Forgery

I’m so happy I finally got the chance to check out the Forgery. Between my über routes from SoMA to the Mission, I usually see this place. I finally had the chance to last week when I was out and about on the town. It reminds me of Redford. The bar has a gorgeous interior and the bartenders are so knowledgeable about the local spirits and craft cocktails. My friend and I both had gin based drinks and our taste buds were extremely pleased.
I definitely intend on coming back here, it looks like a great HH spot + crowd.

Im slightly reluctant to write this review cause I don’t particularly want the place to be overrun with the new tech bros in the neighborhood, but gotta give credit where credit is due. Serious quality cocktail bar in the new mid market neighborhood. Great place for after work drinks or a date. I had the ‘forged and bound’ and the drink was impeccable. Highly recommend spot!

Incredibly nice bar with friendly staff. Of the Forgery cocktails — the Cadiz was refreshing and light as a starter, and then the Dr. Tequila and Vampiro were sweet and velvety finishers. I like their menu a lot and it has some seasonal items to look forward to. The Old Fashioned and Negroni were impeccably made. The space is as beautiful as the drinks that are housed here. Lots of exposed wood and brick, dim lighting. All it’s missing is a fireplace. To sum up, it’s a nice classy type of place to be, but still casual and relaxing. There’s even beer and wine for the non-​cocktail types.

One of my favorite weekday happy hour spots.
The owners + bartenders are so nice and funny– and their mixology is really fantastic too. Lots of (bottled) crafts beer makers as well like Ommegang etc. I’d steer clear of the wines (not their specialty) but all the mixed drinks I’ve had there are lovely.
Stiff drinks, great crowd, no weird ambience (or as people like to call it, «culture»). Love!

Pretty nice mid-​scale lounge located in the mission. The prices are a bit expensive with a gin and tonic priced at $ 10 dollars with many of their specialty drinks ranging from 12 – 20 dollars. The place is pretty large with a nice loft upstairs. The lounge is clean and staff is nice. It gets pretty busy at night and the bar tenders can be a bit slow making their drinks but I guess they just want to perfect their creations.
Overall, solid 4 stars for service, cleanliness and quality of their drinks.

Wonderful bartenders, delicious cocktails, and great vibes. What more can you really ask for in a swanky lounge in SOMA. My friend decided to have her engagement «get-​together» with a group of close friends to celebrate on a Saturday night. Initially, we had reserved the front seating area, but when I arrived it appeared that a different party was there. I am not sure if the staff/​management forgot about our reservation, but we were lucky that the upstairs lounge was «no longer booked.»
For photography purposes, the lighting upstairs was AWFUL, and much better downstairs… FYI
Overall, I think everyone had a great time! If you order beer, they serve it in a champagne-​glass-​looking glass.
In the back, the lounge connects to a Night Club venue (used to be called Sloane). We decided to take a peek around 11:30pm, and it was straight up EMPTY, but likely because they were just getting started in the night? Didn’t really look like it was going to fill up any time soon though.

What a cute bar! We stopped here for drinks as we waited for a holiday party next door to start up. My $ 9 glass of Prosecco was great. The wood and brick décor looks really nice and I enjoyed the Christmas tree that they had set up. There seems to be a lot of space between the bar and the loft upstairs. The restrooms are also clean, with shared sink areas.

Awesome cocktails and service.

A bit off the beaten path, but a quiet place for a catch up with good friends you haven’t seen in a long time. Cocktails were solid, I was very happy with the dirty vodka martini. Front of the restaurant has seating area for a big group near the window, a long bar, and some seating in the back. Bar seats swivel to increase or decrease height. Friendly bartenders.
Recommended for a serious conversation, or if you really want to hear the person across from you. :)

This is a very low-​key bar that’s tucked away in the outskirts of the Mission. They have a good variety of drinks that are both strong and tasty. Attractive staff. Dimly lit with alluring décor. The venue has potential, but for the few times that I’ve been there, the energy level has always been very low. It could do better if it was a bit more lively. The last time I had been, they were also renovating the adjacent space so they could revive the club atmosphere that used to generate business for the previous owners.
I’m not sure if renovation has been completed and what the venue is like live, but I’d be willing to go back and check it out.
Recommendation: A good place to meet up with a date for a drink. If you’re a female, I’d order the Cadiz.

Great addition to the SF cocktail bar scene. The bartenders are quite friendly, especially if you’re there during a slower time. It’s a great atmosphere that feels intimate and if you’re lucky, you can grab some of the couch seating in the front or back. There’s also a loft space but I’ve never checked it out. The drinks are well made and comparably priced for the SF scene ($ 10-​$ 13). My favorite drink so far is Forged & Bound but I had the Cool Runnings during this last visit and it was quite interesting. I wasn’t sure about the grapefruit and nutmeg combination but each sip really does give you a refreshing feeling as you swallow. People seem to like dressing up a tad bit more here, but that might have also just been a subset of people planning to head next door to Verso after a few drinks.
My only suggestion is that they install a small ledge on the wall near the entrance so there’s more standing space where you can put down your drink.

It’s as if the «needs more cowbell» guy started a bar and said it need more [insert random ingredient] about every drink. None of the drinks seem balanced. The drink menu likes to hit you in the teeth with specific flavors instead. But it becomes tiresome after the first two sips or so.
Initially, I was super excited about this bar and have come back a few times with a slight amnesia of the last time, and by now have pretty much sampled the entire menu but haven’t found a cocktail that I genuinely like.
Cool Runnings (the time I had it) was STRONGLY nutmeg. It was hard to swallow down.
Forged and Bound sounded wonderful, but was just. off. I can’t remember why. I could make up some stuff here, but I honestly can’t remember why.
I also remember being very disappointed in Dr. Tequila and I remember coming here with a friend, who said her cocktail (the Minty Ten?) was the first cocktail (ever!) that she hasn’t been able to finish.
Am still planning to come back (if the menu changes), since there is always room to sit down, it’s close and local, and I love the ambiance.
If you come, I would recommend sticking to the classics and not to the menu at hand — I remember being served a pretty darn good Old Fashioned (the bartenders seem good, just not the drink menu). And now that I notice it, they also have «Tommy’s Margarita» listed on their site. I’ll have to go back and try that one — Tommy’s up in Richmond just won a spot on the top 50 bars in the World for their margaritas.

Beautiful lounge space, but the drinks are mediocre.
There was plenty of room for my party of 8 or so, and we got to sit on a comfortable long couch and cushy armchairs. Unfortunately, the cocktails were just a bit off.
—- COCKTAILS —-
Delicious Sour: 3 stars
It’s sour, alright. But single-​notedly so. The egg whites did not provide the necessary temperance of flavour.
Forged and Bound: 2 stars
My partner said this tasted like agave syrup that caught on fire. Too sweet and burned like cheap alcohol.
Mocktail: 2 stars
This red punch-​like drink was almost tongue-​twistingly sour.
The next Alembic /​Local Edition /​Burritt Room /​Novela this is not. In order to stay in business, they need to hire a real mixologist.

Forgery is a huge improvement over the previous incarnations of the space at 1525 Mission. It’s been awhile since I’ve been excited about a new cocktail bar in San Francisco. The drinks are creative AND solid, not creative and «what the heck did I just drink?» Both times we’ve stopped in, the vibe has been pretty mellow/​chill, but that’s weeknight drinking for ya! Not sure how the weekends are.
The service is also great. They want you to enjoy your experience at Forgery, and it shows.
There’s a fairly large space in the back for events!

Super chill spot.
We were hanging out in the lower bar area near the window. It was chill.
Kind of a newerish hipster-​eqsue bar with a bro-​y feel; wooded décor, lots of brown colors and low lighting.
We decided to hit up the upstairs where the DJ was and get our groove on. The first floor was jus a tad too serious for a Friday night considering the jams the DJ was playing.
My crew and I run pretty lazy so they sent me on a post-​pee scouting mission to check whether not relocating to the upper floor was a) possible and b) worth it; it’s hard to tell what’s up dere from sitting tucked away in the corner up front you’ll see.
The upstairs had an interesting L-​shaped layout; the main bottom ligature of the L shape had nice seating and tables while the long, skinny top part of the L ligature only had enough room for the DJ.
I don’t drink so I can’t comment on the booze. My friends said they had alcohol in them which leads to believe that the drinks’ll get you nice and drunk, eventually.
We started dancing. No one else was, but that shouldn’t stop you anway. All four of us just got up and started dancing to the tunes. I think we were getting eyeballed by the DJ and co because we were the only ones dancing upstairs; I unno you gotta make a good time ya know.
After dancing and some drinking we left. The ambience was great; it was earlier in the evening so I don’t think patrons were too juiced up at that point.

Forgery’s name is a bit too ironic for this bar. My girl and I went here after a conference looking to unwind a bit and found the bar empty 15 minutes past opening and photographs being taken of drinks by a photographer and the only staff member told us to come back later. We wandered back outside and waited. The interior is nice but the area of town it’s in is not. That starts to melt away though when you start drinking. And the drinks are good but not great. We had a couple different aspiring mixologists make drinks for us and they were good but the ratio was off. Overall it’s a decent spot to check out if you’re in the area already but not worth going out of your way. The quality of the drinks speaks to this forgery of a legitimate mixology establishment.

These are magnificent cocktails. The ambience matches, and I’m certainly coming back.
Cocktails for every flavour profile. The staff is super friendly an answers every question. Do come.

4.5 stars. I came here yesterday (Friday, second day of opening) with my friend who is also a cocktail aficionado and we were surprised it was not too crowded between 6−9pm. I guess the tech bros in the area don’t keep up with new openings as much as we do so they haven’t yet discovered Forgery. The ambiance was surprisingly nice — looks like a place I wouldn’t feel out of place in if I felt like going out in a dress and heels! Though the huge wooden door, when open, lets in a draft and this part of Mission St is a huge wind corridor, so I’d actually be inclined to dress more warmly next time… But anyways, enough rambling on my clothing choices — onto the drinks!
The El Vampiro ($ 14) was one of the more creative cocktails I’ve had in the city period. It’s made with mezcal, sherry, crème de cassis, and saline, and they are bold with the saline so it is very savory. It’s the sort of drink I expect to see on a Trick Dog or Benjamin Cooper menu.
The Forged and Bound ($ 12) was good — astringent (grassy was the term my friend used) from the rye, yet with a smooth mouthfeel. The coffee flavor was used in moderation, and it was overall a nice and bitter drink — just how I like them.
The Dr. Tequila ($ 12) had a Laphroaig float which gave it some nice complexity, but it had too much citrus for my personal taste (it IS a good drink though if you are a fan of citrus). The Monet was ($ 12) very fruity, particularly of pineapple, but it seemed to overpower the cognac.
Overall, Forgery is a very solid new cocktail joint. They have a good amount of space, which is perfect for larger parties. The Cool Runnings is $ 10 and the El Vampiro is $ 14, but otherwise all other cocktails are $ 11 or $ 12. My El Vampiro and Forged and Bound were stiff enough that I knew I shouldn’t have a third drink if I wanted to actually make it to the gym the next morning. The bartenders are great — both engaging (our bartender shared some fun stories on how their cocktails came to be named and how they play pranks on fellow bartenders) and diligent about refilling our waters throughout the night. I’m guessing this place is going to pick up once it is discovered by a certain crowd.

Jacques and crew did a great job with the space and cocktail menu. Incredibly inventive with well balanced flavors in each one. You can’t go wrong with any of their Original cocktails.
My favorite is the Cadiz which has a tiny and gentle cumin warmth to a fresh and lightly tropical cocktail. The Dr. Tequila is just perfect. A smooth and creamy drink with a lemony finish.
Most definitely returning to make my way through the rest of the drink menu. I didn’t even glance at the wine and bubbles!

Not going to lie, I miss Sloane…
In my 20s, I looked forward to partying, binge drinking AMFs, drunk munching at 2 am (hello, crepes a go go!) and rolling into bed by 3 am. Just enough time to wake up at 6 am for work, and to do it all again. During one period, my friends and I did this for 12 days straight with 8 – 5 jobs.
Now, that I’m in my 30s, it’s exhausting to even read the aforementioned much less make it out to happy hour. These days my kinda weeknight is relaxing in jammies alongside furbaby sipping on san pellegrino aranciata while watching another awesomely terrible Lifetime movie that teach valuable life lessons like «don’t hire a hot nanny». Period.
Back to Sloane. I enjoyed it when it was more of a chill bar/​lounge playing 90s and hip hop. Then, they expanded into a club and got all ratchet. Supposedly, they were slapped with several lawsuits and shuttered soon after.
Not all good things must come to an end because PlumpJack Group (Gavin Newsom) has taken over and Forgery was born (grand opening 5÷13÷15).
I work a block away so it’s super exciting to have a craft cocktail bar so close to my second home. And, if you’re familiar with the area, I think you’ll agree that this area is in dire need of a bar like this!
Speciality cocktails are $ 11-​$ 14, and they have a good beer, wine, and bubbly list.
It’s been one of these poo poo weeks, so I had three different cocktails: Dr. Tequila ($ 12), Minty Ten ($ 12), and Gin Gin Mule ($ 12). All were well balanced but most importantly, STIFF. My fav was the Gin Gin Mule because I love fever-​tree ginger beer!
Staff was super nice, friendly, and checked in to see if I liked my cocktails. I was chatting with LT who was very sweet. I was told they’re still renovating the club portion which will be a high-​end club.
My club heydays are long gone but I wouldn’t mind a little Manic Mondays. Loved those nights at their sister lounge/​club, Matrix with Boon working the door and DJ Mei-​Lwun spinning those booty poppin’ hits. Maybe a rebirth here? *hint hint*