Virgin Hotels SF Opens With Stylish Restaurant and Rooftop Bar To Follow

Virgin Hotels San Francisco has checked into SoMa, where it’s open now at 250 Fourth Street. And while the news is good for those looking to get a room — there are 200 of them, for which reservations have been live since last summer — the new hotel will soon be a plus for local diners, too.

Virgin Hotels SF is part of a new boutique hotel chain under the umbrella of the Virgin mega-corp (think Virgin Airlines) founded by business magnate Sir Richard Branson. As at Virgin Hotels’ original branch in Chicago, the new San Francisco space is also occupied by a swanky restaurant called the Commons Club. Here, it’s lead by executive chef Adrian Garcia, who served as chef de cuisine at three-Michelin star Quince and worked at three star Benu before consulting on hit cafe Stonemill Matcha.

For the moment, SF’s Commons Club is open to hotel guests only with a limited menu. But fear not: They’re taking reservations from the public for as soon as this weekend. Stay tuned for the menu and more.

Later, in March, the Commons Club will have added company: A ground-floor coffee shop and lounge space called Funny Library, serving drinks from a coffee brand co-founded by actor Hugh Jackman called Laughing Man. At Funny Library, chef Garcia will provide light bites and serve baked goods including items from Craftsman and Wolves.

Finally, crowning the project is a 4,000 square-foot rooftop bar with city views advertised as “panoromic.” That’s called Everdene, and it was designed by Gensler. Drinks there and downstairs come from lead bartender Tommy Quimby, previously of the Michael Mina Group, Trick Dog, and Rich Table. Look out for more on his cocktails and the whole project soon — Everdene is due in March.

Virgin Hotels SF is one in a small fleet of new hotel arrivals, a group that includes the Yotel (which will house a location of Daniel Patterson’s Alta restaurant) and the Proper Hotel, which boasts a restaurant and striking rooftop bar of its own. But there’s likely room to grow: According to SF Travel, the local tourism board, visitors to the city were up by 2.6 million people between 2013 and 2017, and average hotel occupancy rates for 2018 were forecast to be 84.7 percent.

• Virgin opens its first San Francisco hotel [SF Curbed]
• Virgin Hotels SF Opens This Fall With Snazzy Rooftop Bar and Big Deal Chef [ESF]