clock menu more-arrow no yes mobile
A Zuni bloody in the making.
A Zuni bloody in the making.
Photo: foodhoe_pix/Flickr

Our Favorite San Francisco Brunch Cocktails

View as Map
A Zuni bloody in the making.
| Photo: foodhoe_pix/Flickr

hangoverPH.jpgBrunching in San Francisco is not for the faint of heart. While a few may sleepily jot their name down on the 3-page wait-list without batting an eye and go grab coffee, others ruthlessly stake out which table might get up next, hounding the host and hoping to beat out the weary and those less-determined. Bloody Marys and bottomless mimosas are clichés of the past in this town, where the line out the door demands an expectation for exciting and innovative AM libations. To help Cocktail Week ease into Cocktail Weekend, Eater presents a list of brunch cocktails to help nurse your hangover, whether you're looking to get woken up or put back to sleep.

Sophia Lorenzi contributed to this article.

· The Brunch Heatmap: Where to Brunch NOW [~ ESF ~]
· All Hangover Power Hour posts [~ ESF ~]
· All Cocktail Week 2013 posts [~ ESF ~]

Read More
Eater maps are curated by editors and aim to reflect a diversity of neighborhoods, cuisines, and prices. Learn more about our editorial process. If you buy something or book a reservation from an Eater link, Vox Media may earn a commission. See our ethics policy.

Bar Agricole

Copy Link

The aptly named Sleepyhead wakes drinkers up with brandy, fresh ginger, mint from Agricole's patio garden, lime and a splash of sparkling wine. It was developed by owner Thad Vogler and bartender Eric Johnson. (Sundays only.)

Beretta

Copy Link

The Pamplemousse, French for “grapefruit,” may be just as lovely as the favored Lonsdale cocktail on Beretta's dinner menu. It's a tart but boozy concoction with gin, lemon and grapefruit juices, basil, and elderflower liqueur.

15 Romolo

Copy Link

Romolo's waffle shot is complimentary at brunch, and with its combo of black rum, coffee liqueur, and a sugar-dusted waffle chunk, it's bound to get you on the right foot for enjoying a Pimm's Cup, Bloody Hammer, or other brunch cocktail.

Outerlands

Copy Link

After a two-hour wait in the wind and fog, there’s no better way to warm up than with Outerlands’ housemade hot ginger-lemon-apple cider, spiked with Buffalo Trace Bourbon. (Sundays only.)

Park Tavern

Copy Link

Ditch the couch and get your Saturday Morning Cartoons on in beverage form with Park Tavern's creamy cocktail. With Ron Zacapa 23 rum, brandy, milk and cereal, it'll have you hopping through Washington Square Park like Bugs Bunny.

Zuni Cafe

Copy Link

Zuni's brunch options are choose-your-own-adventure: go savory with the much-vaunted balsamic bloody mary, or keep it sweet with the delicate elderflower cocktail, combining Hendrick's gin, St. Germain, prosecco, and lemon. (Sundays only.)

Those who've been dying all morning should head straight for Kate Bolton's take on a Death in the Afternoon, which subs cooling absinthe sorbet for the traditional straight shot of green fairy. Tarragon tea, lemon and lime round out a drink that was a favorite of Ernest Hemingway--no stranger to the hangover.

West of Pecos

Copy Link

Ditch the standard bloody and opt for Pecos' Mezcal Mary, which subs in the smoky agave spirit for boring old vodka. You'll be back on your horse in no time. (Saturdays & Sundays)

The Buena Vista may make SF's most iconic Irish coffee, but they don't serve brunch. Thankfully, Nopa does, and their brown sugar-molasses version pairs nicely with the famed custard French toast. There's also the Blue Bottle martini, for warmer days that call for a coffee cocktail.

AQ Restaurant & Bar

Copy Link

The Heart of Maguey is a simple drink: mezcal, horchata, mix. But with its sweet smokiness, cinnamon kick, and punch of alcohol, it's a lighter take on a milk punch, and a solid foundation for an aggrieved stomach. (Sundays only.)

Brenda's French Soul Food

Copy Link

Given that it's beer and wine only, cocktails aren't typically found at Brenda's, but there's one quirky exception: the Coup de Café, which brings together espresso, chocolate, and Underberg bitters to, as the menu puts it, "calm the stomach from the night before's debauchery."

The Tipsy Pig

Copy Link

The Mornin' Tea isn't your grandpa's Arnold Palmer: it's more like a John Daly, combining the classic thirst-quenching combo of iced tea and lemonade with vodka and apricot-riesling jam. It's best savored on the spacious patio-- provided you've got some dark sunglasses on hand. (Open Fridays as well as weekends.)

Loading comments...

Bar Agricole

The aptly named Sleepyhead wakes drinkers up with brandy, fresh ginger, mint from Agricole's patio garden, lime and a splash of sparkling wine. It was developed by owner Thad Vogler and bartender Eric Johnson. (Sundays only.)

Beretta

The Pamplemousse, French for “grapefruit,” may be just as lovely as the favored Lonsdale cocktail on Beretta's dinner menu. It's a tart but boozy concoction with gin, lemon and grapefruit juices, basil, and elderflower liqueur.

15 Romolo

Romolo's waffle shot is complimentary at brunch, and with its combo of black rum, coffee liqueur, and a sugar-dusted waffle chunk, it's bound to get you on the right foot for enjoying a Pimm's Cup, Bloody Hammer, or other brunch cocktail.

Outerlands

After a two-hour wait in the wind and fog, there’s no better way to warm up than with Outerlands’ housemade hot ginger-lemon-apple cider, spiked with Buffalo Trace Bourbon. (Sundays only.)

Park Tavern

Ditch the couch and get your Saturday Morning Cartoons on in beverage form with Park Tavern's creamy cocktail. With Ron Zacapa 23 rum, brandy, milk and cereal, it'll have you hopping through Washington Square Park like Bugs Bunny.

Zuni Cafe

Zuni's brunch options are choose-your-own-adventure: go savory with the much-vaunted balsamic bloody mary, or keep it sweet with the delicate elderflower cocktail, combining Hendrick's gin, St. Germain, prosecco, and lemon. (Sundays only.)

Maven

Those who've been dying all morning should head straight for Kate Bolton's take on a Death in the Afternoon, which subs cooling absinthe sorbet for the traditional straight shot of green fairy. Tarragon tea, lemon and lime round out a drink that was a favorite of Ernest Hemingway--no stranger to the hangover.

West of Pecos

Ditch the standard bloody and opt for Pecos' Mezcal Mary, which subs in the smoky agave spirit for boring old vodka. You'll be back on your horse in no time. (Saturdays & Sundays)

Nopa

The Buena Vista may make SF's most iconic Irish coffee, but they don't serve brunch. Thankfully, Nopa does, and their brown sugar-molasses version pairs nicely with the famed custard French toast. There's also the Blue Bottle martini, for warmer days that call for a coffee cocktail.

AQ Restaurant & Bar

The Heart of Maguey is a simple drink: mezcal, horchata, mix. But with its sweet smokiness, cinnamon kick, and punch of alcohol, it's a lighter take on a milk punch, and a solid foundation for an aggrieved stomach. (Sundays only.)

Brenda's French Soul Food

Given that it's beer and wine only, cocktails aren't typically found at Brenda's, but there's one quirky exception: the Coup de Café, which brings together espresso, chocolate, and Underberg bitters to, as the menu puts it, "calm the stomach from the night before's debauchery."

The Tipsy Pig

The Mornin' Tea isn't your grandpa's Arnold Palmer: it's more like a John Daly, combining the classic thirst-quenching combo of iced tea and lemonade with vodka and apricot-riesling jam. It's best savored on the spacious patio-- provided you've got some dark sunglasses on hand. (Open Fridays as well as weekends.)

Related Maps