The Valley Club
Bar · Union Square ·
Retro-futuristic lounge serving creative cocktails and potent potables
Retro-futuristic lounge serving creative cocktails and potent potables
"A moody cocktail lounge perched above Corzetti, this downtown hideaway blends Blade Runner energy with mellow Bee Gees vibes, shaking up tequila-forward Jalisco Hotlines and rosy nonalcoholic stunners that have made it a must-visit." - Paolo Bicchieri
"Playful retro‑futurism sets the tone here, where the two rules are simple—“Be cool” and “Dress how you want to be remembered”—an invitation, as owner Mitchell Lagneaux puts it, to get a little wild with your outfit and have fun. Walk up the stairs into an all‑encompassing, 1970s‑esque, post‑modern room that riffs on “What would Stanley Kubrick in 1975 envision 2025 looking like?”: deep reds and browns, mirrors, and halo lights that read as an ultra‑sexy, high‑glamour lounge vibe—liminal, perched between nostalgia and a spaceship at night. The menu feels like a catalog from that alternate universe, using bold imagery to convey drink vibes more than words. Signature cocktails showcase Lagneaux’s playful precision: The Lovemaker reframes a Negroni with white‑chocolate‑raspberry allure—gin fat‑washed with raw cocoa butter, infused with raspberries, then matched with Campari and Cocchi Vermouth di Torino for orange notes—aimed as a “Negroni with training wheels” for those new to bitter. Jalisco Hotline channels a spicy‑cucumber Margarita without making the drink itself hot—cucumber‑infused tequila and mezcal meet St. George Green Chile Vodka for a salsa‑verde profile, brightened with yuzu kosho, house yuzu cordial, and lime; a togarashi‑salt rim lets you dial the heat, with an in‑house green pepper tincture on hand if you want to go hard. Crushed Velvet is a painstakingly reimagined vodka soda: vodka infused overnight with frozen strawberries and fine‑filtered, then force‑carbonated as a complete cocktail; acidity is built with Manzanilla sherry and the natural malic acid in Lillet Rosé, plus a kiss of Aqua Perfecta Basil Eau de Vie, sugar, and citric acid for balance—yielding fine, soft bubbles and a “velvet” fizz that begs a second round before the first is gone. Open 5 p.m. to midnight Monday–Thursday, and 5 p.m. to 1 a.m. Friday and Saturday." - Dianne de Guzman
"Yet another Union Square opening is The Valley Club, a sleek, low-lit cocktail bar inside Hotel G with suggestively named drinks like “Phone Sex” and “Lovemaker.”" - julia chen 1, patrick wong
"A a new spot to grab a drink in Union Square is The Valley Club, a sleek, low-lit cocktail bar inside Hotel G with suggestively named cocktails like “Phone Sex” and “Lovemaker.” We haven’t been here yet, but want you to know this spot exists." - Julia Chen
"Occupying the former Benjamin Cooper space on Geary Street, this newly opened Union Square lounge (opened Thursday, June 12) is the first solo project from Mitch Lagneaux, whose résumé includes high-end San Francisco bars like Horsefeather and Brass Tacks. Billed as “a sexy sexy lounge” by local writer Camper English, the upstairs spot inside Hotel G — above Adriano Paganini’s coastal Italian restaurant — is decked with mirrors and plush interiors. The cocktail program is similarly dressed-up, featuring a chocolate-and-raspberry Negroni and a Midas Touch built with bourbon, Galliano, vanilla, orange, lemon and “pure gold,” plus “side quests” of batched shots (two for $20 or four for $35)." - Paolo Bicchieri