Pacific Cocktail Haven Sails Into Its New Home Near Union Square This Week

Just over a year after an early morning fire seriously damaged the bar in February 2021, tropical cocktail destination Pacific Cocktail Haven will sail back into the Union Square neighborhood. Starting Wednesday, March 16, bartender Kevin Diedrich and the PCH team will resume shaking and stirring a menu of drinks infused with ingredients from across Asia and the Pacific including Filipino coconut wine, sweet-salty li hing mui, and Japanese sweet red bean paste.

The fresh menu features a handful of PCH’s greatest hits — including the gin-based Leeward made with coconut-washed Campari and pandan cordial and the Kinako Sidecar made with cognac, anko, Licor 43, lemon, and kinako dust — plus a number of new additions. Look for a half dozen highballs including, of course, a Japanese whisky-filled Toki option, but also riffs like the Okinawa High Ball lifted with Lillet Rose, apple-cinnamon, and sparkling wine. The menu hits all the usual suspects in terms of base spirits, and offers a section of drinks starring shochu, sake, and sherry, plus a pair of shareable punches good for 5-8 people.

Allison Webber

Allison Webber

Fans may remember it's been a rough couple of years for Diedrich and his destination bar. Last year’s fire came just as PCH reopened following an extended closure due to the COVID-19 pandemic. At the time, Diedrich told Eater SF he’d just brought back much of the bar’s staff back for outdoor service when the blaze shut things down again. And while no one was injured, the bar sustained extensive smoke damage and flooding that made reopening a daunting task. Finally in August, Diedrich announced on social media plans to move the bar just a few steps up the block to a new location at 550 Sutter Street.

Now it’s time to unveil the space. Wrapped in warm woods and sporting rounded booths with crimson banquettes, the new PCH offers more intimate seating areas — and a front patio with seats for about 30 guests. Some fans did get a bit of a sneak peek late last year, when the bar hosted the aggressively cheerful Miracle Christmas pop-up in December. Of course, at the time, almost every square inch of wall space was covered in wrapping paper — and that was before the pop-up had to shut down early due to the omicron-fueled surge in COVID-19 cases.

In addition to PCH, Diedrich and partners opened Kona’s Street Market in SoMa in early 2021. Prior to striking out to open his own bar, Diedrich earned his stripes at some of San Francisco’s most respected cocktail bars such as the Burritt Room, Jasper’s Corner Tap & Kitchen, and BDK.

Pacific Cocktail Haven, 550 Sutter Street, will be open Wednesday through Saturday, 5 p.m. – midnight.