In the former La Folie Lounge space at 2310 Polk Street, the neighborhood is getting a new high-end cocktail spot this week — the sister bar to Nisei, the Japanese tasting-menu restaurant from chef David Yoshimura that debuted in the La Folie space in August.
It's called Iris, and as Eater reports, the grand opening is on Thursday, October 14. Taking inspiration from the food at Nisei, and Japanese whiskey, the opening cocktail menu features six highball-type drinks. Bar manager and local industry vet Ilya Romanov tells Eater, "Once I have more people on staff, I’ll feel comfortable giving them more things to remember."
The menu, as seen below, includes a twist on a gin milk punch, the Linda Linda, as well as a gin and tonic variation with Japanese gin and verjus (unfermented wine-grape juice), dubbed the Middlechild.
And, on Insta, we see examples from the above menu, thanks to @equal_parts_cocktail.
Other Japanese ingredients include purple potato, yuzu sake, and a roasted green tea called hojicha.
Romanov notes that the 45 outdoor parklet seats are all heated — like, the actual butt parts are heated — so this could still be a viable option as things turn colder in SF. Inside, there are just eight seats at the compact bar and 15 in the lounge.
And for snacks, there are Japanese pickles, furikake-topped popcorn, and Japanese potato salad — as well as smoked unagi dip with rice chips.
Iris will be open, after its Thursday debut, from Wednesday to Friday, 5 p.m. to midnight, and Saturday to Sunday, 3 p.m. to 1 a.m.
Iris - 2310 Polk Street at Green
Top image: equal_parts_cocktail/Instagram
