True Laurel

True Laurel opened in 2017 at 753 Alabama Street in the Mission as the bar project of the team behind Lazy Bear, the Michelin-starred tasting-menu restaurant — chef David Barzelay and bar director Nicolas Torres. It functions as a full bar and restaurant rather than an annex, with a food menu of its own and a heated parklet on Alabama Street that keeps it usable through Mission fog. The bar ranked No. 17 on North America's 50 Best Bars in 2025 and rose to No. 14 in 2026, and it won the Ketel One Sustainable Bar Award in 2024 — an award that is directly relevant to how the drinks are made, since the sustainability case and the flavour case are the same one here.

True Laurel builds from house-made syrups, shrubs and ferments made with California produce, using trim and by-product from the kitchen rather than buying in flavour, and that pantry is what the non-alcoholic list draws on. Because the ingredients are made in-house rather than purchased as dealcoholized bottles, the zero-proof drinks are not thinner versions of the cocktails — they are made from the same components. The list rotates seasonally but always carries several alcohol-free options, among them the Bay Bay Bubbler, built on California bay laurel with dealcoholized tequila and quinine, and Spice & Everything Nice. The Infatuation, in its guide to drinking in San Francisco when you are not drinking, recommended the bar specifically for this: "When you require a non-alcoholic beverage and more fresh air than your open apartment window can supply, find your way to True Laurel in the Mission. The heated parklet is the perfect perch to zone out and let your eyes mindlessly track the cyclists zooming up and down Alabama — all while having a drink from their seasonal menu made with a booze-free spirit, chamomile, pink peppercorn, and pear vinegar." The bar is closed Mondays and opens at 11am at weekends, so it works for a daytime drink as well as a late one.