San Mateo adds cocktail lounges

“We just thought there was a need for a serious cocktail bar in San Mateo and the whole Peninsula,” Choy said.

Classic drinks available include a Manhattan, margarita, French 75, sidewinder’s fang, martini and old fashioned. An option for a twist on each classic will be available, along with local beer and wine. Cocktails average around $14, Choy said. Beer listings will rotate, with current options from Alvarado Street and Barebottle. Irish coffee is an option for dessert. No outside food is allowed inside, although Wunderbar does serve popcorn. Reservation options include a lounge reservation for groups up to five, a high-top area for parties of two, a nook location with a semiprivate room for three or four, along the traditional bar area.

The dimly lit rooms feature leather armchairs, bookcases and other items that add to the atmosphere.

“The ambiance was developed with our designer, Shawn Scott Studio. We wanted to create a place that was sort of a rustic, whimsical departure from upstairs and really the rest of the world. We want people to feel like they’ve been transported to a different world,” Choy said by email.

A few minutes from Wunderbar is the site of a future cocktail lounge, Fogbird on South B Street. The site is currently under construction, and founders David and Susan Hunsaker want to open during the first week of January. The pair ran the recently closed 31st Union at 5 S. Ellsworth Ave. Susan Hunsaker imagines Fogbird as a time-stopping place to gather and laugh with friends and a craft cocktail. She noted 31st Union was a happy accident, but the pandemic made the business unsustainable in its current form. They were faced with an expiring lease and decided to return to their true north with a relaxed space for drinks.

“We are really getting back to our roots,” Hunsaker said.

The space will be artfully designed for classic and signature craft cocktails, small bar bites and a curated selection of wine and beer. They are currently hiring staff, moving in furniture and decorating the space.

“We kind of took the pieces of the business we wanted to keep and build from there. The pieces we are keeping are our amazing community and guests who feel really at home with us,” Hunsaker said.

People can also sign up for one-hour cocktail classes, where Fogbird bartenders will help customers make Fogbird cocktails. People can sign up for in-person classes or virtual. People in virtual classes receive ingredients beforehand, and a bartender will guide the group through Zoom. The classes will focus on three Fogbird original cocktails representing the flavors associated with the season.

People can go to fogbird.co/about-us-1 for more information on Fogbird. People can visit exploretock.com/wunderbarsanmateo for more details about Wunderbar.

curtis@smdailyjournal.com

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