Tag: Cocktails

9 Standout Restaurants of the Month

by  on  in The Latest, Top Tastes

Reviewed in this article:
— Modern Lebanese and Levantine Pop-up at Buddy: Ilna
— New Neighborhood Spot Ideal for Groups & Families: Fifty Vara
— Cocktails & Bites with Seafaring Touch: Bar Maritime
— Persian Mexican Lounge: Movida
— Japanese Hot Pot Lunch Go-To: Potto

—  SF Chron’s #3 Keeps On Wow-ing: Rich Table
— Two Top Female Chefs Keep This 32-Year-Old Shining: Boulevard
— Killing It With Bold Veggie Dishes: The Progress
— The Farm-to-Table Legend Since 1971: Chez Panisse Read more →

Modern Japanese Bar Iris serves some of the most ambitious cocktails around (and fab food)

by  on  in Top Tastes

Since Michelin-starred Nisei opened in August 2021 and its neighboring Bar Iris in October the same year, the modern Japanese duo has faced both acclaim and tragedy. Beloved Iris bar manager Ilya Romanov died tragically at the end of 2022, leaving a void in the team. As Nisei evolved, so too has Bar Iris risen from heartbreak, thanks to its strong team and visionary talent of current bar manager Timofei Osipenko. Read more →

Meals for a Winter’s Day: 7 Restaurant Standouts of the Month

by  on  in Top Tastes

These newcomers or new menus cover the gamut, from dim sum to traditional Irish or Russian food. Alongside the latest full restaurant reviews — why SF is the U.S.’ best food city, The Halfway Club, Nick’s Cove, Movida/Bar Gemini/Stoa, Canela, Chotto Matte, 2023’s top new restaurants and bars — these seven are also worth visiting, with last month’s standouts here (as always, I’ve personally vetted and visited each one): Read more →

A new neighborhood hang comes to San Francisco: The Halfway Club

by  on  in The Latest

Many a happy night was spent at Broken Record over a decade ago with my friends and family, playing pool, sipping a dram from their affordable whiskey list, and filling up on excellent bar food. After closing in September 2022, I couldn’t have predicted that friends Ethan Terry and Greg Quinn would end up taking over the space and opening The Halfway Club, their dream long in the making. Read more →

3 New Bars with Killer Food in San Francisco

by  on  in The Latest

San Francisco has long been rife with world’s best cocktail bars: it was one of three cities, alongside New York and New Orleans, that introduced the world to cocktails in the 1800s, after all. Then SF and NYC led the cocktail renaissance of the past three decades.

Many of these bars also serve killer food. While bars like True Laurel and The Snug are shining examples of this combo, there’s a recent wave of new bars where food and drink shine together, but the vibe is fully bar versus restaurant. Three of the most interesting newcomers? Movida, Bar Gemini, and Stoa. Read more →

Yokai: Japanese food and vinyl records come to life in SoMa

by  on  in The Latest

Yokai is an ode to jazz with quality 1970s JBL Pro Series studio speakers and sound-proofing, making music the soul of the lofty space that was home to Salt House for years. The steel, brick and wood-lined bar and restaurant on Mission Street opened just last month, adding a feather in the caps of Marc Zimmerman, Ben Jorgensen and team behind Gozu, one of the great modern Japanese restaurants in the nation since 2019: Read more →