With the reopening of San Francisco comes the opening of some new bars! Opening this week in the former The Cellar is PERSONA, a space designed for happy hour, quality cocktails, events, and good times, with sound set up in four different areas (DJs and entertainment will be coming in time).
The subterranean space has been completely redone by C Walters Design, who always adds a touch of swank and shimmer to his projects. The space is designed to be movable and convertible into different seating areas and sections, and one area will even have its own special entrance on Hobart Alley. There are custom tables and barstools, with low-slung seating in a variety of fabrics, from teal vinyl to dove grey to gold to leopard. The space is tricked out with dramatic and theatrical lighting, TV screen panels behind the bar that disappear until you turn them on, shimmery gold mesh columns, and a mural will be coming to one of the walls. It’s all just the right level of party-chic.
There are draft cocktails and six wells (!) that will be ready and waiting for the thirsty, after-work, downtown crowd. Oscar Sinisterra (Hello Stranger) is behind the creative list of craft cocktails, featuring touches like palo santo-infused gin, carbonation, and kombucha. The Welcome Cocktail with Cappelletti, wine, tangerine, and oleo-saccharum is a great place to start, while a nitro vodka and cold brew coffee number will keep the party going (you can peek at the preview menu here, names are TBD, FYI). The owners are friends with the chef at Rasa in Burlingame, who will be working on a small menu of bites, which they will prepare out of the Matador kitchen upstairs.
The partners asked me to keep their identities secret until they throw their surprise launch party for friends and employees (from their other locations) this week, so in the spirit of the bar’s name, I’m going to keep their personas on the DL. Open Thu-Sat 7pm-2am (for now). 685 Sutter St. at Taylor.
