With only a few days to go, the excitement around the 2012 Summer Olympics is peaking. Unless you have a ticket to London for the games (lucky!), you will be looking for a place to watch the competitions around San Francisco.

The Opening Ceremony is scheduled for 11:30 a.m. (PST) this Friday. Here are a few of the best places to grab a drink and watch the opening of the XXX Olympiad.

Mad Dog in the Fog
If you are in the Lower Haight, there is no better place to watch the Opening Ceremony than at Mad Dog in the Fog. It will be packed with Poms (i.e. Brits) proudly watching their country dazzle the world. There's a fantastic beer garden out back, replete with a big screen. The vast array of beers on tap, and its proximity to Rosamunde Sausage Grill makes the Mad Dog a good choice for all of your Olympic celebrations. 530 Haight Street.

Kezar
Kezar, another popular UK sports bar will also be showing the Opening Ceremony. It's another haven for British expats, so if you want to get a vibe of what it would be like in London, this is another pub for you. With a seemingly endless variety of beers and multiple TV screens, Kezar will be putting on a fine show. 770 Stanyan Street.

Nickies
If you are after a more sedate experience, Nickies has a number of comfortable booths to sit and watch the Opening Ceremony on TV, as well as a good assortment of beers and fantastic counter meals from midday. It shouldn’t be too packed, so you can just drop in anytime without worrying about pushing through rowdy crowds. 466 Haight Street.

Greens Sports Bar
Greens is a relaxed sports bar that opens up onto Polk Street. It can get pretty crowded with rowdy patrons watching one of the HDTVs dotting the interior, so best to head over early-ish. There are always cheap beer specials, and though they don’t serve food, they encourage customers to get take-out delivered to their tables from one of the many local eateries in the area. 2239 Polk Street.

Public House (Opening Ceremony replay at 7:30 p.m.)
With 22 TV screens and one of the largest draft beer and cask ale offerings in San Francisco (with 24 beers on tap including three cask ale - 80% of which are local - 24 varieties of bottled beers, plus a full bar) Public House will be a good place to come with your mates after work and watch the Opening Ceremony replay. Starting at 7:30 p.m., they will be showing the replay in full for those who couldn’t get time off work during the day. 24 Willie Mays Plz