This Russian Hill wine bar and coffee shop is SF’s coziest new hang

Soft indie rock plays as couples lean into each other. The sommelier opens a bottle of Crémant d’Alsace with a muffled pop. Late-afternoon sun slants in, illuminating a grid of wooden ceiling beams. This is Bar Bibi, a new hangout on Pacific Avenue, where the level of coziness is unmatched, right out of the gate.

The 2-week-old wine bar developed out of Bar Habibi, a pop-up that was arguably more of a residency, since it ran for five years. Owner Bahman Safari opened it in a corner location that was home to the Italian restaurant Milano for the better part of 40 years.

Bar Bibi isn’t big — it’s just an L-shaped cafe wrapped around a kitchen. But it’s got four distinct seating zones, including a mezzanine and a sunny lounge with benches and throw pillows — all of which achieve an enviable level of snugness. 

And it’s much larger than its minuscule predecessor, housed inside Russian Hill wine bar Bacchus. “That space was maybe a fraction, a quarter of this,” says Safari, adding that he and his partner had loved Milano. (“He and I would crush, like, four pastas,” Safari recalls.) Even more than the food, they were fond of the bones of the space — almost to the point of obsession. “So I didn’t change much,” he says. 

Bar Bibi’s wine list may be in its infancy, but Safari has a clear idea of what he wants. The bar is carrying Bar Habibi’s torch, emphasizing small, organic producers from around the world. His ideal winemakers are those who are not inoculating the soil with pesticides or other chemicals. 

What he prefers is “just a true expression of terroir and vintage — wines that are delicious, but not quote/unquote natty,” he says, referring to those trendy, ultra-acidic, kombucha-like pours. Instead, Safari gravitates toward the kind of Italian reds that can be laid down for years: Barolo, Barbaresco, and Nebbiolo. “That’s what you’ll end up seeing 20 bottles of,” he says. “It’s my weakness.” 

The food side is pan-Mediterranean, running from small plates of charred broccolini with peanut sauce, cilantro, and the nutty Middle Eastern herb blend dukkah to spaghetti vongole in garlic sauce. Some items might be deceiving: The cheekily named Lunchable Toast (mortadella, burrata, pistachios on a slice of Bernal Basket bread) could easily be a meal.

It's not merely a wine bar, either. From 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. daily, Bar Bibi is home to Better Half Coffee, which neatly matches Bibi’s vibes, having started as a pop-up within Bar Habibi — yes, that’s technically a pop-up within a pop-up — after growing out of respected local roaster Saint Frank Coffee. Better Half owner-operator Joshua Kaplowitz might greet patrons by asking, “What can I do to make your day better?” before steering them toward a couscous pudding with pistachios, blackberries, and a dusting of rose-geranium powder. 

This cohabitation structure is about cross-pollination — or, as Safari puts it, a move away from “dining orthodoxy” — plus, sharing the rent makes economic sense. 

There’s another reason the drinks go together: San Francisco’s progressive politics. “Historically, coffee gave people the productivity to plan the revolution,” Kaplowitz says, “and wine gave them the courage to execute.”