Jason F.
Yelp
I left my heart...in San Francisco, and in Heartwood! Located in a small alleyway known as Commercial Street in the heart of San Francisco's Financial District. Heartwood is a bar and restaurant that comes from the same team that brought us Beehive in the Mission, and the nearby Treasury a few blocks down. Open for only a year, what sets Heartwood apart from their sister bars is that their cocktail menu's emphasis is on flavors derived from plants, fruits, herbs, and spices, which is epitomized by their namesake which is intentional in referring to the inner part of a tree and the nearby Transamerica Redwood Park, which is mere blocks away. Coming for a post-work snack and libation with a few co-workers one day, we arrived at about 5 p.m. and although the weren't busy except for a larger party of what seemed to be colleagues we were able to sit inside next to the accordion-like windows that open out onto their patio on Commercial Street. Upon entry, visitors will notice their red brick walls, exposed wooden beams and floors, and the silver oak bar towards the back of their interior.
The menu at Heartwood into a drink menu featuring Cocktails, Slushies, Highballs, Wines and Beers, while the food menu features Bar Bites with categories including Snacks, Veggie Bites, Sliders, Toasts, and Something Else...Since we came for after-work drinks, I ordered their Apple Propaganda, which featured botanist gin, green apple, juniper, pisco, elderflower tonic, and topped with a bay leaf. Others in our party ordered their Forbidden Fruit Slushie, which had passion fruit, lemon thyme, ginger and citrus; their Toki Highball, which had Toki Japanese Whiskey, soda and lemon oil; and their Heartwood G&T, which had Sipsmith Gin and house tonic and topped with seasonal garnish. Of course we needed a little savoriness to go with our strong cocktails, and we ordered their Treasury Pigs in a Blanket, which were their all-natural beef sausage wrapped in puff pastry and served whole grain mustard; and their Beef Tallow Fries which was served with ketchup and malt vinegar aioli. The staff was so nice that they also gave us a serving of their signature Popcorn, which was topped with their Heartwood seasoning.
Our drinks were delivered to our table first and my Apple Propaganda had a nice subtle gin base with a fruity-herbal aftertaste with every sip. Everyone else seemed to like their drinks as well, as we were here to chat and take in the atmosphere of which not much was happening as we came early and only a few extra customers would come while we were there. We really enjoyed both the hot dogs wrapped in puff pastry and their fries and the popcorn seems to be their signature dish that they offer on a regular basis and I am more that supportive of that, as it has a unique seasoning to it, which provides an extra kick with every mouthful. Our total bill was roughly twenty dollars per diner, which was actually quite reasonable considering how expensive things can be price-wise, especially in downtown San Francisco. I would definitely come back and try more of their Bar Bites menu as it stretches a wide range from fish and chips to taquitos, and with cocktails as nicely composed as they are at Heartwood, it proves they have plenty of heart left in San Francisco.
