{"id":138547,"date":"2026-01-18T05:24:23","date_gmt":"2026-01-18T05:24:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/138547\/"},"modified":"2026-01-18T05:24:23","modified_gmt":"2026-01-18T05:24:23","slug":"one-of-downtowns-most-glamorous-martini-bars-is-opening-a-penthouse-restaurant","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/138547\/","title":{"rendered":"One of downtown\u2019s most glamorous martini bars is opening a penthouse restaurant"},"content":{"rendered":"

When upscale restaurant Holbrook House<\/a> made its 2023 debut inside an ornate, century-old building at 1 Sansome St. in downtown San Francisco, it was hailed as a magnificent gathering place \u2014 a hot spot for martinis, caviar, and seafood towers, as well as a bold wager on the Financial District\u2019s recovery.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Almost three years later, the team behind that dazzling spot with a capacity for almost 1,400 guests is gearing up for the launch of another ambitious project: a rooftop restaurant, bar, and event space near the Embarcadero. Although the sophomore effort doesn\u2019t yet have a name, it does have a marquee location atop The Spear (opens in new tab)<\/a>, a 14-story trophy building at 88 Spear St. that is undergoing a $100 million redevelopment to transform it into an \u201coffice resort<\/a>.\u201d<\/p>\n

Whatever it will be named, the rooftop space is\u00a0 set to open in early 2027, shortly after developer Presidio Bay adds two stories to the building to accommodate it. Things are still at an early stage; menus have yet to be created, and the interiors, to be overseen by Holbrook House designer Jeff Schlarb, have not been laid out. But Presidio Bay managing principal Cyrus Sanandaji<\/a> predicts that the two-level, 10,000-square-foot penthouse with views of the Bay Bridge will become a destination overnight. \u201cThe more unique spaces like this we can create, the more downtown has a holding power of really being able to attract and retain people so they don\u2019t escape right after work,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n

Phil Spiegel, the owner of both restaurants, notes that \u201cWhen we opened Holbrook, my North Star was \u2018opulent, but approachable.\u2019\u201d Describing the two as spiritually connected, he outlines a bold vision for a flexible, day-or-night space that might have a private event in one section and lively, open-to-the-public bars in another. \u201cI\u2019d rather be Original Joe\u2019s than Fleur de Lys,\u201d he says, comparing a thriving North Beach steakhouse<\/a> to a long-shuttered French restaurant in Lower Nob Hill.<\/p>\n

Fancy though it sounds, a dress code is less important than the vibes. \u201cHigh heels or high tops, suits or hoodies,\u201d he says. \u201cI\u2019d like a place where people are going twice a week, not twice a year.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"ACurrently under construction, The Spear will open this fall. | Source: Presidio Bay<\/p>\n

The roof isn\u2019t the only part of the building with fresh energy; noted croissant maker Arsicault Bakery<\/a> is scheduled to move in on the ground floor. But the real ambition is concentrated upstairs. Sanandaji notes that after downtown bottomed out post-Covid, 88 Spear St. was where the first crane was erected. \u201cIt\u2019s symbolic of our commitment to San Francisco,\u201d he says. \u201cSo don\u2019t be surprised if you see a drink on the menu named First Crane.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"When upscale restaurant Holbrook House made its 2023 debut inside an ornate, century-old building at 1 Sansome St.…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":138548,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[30],"tags":[8697,818,25424,388,101,103,102,104,106,105],"class_list":{"0":"post-138547","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-san-francisco","8":"tag-bars","9":"tag-downtown","10":"tag-financial-district","11":"tag-real-estate","12":"tag-san-francisco","13":"tag-san-francisco-headlines","14":"tag-san-francisco-news","15":"tag-sf","16":"tag-sf-headlines","17":"tag-sf-news"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/138547","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=138547"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/138547\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/138548"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=138547"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=138547"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=138547"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}