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The Mission may be chock full of bars and restaurants, but Matt Norris still thinks there’s something missing. "There’s a sweet spot somewhere between the straight neighborhood dive and the more involved cocktail bar," he told Eater. Which is why he and his wife Piper Norris created Evil Eye, which opens this Thursday. "We wanted to create a space where you could come in and buy a multi-ingredient drink or you can buy a shot and a beer," he explained. "We have a couple vintage pinball machines and a pool table, some comfortable lounge seating, and the idea here is that we want to be that neighborhood bar that happens to have really great food and drinks."
Norris took his experience mixing drinks at Soluna and 50 Mason and created a menu divided into citrusy seasonals, boozy stirred drinks, and the classics. There will be three rotating punches, as well as a small selection of beer and wine, but Norris wants to keep the focus on the spirits and cocktails. The Norris’ brought on chef Francis Hogan (Sabio on Main) to create a menu that the restaurant will execute of snacks and bar bites like toasts, smoked paprika fries, wings, and beet-pickled deviled eggs, as well as cheese and charcuterie from Mission Cheese and ice cream from Humphry Slocombe. You can see the food and drinks in full below.
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Piper handled the decor, which Matt said was inspired by 70s rock and roll with bohemian and North African influences. "We did a lot of flea marketing and thrift storing and this concept has been sort of in the works for quite some time. We’ve been collecting vintage glassware and punch bowls in anticipation of the time we would get our own space," he said. And, of course, evil eyes play a prominent role in the design. "It’s a powerful image and we like the idea of the talismanic use of the evil eye that is something you can wear to ward of others’ bad feelings toward you," Matt explained.
Evil Eye will be open starting Thursday, June 2 from 3:30 to 10 p.m. and thereafter from Tuesday through Thursday from 3 p.m. to 10 p.m. and Friday through Sunday from 3 p.m. to 12 p.m.
