set to a backdrop of memorabilia and one of the finest signs around.

The grand, clock-less House of Shields has been encouraging patrons to lose track of time for more than a century. The SoMa bar’s history is full of scandalous legends, some not entirely verifiable, like the rumor that President Warren Harding died here in the arms of his mistress. (Official records indicate he died across the street at the Palace Hotel.)

This Glen Park institution since 1926, with a “liquor to take out” addendum on its vintage sign, doesn’t stray from its mission. Black and white photos cover the walls and a fireplace and line of green bar stools stand at the ready for a steady influx of neighbors.

Tony Nik’s is old-school but not kitschy, clean but not snobby, fun but not divey. It’s the kind of place you want to bring a particularly promising date to chat at a cozy back table over potent boulevardiers. It’s the sort of spot where you can gather a crowd of friends for beers before heading out for pizza, or roll in solo to talk with whoever’s working that night.