The best reason to visit one of the many wine bars in San Francisco is to try a new varietal in an environment that encourages small sips and bites. Wine bars are also a comfortable way to enjoy a tasting when you're on your own and crave the sounds of San Francisco with your Zinfandel. Just be sure to leave before terms like "old leather" and "flinty" creep into your tasting vocabulary.
Add to this list Pres a Vi Wine Bar a recent wine-bar addition to the Presidio's Letterman Center.
1. Ferry Plaza Wine Merchant
Ferry Building - Embarcadero
There was a time when having a drink on San Francisco’s waterfront could get you crimped – drugged, shanghaied and shipped off to sea for two years. Fortunately, that won’t happen at Ferry Plaza Wine Merchant . . . or anywhere in San Francisco, as far as we know. The wine bar has a view to the Ferry Building’s concourse, which means some good people-watching. The wine list and selection of flights rotates weekly. Small bites like cheese and bread are also on the menu.
One Ferry Building
Shop #23
San Francisco, CA 94111
Telephone: (415) 391-9400
2. District
District is a relative newcomer to the wine-bar phenomenon. The space is gorgeous – an old brick building opening into a lounge of a room with table, bar and sofa seating. Wines can be ordered by the glass, bottle or according to a themed flight. The menu has PEI mussels, calamari and sashimi, as well as an artisanal cheese plate and salumi.
216 Townsend Street (at 3rd)
San Francisco, CA 94107
Telephone: (415) 896-2120
3. Hotel Biron
Hayes Valley – Upper Market
Hotel Biron isn't actually a hotel. In Paris, the Hotel Biron houses the Rodin Museum. In San Francisco, the Biron is a small space on Rose Street, behind Zuni Café, with the ambiance of a well-appointed wine cellar. Biron serves up a nice list of wines and a short menu that includes a cheese plate and an olive mix. You choose the cheeses from a small selection of cow's milk, goat and sheep varieties. Biron can be crowded in the post-work hours. After people drift home for the evening, the place opens up for a leg stretch and, of course, more wine.
45 Rose Street
San Francisco, CA 94102
Telephone: (415) 703-0403
4. Yield
Potrero Hill – Dogpatch
Yield is unique in that all of its wines are either organic, sustainable or biodynamic – meaning grown with the health of the whole vineyard in mind. Yield has modern/industrial leanings in its décor but it doesn’t feel stark or cold. The wine list rotates regularly and the cuisine is cheese, small plates, and organic flatbread pizza.
2490 Third Street (between 20th and 22nd)
San Francisco, CA 94107
Telephone: (415) 401-8984
5. Amelie
Polk Street – Russian Hill
Amelie is not one of Polk Street's old-timers, but it's popular enough to seem that way. The space is charming, with lots of red and warmth. You can sit at the bar, by the window or at a table, then order a custom flight and some small plates. Food choices range from ravioli to a charcuterie or cheese plate. Earlier evening hours make for better seating choices.
1754 Polk Street (between Clay & Washington)
San Francisco, CA 94109
Telephone: (415) 292-6916
6. Eos Restaurant & Wine Bar
Eos is known for its food as much as its wine. The restaurant and separate wine bar both serve the same small-plate menu, wine list and sake cocktails. The food at Eos is Asian-fusion with shiitake dumplings and the seared ahi tuna tower among the favorites. The wine list has a nice by-the-glass selection, in addition to the bottled choices.
901 Cole Street (at Carl)
San Francisco, CA 94123
Telephone: (415) 566-3063
7. Nectar Wine Lounge
Marina
Nectar, with a location in the Marina and also in Burlingame, has 40 wines by the glass and 800 bottled selections. The room has lounge elements, with velvet chairs and a two-tiered bar that seats about 15 people. Bars in the Marina can be overrun and boisterous in the evening hours but Nectar seems to retain a bit more serenity, relatively speaking. The menu is small, with a cross-section of tastes from Croque Monsieur to Kobe beef.
3330 Steiner Street (between Chestnut & Lombard)
San Francisco, CA 94117
Telephone: (415) 345-1377
8. The Hidden Vine
Nob Hill - Tenderloin
The Hidden Vine is the baby of David and Angela Cahill who wanted a cozy place in San Francisco to sit and sip wine. The Hidden Vine is an accurate moniker for this tucked-away lounge in the back of the Fitzgerald Hotel. They have a cross-section of California wines -- about 30 by the glass -- and themed flights with a monthly focus on a different wine-growing region of the world. The menu is cheese, cured meats, fruits, olives and chocolate truffles.
1/2 Cosmo Place (at Taylor)
- You can also enter through the Fitzgerald Hotel at 620 Post
San Francisco, CA 94109
Telephone: (415) 674-3567
9. Cav Wine Bar & Kitchen
Hayes Valley – Upper Market
Cav wants to give you a global experience by offering wines from 18 countries and 70 regions. Wines are served by the taste and by the glass, with regional wine flights rotating weekly. The menu has some fresh twists on preparations, like the Gratinee Fondue served with walnut bread. Dishes are arranged by bites or plates, depending on your dining style and hunger level.
1666 Market Street (between Franklin & Gough)
San Francisco, CA 94102
Telephone: (415) 437-1770