Bar Iris
Cocktail bar · Polk Gulch
2310 Polk St, San Francisco, CA 94109
:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23005867/OKINAWA_at_Iris_credit__equal_parts_cocktail.jpg "Bar Iris by @equal_parts_cocktail")
Highlights
Japanese craft cocktails & bites with rare spirits, intimate vibe
Japanese craft cocktails & bites with rare spirits, intimate vibe
"Bar Iris in Russian Hill looks like a hotel lounge mixed with a mid-century living room. It's a fancy, intimate drinking spot for impressive date nights over high balls, rare whiskeys, and Japanese-inspired cocktails— all while sitting in wingback chairs. This place is also the sister bar to the Japanese fine dining restaurant Nisei (located next door), which is your cue to order everything on the izakaya-style menu, like the chicken karaage with fermented chili aioli." - julia chen 1, patrick wong, lani conway, ricky rodriguez
"Bar Iris looks like a hotel lounge mixed with a mid-century living room. In other words, this cocktail bar in Russian Hill is a fancy new drinking spot where you can sip high balls, rare whiskeys, and Japanese-inspired cocktails on a wingback chair. This place is also the sister bar to the Japanese fine dining restaurant Nisei (located next door), which is basically your cue to order everything on the izakaya-style menu, like the perfect chicken karaage with black curry and the standout Japanese milk bread with creamy miso honey butter. Come here before dinner at Nisei, for a special occasion toast, or high stakes date nights." - lani conway, julia chen 1, ricky rodriguez
"Bar Iris is a fancy Japanese cocktail bar in Russian Hill. The dark, mostly black interior is a sexy setting for date nights or drinks before heading to dinner next-door at their sister restaurant, Nisei. They have a menu of mocktails made with hojicha or Okinawan purple yam, and many of their cocktails can be made virgin." - julia chen 1, patrick wong
"Iris is the revamped and renamed Juniper Reserve Resort restaurant, formerly Pronghorn, about 15 minutes outside Bend. The quiet dining room is cozy between a wall of windows and a stone fireplace where diners can relax and enjoy local food prepared with careful combinations of flavors. Although the restaurant is between executive chefs, executive sous chef Tanner Hansen has put his stamp on the menu. The brûlée brie board alone is worth the trip, as the creamy cheese gets a sweet kick from candied pistachios. Dried crispy prosciutto chips add meaty saltiness, and Marcona almonds toasted with rosemary round out the flavor profile. Likewise, the beet salad with charred grapefruits plays against creamy burrata cheese, with pistachio brittle and apple chips to add crunch and dimension. When everyone in town serves diver scallops, Iris offers smaller imported Hokkaido scallops sitting on truffled cauliflower puree topped with XO sauce." - Barb Gonzalez
"Bar Iris is a cocktail bar that looks like a black box theater had a baby with an aspirational hotel lobby. The spot by the people behind Nisei is dark and romantic, and quiet enough to comprehend what your date is saying about their Invisalign schedule. It also makes for a great starting point for a much louder night out in Russian Hill with someone you like. Go for any of the extra smooth cocktails spiked with things like hojicha or li hing mui." - patrick wong, julia chen 1
