The classiest happy hour: The Palace Hotel
In the spirit of full disclosure, I have a thing for hotel bars.
It started when I was five. My dad took me into the Hyatt Regency at One Embarcadero and bought me a virgin strawberry daiquiri and we tossed pennies into the big glassy fountain and I jumped on the plush couches and danced around by myself to the music being played by the nice man on the grand piano. Every time we came to San Francisco, I would insist on a trip to the Hyatt.
I have since turned in the virgin daiquiris for gin martinis and I don't jump on the furniture anymore. But stick me in a hotel bar with a piano playing and give me a chilled Hendrick's martini and I am in heaven.
The only thing Maxfield's lacks is the piano. But they have an excellent selection gin and every other liquor known to man, including an impressive array of single malt scotches and small batch bourbons. Their by-the-glass wine list is also a roll call of the best wineries in California and around the world.
The joint is all class. I would guess that all the original fixtures are in place from the bar's inception in 1909 when the hotel was rebuilt from the ground up after the 1906 quake. The floor is delicate honeycomb tile, the bar is solid carved wood, the walls are of gorgeous, warm wood paneling, the barstools and seats are covered in soft leather, the room is brightly lit by two huge chandeliers and on the wall behind the bar is a gianormous Maxfield Parish painting, The Pied Piper.
The service is friendly and there is a happy hour buffet on Friday evenings. It is a great post-work destination after a long week. Or a long Wednesday, perhaps.
Maxfield's Pied Piper Bar
The Palace Hotel
2 New Montgomery St. @ Market
San Francisco, CA 94102
(415) 512-1111
