It is pretty hard to choose the best bars in Mission Dolores--I've been to about a dozen there and I don't think that even covers half. Here are a few of my recommendations:
1. Elbo Room is definitely my favorite on the theme nights. They do a Swing thing upstairs, I think once a month on Sundays. They also have this sort of Mod night--both very fun. Ahhh, the good old days.
2. Elixir is fun too.
3. Gestalt Haus, as the name indicates, is the place to go for all varieties of German beer. It is always Oktoberfest in that joint.
That should get you started, but really you could spend an entire summer in the Mission, Mission Dolores and the Castro and never hit the same place twice.
