Li Po Cocktail Lounge

Located in San Francisco's Chinatown, Li Po Cocktail Lounge is a quiet, den-like bar with an eclectic mix of furnishings, such as an immense rice paper lantern, deep red décor and lighting, and a glittery Buddha statue behind the bar.

Once an opium den in Chinatown, the Li Po Cocktail Lounge serves locals and tourists with an alluring experience in the dim nightclub. Bartenders share spooky stories of ghosts who once were local opium junkies. Used as a setting in the novel Nocturnal, The Li Po Cocktail Lounge was named after a famous ancient-Chinese poet.

The crowd usually consists of old, local regulars, and trendy twenty-somethings. The basement holds a dance floor (and a restroom) with a variety of musical selections. Occasionally local bands or DJs play at the Li Po Cocktail Lounge, which livens up the club quite a bit. The cocktail lounge is located at 916 Grant Ave, between Washington and Jackson Streets, which are several blocks away from Union Square.

Li Po Cocktail Lounge is located about 20 minutes by car north of the San Francisco International Airport. Nearby attractions include the San Francisco Chinatown Ghost Tour, Cable Car Museum, Chinese Historical Society of America, and Coit Tower. :