Bergerac, A Clubby SOMA Cocktail Hideaway

Grid View

11th Street may have more of a reputation for clubgoing teens than classy cocktail drinkers, but Bar Agricole planted a hip initial flag, and now it's joined by equally chic neighbor Bergerac, which opens tomorrow night. Owned by David Brinkley (Vessel), Anderson Pugash (Crossroads Nightlife Group), and Bruce McDonald (Foreign Cinema), the bar intends to provide a welcoming space for groups to enjoy a cocktail and a nice bite—but it's not afraid to court a more party-hearty crowd, either, with drop shots on the menu and flair-bartender-turned-mixologist Russell Davis and Speed Rack champ Yael Vengroff behind the stick.

Randy Lewis, a Food & Wine Best New Chef alum, is behind the inventive bar bites menu, which includes options like a Scotch egg with black pudding, crispy boneless chicken wings coated in Vietnamese caramel and garlic chips, hoisin duck tacos, and Ethiopian-spiced tuna "kitfo" tartare rolled in injera. On the drinks side, Davis is offering sips both innovative (the Dirty Work cocktail, with tequila and champagne; a take on a kalimotxo with red wine, Coke, and cinnamon syrup) and frat-friendly (the Fireball Inside Her, a drop shot of Fireball in a glass of Magner's cider). The back bar is also well-stocked with every spirit under the sun, for those who don't feel like experimenting.

The shabby-chic interior of the space is modeled after Keith Richards' Villa Nellcote, the crumbling French palace where the Rolling Stones famously recorded Exile on Main Street. There are lots of tufted leather sofas, plush armchairs, and ferns centered around old steamer trunks, plus a handful of communal tables and some more seats around a back fireplace. A six-seat table behind a private curtain will be a hot ticket as well. To be sure, the former Mist space is unrecognizable: the previously open center has been closed off for sister spot Audio Discotech upstairs, while the downstairs is more Restoration Hardware than Red Bull. Hours are 5 pm-close, Tuesday-Saturday; they're hoping to keep the kitchen open on the late side, but an exact closing time hasn't been worked out as of yet.

· Massive New Bar Bergerac Headed to Western SOMA [~ ESF ~]
· Audio Discotech, A Lavish SOMA Nightspot [~ ESF ~]
· SF's 10 Most Anticipated Fall Bar Openings [~ ESF ~]