It was in 2013 that Marianne's, the semi-secret bar within the Cavalier at the Hotel Zetta, was dubbed "The secret S.F. room where tech deals get made" by the Business Times. The Twitter crew, for example, reportedly threw down at Marianne's after their successful IPO. And that was perhaps the point: James Nicholas, who co-owns the Cavalier and Marianne's along with his wife Anna Weinberg (also of Marlowe, Park Tavern, and Leo's Oyster Bar) said something to that effect at the time, implying the bar was popular with the tech elite, although he disputes the characterization. But now Marianne's — which is named for the stylish chanteuse Marianne Faithfull, is open to the public, with a few tweaks.
Could this be the beginning of the end of an era in which secret bars within bars delighted and confounded us in equal parts? Who knows, but certainly Weinberg tired of it. “We got bored of it,” she shared, via a press release, referring to the whole setup. “We wanted more of our customers to be able to enjoy the edgy, throwback glamour at Marianne’s."
Weinberg's creative director Jake Mogelson and her interiors wiz Ken Fulk have redesigned the space a bit: "We made her over into an uncurated boho bar inspired by San Francisco’s rock heyday,” Weinberg says, and that, for the record, means zebra-patterned banquettes.
Eater got ahold of the new menu, which includes snacks like lamb schnitzel lollipops and new cocktails like “Sticky Fingers" (rye, scotch, Angioletto, sweet vermouth, Grand Marnier, lemon bitters), an allusion to Marianne's ex-man, Mick Jagger.
Marianne's - 360 Jessie Street, open Tuesday and Wednesday 5:30 p.m. to midnight and Thursday to Saturday 5:30 p.m. to 1:30 a.m.