Summer Sips: 6 Standout Bars Now

KAIYO Restaurant & Bar Ume-Uva cocktail with Kiyomi Rum, Barsol Pisco, Green Shiso, Szechuan, Ume, Grape, Lemon. Photo by Virginia Miller.

Summer is at its apex in August with a wealth of notable new and longtime bars around San Francisco. Here are six under-the-radar bars to visit now, ranging from a reborn dive bar to craft Peruvian cocktails.

KAIYO Restaurant & Bar maki/sushi roll. Photo by Virginia Miller.

Peruvian Culinary Cocktail Gem: KAIYŌ Restaurant & Bar
Opened by Brick x Brick Hospitality Group in April 2024, the new KAIYŌ Restaurant & Bar on the ground floor of SoMa’s Hyatt Place Hotel, is a completely different experience and menu than KAIYO Rooftop upstairs or the original KAIYŌ in Cow Hollow. Downstairs is bright, intimate, and Nikkei-focused around Japanese Peruvian cuisine developed in Peru since the 1800s from its mashup of cultures.

KAIYO Restaurant & Bar Coco-Rishi cocktail. Photo by Virginia Miller.

One of the greatest barmen in the country, Danny Louie, recently came on as Brick x Brick’s new bar director (from the LINE Hotel SF prior). His six Peruvian-influenced, culinary cocktails at the new KAIYŌ wow with subtle layers, creativity and spot-on balance. Nuance rules in drinks like Coco-Rishi, a mix of Iwai 45 Japanese Whisky, coconut, maracuya…