Churchill Cocktail Bar
The designer Lauren Geremia built this room in 2011 out of what was already in the building. She pulled down a mirrored disco ceiling and sandblasted the old wood slats behind it. Rusted chicken feeders hang over the bar as pendants. Naval lights run along the bar top. Thick ship rope covers half the ceiling and soaks up the noise. It sits at Church and Market, on the edge of Duboce Triangle. The name is Winston Churchill's.
Why go
Booths, high-tops and a back area with a pool table fill it.1 The bar books parties of any size by email.3
The list runs classic cocktails and a long whisky selection. Pineapple swizzles and milk punch are among the house drinks. The beer and wine rotate through Bay Area producers.3 I have not found a critic who has written about the drinks in any detail. Marigold, the bar's private event space, is directly upstairs.
Order this / avoid
- Order: a milk punch, or a pineapple swizzle if you want the lighter end of the list.1
- Order: something off the whisky list if you are staying.
- Avoid: arriving eight-handed on spec.
What locals & experts say
- Lauren Geremia, the designer, to 7x7 in 2011:
It's sort of a military barracks theme, and it's super manly.
2 - Julia Chen, The Infatuation, August 2025: the bar can hold an entire birthday party or an after-work run club. A group walks in and actually sits together.1
Good to know
- Getting in: the bar is dog-friendly.1
- Where: 198 Church Street at Market.
Verdict
could-visit — The daily happy hour is when to claim a table.