Tempest
Best Dive Bar in San Francisco · CA
SoMa's beloved hideaway dive bar and Box Kitchen.
Tempest has been a SoMa dive-bar mainstay since 1986, a gloriously unpretentious San Francisco hideout with rotating taps, pool tables, a back-patio grill and a come-as-you-are crowd. Its scrappy charm and seasonal bar food have made it a neighborhood go-to for decades.
A SoMa fixture for nearly 40 years, Tempest is the 2025 Centurion Award winner in San Francisco.
What they're known for
- Rotating tap beers
- Pool tables & back-patio grill
- Come-as-you-are SoMa dive
Customers said it first.
A Centurion Award verifies the public record that’s already there. Read the reviews yourself on the platforms below.
Public-record snapshot as of June 2026. Live ratings are always current on each platform.
Why this business cleared the bar.
This page was published by The Centurion Awards from the public record. Founding cohort: evaluated in 2026 on public evidence available then, labeled 2025. Selection follows the published criteria; Tempest met them on that evidence. The business can claim the listing or ask us to remove it.
- ✓Years in operation. Operating in San Francisco since 1986 — 40 years of continuous business.
- ✓Sustained online presence. An established local institution with a consistent public footprint — listings, coverage, and word of mouth in San Francisco.
- ✓Established customer track record. A deep public track record: San Francisco has kept Tempest busy for 40 years.
- ✓Liked by customers and the community. Genuinely beloved by San Francisco regulars and visitors alike — a bona fide community favorite.
- ✓Recognition in the local community. Generations of San Franciscans have made Tempest their unpretentious home base: cheap pours, a rotating tap list, and the box burger regulars swear by, all in a brick-walled hideaway that has outlasted boom after boom.
The specific data behind this award, and the exact thresholds, stay internal so the standard can’t be gamed. Read the methodology.
This page was published by The Centurion Awards from the public record; the business did not have to apply for it to appear. Own this business? Claim the listing to manage it, or ask us to remove it.
Award record
2025 Centurion Award
Best Dive Bar in San Francisco San Francisco, CA · Awarded under the 2025 evaluationVisit Tempest
The details, verified.
Clean, checkable facts about Tempest.
- Legal / trading name
- Tempest
- Category
- Bar
- Founded
- 1986, San Francisco, CA
- Location
- 431 Natoma St, San Francisco, CA 94103
- Centurion Award
- Best Dive Bar in San Francisco — 2025
- Record last verified
- July 2026
A signal you can check.
This is a dated award record published by The Centurion Awards after reviewing public evidence for Tempest against the 2025 criteria for its market and category. The business did not have to apply for this page to appear. It wasn’t voted on or sponsored, and selection is not for sale. The criteria are public. Owners can claim the listing or ask us to remove it. If an award stops holding up, we may revoke it. For anything current, like hours or bookings, go straight to the business itself.
Frequently asked questions.
What is Tempest?
A SoMa institution tucked off Natoma Street at 431 Natoma St, Tempest pairs classic dive-bar character with Box Kitchen's comfort food. 4.1 stars across 846 Yelp reviews.
Is Tempest award-winning?
Yes — Tempest is the 2025 Centurion Award winner for Best Dive Bar in San Francisco, a verified, criteria-based award. Generations of San Franciscans have made Tempest their unpretentious home base: cheap pours, a rotating tap list, and the box burger regulars swear by, all in a brick-walled hideaway that has outlasted boom after boom.
Where is Tempest?
Tempest is in San Francisco, CA. Details and hours are on its website, https://tempest.pourguys.com.
Run a business like this one?
If you’ve put in the years, you may already qualify. Evaluation is free, private, and never for sale.