Birba in San Francisco is the Hayes Valley wine bar with an Italian-only list, a small back patio under string lights and a clean board of regional snacks.
Food program: Italian small plates
Tip: Order the salumi board with whatever the kitchen is making that night; the cellar comes out by request.
Address: 458 Grove St, San Francisco, CA 94102
Bar Crenn in San Francisco is Dominique Crenn's Cow Hollow wine bar next door to her three-star Atelier, with a Burgundy-heavy list and a Crenn-style snack menu.
Signature pour: Domaine Leflaive Puligny-Montrachet
Wine focus: Burgundy, Champagne, Loire
Food: Crenn-style petits plats, caviar
Tip: Book three weeks out; the Crenn group lets one bar reservation hold the table for 90 minutes.
Verjus in San Francisco is Lindsay Tusk and Michael Tusk's Jackson Square natural-wine bar, with a Quince-trained kitchen running pasta and charcuterie alongside.
Signature pour: Domaine de la Coume du Roy Maury
Wine focus: Natural French, Italian, Spanish
Food: Bar snacks, pasta, charcuterie
Tip: The chef-counter four-top is the seat to want; book it via Resy the morning seats release.
Ungrafted in San Francisco is Rebecca Fineman and Chris Gaither's Dogpatch wine bar, run by two Master Sommeliers, with a California-and-France list 30 bottles deep.
Signature pour: Donkey & Goat Mendocino chardonnay
Wine focus: California growers and natural French
Food: Cheese, charcuterie, small plates
Tip: Ask for the staff blind-pour flight; both owners run it as a teaching service.
