10 Festive New Venues in San Francisco for Holiday Parties

Design and concept firm AvroKO and chef Matthew Lightner will open Ninebark in Napa Valley in late September. The new 4,956-square-foot restaurant, bar, and rooftop lounge will feature seasonal California cuisine. AvroKO is responsible for the airy three-story restaurant, with decor elements like a “goods and produce wall” along with high banquette seating on the ground floor. The second floor consists of a dining room centered on an arched, open kitchen with a chef’s table, and the third floor has a rooftop-garden-style dining and bar space with lounge “gliders” and banquettes covered in vintage plaids. For private events, the rooftop patio and bar seats 42 or holds 60 for receptions. A private patio seats 20 or holds 40 for receptions. The first floor seats 23 guests, the second floor seats 44 guests, and the third floor seats 42 guests. The capacity for the entire restaurant is 150 guests.

Bespoke Events at Westfield San Francisco, an event and co-working space, became available as a private event venue in February. Its event space holds about 879 guests for receptions or seats 850 theater-style, 633 banquet-style, or 535 classroom-style. There are three modular air walls that can divide it into four sections depending on group size, and there’s also a greenroom, a catering kitchen, and three freight elevators. Bespoke’s technological capabilities include a digital entry, projectors and screens, high-speed Wi-Fi, and projection-capable walls.

In time for holiday parties, tapas restaurant Teleféric is slated to open by the end of November. The venue is from Barcelona’s award-winning, family-owned restaurant group Teleféric and the upcoming Walnut Creek, California, restaurant is the group’s first outlet outside of Spain. Located on the second floor of a newly constructed three-story building, it will have indoor seating for 130 guests and a 35-seat outdoor terrace dining area. A private 20-seat dining room will be accented with a glass-enclosed wine storage wall paired with a suspended three-tone wood ceiling. Design details include patterned metal screens, large operable windows, an open kitchen, wood tables, and a central bar.

The new Axiom Hotel in Union Square is slated to open in November and will be available for holiday parties. The hotel offers a customizable meeting space and mezzanine level for events. Axiom’s 826-square-foot meeting space, dubbed the Hub, can be divided into two spaces called Hub 1 and Hub 2. Each Hub is 413 square feet and seats 18 guests, for a total seated capacity of 36 guests. The mezzanine “Cloud” level holds about 50 for receptions.

Sessions at the Presidio opened in August, offering seasonal small plates, craft cocktails, and more than 100 craft beers. The concept is modeled after a “New American Public House,” and the window-filled space incorporates industrial details. The venue’s private dining room seats 26 guests or holds 40 for receptions. Inside, the restaurant seats 130 people or holds 200 people for receptions. The patio seats 48 guests or holds 75 for receptions.

Old Bus Tavern opened in Bernal Heights in July and will be available for holiday events—particularly on Mondays and Tuesdays when the venue is normally closed. The 2,000-square-foot brewpub holds about 50 seated guests or 70 guests for receptions. Design elements include a muted gray and taupe color palette, a collection of antique Navajo rugs, and custom LED light boxes. The space is divided into a dining area, a 22-foot bar, and an exposed brewery with a 16-foot stand-up bar.

Reverb Kitchen & Bar, formerly known as Verbena, transformed in early April of this year with a new name, chef, concept, decor, and menu of seasonal California comfort food. Located in Russian Hill, the restaurant holds 75 guests for seated events or 100 guests for receptions. The mezzanine-level dining room seats 18 guests. The dining room’s windows and doors can be closed for privacy or left open to the bustling main dining room. The private dining room’s decor includes exposed brick and a display of house-pickled vegetables in Mason jars.

The Keystone, a new restaurant inspired by classic American taverns, opened in August and is available for holiday parties. Located adjacent to the Soma, FiDi, and Union Square neighborhoods, the venue includes a large bar, an open dining room, and private events spaces. The private dining room accommodates groups of as many as 50 and offers built-in audiovisual capabilities. A full buyout accommodates as many as 250 guests.

Acclaimed chef Michael Mina’s newest San Francisco project is Mina Test Kitchen, the first test kitchen for Mina Group. Opened to the public at the end of July, the venue allows Mina and his team to test as series of “pop-up” menus before potentially adding the dishes to Mina Group restaurants across the country. The 1,600-square-foot space in the Cow Hollow/Marina neighborhood is available for rent for private events Sunday through Tuesday evenings and has 49 seats.

Chef Dominique Crenn opened Petit Crenn in Hayes Valley in August, offering a seafood and vegetable menu served family-style. The peaceful white space is available for full buyouts during the holiday season. The restaurant’s maximum capacity is 40 guests; buyouts require at least a month’s notice.