Fans of traditional Spanish cuisine, take note: the Absinthe Group's new Iberian-inspired restaurant and bar, Bellota, debuts tomorrow at 888 Brannan St.
Bellota is located on the ground floor of the former battery factory at Eighth and Brannan, which is now home to Airbnb and the Gift Center & Jewelry Mart. The restaurant was in the works for nearly three years, which the Absinthe Group's Keli Dailey largely attributes to the infamous red tape that accompanies renovating a historic building in San Francisco.
The bar, designed by Jonny Raglin (formerly of Absinthe-owned Comstock Saloon) and managed by Collin Nicholas, offers a list of exclusively Spanish wines. But the main attraction is the plentiful selection of dry sherry and vermouth.
Nicholas, who designed the cocktail menu, says he took care to respect the cultures of both Spain and SoMa with his drinks, while promoting the flavors coming out of the kitchen. The house favorite thus far is the Tierra Verde, an herbaceous vodka-based cocktail with lime, cardamom, cucumber, and a housemade bay leaf falernum, a sweet syrup common in tropical cocktails.
The kitchen, with chef Ryan McIlwraith (formerly chef de cuisine of Coqueta) at the helm, offers a vast selection of traditional Spanish fare. For starters, there's plates of charcuterie and cheese imported from Spain ($5-$40); towers of raw, poached and steamed seafood ($10 for one dish or $50 for a tower for two); and a selection of hearty tapas fit for two ($9-$16). Diners can also select small snacks, or pintxos, from a cart roaming the restaurant.
For big groups, Bellota offers four different family-sized paellas (veggie, chicken, seafood or pork shoulder) that are roasted in the wood-fired oven for 40 minutes ($36-45). Rather than settle on just one recipe, diners can choose to try two, cooked in one pan ($55).
Giant meatball paella for family meal! @bellotasf pic.twitter.com/BsT1fLZUy8
— Ryan McIlwraith (@chefryanmac) May 21, 2016
If you don't have 40 minutes to kill, not to worry. There's also a selection of meat and vegetable dishes grilled in the wood-fired oven, including steaks, slow-roasted lamb, seaweed-baked fingerling potatoes and slow-roasted heirloom carrots ($10-$100).
Bellota is planning to start with happy hour, from 4-6pm Mondays through Saturdays. Dinner service begins at 5:30pm, and will run through 10pm Monday through Wednesday and 11pm Thursday through Saturday. If they find that guests prefer to linger until midnight, they'll extend the hours, Dail said. Lunch may follow in the future as well.
The entire menu is available at the bar, but reservations are recommended for the dining room. They can be made by calling (415) 430-6580.
