Bar Agricole

Words by Simon Difford

Address: 355 11th Street, (btwn Folsom & Harrison Streets), San Francisco, California, 94103, United States
Tel: +1 415 355 9400
Email: info@baragricole.com
Website: view Bar Agricole’s website
Door: Open door
Style: Restaurant bar
Food: Set menu
Established: 2010

Review

Bar Agricole advertises itself as 'a modern urban tavern,' and there is something very cutting edge about the space. Behind a rustic wooden bar counter are a trio of large prints depicting gritty urban scenes. The entire warehouse-like room is warmed by dark American oak covering one wall and lapping across the ceiling. Glass tubular wave-like sculptures frame the skylights and break up the industrial space giving the impression of a breeze blowing through.

Bar Agricole is as much an acclaimed restaurant as it is a bar and the unusual menu features locally sourced, garden-focused food: think chicory, radishes, turnips and fennel. The short cocktail menu lists classics, alongside some more unpredictable drinks like the Hallelujah (armagnac, aged agricole, vermouth, grenadine and a splash of lime juice). Drinks are served with five different shapes of hand-cut ice and tend to be dry and spirity in style with generous use of bitters (occasionally too generous).

There is an interesting beer selection and wines change frequently on a beautifully composed wine menu. Wines are divided into separate countries, each wine detailing estate, soil type, aromas and a potted history.