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11 Breakfast Cocktails to Drink in SF Right Now

Morning imbibing can be the best imbibing.

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Whether it's a lazy Saturday or Sunday Funday, you can treat yourself with glass of something strong to really get your brunch vibes going. Here are the best places to grab a cocktail with breakfast.

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15 Romolo

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So maybe it seems more of a breakfast shot than a breakfast cocktail, but there has never been a cuter sip. Weekend brunchers each receive a free waffle shot — a hot bite of waffle dipped within coffee liqueur and a spirit of the bar’s choosing, dusted with powdered sugar.

1760's sun-drenched weekend brunches offer some satisfying Filipino-inspired dishes, along with a solid roster of brunch cocktails from bar manager Christopher Longoria that range from zany to traditional. Try a classic brunch cocktail from New Orleans with 1760’s Suisesse, a fluffy and aromatic blend of mint, cream, orgeat, absinthe, and gin.

Beretta

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Beretta's brunch features a colorful selection of breakfast pizzas and egg dishes, alongside its full dinner menu. Of course, the early cocktail pioneer stirs up some drinks with bright flavors — a trademark — to go along. Ease into your morning with Beretta’s classic Pimm’s cup, a refreshing tall glass of gin, Pimms, lime, and ginger.

El Techo de Lolinda

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La Paloma cocktails are a brunch drink standby in San Francisco, and El Techo serves it by the pitcher. Bartenders whip up this fresh version of the drink using tequila, fresh grapefruit, fresh lime, agave, and soda — a pretty good pairing to its South American-inspired egg dishes and fluffy beignets.

Eric Wolfinger

Foreign Cinema

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In the canon of classic San Francisco brunches, Foreign Cinema is sure to make the list time and time again for its elegant plates of eggs and picnic food, its meltingly pleasant sun-drenched patio, and its housemade pop tart. To truly get in the spirit, the bar staff offers a focused list of brunch drinks as well. Of note is the airy and refreshing Chamomile Sour with chamomile-infused Singani 63 muscat brandy, fresh lemon, simple syrup, and egg whites.

Namu Gaji

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For those who want a lighter alternative to the Bloody Mary, a shandy is a less potent, but similarly savory, option, and Namu Gaji serves a particularly formidable version of it. The classic typically includes tomato juice, beer, and spice. The Korean American restaurant lends its own touch by using tomatoes from the restaurant’s garden, gochugaru (Korean pepper flakes), bulldog vegetable and fruit tonkatsu sauce, tamari (Japanese soy sauce from miso), wasabi, ginger, and unfiltered Asahi beer.

It happens that one of the most classic brunch cocktails — the New Orleans-originated Ramos Gin Fizz — is also one of the most difficult to make. A pour of heavy cream is whipped together with egg whites, gin, lemon, lime, and gin to make a pleasing, fluffy meringue. Thankfully, Nopa is bold (and experienced) enough to put it on its brunch menu.

Park Tavern

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If it’s OK to eat dessert for breakfast, the same thing goes for drinks, right? Park Tavern’s Boozy Smoothie is a indulgent mix of Bulliet bourbon, banana, espresso, and vanilla.

Salumeria

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If mimosas at brunch is the plan, Salumeria offers one of the most fun ways to go in on it. For $48, you can order a “carafe,” a kind of DYI mimosa kit of a pitcher of bubbly wine, a half carafe of freshly-squeezed orange juice, a bit of sugar syrup, garden herb bitters, and a selection of seasonal bitters.

Slanted Door

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With its bay views and upscale Vietnamese fare, The Slanted Door at the historical Ferry Building on the Bay is one of the most pleasant brunches in the city. Wash down a plate of spring rolls and crab noodles with a fresh Pina Colada, made with housemade coconut milk, freshly-squeezed lime, and, of course, a nice pour of rum, making you rethink any other bad vacation variant you might have had.

SlantedDoor.com

Trou Normand

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If you can’t choose between your typical morning coffee and a cocktail treat, Trou Normand strikes a luxurious balance between the two with its off-menu specialty: a Cafe Gascogne. The steaming cocktail features shaken-to-order whipped cream, a pour of armagnac, and hot Four Barrel coffee.

15 Romolo

So maybe it seems more of a breakfast shot than a breakfast cocktail, but there has never been a cuter sip. Weekend brunchers each receive a free waffle shot — a hot bite of waffle dipped within coffee liqueur and a spirit of the bar’s choosing, dusted with powdered sugar.

1760

1760's sun-drenched weekend brunches offer some satisfying Filipino-inspired dishes, along with a solid roster of brunch cocktails from bar manager Christopher Longoria that range from zany to traditional. Try a classic brunch cocktail from New Orleans with 1760’s Suisesse, a fluffy and aromatic blend of mint, cream, orgeat, absinthe, and gin.

Beretta

Beretta's brunch features a colorful selection of breakfast pizzas and egg dishes, alongside its full dinner menu. Of course, the early cocktail pioneer stirs up some drinks with bright flavors — a trademark — to go along. Ease into your morning with Beretta’s classic Pimm’s cup, a refreshing tall glass of gin, Pimms, lime, and ginger.

El Techo de Lolinda

La Paloma cocktails are a brunch drink standby in San Francisco, and El Techo serves it by the pitcher. Bartenders whip up this fresh version of the drink using tequila, fresh grapefruit, fresh lime, agave, and soda — a pretty good pairing to its South American-inspired egg dishes and fluffy beignets.

Eric Wolfinger

Foreign Cinema

In the canon of classic San Francisco brunches, Foreign Cinema is sure to make the list time and time again for its elegant plates of eggs and picnic food, its meltingly pleasant sun-drenched patio, and its housemade pop tart. To truly get in the spirit, the bar staff offers a focused list of brunch drinks as well. Of note is the airy and refreshing Chamomile Sour with chamomile-infused Singani 63 muscat brandy, fresh lemon, simple syrup, and egg whites.

Namu Gaji

For those who want a lighter alternative to the Bloody Mary, a shandy is a less potent, but similarly savory, option, and Namu Gaji serves a particularly formidable version of it. The classic typically includes tomato juice, beer, and spice. The Korean American restaurant lends its own touch by using tomatoes from the restaurant’s garden, gochugaru (Korean pepper flakes), bulldog vegetable and fruit tonkatsu sauce, tamari (Japanese soy sauce from miso), wasabi, ginger, and unfiltered Asahi beer.

Nopa

It happens that one of the most classic brunch cocktails — the New Orleans-originated Ramos Gin Fizz — is also one of the most difficult to make. A pour of heavy cream is whipped together with egg whites, gin, lemon, lime, and gin to make a pleasing, fluffy meringue. Thankfully, Nopa is bold (and experienced) enough to put it on its brunch menu.

Park Tavern

If it’s OK to eat dessert for breakfast, the same thing goes for drinks, right? Park Tavern’s Boozy Smoothie is a indulgent mix of Bulliet bourbon, banana, espresso, and vanilla.

Salumeria

If mimosas at brunch is the plan, Salumeria offers one of the most fun ways to go in on it. For $48, you can order a “carafe,” a kind of DYI mimosa kit of a pitcher of bubbly wine, a half carafe of freshly-squeezed orange juice, a bit of sugar syrup, garden herb bitters, and a selection of seasonal bitters.

Slanted Door

With its bay views and upscale Vietnamese fare, The Slanted Door at the historical Ferry Building on the Bay is one of the most pleasant brunches in the city. Wash down a plate of spring rolls and crab noodles with a fresh Pina Colada, made with housemade coconut milk, freshly-squeezed lime, and, of course, a nice pour of rum, making you rethink any other bad vacation variant you might have had.

SlantedDoor.com

Trou Normand

If you can’t choose between your typical morning coffee and a cocktail treat, Trou Normand strikes a luxurious balance between the two with its off-menu specialty: a Cafe Gascogne. The steaming cocktail features shaken-to-order whipped cream, a pour of armagnac, and hot Four Barrel coffee.

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