San Francisco Guide to Drinking
Name: The Ambassador
Address: 673 Geary Street

The Ambassador bar is – hands down – one of the prettiest new bars in San Francisco. With the growing number of high-end bars and lounges opening in the Tenderloin, the competition is getting pretty stiff. With its seemingly endless ceiling and thirty plus chandeliers, The Ambassador San Francisco is having no problem making a name for itself as a swanky place to enjoy an elixir or three.

The Ambassador is the latest brainchild from the hot spot geniuses at Vintage 415. It seeks to provide patrons with world-class service and a luxurious ambiance. With the feeling and decor resembling a swanky club from the Prohibition Era, the vintage feel of the lounge is impressively epicurean. The large leather booths are perfect for an intimate date setting or groups of 6-8 people to enjoy. Each booth is equipped with marble tables and phones for calling the servers or contacting the other booths' occupants should you want to flirt. Brick walls mostly surround the lounge, while the back wall below the mezzanine is covered in custom wallpaper printed with the bar's logo, which really emphasizes the amount of time and energy Vintage 415 spent when designing this place!

With an extensive offering of specialty cocktails, as well as beer, wine, and high-grade champagne, the bartenders will never leave you high and dry. One of the more popular drinks is the Pomegranate Collins, although the El Diablo (wonderfully mixed with tequila, lime, and ginger beer) is definitely noteworthy! Aside from the tasty drinks, the lounge offers a small menu of appetizers and entrees that are served until midnight each night. With American dishes like the “Mac N' Chorizo” (macaroni with chorizo and white cheddar) and “Frank's Red Hot” (chicken wings), as well as the “Pink Ladies” (shrimp cocktail!) and the “Duke of Earl”, which is a Chicken Parmesan dish, the Ambassador has compiled a list of some of the most desirable Californian foods, especially the side of grilled asparagus.

There is a large mezzanine with a second bar that can be rented out for private parties and a DJ booth near the entrance where the DJ of the night can be found throwing down tunes ranging from hip hop to house to Top 40 hits. One of the greatest bonuses is the large projector screen above the entrance that plays during old, black and white movies from the 1920s to the early 1950s on weeknights, such as “The Wild One” starring Marlon Brando. The bartenders play Monday Night football and basketball playoffs early on in the evening as well, although with the classy setting and posh drinks, this is no typical sports bar! While the blocks of the Tenderloin may not be the ideal place for a grand evening, the interior of The Ambassador will make you forget the TL even exists!

Also, be sure to dress the part, if you know what I mean… The door guys have been known to allow entrance based on style, or rather, lack of style.

The Ambassador SF
(415) 563-8192
For table reservations : info (at) ambassador415.com