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MelSF

Joined 3 years ago

Love me some Aventine. I think I am in love. There was no line when I got there at 11pm. There was a good sized crowd, but we were still able to grab a table. The drinks were delicious and the bartenders were friendly. The atmosphere is really amazing (brick walls, low lighting, dark wood, leather chairs). I saw this wall of locked up bottles that I thought was just cool decor, but my friend told me they were member lockers you can rent to store your alcohol. Pretty cool concept. I will definitely be going back!

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Patrick Heig

Joined 5 years ago

Look for Cal-Italian bar bites, exclusive liquor lockers and Vintage 415 scenesters at this bar/social club at the intersection of North Beach, Jackson Square and the FiDi.. Though it's steeped in San Francisco history--Aventine is carved into the alleyway that marks the infamous Barbary Coast, the Gold Rush-era vice-slum known for bordellos, opium dens and cutthroats (like the Tenderloin with no crack, more smack, plus sailor outfits)--this place actually feels like something you'd find in New York: brick walls, tin ceilings, dark wood and a downstairs parlor for young barons to plot their next move or celebrate their latest coup. Aventine's a lunch spot by day, with fresh seafood (oysters, clams, calamari, tuna tartare), salads and sandwiches (milk-braised pork shoulder, Tuscan steak, white anchovy with poached egg), and a social club-style hangout by night, with two full bars specializing in SF-centric drinks like the Pisco Punch and the Sazerac, artisanal wine and beer and Cal-Ital bar bites. In the downstairs parlor there are lockers where Aventine club members can store their personal hooch, cigars and "any other amenities that will enhance their experience"--a nice naughty touch worthy of the Barbary Coast heritage.