Nihon Whisky Lounge
Nihon poured over 400 whiskeys by the glass on Folsom Street in 2010, heavy on the Japanese end, including an exclusive 12-year-old Suntory Hakushu. Liquor.com put it on a national list of the best single-spirit bars that year. I have not found anything published about this room since 2019, so check before you go.
Why go
Jon Bonné reviewed it for the Chronicle in 2012. He came for the bottle wall and the stirred drinks, a run of Manhattan-inspired builds and Champagne cocktails. The room is clubby and sits at the auto-shop end of the Mission.1
Taylor Abrams wrote it up for The Infatuation in 2019 and sent groups upstairs.4
Order this / avoid
- Order: a pour off the Japanese shelf.
- Avoid: the sushi and the maki. Bonné told readers to bypass both.
What locals & experts say
- 7x7's editors, on the bottle-keep, in 2010: the whiskeys sold sip by sip
are also available for bottle purchases that come with on-site storage. Alas, you can't take it with you.
2 - Taylor Abrams, The Infatuation, 2019:
Nihon is dark, lounge-y, and has a ton of fancy Japanese whiskey. The bartenders are super knowledgeable and all the cocktails are great.
4
Good to know
- Where: 1779 Folsom Street, at 14th, in the Mission.
Verdict
listed — Call the bar before you cross town for this one. If somebody picks up, drink Japanese.