Absinthe Brasserie & Bar
Grab two bar seats, order the pâté and a French Quarter Revival, and let the dining rooms get on with the party bookings. Hayes Street, four minutes from the Opera House.
Why go
Will Kamensky wrote it up for the Infatuation in September 2019, and his advice was to shrink the room: Absinthe is huge with multiple rooms, including one that you can rent out for private parties, but if you don't have a reason to assemble 30 of your closest friends, this is a good place to grab a few bar seats and drink cocktails.
1 The menu runs long, from oysters through oxtail terrine to burgers, and his pick for a quick sit was the pâté. On the drinks he was specific: there is a shelf of absinthe and a menu built off it, but their house cocktails that don't include their namesake are also great. We especially like the French Quarter Revival with gin, rye, vermouth, and bitters.
That review is from 2019. The room is still trading at 398 Hayes and publishing hours, and no critic has revisited the kitchen since.
Order this / avoid
- Order: the pâté at the bar, and the French Quarter Revival next to it.
- Avoid: ordering off the absinthe list by default.
What locals & experts say
- The Infatuation SF (Will Kamensky, 5 September 2019):
It's got a classic French feel with dim lighting, white tablecloths, and a bunch of paintings they probably don't want you to touch.
1 - Currency: that is the newest review quoted here, so the food notes are a 2019 snapshot.
Good to know
- Timing: the venue's published hours run Wednesday to Sunday, closed Monday and Tuesday. Confirm on the day.
- Booking: recommended for a table, walk-in for the bar.
- Getting there: Hayes at Gough, four minutes' walk from the War Memorial Opera House.
Verdict
could-visit — A big French brasserie on Hayes Street with a bar worth sitting at and a house cocktail list a critic will name a build from. The practical value is the location and the format: it is the room you can walk into before a show at the Opera House or Davies without a plan. Held at could-visit because the only evaluative source read is from 2019 and nothing current speaks to the kitchen.