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When I asked which was the most underappreciated drink on the newly reopened Grumpy’s cocktail list, the server replied, “I don’t know. I only drink Fernet-Branca.” I couldn’t tell if it was sarcasm — because, again, the place is called Grumpy’s. It was distinctly possible that I was getting played.
But then I ordered a “Grenier Negroni #2,” made with Fords gin and the standard Campari and sweet vermouth, plus a little amaro Luxardo Abano to beef up the already-boozy drink even further. It’s one of three cocktails Grumpy’s serves on draft — something I’m ordinarily skeptical of. But it was good. Like, really, really good — well-rounded and indistinguishable from a drink that had been mixed on the spot.
The exchange was indicative of the general vibe at Grumpy’s, a Northeast Waterfront bar-and-grill that’s back from the dead after four years. It’s not that the new owners are grouches who don’t care if you enjoy yourself. It’s that after three decades in business, Grumpy’s means so much to its longtime regulars, who appear to trust that all will be well no matter what.
“People have a real affinity for the place,” said Tod Alsman, one of the partners who reopened Grumpy’s during the slack period between Christmas and New Year’s. A co-owner of nearby 174-year-old Old Ship Saloon, Alsman admits a preference for taking old-timey spots, replicating the best elements from memory, and otherwise keeping things much as they were. “I don’t love brand-new, build-out bars. They feel fake almost. There’s no patina to it,” he said.
To him, Grumpy’s had to reopen as Grumpy’s. “We love the name,” Alsman said. “And we love the logo.” Indeed, that pencil-drawn mascot — an approachable yet curmudgeonly-looking bulldog clutching two fern branches in its underbite — has held it down on Vallejo Street since 1986.
And who can argue with these prices? Almost every cocktail on the classics-heavy list, from the Pisco Punch to the Yellow Jacket to the Corpse Reviver #1, is $13. Meatballs in tomato sugo with two crostini — a full meal, trust me — are $15. A bowl of truffle fries is $11, and an even bigger bowl of roasted cauliflower with salsa verde is only $9. Then there’s the new version of the Grumpy’s burger, an unchallenging and immensely gratifying double cheeseburger on brioche with all the fixins for $19. It’s thick, it’s juicy, and it’s the opposite of all those lacy smash burgers popping up around town.
Then as now, Grumpy’s draws hefty lunch and happy-hour crowds. Part of that excitement can also be attributed to the location. The Northeast Waterfront is just north of the Financial District, but it’s a no-man’s land of food and drink, with North Beach’s wealth of wine and pizza a few blocks (and considerable climb) away. “There’s not really pizza places around here,” Alsman said, pouring me a Fernet. So Grumpy’s has a few grandma-style pies on the menu, all in the $26-$30 range, from margherita and mushroom to the spicier “Industry Standard” made with various salamis and sausages.
On each visit, every seat of Grumpy’s was occupied. At least some of the patrons were day drinkers sneaking off for a shot-and-a-beer deal, while others, Alsman noted, work at the several TV studios within walking distance.
I reached out to the city’s ABC affiliate, which confirmed this.
“Grumpy’s used to be a BIG place for everyone to go back before it closed,” Brandon Behle, content innovation officer for KGO-TV, said by email. The station has already booked a going-away party and a lunch for department heads there, he added. “We’re all THRILLED it’s back!”
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