Southside Spirit House Opens in SoMa
The SoMa neighborhood is filled with restaurants, bars and nightclubs. But some believe there really isn’t a neighborhood spot that brings all of that together. That’s the goal of Southside Spirit House, taking over the old Eve Lounge space.
Owner Colin O’Malley, who owned Eve Lounge as well, said it had run its course and he wanted to create a spot that would bring in people from the neighborhood, the after-work crowd and tourists and visitors as well. “Eve Lounge was great for what it was – a nightclub. But we wanted to change the whole decor and feel of the space,” O’Malley said. “With Southside, things are a little more open, there’s a little more light inside. There’s less of a nightclub feel and more a gathering place for friends to get together and have great drinks and food.”
O’Malley didn’t want to lose the late night appeal of Eve Lounge so Southside Spirit House will be open until 2:00am (Thursday-Saturday), with the kitchen staying open till 1:00. The menu created by San Francisco vet Michael Francis is currently filled with mainly smaller items (think truffled popcorn, deviled eggs and different varieties of sliders and pizzas). O’Malley said the menu is starting out small and they hope to expand in the coming weeks and months. Drink-wise, Southside will be offering 12 beers on tap and 12 by the bottle or can. There will be a small wine list and full bar, including about a dozen specialty cocktails. “We’ll have a full whiskey selection and we want the food and the drinks to be fun. We want Southside to be a staple of the neighborhood, with a cool vibe and just a place to hang out,” said O’Malley.
The redesign was done with a lot of the old material from Eve Lounge and includes ample seating (O’Malley says it can hold 150 comfortably). Although many will point out the tape deck wall near the back of the venue, the art and wood design make for a much more homey, down-to-earth feel throughout Southside.
Southside Spirit House is located at 575 Howard Street. Hours are 3:00pm – 1:00am Monday-Wednesday, 3-2 Thursday and Friday and 6:00pm – 2:00am on Saturday.
