Rooftop Charmaine's in San Francisco

Charmaine's: the Proper Hotel's rooftop, above Market Street

Indoor lounges that open onto the terrace

The San Francisco Proper Hotel stands at the corner of Market Street and McAllister Street, where Mid-Market meets Civic Center. Its roof, about 120 feet (nearly 37 meters) above the street, is given over entirely to Charmaine's. You first walk through a series of eclectically decorated lounges: mustard armchairs, floral-print sofas, a checkerboard-clad fireplace and large picture windows. Then the long terrace stretches out along planters full of greenery, its black-and-white striped armchairs turned toward the downtown towers; after dark, the lights of Market Street come on below.

Fire pits to beat the fog

As is often the case in San Francisco, wind and fog quickly cool the terrace in the late afternoon: fire pits are scattered among the armchairs, and the glassed-in lounges offer a cozy retreat. The house cocktails and reworked classics are all $22, from the Hugo Spritz to a pisco and stone fruit sour, by way of the margarita or a martini made with olive oil–washed vodka. Wines by the glass from California, Oregon and France, Bay Area beers and $16 alcohol-free cocktails round out the menu. To snack on: oysters, yellowtail crudo, house-made fries, sliders, a lobster roll or a charcuterie and cheese board.

Practical information

Open Sunday through Thursday from 4pm to 11pm, and Friday and Saturday from 4pm to midnight. Reservations are recommended in the evening and on weekends; in the evening, a $50-per-person minimum spend applies to tables of three or more (hotel guests excepted). Smart casual attire is recommended. The hotel entrance is at 45 McAllister Street; Civic Center station (BART and Muni Metro) is about 200 meters away, and the historic F streetcar stops at Market Street & 7th Street.