True Laurel

"True Laurel is a front-runner in the cocktail award circuit even outside of San Francisco. Its cocktails showcase esoteric spirits and highlight local produce amid an artfully curated backdrop. Owner Nicolas Torres takes a hands-on approach, foraging redwood tips for drinks like In the Pines, Under the Palms, or lacto-fermenting kumquats for one of the bar’s standout seasonal cocktails. It’s also a great place for some of the best bites in the city. Special shout-outs to the patty melt for a little high-low highlight and to True Laurel’s incredible brunch without the usual weekend wait time." - Andrew Calisterio

"Without getting into an existential argument about whether a burger is a sandwich and a patty melt a burger, we’ll just acknowledge that a patty melt is not the same thing as a burger. Nevertheless, True Laurel’s patty melt is a thing of beauty and well worth seeking out. A dry-aged beef patty is grilled to crispy-edged perfection before being layered with cheese, caramelized onions, and pickles, and sandwiched between two thin slices of toasted pain de mie. But here’s the kicker: that fluffy pain de mie gets griddled in beef fat, elevating this melt to decadent heights." - Dianne de Guzman, Eater Staff

"A bar recognized as a semifinalist on the Outstanding Bar list." - Dianne de Guzman

"True Laurel is the casual, cocktail-focused offshoot of chef David Barzelay’s Michelin-starred Lazy Bear, but since its opening in 2017, this bar earned its own awards hardware, including being named number 30 on the World’s 50 Best Bars list in 2024. Highly drinkable, complex cocktails star on the drink menu, such as the milk-washed Mai o Mai made with blended rum, pistachio orgeat, Curacao, and lime, with a coffee-rum float on top. The tight food menu is equally considered, with items like the ever-favorite TL patty melt or crispy hen of the woods mushrooms served with “sour cream ‘n’ alliums dip.”" - Dianne de Guzman, Eater Staff

"The cocktails at True Laurel are great and the food will allow you to test your date’s capacity for sharing. You can choose from a variety of small plates, from oysters to a patty melt, so you’ll both be able to find something to eat." - taylor abrams, will kamensky