Falling in love with San Francisco, one wine bar at a time
It’s safe to say that I’ve had my fair share of wine bars in the city of San Francisco. From Arcana, a literal oasis in the middle of the city that features natural wines, to Buddy, a friendly neighborhood natural wine bar with great food and even better music, and now Céleste, an uber posh French wine bar in the heart of Cow Hollow, I’ve savored a range of truly diverse sipping experiences.
I love each experience in every wine bar I’ve visited in San Francisco. If I’m craving an Arts District LA vibe, I’ll opt for Arcana. If I’m in the mood for a wholesome night out with some close friends, I’ll opt for Buddy. And if I’m hosting a friend from out of town and need a good starting point for a fun night out on the town, I’ll go with Céleste.
Speaking of Céleste, I want to share with you why it’s my number one and what makes it one of the best wine bars in San Francisco.
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Céleste Wine Bar: Why It’s The Best Wine Bar in San Francisco
Don’t get me wrong, I love natural wine, but I don’t love it as much as I love a rich, full-bodied Malbec or a sophisticated Bordeaux blend. There have been times when I’ve taken a sip of a glass of natural wine and instantly made the face.
Some natural wines taste like a sour beer gone flat and re-refrigerated.
Yes – I went there.
I’m no wine expert, so please take everything I say with a grain of salt, and with the notion that we all have different palates. Taste is incredibly personal, and I’ll respect anyone who has a deep love for natural wine.
I, on the other hand, love me a good traditional glass of wine.
While I love Arcana and Buddy, and they really did great with setting such a good vibe in their spaces, I felt rather incomplete with my glasses of natural wine.
It just doesn’t cut it for me. It’s like Edward Cullen explaining the whole animal blood diet versus human blood diet for vampires to Bella.
So imagine my excitement when I came across Céleste Wine Bar, and saw that they had a list of traditional wines and a select few of natural wines.
Immediately I knew that this was my new go to wine bar in San Francisco.
Heavy Pours and Great Music
Céleste opened its doors to the public last autumn and share the same owners as Bodega and Key Klub. With its excellent location and close proximity to some of the best boutiques and bars in the city, the placement, the branding, and the offerings of Céleste were beautifully planned and executed well. I do find it interesting though that none of these establishments have a website but all perform so well.
Céleste is the bar you go to when you’re solo traveling and need a place to go and people watch or meet people. It’s the bar that you go to with your long term partner, craving some spice to add to your date night. It’s the bar that you frequent with a coworker, talking about projects and that one coworker that’s overly passive aggressive via email. Céleste is for everyone honestly. By everyone, I mean people that enjoy a good glass of wine and some delicious Greek food to pair with it.
From their heavy poured glasses, to the minimal light show, to its high ceilings, to the really pretty servers (literal goddesses), and to the red-tiled bathroom, Céleste really knows how to wow its patrons.
This is the wine bar I’ll be frequenting the most this year. I hope to see you there.
