Nine Bar
The most grown-up $9 martini in the city.
Drinks
- House Martini (gin or vodka)$9
Normally $18 — the single best deal on this list.
- Negroni Sbagliato$10
Prosecco instead of gin, served in a big-bowl glass.
- Draft Spritz$8
- Glass of Cava$8
- Local Draft Beer$6
Food
- Gildas (3 skewers)$6
Anchovy, olive, guindilla pepper. Order two rounds.
- Marcona Almonds$4
- Croquetas de Jamón$9
Four to an order, molten inside.
- Chicken Liver Toast$10
- Little Gem Salad$8
Is it actually worth it?
I have a rule about happy hour: if the discount menu feels like the restaurant's leftovers, I'm out. Nine Bar breaks that rule in the best way. The $9 martini is not a smaller pour or a cheaper gin — it's the same stirred, ice-cold, lemon-twisted martini they charge $18 for at 7pm. You're just drinking it three hours earlier, which is honestly a better time to drink a martini anyway.
The food is where it gets interesting. The gildas are the move — briny, sharp, exactly the kind of thing that makes you order a second drink without noticing. The croquetas are genuinely excellent and the chicken liver toast is enough to be a light dinner if you're pacing yourself. The little gem salad is fine; skip it and put that money toward another round.
On value: two drinks and three plates for two people ran me about $58 before tip. For Hayes Valley, at this quality level, that's remarkable. The same order after 6pm is closer to $95.
