The name may be pretty unoriginal (it's shared by a marijuana dispensary, a trail and more), but the now open Barbary Coast bar is trying to stand out from the North Beach pack. Owner Jonathan Tourzan also owns Grant & Green Saloon across the street, and he’s recruited an experienced team to help him hone the vision for this gastropub based on the history of its location. "We want to be able to appeal to everyone and play into the history of the space, which was being a really diversified, interesting and unique space in its past incarnations," events and marketing manager Jennifer Estevez told Eater. "The concept is a gastropub with a focus on craft cocktails, premium wines and craft beers."
In its past, 478 Green St. was home to the Old Spaghetti Factory and Bocce Cafe, both known as a haven for beatnik poets, artists and cabaret performers. The team is channeling that through a cocktail list inspired by the beatniks, poetry readings on Thursdays in collaboration with the Beat Museum and City Lights and more. The space is large with 150 seats inside and a back patio with two large trees that seats around 30.
Executive chef James Liles (he was last chef for the Oakland Raiders) created dinner and brunch menus that seem to be trying to please everybody under the "comfort food with fun new twists" umbrella, with pizzas, salads, wings, oysters, charcuterie, sandwiches and mains. Drinks from Mina Group’s Carlos Splendorini have a focus on barrel-aged cocktails like the Heroine, with Diplomatico Anejo Rum, crème de banana, Kina la Avion and tempura fried banana. "It’s more sweet and syrupy," Estevez explained. "Our whole cocktail menu theme is based on beat poets who had a notorious habit for heroin and doing lots of drugs, so they enjoyed sweetest things." Estevez, who just got her advanced sommelier certification, put together the wine program, which "covers all styles and is approachable but also with some other high price points for someone who may want to splurge," she said.
Barbary Coast is open for dinner on Fridays and Saturdays from 5 p.m. to 11 p.m. and Sundays, Mondays, Wednesdays and Thursdays from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. It’s also open for brunch on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays from 10 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.