True Laurel Is Quite Possibly the Best New Cocktail Bar in SF

ABV: Been there. Lone Palm: Drank that.

Now you’re looking for somewhere new. Somewhere to show off, whether you’ve got a client, first date or cagey future father-in-law in tow.

That place? True Laurel, the new cocktail bar from Lazy Bear chef David Barzelay and bar director Nicolas Torres.

You know Barzelay from those two Michelin stars — or maybe from the two times he’s shared his favorite meals in town with us, from his (second) favorite neighborhood watering hole to “the Talking Heads of Mexican cuisine.”

Now he and Torres are back with one of the most inventive cocktail menus in town.

Our top picks? The Golden Child, with mezcal, clarified golden beet, gentian wine reduction, and black lime bitters.

And the Mai o Mai, our current favorite rum drink available outside of the Caribbean.

For us, the real standout — the “you gotta try this” moment — came from the “small items” menu: raw oysters with a citrus and laurel gelée.

Truth: We ate 30 oysters this weekend, at no fewer than four different restaurants, from the Ferry Building to Tomales Bay, and these were the standouts.

The bar itself is a sexy space, and chockablock with gussied-up locals out on the town on a Friday night.

You’d think a spot this cool would have a cranky staff on a busy weekend — but au contraire: This might be the best-tempered bar in the neighborhood.

Put this one at the top of your to-do list.