The two greatest conditions for drinking wine are at a vineyard with Riesling, the winemaker’s border collie, sitting quietly at your side, and alone on your own sofa while wearing warm socks. You do, however, have other options if you’re out of clean clothes and discover the dog was only a hallucination of your intoxicated imagination. Here are the Best Wine Bars in San Francisco you should check out!
A lot of people drink in San Francisco. In the tiny 7×7 city, which loves its Fernet, there are more than 20 local wine bars. Being surrounded by wine country practically demands that we have a plethora of wine bars as well. Additionally, the popularity of wild natural and biodynamic wines appears to be here to stay, at least for the time being. Natural wines are produced with the least amount of processing and without the use of pesticides, herbicides, or commercial yeast. Ask your wine server about the terms “skin contact” and “zero-zero”. The production of biodynamic wines follows a holistic farming philosophy, which is essentially how wine was made before modern technology.
Cantina Los Mayas
For doing something that arguably no other wine bar in the United States is doing—serving just Mexican wines—this brand-new wine bar deserves early praise. Mexican cuisine is already a favorite among San Franciscans from birth, so why not the wines as well? The natural and conventional wine list. Which consists primarily of wines from the Valle de Guadalupe in Baja California. It has a faint ocean flavor thanks to its proximity to the water.
Try the Isabella from Emeve, an intriguing white blend of chardonnay, viognier, and sauvignon blanc. The wine bar was created by the same people who founded the adjoining Taqueria Los Mayas. Thus cuisine is also a major draw. The Yucatean menu has Pipian Con Pato and Paunchos (Mayan crispy tacos) (squash seed puree over seared duck).
San Francisco Wine Society
Those who grieved The Hidden Vine’s demise in 2020 should be relieved to learn that the owner of the wine bar that replaced it in 2021, the San Francisco Wine Society, was actually The Hidden Vine’s manager. More crucially, reservations can still be made at the outdoor bocce ball court in the adjacent alley. The pub may also have the greatest parklet in the city, which is designed to look like a vintage home library and includes two (reservable) electronic fireplaces, soft velour chairs, and a tape player from the 1980s.
If the glass and bottle lists appear overwhelming, the flight’s menu has humorous themes to help you navigate, including several 2022 goals like “Learn to Speak Spanish” (includes a Viognier from Uruguay by Experimental) and “Get Finances in Order” (includes a Napa Valley cabernet sauvignon from Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars). Don’t skip the munchies, though, such as the flatbread with Serrano ham and pesto or the smoked sturgeon pate with Ritz crackers.
Verjus
In the Financial District, there aren’t many bars that don’t focus on sports, margaritas or squeezing yourself in between five sets of patrons. Next comes Verjus. It’s a large, airy wine bar on Jackson Square that nevertheless has the ambiance of a hip private club. They feature a limited by-the-glass selection if you’re just stopping by for a quick drink. After work, if you have the time, you can choose a bottle from their extensive list of largely natural wines and share a few small plates with your pals. Such as pate en croute or the morel ragout.
Ruby Wine
Ruby Wine is the best resource for information on natural wines. The people behind the counter will talk to you about wine in this modest Potrero Hill boutique. In the same manner that you might talk to your deskmate about fan theories from your favorite Netflix show. There is no pressure if you were the person who was always too frightened to ask questions in class. This place hosts tastings with winemakers whose bottles they sell on Fridays. They are so informal that it feels more like a housewarming party than an opportunity to learn about wine.
Bar Part Time
Bar Part Time is located in The Mission’s former Thieves dive bar area. Embodies the spirit of San Francisco with a laid-back yet tastefully designed atmosphere that includes natural wines and dance parties. Discover European natural wines as well as Californian companies like Slow Dance of Petaluma and Stagiaire Wines of Santa Cruz.
During a Hyde Radio Takeover, spin about with the lights of the disco ball while sipping Stagiaire’s Let’s Get Fizzical sparkling wine. In addition to providing three bottles of wine each month for local pickup. BPT also offers a monthly wine club that includes stuff like a branded motel keychain, stickers, and more.
Altovino
We avoid meeting up with guests at the hotel bars when they are staying nearby Nob Hill hotels and suggest they come to Altovino instead. Although this establishment is a bustling restaurant, the front room’s bar makes it the ideal setting for a quick drink with a friend. The wine list is exclusively Italian. And if you start to get peckish, there’s a small menu of items. Like oxtail-stuffed olives and speck-wrapped breadsticks to graze on as you choose whether to stay here for pasta or go out to dinner.
Key Klub
Key Klub, the second wine bars from the group behind North Beach’s much-liked Bodega and from a force behind Cellarmaker. Offers natural wines as well as fresh craft beer on tap in a pleasant, inclusive environment. The food isn’t bad either; consider Steak Frites Au Poivre or French Toast with Duck Liver Mousse. Sip on a quirky Grosjean Petite Arvine or an IPA.
Before entering a venue with paper lantern-canopied seating and original exposed brick combined with contemporary decor. Visitors are invited to reflect on the past by the vintage sign of an earlier iteration of Key Klub from the 1940s or 1950s that still hangs above the building’s door. The venue has a five-year contract that must be fulfilled before it can be developed into condos. Before then, try to consume everything on the menu.
High Treason
There are almost no wine bars in Inner Richmond. Since it first debuted in 2016, So High Treason has been a wonderful addition to the area. It draws in a wider range of wine enthusiasts thanks to its up to 50 wine menu, good beer selection, and food menu. Currently featuring plate lunches such as Mochiko Chicken and Coconut Shrimp from Unco Frank’s Island Grindz. As well as its love of vinyl records.
Expect both rare wines, like the Bordeaux Petrus, and $6 cans of beer, all with an SF ambiance that skews creatively casual. The walls may be adorned with wooden skate decks that have been burned with designs of waves inspired by Japanese printmaking. The restaurant was founded by fine-dining somms who wanted a more laid-back atmosphere. Also, don’t forget about the wine club. Which allows you to select one, two, or three bottles for $79 every month.
