Highly successful, high-end communal dining spot Lazy Bear, now two and a half years into its mostly sold-out run in the Mission, is expanding with a new, casual cocktail-focused spot a few blocks away. As Eater learns, following the announcement last week about the closure of The Tradesman on Alabama Street, Lazy Bear chef-owner David Barzelay and bar manager Nicolas Torres are aiming to introduce the as-yet unnamed cocktail bar/restaurant by early next year.

Barzelay says the food at the new place will be more accessible, but inspired by what he and the team have been doing at Lazy Bear. And the cocktails, similarly, will be more seasonal and produce-driven than spirit-driven.

He tells Eater that the team has been missing the ability to welcome in walk-in guests and their friends for lower-commitment experiences than Lazy Bear's multi-hour prix fixe, and that's what they're hoping to have here. Also he says vaguely that there will be the possibility for "multiple experiences" at the new place, which may mean that he's planning some sort of unique dining or cocktail-tasting components as well.

The Tradesman, meanwhile, still has a few days left, and will close after Sunday, September 25.