Over the last decade, Trick Dog has redesigned its menu twice per year, with each new theme providing an opportunity for the bar to reinvent itself.
• One of the bar’s biggest-ever hits (and a huge hit on Punch), a frothy tequila sour called the Baby Turtle, is still available by request.
• The bar’s fast-casual spinoff, Quik Dog, now operates out of the bar, so don’t be afraid to come hungry. And yes, the bar’s beloved, and sizable, kale salad is still on the menu.
NICE TO KNOW
If you’re looking to follow up your cocktail with a bite and a bottle of wine, you can find one of the city’s best wine lists (and best sommeliers) at Paul Einbund’s The Morris. Also not too far is Loló, a bar and restaurant with a deep collection of agave spirits and excellent cocktails—an industry favorite among bartenders.
NOTABLE AND NEARBY
A signature highball consisting of oloroso sherry and Cheerwine, a regional cherry soda likened to Dr Pepper, is a great example of the team’s creativity even in a two-ingredient format.
Trick Dog opened its doors on a rapidly developing stretch of 20th Street in the Mission District back in 2013. In the years since, the bar has become a San Francisco institution. But the team—led by owner Josh Harris and a rotating cast of some of the city’s top talent—has never been content to rest on its laurels. Over the last decade, Trick Dog has redesigned its menu twice per year (with a short break during the height of the pandemic) around a theme: an actual pinup calendar of dogs, a photo collection representing 13 pieces of public art commissioned by Trick Dog (many of which still exist) and a satirical replica of The Joy of Cooking that featured cocktail collaborations with the city’s top chefs. Each new theme provides an opportunity for the bar to reinvent itself, but never in such a way that it alters the essential DNA of the place. To wit: The bar’s real trick has always been pairing this relentless imagination with the kind of hospitality that has made it a true neighborhood bar. The drinks, too, have achieved a similar feat: They are both envelope-pushing and just plain delicious.
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Around the corner on Grand Street, Fresh Kills (from Richie Boccato) has been quietly serving some of the best cocktails in Brooklyn for nearly a decade.
NOTABLE AND NEARBY
• When outdoor seating is available, the wisteria-draped garden (book ahead on Resy) might fool you into thinking you’re somewhere between Louisiana and Provence.
• While Maison excels at the A-list classics, look closely and you’ll find lovingly executed takes on B-side hits, like the Yellow Parrot and the Obituary, that make the case for revival.
NICE TO KNOW
The Baby Turtle, a frothy tequila sour, is available by request.
A signature highball consisting of oloroso sherry and Cheerwine, a regional cherry soda likened to Dr Pepper, is a great example of the team’s creativity even in a two-ingredient format.