A cocktail lounge borrowing its name from a legendary 1960s San Francisco music club opens Friday in downtown Napa, and its drinks come with an unusual pitch: some are spiked not just with liquor, but with creatine, electrolytes and vitamins. Matrix, set to debut at 1045 Franklin Street inside the Andaz Napa complex, is positioning itself as a spot for both committed drinkers and the increasingly common sober-curious crowd.
The name has serious pedigree. The original Matrix opened on August 13, 1965, at 3138 Fillmore Street in San Francisco's Cow Hollow, a 100-capacity room co-founded by Jefferson Airplane singer Marty Balin as his band's house venue, according to Wikipedia. During its 1965-1972 run, the club became a hub of the San Francisco Sound, hosting early performances by the Grateful Dead, the Doors and Santana, and it even earned a mention in Hunter S. Thompson's Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas. As reported by Eater San Francisco, the Napa version is co-owned by Dante Javar and John Truchard, who reopened Matrix in San Francisco in 2000 with ties to Gavin Newsom's PlumpJack Group and Paul Getty before that iteration closed in 2018.
That closure and PlumpJack's stewardship of the Cow Hollow space were previously chronicled in Hoodline's coverage of White Rabbit taking over Matrix's old spot, after PlumpJack purchased the original venue in 2001 and ran it as MatrixFillmore. Now Truchard and Javar are giving the name a new home in wine country, some 50 miles north of where it started.
Velvet Banquettes Meet Vitamin-Laced Drinks
Per Eater's description, the Napa lounge will feature moody rooms done up in dark red velvet banquettes, dramatic chandeliers, gold lamps and dramatic lighting, along with a DJ and sound system, though the venue will not include a dance floor. Traditional cocktails on the menu include the Matrix Old Fashioned, made with Maker's Mark, an Olde English malt liquor reduction, turbinado sugar, Angostura bitters and herbs, alongside espresso martinis and the Better Believe Margarita, which mixes tequila, mango, orange liqueur, agave, Thai chile pepper and yuzu kosho.
But the wellness-forward drinks are the hook. The Temple of Gains packs 24 grams of protein and creatine, while its boozy cousin, Forbidden Gains, adds añejo rum and banana liqueur to a base of electrolytes and creatine, the outlet reports. The Matrix Activated Charcoal Martini contains two grams of creatine, and the Beat That Nut blends black tea, beet juice, coconut water, agave, vitamin C, B12 and electrolytes. Javar told Eater that the bar intends to promote vitamins and minerals in cocktails, and that the wellness drinks are meant to serve health-conscious customers, sober patrons and people simply pre-gaming before a night out.
A Beverage Director With Deep Regional Roots
Javar, who also owns 1331 Cocktails and previously bartended under the alias Victor Skantay, brings more than 20 years of mixology experience gathered in San Francisco, New Orleans, Las Vegas, Hawaii, Oakland and Healdsburg, according to a Facebook post from Sonoma Magazine. That résumé has already translated into local standing: in August, Javar served as a mentor and expert judge for the Iron Shaker mixology competition during the reopening of the Napa Valley Distillery after its fire.
Javar told Eater he wants younger wine drinkers to feel the music and lounge atmosphere, describing Matrix as a curated space intended to offer enjoyment beyond just cocktails, meant for musicians, artists and visitors to Napa who want somewhere to drink and unwind. He added that Matrix is meant to work for people who drink and people who do not.
A Late-Night Food Partner And A Downtown Footprint
Food comes from Duwende, run by Cassan and Alex Macaraig, which will operate as Matrix's late-night menu on Fridays and Saturdays with dishes including adobo popcorn, pork belly lumpia, Hong Kong chow mein, crinkle-cut fries with chile crisp queso and scallion-ginger chicken wings, per Eater's reporting. Duwende will also offer a Matrix-branded caviar made with Tsar Nicoulai caviar, while Andaz Napa will supply a smaller menu on the lounge's other operating nights featuring a smash burger and charred shishito peppers. The wine list leans into champagne, sparkling wines and local reds and whites, and the outlet notes Matrix plans to host events including charity fashion shows.
Truchard's fingerprints are increasingly visible across downtown Napa's nightlife scene. In January, he took over management of the historic 1880s Napa Valley Opera House, rebranding the former Blue Note venue as Napa Music Hall to host concerts, comedy and local events, according to the Napa County Times. He is also associated with the nearby Uptown Theatre, and beyond live entertainment, Truchard co-founded JaM Cellars, maker of the top-selling Butter Chardonnay, and runs the high-end label John Anthony Vineyards, which keeps a downtown tasting lounge on First Street next to Andaz Napa.
Riding A Broader Wellness Cocktail Wave
Matrix's functional drinks arrive as the beverage industry leans hard into health-forward formulations. A 2026 report by Dataintelo pointed to strong global growth in cocktails built around adaptogens, electrolytes and vitamins, alongside a non-alcoholic cocktail market the firm projects will exceed $24 billion. Search interest backs up the shift: a 2024 trend analysis found a 120% year-over-year surge in Google searches for adaptogen cocktail recipes, according to a report cited by web8.wsws.org, suggesting the demand for supplement-spiked drinks extends well beyond one Napa lounge.
Matrix opens this Friday at 1045 Franklin Street in downtown Napa, sharing a complex with the 141-room Andaz Napa hotel.
