Mr. Digby’s is a handsome new black-and-white tavern in Noe Valley, a neighborhood that was in desperate need of a good drink, along with loaded deviled eggs and spinach dip reimagined as hasselback sourdough. Wife-and-husband owners Kristen Gianaras McCaffery (Novy) and Mike McCaffery (Mission Rock Resort) live nearby, and true to Noe, toddlers and puppies are welcome. 

The Trick Dog team strikes back. Bon Voyage has sadly set sail, but it was replaced with the new Chezchez in August. Which is honestly ideal timing for serving up tinned fish and cool spritz for real San Francisco summer.

Luna took over Luna Park on Valencia, bringing roast chicken and cocktails to the long-vacant space. Partner Tony Marcell and chef Scott Quinn both came through Wayfare Tavern, and they’re into meaty brasserie fare paired with classic cocktails with a twist, including a “new” fashioned with bourbon and apricot liqueur, and a vesper spritz that’s almost a lighter martini.

La Bande, that gorgeous green triangular space at the tip of the Proper Hotel, is reopening as a gin-soaked tapas bar on September 21. Pull up a barstool for grilled squid, tomato toast, and gin and tonics.

A trio of industry veterans has opened a subterranean party hideout in the Tenderloin. Persona bar opened in August, and is now serving intriguing cocktails in an underground space inspired by erotica cinema.

The Empress of China reopened as Empress by Boon in June, welcoming guests back into the historic banquet hall with sweeping views of Chinatown. The main draw is the full tasting menu experience from chef Ho Chee Boon (Hakkasan), but the bar and lounge area are beautiful. Bar manager Emily Parian is shaking a Blue Rose rum cocktail with a touch of rose and tint of aqua from curacao; and a Nanjing Cocktail with rye washed in duck fat, sweetened with plum, and spiced with Sichuan bitters.

The team behind Bourbon & Branch opened a new fern bar just before the pandemic descended, throwing it back to the ’70s with wild wallpaper, purple lighting, and lots of frilly plants. The cocktail menu leans pretty and pink, filled with grapefruit and vodka, as well as Aperol spritzes and dirty martinis. Don’t miss the disco punch, served in a big bowl for six people, or a single serving “glitter ball.”

The Pacific Cocktail Haven team sadly lost their original space in a fire this winter, but opened their new bar Kona’s Street Market in SoMa in February. The drinks are just as strong, inspired by street markets from around the world, and it’s a cool space, strung with lights and lanterns and glowing multi colors.

Tribune is a new brasserie within the Tribune building that once housed the eponymous newspaper. Opening its doors in August, it brought mid-century style to those historic digs, and a booze-friendly menu, pairing twists on classic cocktails with trout amandine and steak au poivre.

Fans of the Kon-Tiki were thrilled when Palmetto finally thundered open in May 2020, pandemic be damned. The tropical cocktail bar and steakhouse is pastel-colored rum-and-ribeye dream, and the team has been strict about enforcing mask rules and asking for proof of vaccination, so diners can feast with a little more peace of mind.

Star chef Nelson German of Alamar seafood restaurant opened the new Sobre Mesa cocktail lounge only nine days before the pandemic shut down the bay. But the bar reopened this March after a year, and is now finally serving Afro-Latino drinks and dishes, including the eponymous Sobre Mesa with light rum, dark rum, mamajuana, and citrus; there’s also a Zombie Reviver with gin, sherry, passionfruit, and a wash of coconut oil and spritz of absinthe.  

When Oakland locals and childhood friends William Tsui (Lazy Bear) and Raymond Gee (Noodle Theory Provisions) found out that the Plum Bar space was opening up in Uptown, they had one response: “fuck yeah.” Viridian opened in February 2020 with the metallic sheen of greens, pinks, and purples. They started with Asian American cocktails and desserts, but are now serving a full savory menu, meaning whiskey and tequila drinks alongside crispy rice tuna tartare, allium milk bread, and a Thai tea boba bowl.

Chef-and-bartender buddies Matt Meyer and Daniel Paez finally opened Low Bar in February after many pandemic delays. The Chicano-owned bar features agave cocktails, quesabirria tacos, and a glorious Scotch egg rolled in chorizo, still crispy on the outside, but jammy in the center.