The Lush

SOMA has a new spot for boozin’, ~83 PROOF~, a project from Chris Barry, formerly the head bartender at LuLu for eight years, and Sky Wegman, whose background includes a start at Johnny Love’s back in ’97, Lucky 13, some East Bay joints like the Mallard, and Loft 11.…

I am all for kitsch—I love me some tiki bars, bars that look like caves, bars with owls…  and taxidermy is all about bonus points in my book. Sadly, as time marches on, kitsch continues to disappear around the city. Fortunately, one person keeping it alive is Forbes Thor…

Anthony LaVia (who helped open Gestalt House) has taken over the Arrow Bar, and will be reopening it as ~MATADOR~. After some delays, it’s looking like a soft opening will happen the first weekend of October, and then a grand opening on the 19th. The look will include some…

The saga of ~TEMPLE~ was more like something out of “Tales from the Crypt,” but let’s hear if for persistence! It’s alive! In early 2006, we all heard about this multi-level mega-club and restaurant from Paul Hemming that was taking over Dr. Winkie’s legendary Club DV8 (and…

~BAR DRAKE~ is a new glam lobby bar opening July 12 in the historic Sir Francis Drake Hotel—it will have a 1920s vibe and classic cocktail list crafted by fab mixologist Jacques Bezuidenhout. Jacques’s drinks menu will include some updates on classics like the Sazerac (j’adore) and…

~OTIS~ is going through a 2.0 kind of makeover, and how timely, it’s just on the brink of its two-year anniversary. Starting July 11, Otis will be offering a daytime café setting, with outdoor seating in the alley (about 20 seats) plus the option to sit indoors as…

image from Nickie’s website The former Nickie’s BBQ on Haight has gone through major changes: new ownership (Shay Lyons and Noel Morgan, their first project together), new sleek yet cozy look (yay, the nasty bathrooms are gone), and a new simplified name: ~NICKIE’S~. It just reopened last…

image from O'Neill's website Eoin O’Neill is one busy bloke—he’s gearing up to open his third ~O'NEILL'S IRISH PUB~, this time a 3,000-square-foot space in the Fairmont Heritage Place development at Ghirardelli Square. He’s keen on creating…

Last year I reported on the funk-a-riffic ~CANTINA~ opening in the former Johnny Wok’s space on Polk Street. Well, after permit issues and typical bureaucratic delays, partners Duggan McDonnell and his wife Kristina, along with friends Aaron Prentice and Christene Larsen, decided to steer the ship to a new…