Tim Girsch and Matt Guilbert are known locally for the two craft beer-centric eateries they co-own, Regal Beagle on India Street and the Regal Seagull, which opened last year in North County.
For their third project, they're back to their roots in the bar industry; earlier this year, they took over The Griffin in Bay Park and together, with partner Jesse Melton, they've remodeled the former live music venue into a straightforward cocktail bar which recently reopened as Sidecar.
The music stage has been replaced with a grouping of arcade games, the bar has been extended and there are new floors, new furnishings and new set of TV's. Guilbert told Eater that they're going for a vibe that's "not too dive-y and far from douche-y". The cocktails are well-made, but not excessively craft-oriented; the list of nine house cocktails will rotate, but may include a Sidecoche (a mezcal version of a Sidecar) and a daiquiri made with Ballast Point's Three Sheets rum. There's craft beer, of course -15 taps worth - and wine.
Open from 3 p.m. to 2 a.m. Monday through Friday, from noon to 2 a.m. Saturday and from 10 a.m. to 2 a.m. on Sunday, Sidecar doesn't serve food but will plan to have food trucks pull up to the bar at least a few days a week. The owners say they may still occasionally have bands in to play.
