The Best New Bars In San Francisco 2014 | Tasting Table SF
Where to drink this fall
Cheers to you, San Francisco: Thanks to a bevy of hot new bar openings, your drinking options have never been better. Check out our seven favorite new spots for sipping craft cocktails, local beer and carefully curated wines.
Les Clos, SoMA
We're ruined for life when it comes to wine bars thanks to Les Clos, the new all-day destination from Saison wine director Mark Bright. Get a tasting education from 40 rotating by-the-glass selections (there's an emphasis on Burgundies in the 3,000-plus bottle cellar) over cheese, charcuterie, oysters and caviar. Buy bottles to take home, too, because you can.
The Interval, Fort Mason
Drinking cocktails in a mad scientist's library need no longer be a pipe dream thanks to this stunning café/bar housed in the Long Now Foundation in Fort Mason. From the gorgeous multifloor bookcases to the story-rich cocktail list, you'll be in great shape to ponder the state of the world and life's greater meanings. Even better, there are plans for drink-serving robots in the future.
ABV, the Mission
Featuring an all-star bar team (who list spots like Beretta, The Hideout and Bourbon & Branch on their résumés), ABV is the newest hot spot for killer cocktails (organized by spirit) and tasty, creative bar snacks. Because why wouldn't you want to cap off a long day with a blend of rye, Campari and cacao, wonderfully deemed the Fogerty ($10)?
Smokestack, Potrero Hill
A new bar from the Magnolia team leads one to a few major assumptions—namely, that excellent, locally brewed beer will be flowing. Smokestack fulfills that promise, and then some: Expect potent, dangerously drinkable cocktails, a whiskey list to do a Kentucky granddad proud and a hearty selection of barbecue from Dennis Lee to soak up the spirits.
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Doc's Lab, North Beach
A simple menu of well-executed cocktail classics and a new destination for live comedy, readings and music? There's a whole lot to like about Doc's Lab, the downstairs bar-cum-performance-space from hot new North Beach restaurant Doc Ricketts. Sip on a Vieux Carre ($10), take in a show and order a killer charcuterie plate ($24) from upstairs. Consider your night made.
Longitude, Downtown Oakland
Three cheers for the delicious and decadent tiki bar revival, which has added a lot more tropical spirit (and rum) to all of our lives. The latest Bay Area installment, and really, one of the best around, is Longitude, an adventure-themed bar complete with a thatched hut, global bar snacks and plenty of the Navy-strength stuff.
Diving Dog Brewhouse, Uptown Oakland
Newly opened across from the Fox Theater, Diving Dog is not only a destination for Northern California craft beer, it's a DIY brewing facility, complete with copper pots, recipes and custom labels for your personal beer creations. The 30 options available on tap certainly make it a worthy spot for sipping a cold one and rewarding yourself for a hard day's work brewing.