District

SoMa, San Francisco –

A Mark Twain quote on District's website reads "There are no standards of taste in wine" – and perhaps in response, owners have filled the venue's open warehouse space with a giant, shiny U-shaped bar stocked with hundreds of palate-pleasing pourables.

Three distinct zones lie beneath the exposed brick and rafters, including a comfy lounge area on one side, long lines of stools surrounding the bar, and an expansive dining area. The regulars – mostly well-paid tech and biotech workers who live in the surrounding lofts – show up in small groups or pairs to unwind after work with a few glasses of Pinot and some Happy Hour oysters, while well-to-do tourists and suburban wine aficionados settle in for a meal at the rustic tables.

Gourmets and regular folks alike enjoy the extended menu of craft pizzas and steaks that go beyond the standard cheese and charcuterie fare – a menu that helps keep every chair and sofa occupied with a mix of pre-clubbers, post-boutique shoppers, and hip gourmands almost every night after 9pm.

Although prior to the millennium SoMa was a gritty industrial district, a totally different clientele and industry has moved in, and the new, breezy sense of class that washed over has found its epicenter at District.