Lazy Bear bills itself as a modern American dinner party. But it’s so much more. This Mission District restaurant effortlessly strips away the formality of a multicourse dinner and replaces it with conviviality, nostalgia and curiosity. With reverence for time and place, Lazy Bear is an ode to California where guests dine in concert with the season and can explore diverse wines, including an impressive collection of older California vintages.
“Unity is very important to me,” explains founder and chef David Barzelay. “We cultivate a sense of place by evoking what’s great about the Bay Area and California. Every aspect of our work ties into everything else.”
Barzelay, a former lawyer, got into cooking during law school. After getting laid off in 2009, he began staging at local restaurants and hosting dinner parties in his apartment. After six months, he introduced clandestine pop-up dinners in a nearby warehouse. He opened Lazy Bear in 2014. From the beginning, Barzelay had a clear vision and has been building on the concept ever since. Upon opening, the restaurant was lauded for its communal dining experience.
Today, four wooden tables are separated by sizable flower arrangements, lending privacy while still evoking an atmosphere of togetherness. The 32-seat dining room has a cabin-in-the-woods vibe. Decor is sparse, but retro summer camp novelties line the entryway, while other nostalgic items include vintage kettles for pouring bouillon tableside. Each diner’s menu is a take-home “field guide,” where the dishes are listed and illustrated, with room for notes to be taken (and a golf pencil to do so).
An open kitchen is also part of the experience. Diners are encouraged to approach, observe and ask questions. The staff comprehensively explain dishes and ingredients, including anecdotes on what inspired the dish. The affable hospitality of the evening elicits the feeling that you’ve made new friends.
The meal is a multicourse journey through a local and seasonal lens. Thirty or more wild and foraged ingredients can be featured on any given night. A spring menu included a Mt. Lassen steelhead loin marinated in brown rice Shio koji, served with English peas, asparagus, wild pea shoots, ramps and foraged greens, including chickweed and miners lettuce. Preserved items from seasons past also show up: A trio of seafood bites included a broiled chignon oyster with fermented green garlic and a crispy, puffed trout skin with preserved alliums.
But a dinner party is only complete with a few good bottles of wine—or 2,300. Since arriving in 2019, beverage director Jacob Brown has amplified Lazy Bear’s scope, giving particular attention to California.
Indeed, the wine list tells a story of where California has been and where it’s going. Horizontals and verticals of Ravenswood and Ridge Zinfandels from the 1990s are paragons worth exploring. Sonoma Pinots, including mid-1990s Rochioli and Williams Selyem, showcase some of Russian River Valley’s famed pioneers.
Napa is well-represented too, including nearly every vintage of Corison Napa Valley from the early to mid-2000s ($225–$725) as well as a comprehensive collection of Dunn Vineyards Napa Valley ($225–$895) and Howell Mountain Cabernets from the 1980s, ’90s and 2000s. Classics from historic estates include Beaulieu Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley Georges de Latour Private Reserve from the 1960s, ’70s and ’80s ($310–$850) and various bottlings of 1960s and ’70s Louis M. Martini.
And there are rarer treasures still, like 1975 Almaden “Burgundy” ($185), 1978 Chateau Montelena Chardonnay ($355), 1980s Hanzell Cabernet and even off-the-beaten-path selections such as Turley Hayne Vineyard Petite Syrah 1998 ($315).
Brown says that, before his time, Barzelay leaned into the idea of building a treasure trove of California wines, and Brown has been leveling up ever since. “The people who made those wines and worked in those cellars became mentors for others. It’s hard to not be enamored with California and celebrate its history,” says Brown.
Most noteworthy is that the older vintages are priced to sell. “I don’t want to run a museum,” says Brown. It’s not uncommon to find aged and rare bottles at reasonable prices. At press time, a 1995 Robert Mondavi Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve was listed at $215.
Brown is also excited about showing off California’s next generation of winemakers, citing Ross Cobb of Cobb and Carlo Mondavi of Raen alongside newer California brands like Ceritas, Domaine de la Côte and The Mascot. And there’s no shortage of international wines, with pages devoted to Burgundy, Rhône, Bordeaux, Italy and Champagne. Nearly every corner of the wine world has some representation. But ultimately, it’s the California collection that Barzelay and Brown are most proud of.
“There’s nothing wrong with a wine list offering the best wines of the world, but we’ve always focused on our storytelling. And I’m really proud of how we’ve done that,” says Barzelay.
Lazy Bear
3416 19th St., San Francisco, Calif.
Telephone: (415) 874-9921
Website: lazybearsf.com
