Pacific Cocktail Haven
Kevin Diedrich built the bar programs at the Burritt Room, at Jasper's and at BDK. All three closed under him. He opened this one in June 2016, with Andy Chun and Jan Wiginton as his partners. A fire took the room in February 2021. He reopened near Union Square in March 2022. In June 2026 he won the James Beard Award for Outstanding Professional in Cocktail Service.
Why go
The drinks run on Asian and Pacific ingredients. Pandan, calamansi, guava, kiwi and soursop are all on the list. It runs several pages and is sorted by base spirit.3 The Rice, Rice Baby combines rum with toasted brown rice, mango, nori and rice milk. There are punches built for five to eight people.
The bar won Best American Cocktail Bar at the 2020 Spirited Awards. Diedrich took American Bartender of the Year the same year.8 North America's 50 Best Bars placed the room at No. 16 in 2025 and at No. 41 in 2026.2
Andrew Calisterio names the two things that make a packed room bearable. Somebody hands you a menu as you walk in. The drink rail curves in and out along the bar. It breaks a busy night into small groups.6 Start on the highball list while you read.
Order this / avoid
- Order: the Leeward Negroni, gin under coconut-washed Campari, pandan cordial and bitters. Camper English put it on his fifty most iconic San Francisco drinks in 2024.11
- Order: Oh, Snap!, built on gin with manzanilla sherry, sugar snap peas, citrus, absinthe and tonic.2
- Avoid: arriving thirteen-handed. The house caps a walk-in group at twelve.10
What locals & experts say
- Esther Mobley, San Francisco Chronicle, October 2024:
Diedrich has deservedly earned recognition for creating tropical, escapist-feeling drinks that are emphatically not tiki.
4 - Kevin Diedrich, taking the James Beard award from Killer Mike and El-P in June 2026:
It's about the people you surround yourself with, and they're absolutely amazing.
1
Good to know
- Getting in: first come, first served. The bar says so on its own page and does not take bookings.10
- Closed: Sunday.
- Where: 550 Sutter Street, where Union Square meets Nob Hill.
- Big groups: buyouts above twenty-five people go through Press Club and Schroeder's.
Jeff's take (his words)
- Note: "Multiple top50 bar awards, jbf award 2024"
Verdict
must-visit — Cocktails run about nineteen dollars, and there is a courtyard out front for when the bar fills.