On a mobile device? Try our mobile site, optimized for faster browsing.
Category: Wine Bars
Neighborhood: SOMAMonday - Friday 4-6PM
Saturday 5-7PM
Mon-Wed. 4:00 p.m. - 1:00 a.m.
Thu-Fri. 4:00 p.m. - 2:00 a.m.
Sat. 5:00 p.m. - 2:00 a.m.
Loading...
D is for District and for the douchebag crowd that gathers here. Don't care for the latter, but to District's credit, they do have a pretty extensive menu of imbimbements and it's all housed in a beautiful, airy space.
Maybe come on an off-night when it's not as crowded, and perhaps you'll, unlike me, avoid glares that are intended to burn holes in your skull when you accidentally bump somebody with your purse.
After a very stressful Monday at work, my boss took us out for happy hour at District. We were the first ones there so we got the pick of the seats. We ended up lounging on one of their couches at the very back for privacy. Their wine list is plentiful and they serve oysters for $1 during happy hour which is awesome!
They don't serve food until 5:30 so if you're hungry, wait to arrive till then. If not, they'll serve you olives and nuts before the kitchen opens up. Awesome vibe, love the place. It's totatlly chill and the crowd is awesome. Though it was a Monday night, the place got pretty busy later in the evening. I will def return with my group of friends sometime soon. Service is also great!
Where to go? Where to go?
I'm not done with my Monday night drinkin! Most of everyone either went home or to the concert.. what to do with a handful of folks and hours left on the clock? Let's go for broke... and no, I've never been to District before but with such a rather vague name I didn't expect much. But they had me at 'wine bar.' Well, why the hell not. With misguided instruction it took us under an hour to find a place that was less that 4 blocks away. Hahahahahaa!
The nice thing about going some where really late on a school night is that there's lots of parking. And that phenomenon didn't disappoint here. I found parking right in front of the entrance. Popped out and rolled into this very spacious, super spacious, over whelmingly spacious and heavily wooden venue centered around the bar of course. We decided to graze at this vast patch of couch and ottoman off to the far corner and I wont lie, I almost fell asleep.
We found the menu and we each picked our libations.. a few of us ordered a flight of wines while I decided to stick with a large glass of chianti. I have a thing for chiantis. Fortunately they also served food but since we just ate I decided against it. That is till my eyes came across 'crispy glazed pork belly with heirloom apples, cider braised cabbage and creamed turnip.' Even though I was full, however since I didn't picture myself coming back anytime soon... I just had to try this heavenly porky delight. And I'll tell you this much, drunk or not, even my senses could not deny the greatness that came on the plate in front of me. Wait, did that come out right? WAIT.... nvm! You know what i'm talking about!
;D
district is a decent place to grab a nice glass of wine... they have a pretty extensive wine list and their list of draft beers has also increased... we reserved a table there for my wife's birthday on a saturday night... the service was awesome... our waitress sustained our party's wet appetite and made sure everyone always had a drink in hand... we got there around 7pm and as the night progressed, so did the crowd... it got pretty packed around 10pm... pretty typical crowd: you have the guys lined up against the wall checking out the women (but are too scared to approach or talk to them), you have the attractive woman who has like 3 to 5 guys competing for her attention, etc... pretty amusing and entertaining when you're sitting down with drink in hand observing the patrons of district... definitely a good night... h-100...
If you are a superficial, 30-something-yuppie who is single and pining for the opposite-sex version of you then this is the place!
The food was surprisingly well executed. The wine and beer selection is good...a tad pricey...I felt like I was in LA... not my type of place even though I fit the demographic.
I've discovered a new love for wine bars, and DIstrict fell right into my lap.
With its cute, cozy atmosphere (we lounged on the couches at the very back of the place, mostly because there were no other seats available), good (but expensive) drinks, District is probably my new go-to wine bar/after work joint. I wish the attire was a bit more casual (not the restaurant's fault - as G R said, the Marina invades SoMa) because then I'd be able to spend forever just sitting on the cushy couches and sipping my Pink Pearl (soju + guava juice).
A wine lover's dream...
Great ambiance.
Knowledgeable bartenders.
Tasty wine.
Only drawback?
Don't come alone with a girlfriend on a Thursday night unless you want to be preyed on by the 45+ *cough* 50 *cough* crowd like the last cold beer in an never-ending football game.
=/
Living right across the street, I love coming to this place, catching up with friends on the couches by the fake fireplace. On weekday nights, it's happening but not crowded, and it's actually easy to have a conversation!
Will need to try the food soon.
A group of people from work came here to celebrate the end of a big project, and as such we got to try many things on the menu - both food and wine.
Food:
- oysters: what's not to like about oysters? These are from Point Reyes and they're only $1 at happy hour and not skimpy.
- chevre stuffed peppadew peppers: good and not expensive ($4)
- beef sliders: big for sliders but not that great, prob would not order this again
- spicy albacore tuna rolls: good enough to order another round but too expensive for me to get again if I were paying.
- calamari: meh, nothing special
- cheese fondue: surprisingly fun and yummy. would consider getting this again.
- lamb meatballs: meh
The wines by the glass are pricey but I felt like the flights were a good deal. It's not like napa flights, these are hefty half glasses. I wasn't very impressed with the wine selection though. Definitely caters to American tastes - lots of chardonnay like whites and big reds. I would have liked something a little more adventurous.
I would say I really enjoyed myself but if I came back and had to pay myself, I probably wouldn't think it was quite so great. In fact the only reason to come back here is for the happy hour oysters.
Midweek it's not very crowded so if you actually live in the city you should try going out during the week instead of hanging with with the weekenders. It's much more pleasant.
Came here to grab a bite to eat before the Giants game.
I love the brick walls and the big screen TVs, which was perfect for us to watch the game since we were running late.
We sat at the bar and got calamari and sliders.
There was nothing spectacular about the calamari, but you can't really go wrong with calamari. The sliders were a little too sweet for my liking. The buns were sweet and the sauce they used was a bit too sweet for my liking. It was really nicely presented though.
Service was just whatever. The guy was too busy flirting with some female, who ended up meeting another male friend there.
This place has been right down the street from where I contracted and never even knew it existed!
With there being so many wine bars in the city, competition is a bit tough and you can say I've become a bit of a wine snob. Well, except that recently I'm on a campaign for cheap, good wines so I guess that makes me just cheap?
What I can say is that District has some affordable wines, like a lovely McKinley Willamette Valley, OR Pinot Noir that only set back my handsome Italian friend $9. Told you, I'm cheap. Despite the huge crowds on a late Friday, which was odd considering it wasn't a game day, we were able to get close to the bar, order and carrying on catching up with each other without rude interruption. The horseshoe layout of this bar really works well for mingling, staring down people or spying on them, whatever your fancy.
As for the bartenders, for having so many, it did take a bit to get a drink and when my friend attempting asking her a question, she'd turned her back so fast to pour and cashed us out. Not quite ready to give this place a solid 4 rating just yet, but will try to come back on a quieter evening and really put it to the test.
The Marina invades SoMa.
That's what I think of District. A wine/beer bar that really should have a liquor license but doesn't.
The price points on the glasses of wine are crazy high and not too impressed with the wine list.
I admit I do like the look of the bar, love the open ceilings and center horseshoe bar -- this place can be better, but If I was management why would I try harder the place was packed.
Great spot to just hang out with friends, chat, people watch over a glass or two of vino while nibbling on on salami's, olives, and cheeses layed out on a cutting board. Love wine, but not going to be a snob about it at a place like this. Really, I like coming here for the atmosphere ... it's lively, loungy, and at the same time, airy (sandblasted brick and high ceilings motif).
Street parking is pretty easy. Worst case, we'll park in the indoor Safeway lot across the street, which validates for 2 hours with a $5 purchase. Perfect reason to pick up a loaf of bread, eggs, and milk on our way out.
I like this place! It's big, you can actually hear the person next to you, and they have great wine and food! You could reserve a table, but you can definitely get away without doing so. Lots of seating space--it's great for catching up with friends or for a birthday party.
Definitely try a flight of their wines because it's really worth the money. Also, order the fondue! It's so delicious, especially when paired with the wine. If you're not a wine fan, they also have some great cocktails.
If you're looking for a sophisticated place to catch up with some friends, come to District for some good drinks, food, and scintillating conversation!
Attended a wine-tasting networking event here last weekend. The place is really cool inside with an earthy, hip, low light kind of feel. The appetizers were excellent and the wine we tasted was very good. I didn't get a chance to look at the menu but this is a place I will visit again. Great location too just a hop, skip and a jump from AT&T park.
This is a good spot for Happy Hour because it doesn't seem to get crazy busy like other happy hour spots. The ambiance is great and its an ideal place for groups to hang out.
I have always been able to either find a seat at the bar, the tables, or the lounge areas.
Also they have $1 Oysters during Happy Hour! But don't think you're going to get away with an affordable Happy Hour bill. The wine prices in my opinion are pretty steep. Sometimes if you are with one or more people it will make sense to get a bottle of wine.
My only complaint is that the last couple times we were in there the music was like sooooo repetitious.
Just as long as there isn't a Giants game going on- this would be the wine bar to go to in the neighborhood.
We met up with friends here on Friday after work. I love the atmosphere/look to District. It has nice big windows, and good amount of seating. I shared one of the pizzas with a friend as a snack to hold us over. It was good, and came out pretty quick.
My big issue with this place is we were charged for a $40 glass of wine that evening, which we knew we didn't order. We didn't realize it until the next day looking at the receipt.
Double check before you leave! I probably won't be going back for this reason.... not a fun surprise.
Cool atmosphere, but way too expensive for what you get. This is true wine snobbery for yuppies. Friday night can be a bit meat market like too, but maybe that was just an off night. Otherwise generally quite crowded, although that's not meant negatively.
The charcuterie plate is pretty good, but especially the wine is overpriced.
District is one of my favorite local watering holes, they have a good 'by the glass' wine offering and 6 Belgian brews on tap! I'm a big fan of showing up on a week night around 5:30-5:45pm, just in time to take advantage of the $1 oyster special that expires at 6pm.
Service is always good, and the bartenders are knowledgable and friendly.
Regarding the food, the sliders and spicy tuna tempura are great, as are any of the pizzas...
Wow, I thought this place would get a higher rating.
1. Everyone I've taken here has loved the place for its classy decor (high ceilings and exposed brick) and great vibe.
2. They've got a great wine selection, good food (try their pizzas and bread pudding) and great service (Walker, can't wait to give you a hard time again :)
3. If you ever wanted to throw a party here you don't have to deal with a cover or meeting a minimum amount for alcohol.
This place is easy on the eyes, draws in a good crowd and serves up great wines and dishes. Plus it's a hop, skip and a stumble from where I live so I can walk home after a night of drinking. The only negative is that it can get too crowded on Thursday and Friday nights but hell, that's just a sign of a successful venue.
While I don't really want to deal with even more people coming here, I'd be lying if I said this place wasn't worth checking out.
I like this place well enough, it has a good selection of wine and some good comfy seating. You could potentially go here with a date or with a big group and be happy. Honestly, I feel as if the prices are a bit high but if you're in the neighborhood, want some good wine selection and maybe an appetizer or two, you would probably be happy with District. There is always a lively crowd here and it's definitely good for after work/early evening.
This has become my favorite wine bar for when it's not during a Giants game (gets too packed before and after games)!
Long wine list and the wines are listed in a way that even a novice like I can navigate through. Super friendly and helpful staff, and they give you tastings of wines you aren't sure about.
The food is great and though they don't really have a formal dinner menu, get some friends together and share a bunch of appetizers and who needs a full dinner? We love the sliders (red wine onion jam makes the difference), lamb meatballs (super flavorful), the beef carpaccio dish (perfect), the cheese platter (for for all 5 and not the 3, you will love the variety), calamari (perfectly fried), and the tuna tempura roll (only 4 pieces though so get more if you like tuna tempura-it's GOOD)! It's fun to get a little of everything and with a glass of good wine (or several) , you can stay all night.
Our friends live across the street so this is going to be our new hangout, I can already tell. And I won't complain.
I threw an event here a week ago, and was a little disappointed. I'd been to District a few times for drinks and enjoyed myself, but definitely felt I was paying more for the decor than for food/service quality. I thought, however, they would make a nice place for a wine tasting.
Although in the interview, they were very accommodating, when I arrived - I found they did not section off our area with the promised stanchions or curtains, they crammed the wine and food into the hardest-to-reach corner (something they specifically said they would not do), and only included one type of bread with the cheese, a bread so full of nuts, I'd challenge anyone to describe a cheese atop it.
This paired with the fact that they kept the room at a toasty 84 degrees and only provided water for our group after the bar staff couldn't handle the deluge of wine tasters panting at the bar - I just found the service and planning dismal.
This is a place to go early for the cheap happy-hour oysters and a nice glass of wine beer, then head someplace else for dinner or drinks - this place gets creepy with old dudes after 8pm...
Ubertrendy but sub-bartendy. Was thrown out for drunkenness which was a good call on their part.
Great little lounge/wine bar in the city...they have amazing wines that you can do tastings of... we did a flight of whites which we all enjoyed.
We went on a Saturday night, so the place was packed solid, but luckily a friend snagged a table for 4, which we sat at all night...
It's a great spot if you want to have meanigful conversation with friends, with ambience, good selection of wine, and just simply want to chill.
Why am I single? You got a couple of days and I'll tell ya?
Why is District rated only 3 1/2 stars? I believe for many of the same reasons as to why I'm single.
From the exterior, not super great looking. But it's what's on the inside that counts. District has one hec of an impressive wine by the glass menu. And if you are ever unsure of particular glass the staff is more than happy to pour a small taste to sample. hmmm, I think I may be unsure of like all of the wine on the list. That strategy may not fly here, but it's worth a try.
It's a cool place to hang out and not too noisy! You can actually hear each others, unlike some lounges :) One extra star for this!
Black mosquito, a muscat mix drink, wasn't too memorable
The layout of the place is good, there are standing and sitting area
I came Sat. night and it was full but not crowded. Nice place to chat & lounge around. Friendly & helpful waiters (I was recommended an excellent Riesling). The Charcuterie plate was good. The cheese fondue was tasty. The lamb meatballs were very flavorful (I don't like lamb but all my friends who ate it loved it). The food is definitely not cheap though.
The service and attitude at District is lousy, with high prices to boot. I stopped in for a glass of wine on a slow night and sat at the bar. All they care about is pushing drinks as opposed to customer's enjoying themselves. I had a third of a glass left and the bartender asked me if I wanted another one. I told him I wanted to finish this glass first and got a look. As soon as I was down to a little, he came over and took my glass without asking me if I was finished, but did ask again if I wanted another with an attitude of order more immediately or leave. What happened to letting a customer relax and order at their liesure?
Yeah, 7th time here as of this evening and I still give this place 3 stars.
- Place has a decent selection of wine by the glass (my favorite is the St. Vincent Joseph Pinot Noir @ $13 a glass)
- Appetizers are not bad (good calamari)
- Cool seating areas
- Cool art on the walls (love the Vanity Fair piece)
- Cool interiors
- Cool furniture
HINT: Using the word "cool" incessantly is my attempt to say something nice without putting to much effort.
And on the flip side...
- Still attracts a pretty stiff and pretentious crowd... redefines "stiff upper lip"
- Still a meat market
- Service is iffy, kind of ho-hum and dependent on how your overall presence comes off (our server came by once to ask about what we wanted and then forgot about us, and we were sitting at the bar for close to 2 hours)
- Crowd is A-OK. Everyone just seems very uptight and wound up... and its wine they're having!
- Place just lacks a personable vibe and if you've been to Cav or Hotel Biron, this one will take some getting used to
- Gets crowded and noisy as the night progresses
Compared to Cav and Hotel Biron, this place is... A-OK.
A nice addition to the many wine bars in the city and a welcome addition to SOMA.
PROS:
- The…
Read more »
Trendy SOMA wine bar, nice decor, decent yet overpriced food.
The wines are good here, but not great. I do like the way they have tasting flights broken down into categories like "big, funky reds" or "spices and berries." I was a little disappointed by some of the wines within the flights, but overall it was satisfying.
The food was good but overpriced. The Moroccan spiced lamb meatballs were very flavorful, but cost $14 for just a few and had no sides - just a few meatballs plopped on the plate by themselves. I also had some pork sliders that were tasty but messy.
The ambiance is nice, and the food and wine decent.
I do believe there are other wine bars SF has to offer for a better price, though.
Fun night out with a great friend. We totally lucked out by scoring the very last table when we walked in. Service was quick - good suggestion on wines (not cheap). We tried the sliders - SO GOOD. I just wanted to put the extra red wine-onion jam in my purse to take home (but that would have been a bit messy). Only two sliders per order, but they were good sized for a decent tasting experience. We also tried their finnochiona pizzetta with caramelized fennel, roasted grapes and fresh goat cheese. Great combination of flavors. Not huge - two of us shared 3 small slices each. I think the pizza was about 8".
Good food, good wine, fun company. A nice way to end off a Thursday. Only complaint is that it was VERY loud. My friend and I pretty much had to yell at each other all night. But still, I really enjoyed my evening. We'll be back.
Very nice place but I recommend getting there before 5:30 if you want a seat and time for conversation. Awesome beer selection too.
District reminds me of some restaurant in LA. It is a soulless mash up of vague clichés and trends by people who are likely the former and could not start the latter. The wine list is all over the place and too expensive for comfort. Most glasses are in the 14-16 dollar range. Then the wine itself was too warm and almost astringent. The menu is a like an encyclopedia of yesterdays new. Pork belly sliders anyone? The service is pretty clueless and the atmosphere is more maudlin then the hoped for loungy. That being said the chees plate we had was good and the dessert ok. They listed a dessert wine as Cognac which it was definitely not. It may be a step down from LA it may be San Jose.
Decent selection? Check.
Mandatory converted industrial space? Check.
Overpriced (but still good) nosh? Check.
Yep. It's a wine bar. Yay. Woo. If I had worked next door, I might have come here once in a while...but my first impression will last, and it wasn't good.
The servers are fairly knowledgeable, but mine was more than a little on the arrogant and pushy side. Snotty fashionista-type who made it clear by his tone and demeanor that by simply asking if they had a full bar, I had insulted his sensibilities and I should be put in irons...maybe even have my eyes gouged out with spoons for suggesting that there might be an alternative to his $12/glass grape.
I happen to like wine. Quite a bit in fact. I received my early education on the wonders of a wine's bouquet, types of grape and soil from a vignoble in St. Emilion ere my travels brought me here...though I must say, the attitude here makes the haughtiest of the French look like the chummiest chums from an English pub.
I didn't know it was high treason to be in the mood for a mojito once in a while. Thanks for the crucifixion. In the future, if I want to be treated like dogshit, I'll go somewhere...well, somewhere like here. Oddly, I've never quite found myself in the mood for that kind of treatment. Funny that.
I won't be back.
--------------------
Quick Update:
It seems the management pays attention to, and cares about, the reviews the bar receives. Kudos to them. I received a concerned inquiry and apology very shortly after my review posted; along with an assurance that they would look into the circumstances.
I like that.
If I find myself in the neighborhood again, I'll give them a second shot. When that happens, look to find an updated review.
Meeting a guy for the first time at such a crowded location on a Friday night with his people is not an ideal situation. Somehow he convinced me to come because there was a lack of "tail" (on a Friday night of all nights!) and he needed something to chase. Poor thing. He was right. In fact, there was no "tail." I may have been a sex kitten back in the day at the height of my youth, but even I could have gone in there without the safety blanket of a pushup bra and gotten all the attention. Or maybe it was because he wouldn't stop sucking face with me? Apparently PDA is in again.
Anyhoo, the wine was nice. I enjoyed my three glass limit of pinot gri. The appetizers were just so so. I've had much better fish tacos and pizza. I don't even know what they were going for with their fish taco concoction. Meh. I really like the ambiance of District itself. The place has this lovely loft feel. Dark lighting, metal details, and glass accents to lighten areas up. The thick, sturdy wood tables, however, would be a bitch to dance on though. If you fall and hit your head on that, you're a goner. Now I know why the tail was not in full force tonight. We can't control our booze.
This is place is wonderful! I heard about it awhile ago and had been meaning to stop by. I finally got the chance to go last night after the Giants game. Being a game night, it was fairly busy. Packed with good looking people and a great atmosphere. Highly recommended!
I had a chance to talk with Caterina, the Wine Director. She is incredibly sweet and a fantastic help in deciding on wines.
Also, do not leave without tasting the Bread Pudding... Unreal!
I walked in and thought I was in the Marina. And not the breezy, sunny, high-energy, great-for-casual-Saturday-shopping-and-noshing-wit h-the-girls Marina. I'm talking the stripe-shirt-horde, look-at-me-aren't-I-pretty, tooth-grindingly superficial Marina. Which is too bad, because the space is nice, the staff is competent and the wines are decent (high priced but nice).
Unfortunately, I've only visited on busy nights (like Friday) so I have yet to see how the space and staff work with a smaller crowd (or with a crowd less inclined to ear-piercing shrieking laughter). The wine list makes me want to try...but we'll see.
I find it funny that our waiter, who works at this wine bar, knew nothing about wine. He seemed out of place working here...he should've been working at a sports bar serving beer.
Thank goodness we flagged down another waiter (the one with a shaved head wearing black framed glasses) who knew EVERYTHING about wine. He was super friendly too.
This place has what it takes to be an awesome wine bar - decor, selection, location, etc., but I wasn't impressed enough to give it 4 stars.
Cool place! The bar tenders are great and the apitizers were pretty darn good. Everything is over priced but what can you expect from a wine bar right?
I would go again.
Neighborhood: SOMA
Category: Beer, Wine & Spirits
Neighborhood: Dogpatch
Category: Wine Bars
Neighborhood: SOMA
Category: Lounges
Neighborhood: SOMA
Category: Wine Bars
Neighborhood: SOMA
Category: American (New)
Some of my favorite dining destinations in the…
Drinking but not drunk when you're south of…
What's hot and new in the city, or at least from…
Ever since I turned 30, I've become increasingly…
Take your date to one of these places and maybe…
My local dry cleaner, watering hole, deli, cafe,…
You're better off throwing money in the garbage…
Whining and cheesing it all over the…
