Verbena SF

The owners of award-winning restaurant “Gather” came to ABMO with a wish to open a SF  restaurant that would showcase Chef Sean Baker’s sustainable, vegetable-focused menu, but still feel like a neighborhood “bistro”: familiar and welcoming.  The 1700 SF footprint was tall but small, ( an almost perfect cube) , and we needed to fit an ADA bathroom on the ground floor. We turned the bathroom into the room’s feature element by creating a 16′ tall “Pickle wall” to showcase the fermenting produce used daily. LED-lit niches create a warm colorful glow, and a focal point for the space. Custom pendants by Metro Lighting  create an intimate area over the bar, and a cluster of custom ceramic pendants by Jared’s Pottery anchor the center of the space.

Project Description

Earthy and rustic meets swanky and sophisticated in a SF restaurant serving vegetarians and carnivores equally.

The owners of award-winning restaurant “Gather” came to ABMO with a wish to open a SF  restaurant that would showcase Chef Sean Baker’s sustainable, vegetable-focused menu, but still feel like a neighborhood “bistro”: familiar and welcoming.  The 1700 SF footprint was tall but small, ( an almost perfect cube) , and we needed to fit an ADA bathroom on the ground floor. We turned the bathroom into the room’s feature element by creating a 16′ tall “Pickle wall” to showcase the fermenting produce used daily. LED-lit niches create a warm colorful glow, and a focal point for the space. Custom pendants by Metro Lighting  create an intimate area over the bar, and a cluster of custom ceramic pendants by Jared’s Pottery anchor the center of the space.

Project Details

LOCATION
ADDRESS: 2323 Polk Street San Francisco, CA
TEAM
CLIENT: Verbena
FOOD SERVICE: KRBS
CUSTOM LIGHTING: Metro Lighting
CUSTOM LIGHTING: Jered's Pottery
GRAPHIC DESIGNER: Anne Nguyen
PHOTOGRAPHER: Eurydice Galka
PRESS
SF Gate Restaurant Review
The menu here also serves the vegetarian and carnivore equally, and the rustic and sophisticated vibe dovetails with the food.  
Eater SF
Verbena, A Russian Hill Showstopper.. (with) an illuminated wood wall displaying jars of house-pickled goodies, a set of art panels made with soil from local farms, and a custom chandelier and plateware from Berkeley potter Jered's.
Zagat Review
Its "sustainability aesthetic" is evident throughout – from the “beautiful” duplex setting to the “sophisticated” small-batch wine list – while “attentive” service seals the deal.
SF Examiner
Verbena is a worthy addition to the San Francisco dining scene and they interesting Nob Hill neighborhood. The décor was inviting, the cuisine was fresh, unique and delicicous and the service was professional and friendly. We look forward to returning soon!
SF Weekly- Best New Restaurant of 2014
When it excels, Verbena's sheer audacity, its ability to surprise and even shock, and its executive chef Sean Baker's ability to transform the humblest of ingredients, all come together to create one of the most exciting restaurants I've visited in the past year.
Tasting Table
Verbena feels like a grown-up version of Gather, moody and wood-accented: abstractly rustic with a tinge of noir.
San Francisco Magazine
More intimate and upscale than its East Bay sibling, it’s moodier looking, too, with dark wood accents, kiss-me lighting, and rustic-refined touches like a walnut bar backed by artsy panels fashioned out of soil from local farms.