Third Rail
Third Rail cures eight kinds of jerky and sells them beside the cocktails. One is mushroom. Salt keeps you thirsty, which is why a bar cures its own. The house drink, also called the Third Rail, is bourbon and lemon with Lillet and honey.
Why go
Jeff Lyon splits the cocktail list into citrusy and spirit-forward.1 The ice is hand-cut or crushed to suit the drink.2
The room sits on a side street in Dogpatch. There is a parklet out front. The drinks and the jerky travel.5
Order this / avoid
- Order: the Third Rail. Esther Mobley says it
tastes like a more interesting, floral whiskey sour.
1 - Order: the red-eye jerky, cured with coffee, or the candy one with brown sugar.3
- Avoid: filling up before you come.
What locals & experts say
- Will Kamensky, The Infatuation, December 2018:
Aside from the tasty cured meats, the cocktails are worth coming to Third Rail alone.
3 - Justine Jones, Eater SF, on the room: one of the best spots in the bar is right by the door, in the part that feels like a waiting room.2
Good to know
- Getting in: walk in.
- Where: 628 20th Street, in Dogpatch.
Verdict
could-visit — Order a shot, a beer and a jerky as one round, which is how the bar sells it. This works as a stop on the way to the Chase Center, and a short one.