Today, I saw a chron article “best cocktails of the bay area”. The list wasn’t bad - contained quite a few of my favorite spots - and I had been to well over half - but it’s coverage of the peninsula was… spotty. And by spotty I mean terrible.
Palo Alto specifically has undergone a significant cocktail Renaissance. So good are the pickins that I have a hard time getting up the gumption to travel to SF - there’s always a few favorite spots and a broad range of excellent well made cocktails.
Without further ado, my personal list - north to south.
I am not aware of a worthy cocktail stop between South San Francisco and San Carlos. There is a fancy bar in one of the buildings in SSF near the ferry terminal, but I haven’t tried it.
San Mateo - Chron lists “wonderbar”, the speakeasy under wursthall. I have heard good things - but - according to Resy it books up over a week in advance. Therefore I have not tried it - and now just believe it might either be a myth or seriously pretentious. I could be wrong. When I do want a drink in San Mateo, I go japanese. You’ll find me at Izakaya Ginza, which has a plausible sake menu, or koko’s for skewers and beer, or maybe at Limon for a pisco sour. Not for lack of trying - I worked in Burlingame for a year and a half recently and tried most places.
San Carlos - Faith and Spirits. While I haven’t been here, I’ve walked by several times, and the joint reeks of being a good cocktail joint. It’s certainly what they’re trying for, and they’re well regarded on google. Honorable mention - Towne. While it’s a high end burger and steak joint with more pretense than chops, the place can mix a decent standard manhattan, as can Izzy’s down by SQL airport. Noelani’s also gets honorable mention for hawaiian / tiki style, although the irresistible pull of Refuge has me not stopping by often.
Redwood city - Nighthawk. Nighthawk is an actual serious cocktail bar. Clarified milk punch, plenty of other goodies, outdoor seating, indoor seating, and great nibbles on both sides with Mazra and Zareen’s. The atmosphere is a little brusk just because they get more “people stopping by” than people hanging out. Honorable mention goes to Kemuri Japanese Baru, which has quite good food and a long sake list, and a plausible smoked manhattan. I feel the cocktails were better there pre-pandemic, but the quality of the food makes up for current shortcomings in the bar. Quinto Sol is also worth mentioning for very reasonable margaritas, and LV Mar has some bright points. RWC might have the last dive bars in Sodini’s and 840 Lounge.
Menlo Park - Canteen. Canteen is the small-plates stepchild of Camper, and their dedication to a real spanish feel makes it a favorite. Antoine the bar lead was at Cascal in MV for something like 15 years, so he told me, and he certainly has a touch with a cocktail. I might be biased on this one, since I get along with Antoine, but the food is a high point as well. Flea Street Cafe, not in “downtown” MP, is clearly a standout that could easily make a best of the bay list. The bartender has been there forever (I forget his name), it’s not just a “we made a good list and have journeymen mixing”. The chron did a spotlight article on Flea Street just a few weeks ago and highlighted the bar. About 15 years ago he mixed me the Best Sazarac Ever, I’ve had only one close call (at a rather undistinguished place in NOLA). Burma Love, around the corner from Canteen, while part of the Burma Superstar megalith thus almost a chain, has some good cocktails. The spot to watch is the opening next to Bistro Vida, where the Bistro Vida owner is promising to put an actual cocktail bar in. There’s also a well hidden rooftop cocktail bar at the BBC, but I wasn’t that impressed. The bars at both the Village Pub, and the Rosewood, are reliable for classics (martinis, manhattans, etc), but the Rosewood bar has a long standing cougar warning, especially on Thursdays. Village Pub has an excellent bar burger, although the “secret menu” of additions is now sadly printed.
Palo Alto - where it gets interesting. In no particular order.
Rooh - “circular” menu, indian spices, great bold interesting tastes. I’ve never been disappointed in the food or the cocktails, and (because of Ettan’s flash) it’s always easy to get into.
President’s Terrace - rooftop. Not the most inventive, but a very good vibe and well mixed.
Bar Zola - the star of palo alto. If you’re there early or late and can vibe with the staff, they’ll do some bespoke cocktail action that’s always on point. When it gets busy (about 6 to 10, open to 12 including bar bites), the cocktails are still very, very good. Can be a bit “industry” (software industry, that is).
Ettan - also Indian, great bright tastes and flavors. Won’t get any bespoke action, but everything is well put together and very interesting. The trend of high end inventive indian has its epicenter at Ettan, and they have a very mean cocktail list.
San Augus - I went there because I was talking to the Zola cats and they said they had an “exchange program” with the San Augus bartenders and they would sub in with each other. San Augus is no slouch - very well made cocktails.
Honorable mention - Scotty’s, for keeping it real (the closest PA has to a dive bar), Nola, because Nola, Reposado, Coconuts, Union Local, Meyhouse (long raki menu! and well made classics). I haven’t been to Ethel’s Fancy but hear good things, and I expect good things from Khazana (who took over the Joya location). RIP bird dog, the first place I had a Last Word.
That’s a very long list of very good cocktails.
Palo Alto California Ave -
Sekoya is putting in very solid cocktails. The ever trendy milk punch, but everything else there has been very well made. Bodeguita Del Medio is excellent for classics - they make a rum manhattan that’s well above average. Then there’s protege, high end tasting menu place (1 star), with similar excellence in drinks. They’re currently expanding to a cocktail-only place across the street (was Calave wine bar). Honorable mention to Naschmarkt, which on last visit was long on 4-equal-parts with several Last Word riffs. Oh, and Sun Of Wolf (same owners as Quinto Sol in RWC) is quite solid.
South of PA gets into a bit of a desert. I’ve heard good things about Roger Bar in the Ameswell hotel. There was a good cocktail place in Los Altos but it appears to have closed.
Mountain view really should have at least one great cocktail place, but I’m not aware of it. Vida Tapas means well but doesn’t really have the oomph. Scratch used to be a favorite - again, for classics - but last visit the place was a ghost town.
I am not aware of anywhere of note between Palo Alto and San Jose - which is rather astonishing. That’s an area with something like 500k to 750k residents, and no great cocktails. Educate me.
San Jose. While the chron picked up Paper Plane, the actual cocktail spot of note is Haberdasher. There’s not even a contest - Paper Plane has some good moves, but Haberdasher is certainly the real deal - and a spot that deserves a “best of the bay” label. Atmosphere is good - cozy, singles at the bar (about 6 seats), a small walk in section, and another reserved section. Have your food at Pettisco’s around the corner (which has an Ok bar but nothing special). Paper Plane does make a good drink, but it has terrible atmosphere - very frat boy, and cold and drafty. Honorable mention to Dr Funk’s for Tiki (I haven’t been to Tiki Pete next block over), and Original Joe’s for martini’s and manhattans in deep red leather booths, and the trio of Hi Life, Poor House, and Italian Speakeasy, which all abutt each other and seem to share the Poor House blues stage (it seems you can bring food and drinks from all of them over). Downtown SJ has more than a few bars with nice atmosphere to get drunk in - but I wouldn’t call any cocktail standouts.
Campbell has a few spots. Orchard City Kitchen (which now has a branch in San Carlos at the train station but it didn’t look like they have a hard liquor license),. Cedar Room is well regarded, haven’t been. There’s a group of places in the same block - Distrito Federal, The Vesper - where I’ve had a couple of good drinks, but the bar names change more frequently than I go. There’s something about that block.
I’ve got it off my chest, thanks for listening.
