The back room, home to SRO. Photo: © tablehopper.com.

The intimate bar area. Photo: © tablehopper.com.

The back bar at SRO. Photo: © tablehopper.com.

Last week I swung by ~ODDJOB~ in SoMa for a sneak peek of the new cocktail-centric bar that I mentioned awhile back was going to be opening in the back area. It’s called SRO, a play on the fact the room is (mostly) standing room only, although there are also some SROs not too far away on 9th Street. Anyway.

The intimate back bar has a swanky look, with a vintage chandelier, dim lighting, a draped velvet ceiling, and diamond-shaped wall panels with burgundy bison leather in the middle. There are some seats at the small bar, but like its name hints, there isn’t a whole lot of seating. (It would be a great spot for a cocktail party—you can rent it out.) If you take a look at the front corner of the bar, you’ll see a rotating case all tricked out in velvet (previously at a pawn shop) that is now showcasing 32 bottles of high-end spirits.

Running the show is Joey Picchi, previously at Martins West. He comes from the local restaurant biz—his family owned Paul Joe’s in San Carlos. This is his first gig in SF, and he’s fired up. There is no cocktail menu—all the drinks are custom made and on the fly (you thought I was going to say bespoke, but no!). Picchi is making all his own syrups, bitters, and purées, and said he likes to feature adventurous ingredients. Since there is limited space, the spirits will veer toward the higher end. The cocktails will range from $14-$16, so don’t let that SRO name fool you.

SRO should be all dialed in on Wednesday, and the grand opening is this Friday March 21st. Hours will be Tue-Sat 5pm-2am. 1337 Mission St. at Washburn (near 9th St).

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