Here's a closer look at San Francisco's newest eateries, drinking spots, hotels, conference areas, private rooms and other spaces available for events this fall. The new and renovated San Francisco venues are available for corporate parties, weddings, fundraisers, outdoor functions, business dinners, team-building activities, conferences, meetings and more.
A note regarding COVID-19: Some of the venues listed here may not yet be available for hosting events due to COVID-19, or they may be operating at a lower capacity. As venues begin to slowly reopen across North America, we encourage event organizers to contact the venues to verify current capacity restrictions.
Fiorella
Fiorella Restaurant Group opened its third Fiorella location, Fiorella Sunset, in August near the entrance to Golden Gate Park at Lincoln Way. The Italian restaurant includes a glass-enclosed dough room where guests can watch pasta being made from scratch. The multilevel space begins with a street-level dining room and bar with a working fireplace. The room is decorated with white tile, raw wood beams and toile wallpaper depicting San Francisco personalities. A covered, heated roof deck features a striped retractable awning with details like lush plantings and string lights. A separate, roof-level cocktail bar will debut this winter and will be available for private events either on its own or in conjunction with other spaces. Fiorella’s rooftop level accommodates 62 seated guests and 75 for reception-style events.
Photo: Hardy Wilson
Mar Vista Farm and Cottages
The Glass House is a popular spot for events at the newly refreshed Mar Vista Farm and Cottages, a secluded 9-acre property off the Mendocino coast with 11 Scandinavian-style fishing cottages and a sustainable organic farm. The greenhouse-inspired Glass House seats 48 guests at a single table that stretches the length of the structure. Catering is available through approved vendors. Full cottage weekend buyouts can accommodate up to 30 guests, and additional lodging options are within walking distance of Mar Vista. Adventures and activities at Mar Vista—like yoga, forest bathing, garden classes, or s'mores by the fire—can be adapted for groups. Mar Vista Farm and Cottages revealed its refreshed branding in May.
Photo: Nicole Lamotte
Persona
Persona, a self-described "subterranean party hideout," opened in Lower Nob Hill in August. This cocktail bar is accented by dramatic lighting, including a social media-friendly neon sign. Other design elements include metallic touches, large-scale mirrors, sleek furniture and a U-shaped bar. Persona's standing capacity is 300 and the bar can accommodate 150 seated guests. There's room for two separate events happening simultaneously: The main room can accommodate 200 standing guests and the private secondary room can accommodate 75 standing guests. The cocktail menu from Oscar Sinisterra includes drinks with creative ingredients like kombucha, guava, beeswax and Palo Santo-infused gin. Catering is also available at Persona.
Photo: Joe Keefe
Abacá
Acclaimed chef Francis Ang opened contemporary Filipino-Californian restaurant Abacá in August in the new Kimpton Alton Hotel at Fisherman's Wharf. Channeling the hotel's retro vibe, the sunny space is lit by a skylight and features greenery, groovy mustard yellow booths and a bar with marble accents. The long-awaited restaurant from Ang serves cocktails with ube-coconut cream and main dishes like sisig fried rice with chicharon, poached egg and pickled onion. Breakfast is available too, offering up options like pancakes with coconut caramel, banana and strawberries. Abacá seats 22 guests outside on the patio, 45 inside in the dining room and 12 guests at the bar.
Photo: Melissa de Mata
Oakland Museum of California
The Oakland Museum of California reopened in June after being closed for more than a year due to the pandemic. Returning guests can now visit a $15 million renovation of the museum's outdoor sculpture garden, designed by Oakland-based landscape architect and MacArthur "genius" grant winner Walter Hood of Hood Design Studio and the architecture firm Cavagnero & Associates. The plan includes a new pedestrian entrance and better views of Oakland’s Lake Merritt. The museum also commissioned Oakland-based artist Binta Ayofemi to create sculptures and furniture for the exterior spaces of the renovated campus. The garden is available for events, and there is now a built-in stage amidst native California landscaping and sculptures. Currently, 400 is the maximum COVID capacity for guests in the Oakland Museum of California's garden and lawn area.
Photo: Courtesy of Oakland Museum of California
