Bay Area imbibers have plenty to love this February. Great drinks are a must, of course, but a touch of adventure sure doesn’t hurt. Inject 2016 with a little intrigue by visiting our favorite area bars tucked away in secret locales.
- Marianne’s
- Wilson & Wilson
- Leopard Lounge
- Remedie
- The Hideout at Dalva
- Tivoli Sour Room
- The Ipswitch
- The Gotham Club at AT&T
Everyone in the Bay Area wants to get into Marianne’s — everyone who knows about it, that is. If you’re able to secure the password, you’ll be spirited away behind a bookcase located in The Cavalier. Your destination? A candlelit lounge complete with cozy sofas, arched alcoves, built-in bookcases and a private bathroom.
Forget it’s 2016 as you step inside the speakeasy known as Wilson & Wilson. Actually, it’s a detective-agency themed speakeasy within the popular speakeasy Bourbon & Branch. You’ll even find the list of their amazing cocktails tucked into a “case file.”
Impress a date this February with a trip to Leopard Lounge. More intimate than its downstairs neighbor, The Romper Room, the animal-print-accented lounge has its own “secret” menu. Pink lighting, modernist furniture and stained-glass windows make for a uniquely sexy atmosphere.
Remedie offers herbal-infused cocktails that are actually good for you, just like the apothecary-themed Devil’s Acre located upstairs. The cozy, super-intimate feel of the softly lit Remedie Room makes it the perfect setting for all your 2016 private parties.
If you love meeting friends for a pint at Dalva but tire of the noisy dive-bar vibe pretty quickly, just sneak down the hallway leading back to The Hideout. This Bay Area speakeasy is just the laid-back change of pace you’re looking for with its quietness and impressive menu of impeccably crafted cocktails.
If sour beer is more your thing, make your way to Tivoli Sour Room, the secret room at Mikkeller Bar. If you’ve been to one of the two Mikkeller Bars in Copenhagen, you might think you’re experiencing deja vu, but, no, Tivoli was designed to be a mirror image of its European counterpart. This small room in the cellar offers 80 sour beers and lambics.
It doesn’t get much more top-secret than trap-door entry, but that’s just how you access The Ipswitch. Yet another Bourbon & Branch offshoot, the hidden lounge is as wonderfully woody and atmospheric as you’d expect from the site of an actual Prohibition-era speakeasy of the same name. You basically have to luck out to get a coveted spot here this February.
If you’re a Bay Area high-roller, our final hidden bar is for you. The Gotham Club at AT&T is only accessible to Giants season-ticket holders, but field or bay views and some pretty amazing amenities just might make it worth the price. Tired of old-school video games and billiards? Take the bowling alley for a spin. If you’re looking for a way to invest a few thousand dollars of fun money this February, may we suggest 2016 season tickets just so you can enjoy drinks in a deliciously secret location behind the scoreboard?
