Southside Spirit House, A New SOMA Haunt

Southside Spirit House
575 Howard St., SOMA
Phone: (415) 543-5874
Web: southsidesf.com
Status: Open

Friday was the big opening day for new bar Southside Spirit House, which took the place of Eve Lounge at 3rd and Howard. Owned by Colin O'Malley, who also runs nearby John Colins, the 2,000-square-foot bar got a total design refresh, tilting away from club music and bottle service and towards a bright, mural-driven design that features wood floors, a new wooden bar, and most memorably, a wall tiled in old-school cassette tapes. Though the intent is to create a cocktail-lounge atmosphere, there are also TVs for "sports and special events."

The focus is on fresh and straightforward cocktails ($11) like the Hooker's Boot (genever, mezcal, habanero simple syrup, mint) and the Maiden Lane (bourbon, strawberry, lemon, ginger syrup, agave). There's also a strong selection of local and global craft beers from the likes of Speakeasy, Stone, Duvel, Hitachino, and Firestone Walker, along with a bottle program featuring four large-format selections. See the full cocktail menu here, and the beer menu here. Happy hour, with $1 off all cocktails, is weekdays from 3-7 pm.

On the food side, Michael Frances (Campton Place, RNM, La Folie) was brought in to consult, and devised a menu of bar bites like steak tartare, deviled eggs with jalapenos and cotija cheese, three kinds of sliders, and flatbread pizzas ($6-12). View the full food menu here, and note that the kitchen is open until 1 am, a solid bonus. Opening hours are 3 pm-1 am Monday-Wednesday, 3 pm-2 am, Thursday-Friday and 6 pm-2 am Saturday; they're closed on Sundays.

· Eve Lounge to Become Southside Spirit House [~ ESF ~]
· Southside Spirit House [Facebook]