Anina is one of San Francisco’s newer bars but has received rave reviews from locals and tourists alike. The kitschy Caribbean flair to the decor and its wide-ranging beverage menu (beers in cans to punch bowls) makes this spot ideal for anyone just looking to have a libation. With the Caribbean-like atmosphere, you have to try their tiki-styled Tropical Punch Bowl. Tucked into a block away from the bustle of Union Square, Anina Bar feels like stepping into a secret garden that San Francisco forgot to tell the rest of the world about. Opened in 2016 inside the historic 1907 Coast Guard Building on Minna Street, the space was once a gritty alleyway garage before being transformed by the team behind Horsefeather and the former Brass Tacks. They preserved the original brick walls and soaring bow-truss ceiling, then flooded the room with cascading plants, pastel tiles, and soft neon that glows pink and turquoise after dark.
The effect is pure California daydream: part Miami Art Deco, part coastal grandmother chic, and a dash of Wes Anderson symmetry. On warm evenings the massive garage doors roll up completely, turning the entire bar into an open-air courtyard where the city’s fog rolls in like a guest who’s fashionably late. What truly sets Anina apart is its celebration of punch culture, a tradition that dates back to 17th-century sailors mixing rum with whatever fruit and spices they could find in Caribbean ports. Here, the house specialty is the “Punch of the Day,” served from beautiful glass bowls big enough for four or six friends, brimming with seasonal fruit, herbs, and spirits that change weekly. Order the classic Anina Punch—rum, cognac, black tea, oleo-saccharum, and citrus—and you’re tasting a drink that nods respectfully to those old maritime recipes while feeling completely modern and bright.
The small but thoughtful food menu (think ceviche, fried smelt with yuzu kosho aioli, and a burger that locals quietly insist is among the city’s best) keeps you happily planted on the colorful banquettes for hours. Even on a Tuesday the crowd is a joyful mix of stylish tech workers letting their hair down, artists from nearby SOMA galleries, and visitors who heard a rumor that this might be the prettiest bar in town. They’re all right. Anina Bar doesn’t shout for attention the way some San Francisco spots do; it simply opens its doors, pours something bright and cold into your hand, and lets the brick walls, hanging ferns, and easy laughter do the rest. You’ll leave smelling faintly of citrus and already planning when you can come back.
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