Smuggler's Cove is a rum-focused tiki bar located in the Hayes Valley neighborhood of San Francisco, California. Founded by Martin Cate and now co-owned with his wife Rebecca, the bar opened on December 8, 2009, and has since become one of the most acclaimed tiki bars in the world. The three-story space is built around an extensive rum collection and an immersive nautical/tiki interior designed by local designer Ignacio "Notch" Gonzalez. The bar is known for having the largest rum selection of any bar in the United States, with over 1,300 varieties, alongside a cocktail menu of roughly 80 drinks spanning classic tiki-canon recipes and original creations drawing on more than three centuries of rum history. The building spans three levels — a main floor, a lower-level bar known as the Boathouse near an indoor waterfall, and an upper tiki-hut lounge overlooking the main room — decorated with vintage tiki artifacts, ship's-hull-style walls, and a full-sized anchor. What sets Smuggler's Cove apart is its educational bent: owner Martin Cate created the in-house "Rumbustion Society," a multi-level rum education and tasting program for regular patrons. The bar has drawn sustained national and international recognition, has been the subject of extensive press coverage, and inspired the Cates' own book, "Smuggler's Cove: Exotic Cocktails, Rum, and the Cult of Tiki," published by Ten Speed Press in 2016.

Hours

Daily, 5:00 PM – 1:15 AM

Address

650 Gough Street, San Francisco, CA 94102

Phone

(415) 869-1900

Neighborhood

Hayes Valley

Established

December 8, 2009

Owners

Martin Cate and Rebecca Cate

Rum Selection

Over 1,300 varieties — the largest of any bar in the US (as of 2025)

Cocktail Menu Size

Approximately 80 cocktails

Interior Designer

Ignacio "Notch" Gonzalez of Top Notch Kustoms

Related Book

"Smuggler's Cove: Exotic Cocktails, Rum, and the Cult of Tiki" by Martin and Rebecca Cate, Ten Speed Press, 2016