The Resy Guide to Cocktails in San Francisco

Our favorite thing to do pre-Mister Jiu’s dinner is to climb up those stairs into the Moongate Lounge, one of the vibe-iest cocktail spots in San Francisco. The drinks here are inspired by the Chinese Lunar Calendar and are driven by seasonally appropriate ingredients. The Summer Solstice, for example, could be a nice move to cool you down, with gin, Cocchi Rosa, watermelon, and fennel.

Come sober, leave sobre at Sobre Mesa, the Afro-Latin cocktail lounge from Chef Nelson German. Grab a seat at the bar or kick back at the brown leather-lined seats, sip on a tropical classic like a mai tai or mojito, or go more specialty like a passion fruit paloma — it’s citrusy, Tequila-forward, and available by the pitcher. A tapas of tostones with aged cheddar, anchovy, and ‘nduja could pair well.

Besides making noodles in-house, sourcing the Bay Area’s pristine produce for big broth-y ramen bowls, and a not-so-secret karaoke room in the kitchen, the strong cocktail game is also a big draw to Ramen Shop. We like to stick to the highballs — it just feels right. Keep it classic with Japanese whisky, or go mezcal with club soda and grapefruit oil. All served tall, as they should be.

The fun and funky Friends and Family has nice outdoor seating both in the back patio and in a parklet. Their long bar is nice and vibe-y too. Try Mom’s Rosy Cheeks, which features vodka, rose, lime, and bitters and is a nice, light, bright way to cool you down in the September summer, or go Grandma’s Standard, which is basically a martini — pair with a shrimp cocktail and you’ll be doing well.

One of our favorite things in life is to sit at the bar at Rich Table and just go for it — do the damn thing and get the chef’s tasting menu — which also means don’t think, just drink. Specifically, start with a cocktail. You could go RT Classic with a shisho gimlet, featuring gin and lemon and lemon-y shiso — it’s a very smart cocktail. But also their market-driven cocktails are nice too — Peru-ve Me Wrong features pisco, peach, hibiscus, lemon, and prosecco, providing floral, fruity, and bubbly elements all at once.

Speaking of Rich Table, its former chef Brandon Rice opened up his own restaurant, which has been one of the hardest resy’s to secure in San Francisco. But the pro tip to secure a spot is to walk in and sit down at the bar. Try the Alpine Colada, which features herby genepy, coconut, pineapple, and a bit of Douglas fir, which lets you know as clear as ice that Rice is an RT alum.

Do Jell-O shots count as cocktails? We think so. Liholiho Yacht Club’s Yacht Shot features vodka, peach, passion fruit, and mango, and we’re absolutely here for it.

Expertly crafted cocktails are the perfect pair for spicy Thai food — you need things ice cold and slightly sweet to stand up to the fiery heat of Intu On’s food, like a Talk of The Town, basically an extra citrusy piña colada, or the Phuket Fizz featuring mango-infused vodka, mezcal, coconut, condensed milk for a creamy sweetness, butterfly pea tea for a blue hue, and soda for that slight effervescence.