There’s a new, woman-owned wine bar that just opened on Polk Street: ORA WINE BAR. Owner Sabrina Thillard is an SF native (she grew up in the Sunset and still lives by the beach), and owns Bask in North Beach with her husband Patrick. She is beyond thrilled to open her dream wine bar inside what was the location for the very first See’s store in San Francisco. It has been a looooong work in progress, from finding the right space to finally signing the lease on the space in June 2018, navigating permit hell, and then getting ready to open right when Covid hit. Wah wah. 18 months later, Sabrina is so happy to finally have the doors open.
Her wine list is full of international selections, from Corsica to the Canary Islands to Mexico. She loves to travel through wines, and is also dedicated to highlight women winemakers. Her list carefully designates organic, organic-practicing, certified sustainable, natural, and biodynamic wines. Take a look here (her descriptions make me thirsty). There are local beers (Ghost Town Brewing, Woods), including San Francisco’s first gluten-free beer from Otherwise Brewing, and Far West Cider is also coming (plus some small bites).
The space has its original brick walls, and was designed to have a cozy and welcoming vibe (think: plants and nice lighting). There’s also a Shared Space outside with four high-top tables and sidewalk tables. Hours for now are Thu-Sat 4:30pm-10pm or so. 1519 Polk St. at California.
