A set of all-star bartenders are opening a new bar in the Mission. Buddy Bar and Cafe, a sustainably-minded bar specializing in low-ABV cocktails, is set to open later this summer in the former space of Michelin-starred restaurant Californios, at 3115 22nd Street.
The four people behind Buddy have already made a name for themselves in the cocktail game. The San Francisco Chronicle reports that Alvaro Rojas, of Caribbean cocktail lounge Elda, Nicolas Torres, of True Laurel, Nora Furst, of Portuguese spot Uma Casa, and Claire Sprouse, who runs Hunky Dory in Brooklyn, will open Buddy as partners while continuing on at their respective current positions.
The gist at Buddy is cocktails, all day. Buddy won’t be your typical late-night haunt. Rather, the bar will offer coffee, natural wine, and cocktails all day (and night) long. The twist? The space’s liquor license is limited to beer and wine.
Reportedly, to comply with the license, Buddy will be shaking up low-ABV cocktails, focusing on spritzes and aperitifs. The group has also teamed up with Nabeel Silmi of Grand Coffee Roasters, which is just around the corner from the new space, to create a coffee bar menu.
As for the food, no chef has been announced, but apparently the Buddy team are looking to source ingredients from sustainably-minded producers, and will focus the menu around the idea of creating little food waste.
SF Chronicle reports that the space will be light and whimsical, with indoor seating and a parklet for outdoor dining. Buddy is expected to open in July or August, and we’re hoping for the former — an Aperol spritz in an outdoor, whimsical setting sounds exactly like a midsummer night’s (or day’s) dream.
