Birba, a relative newcomer in Hayes Valley, is the tiny wine bar that could. Owner and hospitality veteran Angie Valgiusti—who honed her credentials at venerable Bay Area restaurants such as The Slanted Door—persisted through an ultimately successful Kickstarter campaign to open up a relaxed wine bar for industry folks and vino newbies. Part friendly neighborhood wine bar, part European-inspired café, the endearingly narrow Birba (meaning “rascal” in Italian) waited for a frustrating two years to introduce its most welcoming feature: a garden patio shaded by a two-story-tall avocado tree.
Delivering buzzy pét-nat with zero pretension, Birba is my place for long-overdue friend catch-ups and post-work wine-downs; it offers adventurous and accessible wines, paired with deftly crafted small plates. The low-key vibe summons the enotecas I hung out in when I lived in Italy: dimly lit, with well-loved wood countertops and rustic walls, and serving up salty, crusty focaccia and warm, plump olives. Menu staples like burrata toasts and freshly made pasta will tide you over before you hit up a nearby City Arts & Lectures conversation or a show at SFJAZZ.
