Starlite
Bar · Union Square
450 Powell St, San Francisco, CA 94102, USA
Highlights
City views, cocktails, and all-vinyl DJ sets await
City views, cocktails, and all-vinyl DJ sets await
"This reopened city centerpiece provides some of San Francisco’s most impressive views with a full 360-degree panoramic of the City by the Bay. Washington, D.C.-based chef Johnny Spero handled the food menu while Scott Baird of Trick Dog came in for drinks. If you can survive the line, it’s one of the premiere spots to take in all that San Francisco has to offer with a cocktail seasoned with Chinese five spice and maybe a seafood tower." - Paolo Bicchieri
"This is Union Square’s sexiest place to put on heels, listen to vinyl, and look hot while perched atop a green velvet couch. The 21st-floor spot (on top of the Beacon Grand) is mostly indoors, so you get downtown views without having to worry about your cocktail napkins flying off into the fog. It’s the ideal spot for a birthday involving a full-on iPhone photoshoot, or for a date when you want to prove that San Franciscans do indeed own non-fleece coats. Just stick with wine or the tangy Pisco Punch—the food, like Sichuan chicken bao and furikake fries, is mediocre at best." - lani conway, julia chen 1, ricky rodriguez
"The crowd at Starlite is a mix of locals on third dates and tourists whose hotel concierge told them this place has a nice view. And they’re not wrong. This spot perched on the 21st floor has all-glass walls, excellent (and expensive) drinks, and velvet couches built for lounging and appearing on your Instagram feed. The best part is that it’s mostly indoors, so when Karl decides to crash the party, you can continue to go live on whatever social media platform without skipping a beat. Tourists who forgot to pack jackets" - julia chen 1, patrick wong
"Don’t go to Starlite for dinner. Instead, visit the 21st-floor rooftop bar in Union Square for the fantastic cocktails and gorgeous views of the city. (There are plenty of great dinner spots nearby once your eyeballs have had their fill.) Focus your attention on the sparkly chandeliers, flashy outfits, and luxurious green velvet couches that make the ideal setting for a birthday photoshoot against the downtown skyline. The best part is that this spot is mostly indoors, so you won’t have to worry about cocktail napkins flying off into the fog." - julia chen 1, patrick wong, ricky rodriguez
"For decades, San Franciscans knew Starlite more properly as Harry Denton’s Starlight Room, a gleaming bar overlooking Union Square. In more recent years, the bar was shuttered for five years — first for a renovation in 2019, but then it continued its closure during the onset of the pandemic. The bar roared back to life in January 2024 under the stead of the Beacon Grand Hotel, still with those inspired views, but now with a menu led by Scott Baird, formerly of Trick Dog, and bites by Washington, D.C.-based chef Johnny Spero. The porn star martini is a good place to start, drinks-wise, but for a touch of flair, order the Cable Car Redux with a special ingredient, Karl the Fog." - Dianne de Guzman
